Perry 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 ...

Fayette County, Pennsylvania Fayette County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in southwestern Pennsylvania, adjacent to Maryland and West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 128,804. Its county seat is Uniontown. The county wa ...

, United States. The population was 2,339 at the 2020 census, a decline from the figure of 2,552 tabulated in 2010. The

Frazier School District The Frazier School District is a rural public school district located in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, about 35 miles south of Pittsburgh. It serves the boroughs of Perryopolis and Newell, and the townships of Perry, Jefferson, and Lower Ty ...

serves the township. Star Junction, Wickhaven, Whitsett, Banning and Layton are unincorporated communities within the township. The

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

of Perryopolis, a separate municipality, lies

enclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is so ...

d at the center of the township.

History

The Star Junction Historic District and Whitsett Historic District 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 ...

. Also listed are the Alliance Furnace, Providence Quaker Cemetery and Chapel, and

Layton Bridge The Layton Bridge is a Pratt truss bridge over the Youghiogheny River in Layton, Pennsylvania. Originally built for the Washington Run Railroad, construction began 1893 and was completed in 1899. The last train crossed in 1931. The bridge an ...

Geography

Perry Township is in northwestern Fayette County, bordered by Westmoreland County to the north. 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 2.16%, is water. The

Youghiogheny River The Youghiogheny River ( ), or the Yough ( ) for short, is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 tributary of the Monongahela River in West Virginia, Maryla ...

flows through the northern part of the township and forms part of the township's eastern border.

Pennsylvania Route 51 Pennsylvania Route 51 (PA 51) is a major state highway that is located in Western Pennsylvania in the United States. It runs for from Uniontown, Pennsylvania, Uniontown to the Ohio state line near Darlington, Pennsylvania, Darlington, where ...

passes through the township, leading north to

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

and south to Uniontown, the Fayette County seat.

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, there were 2,786 people, 1,170 households, and 806 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 1,245 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 96.12% White, 3.02% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.07% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.22% of the population. There were 1,170 households, out of which 25.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.86. In the township the population was spread out, with 19.7% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older.The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males.For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males. The median income for a household in the township was $32,143, and the median income for a family was $37,413. Males had a median income of $32,261 versus $21,295 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 $16,241.About 9.7% of families and 12.2% 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 18.0% of those under age 18 and 14.7% of those age 65 or over.

In popular culture

Portions of the movie '' The Silence of the Lambs'' were filmed in the village of Layton. The home is still owned by the same family, the Lloyds, as during the time of filming. The home was sold by the Lloyds a few years ago.

Notable people

Charles Henry King Charles Henry King (March 12, 1853 – February 27, 1930) was an American businessman and banker who was instrumental in founding several cities in the states of Nebraska and Wyoming. He saw opportunity with the expansion of the railroad west and ...

, paternal grandfather of President

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...

.He moved to the frontier in

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

and became an extremely wealthy businessman and banker there and through pursuits in

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

. In 1908 he took his family to

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, where his fortune was estimated at $20 million. In 1912 his son Leslie Lynch King Sr. married Dorothy Gardner. Their son Leslie Lynch King Jr. (Gerald Ford) was born in 1913. Image:jctnewtown.jpg, Star Junction coal-patch style housing Image:Jctturkeyknob.jpg, A string of Star Junction company homes Image:laytonbridge.jpg, One lane bridge and tunnel between Perryopolis and Layton Image:laytonpatch.jpg, Layton, a key filming location for ''The Silence of the Lambs'' Image:youghtrail.jpg, Yough River Trail access Image:whitsettpatch.jpg, Whitsett company homes Image:whitsettriverrd.jpg, Rural Pennsylvania in Fall Image:wickhaven.jpg, Wickhaven housing

References

External links

Perry Township

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