Hereford Township is a
township
A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...
in
Berks County, Pennsylvania
Berks County (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Barricks Kaundi'') is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the coun ...
, United States. It is the easternmost municipality within Berks County. Its population was 2,969 at the
2020 census.
It is in
Upper Perkiomen School District
Upper Perkiomen School District is located in the northern corner of Montgomery County and the eastern corner of Berks County in the US state of Pennsylvania.
The district comprises the townships of Upper Hanover and Marlborough and the boro ...
.
History
Hereford Township was erected on February 1, 1753, following a survey of its boundaries on January 5, 1753, by David Shultz.
[Morton L. Montgomery, ''History of Berks County in Pennsylvania'' (Philadelphia: Everts, Peck & Richards, 1886), p. 997.]
The
John Gehman Farm and
Hunter's Mill Complex are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, the township has a total area of , all land and in the
Delaware watershed. The
Perkiomen Creek
Perkiomen Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Schuylkill River in Berks, Lehigh, and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania.Gertler ...
begins in Hereford Township and drains it into the
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river in eastern Pennsylvania. It flows for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map(). accessed April 1, 2011. from Pottsville, Pennsylvania, Pottsville ...
, except for a very small portion north of Seisholtzville that drains via the
Little Lehigh Creek
Little Lehigh Creek is approximately long and is located in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. It is sometimes referred to as the Little Lehigh River. It is the largest tributary of the Lehigh River.
The creek flows in a win ...
into the
Lehigh River
The Lehigh River () is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River in eastern Pennsylvania. The river flows in a generally southward ...
. The northern and western areas of the township are located on
South Mountain.
Hereford Township has a hot-summer
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 cold ...
(''Dfa'') and is in
hardiness zone
A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...
6b. The average monthly temperature in Hereford ranges from 29.2 °F in January to 73.8 °F in July, and in Seisholtzville it ranges from 28.3 °F in January to 72.0 °F in July
Hereford Township's villages include
Chapel, Pennsylvania, Chapel (also in Montgomery County,)
Clayton (also in
Washington Township),
Five Points,
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...
,
Hereford
Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...
,
Huffs Church, and
Seizholtzville (also in
Longswamp Township).
Adjacent townships
*
Washington Township (south)
*
District Township (west)
*
Longswamp Township (northwest)
*
Lower Macungie Township, Lehigh County (north)
*
Upper Milford Township, Lehigh County (northeast)
*
Lower Milford Township, Lehigh County (tangent to the east)
*
Upper Hanover Township, Montgomery County (southeast)
Demographics
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 3,174 people, 1,188 households, and 898 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 1,271 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 98.17%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.19%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.09%
Native American
Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States.
Related terms and peoples include:
Ethnic groups
* Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...
, 0.38%
Asian, 0.47% from
other races, and 0.69% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 1.29% of the population.
There were 1,188 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.6% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the township the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 103.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.1 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $49,046, and the median income for a family was $52,845. Males had a median income of $40,841 versus $26,414 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the township was $21,661. About 4.4% of families and 6.2% 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 ...
, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
As of 2019, there were of public roads in Hereford Township, of which were maintained by the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) oversees transportation issues in the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, Michael B. Carroll. PennDOT ...
(PennDOT) and were maintained by the township.
Pennsylvania Route 29
Pennsylvania Route 29 (PA 29) is a north–south state highway that runs through most of eastern Pennsylvania.
The route currently has a southern and northern segment. The southern segment runs from U.S. Route 30 in Pennsylvania, U.S. Rout ...
and
Pennsylvania Route 100
Pennsylvania Route 100 (PA 100) is a long state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that runs from U.S. Route 202 (US 202) near West Chester north to PA 309 in Pleasant Corners. The route runs between the western suburbs of Philadelphi ...
come south from
Lehigh County and diverge in the village of Hereford. PA 29 continues down the Perkiomen Valley to Collegeville while PA 100 proceeds south to Bally and Pottstown. Other local roads of note include Huffs Church Road, Hunter Forge Road/St. Peters Road, Kutztown Road, Seisholtzville Road, and Tollgate Road.
Legislators
*State Representative
Ryan Mackenzie
Ryan Edward Mackenzie (born August 3, 1982) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative from Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he served in the Pennsylvania House of Represen ...
, Republican, 134th district
*State Senator
Judy Schwank
Judith Schwank (born 1951) is an American politician. A Democrat, she was elected to the Pennsylvania Senate from the 11th district in a special election on March 15, 2011, to succeed the late Michael O'Pake. The district includes the city of ...
, Democrat, 11th district
*U.S. Representative
Dan Meuser
Daniel Philip Meuser ( ; born February 10, 1964) is an American businessman, politician, and philanthropist serving as the U.S. representative for Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district since 2019. A Republican, he previously served as the ...
, Republican, 9th district
Recreation
Harlem Township Park is located between Harlem and Seisholtzville. A small portion of the
Pennsylvania State Game Lands Number 315
The Pennsylvania State Game Lands Number 315 are Pennsylvania State Game Lands in Berks County in Pennsylvania in the United States providing hunting, bird watching, and other activities.
Geography
SGL 315 consists of four parcels well separ ...
is located in the western part of the township.
[https://viewer.nationalmap.gov/advanced-viewer/ The National Map, retrieved November 2, 2018][Pennsylvania State Game Lands Number 315](_blank)
retrieved November 2, 2018
References
{{Authority control
Townships in Berks County, Pennsylvania
Townships in Pennsylvania