West Vincent 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 ...

Chester County Chester County may refer to: * Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States ** Chester County Council, boy scout council in Pennsylvania. * Chester County, South Carolina, United States * Chester County, Tennessee, United States * Cheshire ...

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 4,567 at the 2010 census.

History

The township was named after Sir Mathias Vincent. West Vincent was formed in 1832 when Vincent Township was divided. The remainder of Vincent Township became East Vincent. The Birchrunville General Store, Birchrunville Historic District, Deery Family Homestead, Nicholas East House, French Creek Farm, Robert Rooke House, and

Strickland-Roberts Homestead The Strickland-Roberts Homestead, also known as the Bryncoed Farm, is an historic, American home that is located in West Vincent Township, Pennsylvania. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. History architectural ...

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

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 , or 0.22%, is water. West Vincent Township is divided from East Vincent Township by French Creek; these two townships were combined as Vincent Township until 1832. The township is partially located in the Hopewell Big Woods. An interesting feature of West Vincent Township is its missing quarte". In 1715, founder Sir Mathias Vincent and others failed to pay taxes to

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

, who took them to court. In the end, in southern West Vincent Township were seized and given to Upper Uwchlan Township. This is shown in modern days by

Pennsylvania Route 401 Pennsylvania Route 401 (PA 401) is a east–west state route in Berks County, Pennsylvania, Berks and Chester County, Pennsylvania, Chester counties, located in southeast Pennsylvania. The western terminus is at Pennsylvania Route 23, PA 23 ...

, which, while travelling straight, leaves this township but soon re-enters it.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, the township was 93.9% non-Hispanic White, 1.1% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 2.1% Asian, and 0.9% were two or more races. 1.9% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry. As of the 2000 census, there were 3,170 people, 1,077 households, and 872 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 1,121 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 97.79%

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 ...

, 0.60%

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 ...

, 0.13% Native American, 0.66% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.06% from other races, and 0.73% 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 0.57% of the population. There were 1,077 households, out of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.5% 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, 4.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.0% were non-families. 14.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.15. In the township, the population was spread out, with 28.1% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.0 males. The median income for a household in the township was $92,024, and the median income for a family was $106,223. Males had a median income of $70,670 versus $42,371 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 $43,500. About 3.2% of families and 6.8% 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 5.9% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

Weatherstone

Weatherstone is a housing development built by the Hankin Group located at the intersection of PA Route 100 and PA Route 401 ( Ludwigs Corner). It contains about 270 homes and the Hankin Library. Construction started in 2002. The original plans called for a retail development as well. As of 2017, the land still remains vacant, but plans have not been abandoned.

Education

West Vincent is within the Owen J. Roberts School District.

Owen J. Roberts High School Owen J. Roberts High School is a high school in the Owen J. Roberts School District. It is located in Bucktown, in South Coventry Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. It has a Pottstown postal addre ...

is the zoned comprehensive high school. Henrietta Hankin Branch of the

Chester County Library System The Chester County Library System (CCLS) in Chester County, Pennsylvania is a library system in southeastern Pennsylvania that was organized in 1965. It is a federated system composed of a District Center Library in Exton, Pennsylvania and sevent ...

is in the township.

Transportation

As of 2021, there were of public roads in West Vincent Township, of which were maintained by the

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) oversees transportation issues in the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, Michael B. Carroll. PennDOT ...

(PennDOT) and were maintained by the township.

Pennsylvania Route 100 Pennsylvania Route 100 (PA 100) is a long state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that runs from U.S. Route 202 (US 202) near West Chester north to PA 309 in Pleasant Corners. The route runs between the western suburbs of Philadelphi ...

and

are the numbered roads serving West Vincent Township. PA 100 follows Pottstown Pike along a north-south alignment across the southwestern corner of the township. PA 401 follows Conestoga Road along a northwest-southeast alignment across the southern and western portions of the township.

Notable people

Graceanna Lewis Graceanna Lewis (August 3, 1821 – February 25, 1912) was an Americans, American naturalist, illustrator, and social reformer. An expert in the field of ornithology, Lewis is remembered as a pioneer female American scientist as well as an act ...

(1821–1912) American naturalist, suffragist, and anti-slavery activist, was born in West Vincent Township. * Charles Lewis Fussell (1840–1909) American landscape painter was born in West Vincent Township. *

Henry Shimer Henry Shimer (September 21, 1828 – July 28, 1895) was a naturalist and physician in Mount Carroll, Illinois, Mount Carroll, Illinois. He was also a teacher at the Mount Carroll Seminary, which later became Shimer College; he was the husband of ...

(1828–1895) entomologist, instructor and physician at

Shimer College Shimer Great Books School ( ) is a Classic_book#University_programs, Great Books college that is part of North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. Prior to 2017, Shimer was an independent, accredited college on the south side of Chicago, or ...

, was born in West Vincent Township. *

Owen J. Roberts Owen Josephus Roberts (May 2, 1875 – May 17, 1955) was an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1930 to 1945. He also led two Roberts Commissions, the first of which investigated the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the sec ...

(1875–1955) Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, purchased the

in West Vincent Township in 1927, and died there in 1955.

Footnotes

External links

West Vincent Township official website
{{authority control Townships in Chester County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania