Franklin Township is a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

in Carbon County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. It is part of

Northeastern Pennsylvania Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) is a geographic region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains, and the industrial cities of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Hazleton, Nanticoke, and Car ...

. The population was 4,262 at the 2010 census. A portion of

Beltzville State Park Beltzville State Park is a List of Pennsylvania state parks, Pennsylvania state park in Franklin Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania, Franklin and Towamensing Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania, Towamensing townships, Carbon County, Pennsyl ...

is in Franklin Township.

Geography

The township is located in southern Carbon County and is drained by the Lehigh River on its western boundary. The northern boundary runs along the base of Bear Mountain.

Pohopoco Creek Pohopoco Creek (locally known as Big Creek) is a tributary of the Lehigh River in Monroe and Carbon Counties in Pennsylvania in the United States. The creek is long and its watershed is in area. It was historically known as Heads Creek, Pocho ...

is the primary tributary of the Lehigh within the township and is impounded in the township by Beltzville Dam to form Beltzville Lake. Villages in the township include Beltzville, East Weissport, Harrity, Long Run, North Weissport, and Walcksville. According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 3.27%, is water. Franklin Township hosts the Mahoning Valley Interchange of

Interstate 476 Interstate 476 (I-476) is a auxiliary Interstate Highway of I-76 in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The highway runs from I-95 near Chester north to I-81 near Scranton, serving as the primary north–south Interstate corridor throu ...

with U.S. Route 209.

Pennsylvania Route 248 Pennsylvania Route 248 (PA 248) is a long state highway in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The western terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 209 (US 209) in Weissport East, a CDP in Franklin Township. The eastern terminu ...

connects US 209 in Weissport with the Allentown–Bethlehem area via

Lehigh Gap The Lehigh Gap or Lehigh Water Gap is a water gap located in the townships of Lehigh, Washington, Lower Towamensing and East Penn in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. It was formed by the Lehigh River where it cuts through the ...

Neighboring municipalities

* Parryville (southwest) * Mahoning Township (west) * Weissport (west) * Lehighton (west) *

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe ( Sac and Fox (Sauk): ''Wa-Tho-Huk'', translated as "Bright Path"; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was the first Nativ ...

(northwest) * Penn Forest Township (north) * Towamensing Township (east) * Lower Towamensing Township (south)

Climate

Franklin Township has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(''Dfa''/''Dfb'') and the hardiness zone is 6a except near the river where it is 6b. Average monthly temperatures in Harrity range from 27.7 °F in January to 72.5 °F in July

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 4,243 people, 1,671 households, and 1,256 families residing in the township. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 291.4 people per square mile (112.5/km²). There were 1,819 housing units at an average density of 124.9/sq mi (48.2/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 98.87%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.07%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.14% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.09% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.47% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.45% of the population. There were 1,671 households, out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.0% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.90. In the township the population was spread out, with 21.4% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 101.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males. The median income for a household in the township was $43,106, and the median income for a family was $50,323. Males had a median income of $34,801 versus $24,429 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the township was $19,166. About 2.6% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

Franklin Township official website
{{Carbon County, Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1758 Townships in Carbon County, Pennsylvania