Cranberry Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Cranberry Township is a township in Butler County
Butler County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 174,083 people, 65,862 households, and 46,827 families residing in the county. The population density was 221 people per square mile . There were 69,868 housing units at an average density of 89 per square mile...

, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is classified as a Second Class Township and follows the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Second Class Township Code. The population was 28,098 as of the 2010 census.

Geography

Cranberry Township is located in western Pennsylvania (40.70996 N, 80.10605 W) and is a suburb of Pittsburgh. According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the township has a total area of 22.8 square miles (59.1 km²), of which, 22.8 square miles (59.1 km²) of it is land and 0.04% is water.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 23,625 people, 8,352 households, and 6,556 families residing in the township. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 1,036.5 people per square mile (400.2/km²). There were 8,724 housing units at an average density of 382.8/sq mi (147.8/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 96.80% White, 0.88% African American, 0.06% Native American, 1.35% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.70% of the population.

There were 8,352 households out of which 44.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.5% were non-families. 17.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the township the population was spread out with 30.7% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 35.2% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $66,588, and the median income for a family was $74,113. Males had a median income of $52,675 versus $33,155 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the township was $27,349. 2.9% of the population and 2.1% of families were below the poverty line. 3.4% of those under the age of 18 and 5.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

As of the May 2007 primary election, there were 17,808 registered voters in Cranberry Township. The breakdown is as follows: 9,863 Republicans (55.38%), 5,558 Democrats (31.21%), and 2,387 Nonpartisans (13.40%).

History

Cranberry Township was founded in 1804. It is not to be confused with Cranberry Township in Venango County
Cranberry Township, Venango County, Pennsylvania
Cranberry Township is a township in Venango County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 7,014 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.-Demographics:As of the census of...

, formerly Fairfield Township (founded 1806), which is located only 60 miles (96.6 km) away.

The most populated section of the township was originally known as Criders Corners. "Criders Corners" referred to the junction of the old Perry Highway (now Dutilh Road) and the Old Mars-Criders Road (now bypassed in favor of Pennsylvania Route 228). The crossroads was named for Jacob Crider (1823–1902), a trustee of Dutilh Methodist Church, who purchased 50 acres (202,343 m²) of land there in 1871. The township's current name is derived from the cranberry bogs which could be found in the area in days past. The township also includes part of the considerably smaller former town of Ogle, and other small areas formerly known as Fernway
Fernway, Pennsylvania
Fernway is a census-designated place in Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 12,188 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Fernway is located at ....

 and Fox Run
Fox Run, Pennsylvania
Fox Run is a census-designated place in Cranberry Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,044 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Fox Run is located at ....

.

One reason for the township's tremendous growth is its location. Serving as the intersection of Interstate 76 (the Pennsylvania Turnpike) and 79 and Routes 19 and 228, the community is accessible from virtually anywhere. In addition, the completion of Interstate 279 in 1989 cut travel time to Pittsburgh under half an hour.

The first church in Cranberry Township was Plains Presbyterian Church, which was founded in 1806.

George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...

, and Christopher Gist
Christopher Gist
Christopher Gist was an accomplished American explorer, surveyor and frontiersman. He was one of the first white explorers of the Ohio Country . He is credited with providing the first detailed description of the Ohio Country to Great Britain and her colonists...

 reportedly traveled through Cranberry Township prior to the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...

.

Transportation

Interstate 79
Interstate 79
Interstate 79 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern United States, designated from Interstate 77 in Charleston, West Virginia to Pennsylvania Route 5 and Pennsylvania Route 290 in Erie, Pennsylvania...

 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike
Pennsylvania Turnpike
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is a toll highway system operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. The three sections of the turnpike system total . The main section extends from Ohio to New Jersey and is long...

 via Interstate 76
Interstate 76 (east)
Interstate 76 is an Interstate Highway in the United States, running 435 miles from an interchange with Interstate 71 west of Akron, Ohio, east to Interstate 295 near Camden, New Jersey....

 run through Cranberry Township. US Route 19
U.S. Route 19
U.S. Route 19 is a north–south U.S. Highway. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with Lake Erie....

 and Pennsylvania Route 228
Pennsylvania Route 228
Pennsylvania Route 228 is an long state highway located in Butler county in Pennsylvania. The western terminus is at US 19 in Cranberry Township. The eastern terminus is at PA 356 in Buffalo Township...

 are also important main roads in the municipality. These four roads are connected by a newly-completed interchange: the $44.3 million, joint PennDOT/Pennsylvania Turnpike venture, named the "Cranberry Connector Project," was local nuisance for several years, but after opening in early 2004 has effectively provided direct, non-stop connection between the heavily-traveled roads.

Additionally, the northern terminus of Interstate 279
Interstate 279
Interstate 279 is a north–south Interstate Highway spur that lies entirely within Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Its southern end is at Interstate 376 at the Fort Pitt Bridge in Pittsburgh, and the north end is in Franklin Park at Interstate 79...

, an important artery that serves as the parkway north of Pittsburgh, is located a few miles south of the township. Cranberry Township is also the location of the northernmost bus service lines of the Port Authority of Allegheny County
Port Authority of Allegheny County
Port Authority of Allegheny County is the second-largest public transit agency in Pennsylvania and the 11th-largest in the United States. When considering that its service area is the 20th largest in the U.S...

; however, some of these bus lines may be cut in upcoming Port Authority service reductions.

Business

Cranberry Township is one of the fastest-growing areas in the United States in both population and business. While many residential communities are being built, even more so are retail stores. One of the busiest business centers is at the Cranberry Mall. A few of the stores at the mall include a Giant Eagle
Giant Eagle
Giant Eagle, Inc., is a supermarket chain with stores in the U.S. states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, and Maryland. The company was founded in 1918 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Supermarket News ranked Giant Eagle No. 21 in the 2009 "Top 75 North American Food Retailers" based on 2008...

, Hallmark Cards
Hallmark Cards
Hallmark Cards is a privately owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce C. Hall, Hallmark is the largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was awarded the National Medal of Arts....

, and Cranberry Cinemas theater (formerly Carmike Cinemas
Carmike Cinemas
Carmike Cinemas Inc. is a motion picture exhibitor headquartered in Columbus, Georgia in the United States of America. As of December 31, 2010 it operates or has an interest in 239 theaters with 2,236 screens in 35 states, making it the fourth largest theatre company in the United States.Carmike...

). Cranberry Township is also home to the Thorn Hill Industrial Park, where many businesses are headquartered, including the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, also known as "the Trib," is the second largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States...

 — whose NewsWorks warehouse prints that paper as well as the USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...

 for the Pittsburgh area — and, until 2007, clothing company American Eagle Outfitters
American Eagle Outfitters
American Eagle Outfitters is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1977 by Mark and Jerry Silverman as a subsidiary of Retail Ventures, Inc., a company which also owned and operated Silverman's Menswear...

's headquarters was located in the nearby municipality of Marshall Township (The company has now relocated its headquarters to the South Side in the city of Pittsburgh). In 2005, Wellington Energy, a sub-division of Wellington Power Corporation located in Lawrenceville, opened in Cranberry and is continuing to grow as a leader in Electric & Gas Meter AMR Deployment and Project Management. Additionally, Parkvale Bank has a thriving branch in the Cranberry Mall.

In many years past, Cranberry Township had no post office of its own, so residents and businesses located there shared ZIP codes with many surrounding cities and towns (such as nearby Mars
Mars, Pennsylvania
Mars is a borough in Butler County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 1,746 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mars is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of , all of it land....

 and Evans City
Evans City, Pennsylvania
Evans City is a borough in Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,009 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Evans City is located at ....

). Subsequently, their mailing addresses were quite confusing, with many people proclaiming the need for their own ZIP code. Cranberry Township finally secured its own post office in 1994 after demand on the other post offices serving the region became exceedingly heavy.

On 20 March 2007, Westinghouse Electric Company
Westinghouse Electric Company
Westinghouse Electric Company LLC is a nuclear power company, offering a wide range of nuclear products and services to utilities throughout the world, including nuclear fuel, service and maintenance, instrumentation and control and advanced nuclear plant designs...

 announced that it would move its headquarters from Monroeville
Monroeville, Pennsylvania
Monroeville is a home rule municipality in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located about east of the city of Pittsburgh, Monroeville is a bustling suburb with mixed residential and commercial developments...

, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, and build a $140 million research facility in Cranberry Township that would employ over 3000 people.

External links

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