Lykens 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 ...

which is located in Dauphin County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, United States. The population was 1,561 at the time of the 2020 census, a decline from the figure of 1,618 tabulated in 2010.

History

The Bridge in Lykens Township No. 1 and Bridge in Lykens Township No. 2 were 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 ...

in 1988. The township was named after pioneer Peter Nilsson Lyckan and brother Mikel, who immigrated from Sweden in 1654, and was the first European settler on the township's land in the 1670s. The property was adjacent to his nephew's Mans Jones.

Geography

Lykens Township occupies the northeastern corner of Dauphin County, bordered by Northumberland County to the north and Schuylkill County to the east. The borough of Gratz, a separate municipality, is located south of the township center and is entirely surrounded by the township. Mahantango Creek, a westward-flowing tributary of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

, forms the northern border of the township. Mahantango Mountain is a long ridge that crosses the northern length of the township south of Mahantango Creek. The southern border of the township runs along the ridge of Short Mountain/Bear Mountain, though not directly following the ridgecrest. Pennsylvania Route 25 runs east–west through the township and passes through the center of Gratz. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the township has a total area of , of which , or 0.03%, is water.

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 1,095 people, 356 households, and 292 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 371 housing units at an average density of 14.1/sq mi (5.4/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 99.09%

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 ...

, 0.27%

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 ...

, and 0.64% from two or more races. There were 356 households, out of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.7% 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, 3.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.7% were non-families. 14.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.08 and the average family size was 3.44. In the township the population was spread out, with 29.7% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 109.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.3 males. The median income for a household in the township was $40,417, and the median income for a family was $45,156. Males had a median income of $31,172 versus $22,625 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 $15,096. About 4.9% of families and 7.4% 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 9.5% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

Lykens Township official website
{{coord, 40, 36, 00, N, 76, 45, 59, W, type:city_region:US-PA_source:GNIS-enwiki, display=title Townships in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania