Ridgebury Township is a township in

Bradford County, Pennsylvania Bradford County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 59,967. Its county seat is Towanda, Pennsylvania, Towanda. ...

, United States. 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 1,978 at the 2010 census.

History

The first settlers to Ridgebury Township were two families from

Orange County, New York Orange County is a List of counties in New York, county located in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 401,310. The county seat is Goshen (village), New York, Goshen. This count ...

, who arrived in 1805. Ridgebury Township was established in 1818 from

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

and Wells townships. The name of the township came from Samuel Bennett, who named his farm "Ridgeberry" due to the berries that grew abundantly on the hillside.

Geography

Ridgebury Township is located in northern Bradford County, along the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

state line. It is bordered by Athens Township to the east, Smithfield and Springfield townships to the south, and South Creek Township to the west. To the north, in

Chemung County, New York Chemung County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The population was 84,148 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Its county seat is Elmira, New York, Elmira. Its name is derived fro ...

, are the towns of Ashland (northwest) and Chemung (northeast). The village of Wellsburg, New York, in the town of Ashland, touches the border of Ridgebury Township. Ridgebury Township includes the unincorporated communities of Ridgebury, Bentley Creek, and Middletown, all in the valley of Bentley Creek, which flows north to the

Chemung River The Chemung River ( ) is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 8, 2011 in south central New York and northern ...

New York state New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

. 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 0.52%, 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 1,982 people, 759 households, and 569 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 954 housing units at an average density of 24.9/sq mi (9.6/km). The racial makeup of the township was 98.13%

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 ...

, 0.55%

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 ...

, 0.25% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.15% from other races, and 0.66% 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 0.20% of the population. There were 759 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.4% 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, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 2.96. In the township the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.6 males. The median income for a household in the township was $35,573, and the median income for a family was $40,144. Males had a median income of $32,404 versus $22,727 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 $15,901. About 9.8% of families and 14.0% 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 20.6% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

Ridgebury Township official website
{{authority control Populated places established in 1805 Townships in Bradford County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania 1805 establishments in Pennsylvania