Kidder Township is a township in

Carbon County, Pennsylvania Carbon County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 64,749. The county is part of the Northeast region of the commonwealth. The county borders Lehigh and Northampton counties in the state ...

. It is part of

Northeastern Pennsylvania Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA or Nepa) is a region of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that includes the Pocono Mountains, the Endless Mountains, and the industrial cities of Scranton (the area's largest city), Wilkes-Barre, Pittston, Ha ...

. The population was 1,935 at the 2010 census, up from 1,185 at the 2000 census.

History

On October 10, 1888, a train wreck known as the Mud Run Disaster occurred on the

Lehigh Valley Railroad The Lehigh Valley Railroad was a railroad in the Northeastern United States built predominantly to haul anthracite, anthracite coal from the Coal Region in Northeastern Pennsylvania to major consumer markets in Philadelphia, New York City, and ...

which runs through the township. 66 people were killed, most members of the Total Abstinence Union returning from a rally.

Geography

Kidder Township occupies the northern end of Carbon County and is bordered by

Luzerne County Luzerne County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is Northeaste ...

to the north and west and by Monroe County to the east. It is drained by 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 ...

, which separates it from Luzerne County.

Tobyhanna Creek Tobyhanna Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Lehigh River in the Pocono Mountains of eastern Pennsylvania in the United States.Gert ...

, a tributary of the Lehigh, forms the northern half of the township's eastern border. Its villages include Albrightsville (also in Penn Forest Township), Hickory Run, Lake Harmony, Lehigh Tannery, Leonardsville/Pocono Mountain Lake Estates, and Split Rock. Albrightsville is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

as is Holiday Pocono within Kidder. 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 , of which is land and , or 1.04%, is water.

Hickory Run State Park Hickory Run State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Kidder and Penn Forest Townships in Carbon County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is spread across the Pocono Mountains. The park is easily accessible from Interstate 476 an ...

occupies nearly in the southern half of the township.

Neighboring municipalities

* Penn Forest Township (south) * Lehigh Township (southwest) * Foster Township, Luzerne County (west) * White Haven, Luzerne County (west) * East Side (west) * Dennison Township, Luzerne County (west) * Bear Creek Township, Luzerne County (northwest) * Buck Township, Luzerne County (north) * Tobyhanna Township, Monroe County (northeast) * Tunkhannock Township, Monroe County (east)

Climate

The township has a warm-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 ...

(''Dfb'') and the

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 ...

is mostly 5b except for a little 6a along Mud Run and the Lehigh River. The average monthly temperatures at the Pocono interchange of the Turnpike range from 22.9 °F in January to 68.3 °F in July

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 1,185 people, 498 households, and 347 families residing in the township. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was 17.2 people per square mile (6.6/km²). There were 2,197 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 93.25%

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 ...

, 2.36%

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 ...

, 0.08% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 1.35% from other races, and 2.78% 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 4.56% of the population. There were 498 households, out of which 21.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% 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, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.69. In the township, the population was spread out, with 21.3% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 31.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.4 males. The median income for a household in the township was $32,583, and the median income for a family was $37,404. Males had a median income of $30,714 versus $26,250 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 $18,719. About 9.5% of families and 10.1% 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 9.8% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

As of 2015, there were of public roads in Kidder Township, of which were maintained by the

Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) is an agency created in 1937 to construct, finance, operate, and maintain the Pennsylvania Turnpike (both the mainline and the Northeast Extension). The commission consists of five members. Four memb ...

(PTC), 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. Kidder Township is served by two Interstate highways.

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 through ea ...

, the

Pennsylvania Turnpike The Pennsylvania Turnpike, sometimes shortened to Penna Turnpike or PA Turnpike, is a controlled-access toll road which is operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) in Pennsylvania. It runs for across the southern part of the st ...

's Northeast Extension, passes north–south through the township while

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...

passes east–west through the township. The two highways meet at the Pocono interchange. State highways serving Kidder Township include Pennsylvania Route 534, which passes east–west through the southern portion of the township, intersecting PA 903 in Albrightsville;

Pennsylvania Route 903 Pennsylvania Route 903 (PA 903) is a state highway located in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, Carbon and Monroe County, Pennsylvania, Monroe counties in Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at U.S. Route 209 (US 209) in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania ...

, which passes through the southeast corner of the township on its way between

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe (; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete who won Olympic gold medals and played professional American football, football, baseball, and basketball. A citizen of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was ...

and Route 115 just beyond the Monroe County line; and

Pennsylvania Route 940 Pennsylvania Route 940 (PA 940) is a Pennsylvania highway located in the Pocono Mountains. It runs from Pennsylvania Route 309, PA 309 in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, Hazleton east to Pennsylvania Route 191, PA 191 in Paradise Valley, Pennsylvania, ...

, which passes east–west through the northern portion of the township parallel to I-80 and connects to I-80 and I-476 at the Pocono interchange. Kidder has one more important road, which connects 903 and 940 via Lake Harmony and Split Rock. The portion between Split Rock and 940, Mosey Wood Road, is a private toll road operated by Vacation Charters Limited, and the portion south to 903 is Lake Drive.

Martz Trailways Martz Group is a bus company headquartered in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, operating intercity commuter buses, charter buses, and tours. Martz is a part of the Trailways Transportation System, a network of approximately 70 independent bus companie ...

has a stop in Kidder Township near the Pocono interchange of Interstate 476 for service between

Scranton Scranton is a city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the ...

Wilkes-Barre Wilkes-Barre ( , alternatively or ) is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. ...

Allentown Allentown may refer to: Places * Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California * Allentown, Georgia, a city in four counties in Georgia * Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Tazewell County * Allentown, New Jersey, a boroug ...

, Quakertown, and

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. This is an

Amtrak Thruway Amtrak Thruway is a system of through-ticketed transportation services to connect passengers with areas not served by Amtrak trains. In most cases these are dedicated motorcoach routes, but can also be non-dedicated intercity bus services, transi ...

route, connecting to

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

trains at

30th Street Station 30th Street Station, officially William H. Gray III 30th Street Station, is a major intermodal passenger transport, intermodal transit station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The station opened in 1933 as Pennsylvania Station– ...

in Philadelphia. Martz also operates casino bus routes to

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

from the stop. The Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad's

Lehigh Division The Lehigh Division is a major freight low grade rail line owned and operated by the Reading Blue Mountain and Northern Railroad in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that runs from Lehighton, Pennsylvania to Dupont, Pennsylvania; it originally ran ...

line pass through the western portion of Kidder Township.

References

External links

Kidder Township official websiteKidder Township Volunteer Fire CompanyLake Harmony Rescue Squad Ambulance
{{Carbon County, Pennsylvania 1849 establishments in Pennsylvania Populated places established in 1849 Townships in Carbon County, Pennsylvania