Metal 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 ...

that is located in Franklin 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 1,768 at the time of the 2020 census.

History

Metal Township was so named on account of deposits of metal ores within its borders. The Bridge in Metal Township, Carrick Furnace, and Mt. Pleasant Iron Works House 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

The township is located along the western edge of Franklin County, bordered to the west by

Huntingdon Huntingdon is a market town in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The town was given its town charter by John, King of England, King John in 1205. It was the county town of the historic county of Huntingdonshire. Oliver C ...

and Fulton counties. The western border of the township (and county line) follows the crest of

Tuscarora Mountain Tuscarora Mountain is a mountain ridge of the Appalachian Mountains in the Ridge and Valley province in central Pennsylvania. It reaches its highest point on Big Mountain (Pennsylvania) at above sea level. The mountain is named after the Tusca ...

, while the eastern border follows the crest of

Kittatinny Mountain Kittatinny Mountain (Unami language, Lenape: Kitahtëne) is a long ridge traversing primarily Sussex County, New Jersey, Sussex County in northwestern New Jersey, running in a northeast-southwest axis, a continuation across the Delaware Water G ...

. The space between the mountains is known as Path Valley and comprises the settled portion of the township. The valley is drained by the West Branch

Conococheague Creek Conococheague Creek, a tributary of the Potomac River, is a free-flowing stream that originates in Pennsylvania and empties into the Potomac River near Williamsport, Maryland, Williamsport, Maryland. It is in length,U.S. Geological Survey. Natio ...

, part of the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

watershed. Pennsylvania Route 75 runs the length of the township, through the center of Path Valley. From south to north, it passes through the unincorporated communities of Richmond Furnace, Metal, Fannettsburg (the largest community in the township), Springtown, and Willow Hill. Interstate 76, 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 ...

, runs through the northern part of the township, with access from Exit 189, the Willow Hill Interchange. The turnpike passes through the

Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel is one of four original Pennsylvania Turnpike tunnels still in active use. A second tube was bored in the late 1960s to ease traffic conditions. The Tuscarora Mountain tunnels measure in length and are the second-long ...

at the western border of the township. 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 is land and , or 0.15%, is water.

Neighboring Townships

* Dublin Township ( Fulton County), (west) * Dublin Township ( Huntingdon County), (northwest) * Fannett Township (north) * Letterkenny Township (east) * Peters Township (south) * St. Thomas Township (southeast) * Todd Township (Fulton County), (southwest)

Communities

* Boggstown * Carrick Valley * Cowans Village * Fannettsburg *

Metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...

* Mountain Green * Richmond Furnace * Springtown * Sweetwater * Willow Hill

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 1,721 people, 663 households, and 487 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 782 housing units at an average density of 17.6/sq mi (6.8/km). The racial makeup of the township was 99.07%

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 ...

, 0.35%

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 ...

, 0.17% Asian, 0.23% from other races, and 0.17% 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 0.41% of the population. There were 663 households, out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% 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, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 20.4% 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 2.60 and the average family size was 2.95. In the township the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.6 males. The median income for a household in the township was $35,417, and the median income for a family was $38,750. Males had a median income of $28,725 versus $21,167 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 $15,958. About 9.6% of families and 12.8% 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 21.9% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over. File:Double Dip Metal TWP FranCo PA.JPG, Double Dip ice cream stand File:Fannettsburg PA Reformed Church (1844) FranCo.JPG, Reformed church north of Fannettsburg

References

External links

Metal Township Fire & Ambulance Company
{{authority control Populated places established in 1763 Townships in Franklin County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania