Jordan Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania Explained

Official Name:Jordan Township,
Lycoming County,
Pennsylvania
Settlement Type:Township
Mapsize:250px
Image Map1:Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lycoming County.svg
Mapsize1:250px
Map Caption1:Location of Lycoming County in Pennsylvania
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Pennsylvania
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Lycoming
Established Title:Settled
Established Date:1812
Established Title1:Incorporated
Established Date1:1854
Unit Pref:Imperial
Area Footnotes:[1]
Area Total Km2:54.20
Area Land Km2:54.11
Area Water Km2:0.09
Area Total Sq Mi:20.93
Area Land Sq Mi:20.89
Area Water Sq Mi:0.03
Population As Of:2020
Population Footnotes:[2]
Population Total:850
Population Density Km2:15.86
Population Density Sq Mi:41.07
Timezone:Eastern (EST)
Utc Offset:-5
Timezone Dst:EDT
Utc Offset Dst:-4
Elevation Footnotes:[3]
Elevation M:385
Elevation Ft:1263
Coordinates:41.2367°N -76.5181°W
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:42-081-38448
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:1216752
Pop Est As Of:2021
Population Est:847

Jordan Township is a township in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 850 at the 2020 census.[2] It is part of the Williamsport metropolitan statistical area.

History

Jordan Township was formed from the eastern part of Franklin Township on February 7, 1854. It was named in honor of Alexander Jordan, who was president judge of the district court at the time of the formation of the township. The first permanent settler arrived in Jordan Township in 1812. William Lore cleared a parcel of land and established a homestead; others soon followed his footsteps. The lumber industry was very important in Jordan Township for the first 70 years of its history. The hills and valleys were cleared of their old-growth forests by the end of the 19th century.[4] Today much of those forests form a thriving second growth forest.

Geography

Jordan Township lies in the easternmost portion of southern Lycoming County and is bordered by Sullivan County to the northeast, Columbia County to the southeast, and Franklin Township to the west. There are three unincorporated communities in Jordan Township: Biggerstown is near the center, Lungerville is in the north, and Unityville is near the southeast border.

Pennsylvania Route 42 passes through Biggerstown and Unityville, leading northwest 7miles to U.S. Route 220 at Beech Glen and south to Bloomsburg. PA 118 crosses PA 42 near Biggerstown and leads west to Hughesville and east-northeast to Dallas. PA 239 runs through the northern part of the township, passing through Lungerville. It leads southeastward to Shickshinny on the Susquehanna River and has its northwestern terminus at PA 42 in neighboring Franklin Township. Williamsport, the Lycoming county seat, is west of Jordan Township.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 54.2km2, of which 0.09sqkm, or 0.16%, are water.[1] The township is primarily drained by Little Muncy Creek, which has its source in the township's northeast corner and flows west to Muncy Creek and then the West Branch of the Susquehanna River at Muncy. The easternmost and southernmost parts of the township are drained by tributaries of Little Fishing Creek, which flows south to Fishing Creek and then to the main stem of the Susquehanna at Bloomsburg.

Demographics

As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 878 people, 346 households, and 252 families residing in the township. The population density was 42.4sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 407 housing units at an average density of 19.7/sq mi (7.6/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 99.66% White and 0.34% African American.

There were 346 households, out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the township the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 102.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $32,375, and the median income for a family was $37,589. Males had a median income of $28,250 versus $20,515 for females. The per capita income for the township was $16,983. About 8.3% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 24.2% of those age 65 or over.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files. United States Census Bureau. Aug 14, 2017.
  2. Web site: Bureau . US Census . City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2021 . Census.gov . US Census Bureau . 15 July 2022.
  3. Web site: US Board on Geographic Names. 2008-01-31. United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25.
  4. Book: Meginness , John Franklin . History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania: including its aboriginal history; the colonial and revolutionary periods; early settlement and subsequent growth; organization and civil administration; the legal and medical professions; internal improvement; past and present history of Williamsport; manufacturing and lumber interests; religious, educational, and social development; geology and agriculture; military record; sketches of boroughs, townships, and villages; portraits and biographies of pioneers and representative citizens, etc. etc. . 1892 . 2007-02-20 . 1st . Brown, Runk & Co. . Chicago . 0-7884-0428-8 . Muncy Creek, Moreland, Franklin, and Jordan . http://www.usgennet.org/usa/pa/county/lycoming/history/Chapter-37.html . (Note: ISBN refers to Heritage Books July 1996 reprint. URL is to a scan of the 1892 version with some OCR typos)..
  5. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. 2008-01-31.