Salem 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 ...

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 ...

, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,019 at the 2020 census. The

Susquehanna Steam Electric Station The Susquehanna Steam Electric Station is a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. Susquehanna is capable of generating enough power to provide more than two million homes with electricity. Susquehanna also supplies energy to an adjacent data cente ...

, a

nuclear power plant A nuclear power plant (NPP), also known as a nuclear power station (NPS), nuclear generating station (NGS) or atomic power station (APS) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor. As is typical of thermal power st ...

, is located in Salem.

History

The first white colonists in modern-day Salem Township were from

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. Nathan Beach and his son, Josiah, were some of the many settlers who arrived in Salem. The village of Beach Haven is named in their honor. Salem Township is one of the eleven original townships of Luzerne County; it was formed in 1786. The municipality is named after

Salem, Connecticut Salem is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 4,213 at the 2020 census. History Pre-incorporation The area was originally inhabited ...

. Mills and farms were constructed throughout the township during its early years. Native American raids were also very common in and around Salem during the 18th century.

Geography

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 3.34%, is water. 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 ...

defines the eastern and southern borders of the township. U.S. 11 runs along the bank of the river. The physical Wyoming Valley, which consists of thick forests and very little farmland, makes up the northern part of Salem Township. The central and southern portions of the township are mostly made up of farming communities. East Berwick and Beach Haven are a couple of the farming communities located in southern Salem Township (along the Susquehanna River). The

is located in the southeastern portion of the municipality.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,269 people, 1,743 households, and 1,263 families living in the township. The population density was . There were 1,924 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 98.62%

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 ...

, 0.47%

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 ...

, 0.02% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.26% from other races, and 0.33% 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 0.66% of the population. There were 1,743 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.87. In the township the population was spread out, with 22.1% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.3 males. The median income for a household in the township was $38,429, and the median income for a family was $42,803. Males had a median income of $29,712 versus $25,450 for females. The per capita income for the township was $18,114. About 5.1% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.9% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

* {{authority control Townships in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania