Lower Macungie Township, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Lower Macungie Township is a township in Lehigh County
, Pennsylvania
, in the United States
. It is a suburb of Allentown
, Pennsylvania
, in the Lehigh Valley
region of the state. As of the 2010 Census, the township had a population of 30,633.
Lower Macungie is the fastest growing area of Pennsylvania in terms of total population growth and is undergoing rapid suburbanization
. Some fast-growing areas of the township include Ancient Oaks
, Brandywine Village, Brandywine Village 2, Hills at Lock Ridge, Millbrook Farms, and Shepherd Hills. Its villages include East Texas
, Minesite, New Hensingersville
(also in Berks County,) Weilersville, and Wescosville
.
In November 2007, township voters elected to make Lower Macungie a first class township in 2008.
, the township has a total area of 22.6 square miles (58.5 km²). Little Lehigh Creek
and Swabia Creek
drain and wind through the township from sources in Berks and Lehigh Counties. Swabia Creek joins Little Lehigh Creek in the township and the latter drains into the Lehigh River
in Allentown. South Mountain
crosses the township's southern-most corner, just south of the boroughs of Alburtis
and Macungie
.
Lower Macungie's main north-to-south roads are Route 100
, Spring Creek Road, Brookside Road, and Route 29
in the extreme east. Main east-to-west roads include U.S. Route 222 (which interchanges with Interstate 78
/Highway 309
in the extreme north,) Lower Macungie Road, and Mountain Road in the south.
, there were 19,220 people, 7,158 households and 5,611 families residing in the township. The population density
was 851.5 per square mile (328.8/km²) There were 7,405 housing units at an average density of 328.1/sq mi (126.7/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 93.77% White, 0.58% African American, 0.11% Native American, 4.31% Asian, 0.48% from other races
, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.52% of the population.
There were 7,158 households of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.2% were married couples
living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.03.
Age distribution was 25.2% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 29.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.
The median household income
was $69,592, and the median family income was $78,695. Males had a median income of $60,325 versus $33,145 for females. The per capita income
for the township was $30,202. About 1.3% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.
The current officials (as of January 2010, following the 2009 election) are:
Board of Commissioners:
Treasurer:
Township Manager (appointed):
, of which it constitutes the majority of the population. Emmaus High School
serves grades nine through twelve. Eyer Middle School
and Lower Macungie Middle School
serve grades six through eight.
and Day-Timer
.
Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
-Climate:Most of the county's climate is considered to fall in the humid continental climate zone. Summers are typically hot and muggy, fall and spring are generally mild, and winter is cold. Precipitation is almost uniformly distributed throughout the year....
, 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...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is a suburb of Allentown
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
, 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...
, in the Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
region of the state. As of the 2010 Census, the township had a population of 30,633.
Lower Macungie is the fastest growing area of Pennsylvania in terms of total population growth and is undergoing rapid suburbanization
Suburbanization
Suburbanization a term used to describe the growth of areas on the fringes of major cities. It is one of the many causes of the increase in urban sprawl. Many residents of metropolitan regions work within the central urban area, choosing instead to live in satellite communities called suburbs...
. Some fast-growing areas of the township include Ancient Oaks
Ancient Oaks, Pennsylvania
Ancient Oaks is a census-designated place in Lower Macungie Township, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Ancient Oaks is a suburb of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state...
, Brandywine Village, Brandywine Village 2, Hills at Lock Ridge, Millbrook Farms, and Shepherd Hills. Its villages include East Texas
East Texas, Pennsylvania
East Texas, Pennsylvania is a village in Lower Macungie Township, Lehigh County. The Little Lehigh Creek forms its natural southern boundary. While the village has its own box post office with zip code of 18046, surrounding areas use the Allentown zip code of 18106 and the Macungie zip code of 18062...
, Minesite, New Hensingersville
Hensingersville, Pennsylvania
Hensingersville, also known as New Hensingersville, is an unincorporated community located mostly in southwestern Lower Macungie Township, Lehigh County but also in Longswamp Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, near the intersections of Pennsylvania Route 2018 , Pennsylvania Route 3001 , Chestnut...
(also in Berks County,) Weilersville, and Wescosville
Wescosville, Pennsylvania
Wescosville is an unincorporated town located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, United States. The town is located between Allentown, Pennsylvania and Trexlertown, Pennsylvania in Lower Macungie Township. It is split between the Allentown zip codes of 18103, 18104, and 18106...
.
In November 2007, township voters elected to make Lower Macungie a first class township in 2008.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited 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 22.6 square miles (58.5 km²). Little Lehigh Creek
Little Lehigh Creek
The Little Lehigh Creek is approximately long, in eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is also sometimes referred to as the Little Lehigh River. It is called the Little Lehigh because it is the largest tributary of the Lehigh River....
and Swabia Creek
Swabia Creek
Swabia Creek, a tributary of Little Lehigh Creek, is a creek located in Berks and Lehigh Counties, Pennsylvania, in the United States.- Source :...
drain and wind through the township from sources in Berks and Lehigh Counties. Swabia Creek joins Little Lehigh Creek in the township and the latter drains into the Lehigh River
Lehigh River
The Lehigh River, a tributary of the Delaware River, is a river located in eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. Part of the Lehigh, along with a number of its tributaries, is designated a Pennsylvania Scenic River by the state's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources...
in Allentown. South Mountain
South Mountain (eastern Pennsylvania)
South Mountain is a colloquial name applied to features in the mountain range extending south and south west from the Lehigh Valley to the Lebanon Valley regions of Pennsylvania. At times, it also been known as Durham Hills, Reading Hills, and the Lehigh Mountains...
crosses the township's southern-most corner, just south of the boroughs of Alburtis
Alburtis, Pennsylvania
Alburtis is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is a suburb of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.The population of Alburtis was 2,117 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
and Macungie
Macungie, Pennsylvania
Macungie is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is the second oldest borough in the county and a suburb of Allentown, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.-History:...
.
Lower Macungie's main north-to-south roads are Route 100
Pennsylvania Route 100
Pennsylvania Route 100 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that runs from U.S. Route 202 in West Chester, Pennsylvania to Pennsylvania Route 309 in Pleasant Corners, Pennsylvania....
, Spring Creek Road, Brookside Road, and Route 29
Pennsylvania Route 29
Pennsylvania Route 29 is a 118 mile long north–south state highway that runs through most of eastern Pennsylvania. The route currently exists in two segments, a southern segment and a northern segment. The southernmost terminus of the designation is at U.S. Route 30 in Malvern...
in the extreme east. Main east-to-west roads include U.S. Route 222 (which interchanges with Interstate 78
Interstate 78
Interstate 78 is an Interstate Highway in the Northeast United States, running 144 miles from Interstate 81 northeast of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, through Allentown, Pennsylvania, and western and northern New Jersey to the Holland Tunnel and Lower Manhattan in New York City.I-78 is a major road...
/Highway 309
Pennsylvania Route 309
Pennsylvania Route 309 is a major highway which runs for 134 miles through Pennsylvania in the United States. It connects Philadelphia and its northern suburbs to Allentown, Hazleton, and Wilkes-Barre. A limited-access highway portion of PA 309 in the Wilkes-Barre area is known as the North...
in the extreme north,) Lower Macungie Road, and Mountain Road in the south.
Neighboring municipalities
- Upper Macungie Township (northwest)
- South Whitehall TownshipSouth Whitehall Township, PennsylvaniaSouth Whitehall Township is a township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is a suburb of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley area of the state. The population of South Whitehall Township was 18,028 at the 2000 census...
(north) - Salisbury TownshipSalisbury Township, Lehigh County, PennsylvaniaSalisbury Township is a township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The township borders Allentown Bethlehem, and Emmaus, in the Lehigh Valley region....
(northeast) - EmmausEmmaus, PennsylvaniaEmmaus is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is located five miles southwest of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.The population of Emmaus was 11,313 at the 2000 census...
(east) - Upper Milford Township (southeast)
- MacungieMacungie, PennsylvaniaMacungie is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is the second oldest borough in the county and a suburb of Allentown, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.-History:...
(southeast) - AlburtisAlburtis, PennsylvaniaAlburtis is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is a suburb of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.The population of Alburtis was 2,117 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
(surrounded by Lower Macungie) - Hereford Township, Berks CountyHereford Township, PennsylvaniaHereford Township is a township in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States, of which it is the easternmost municipality. Its population was 3,174 at the 2000 census. It is in Upper Perkiomen School District.-Geography:...
(southwest) - Longswamp Township, Berks CountyLongswamp Township, PennsylvaniaLongswamp Township is a township in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,608 at the 2000 census.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 5,608 people, 2,029 households, and 1,529 families residing in the township. The population density was 246.1 people per...
(southwest)
Demographics
At the 2000 censusCensus
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...
, there were 19,220 people, 7,158 households and 5,611 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 851.5 per square mile (328.8/km²) There were 7,405 housing units at an average density of 328.1/sq mi (126.7/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 93.77% White, 0.58% African American, 0.11% Native American, 4.31% Asian, 0.48% 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 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.52% of the population.
There were 7,158 households of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.2% 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 21.6% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.03.
Age distribution was 25.2% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 29.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.
The median household income
Median household income
The median household income is commonly used to generate data about geographic areas and divides households into two equal segments with the first half of households earning less than the median household income and the other half earning more...
was $69,592, and the median family income was $78,695. Males had a median income of $60,325 versus $33,145 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 $30,202. About 1.3% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.
Legislators
- State Representative Doug ReichleyDoug ReichleyDouglas "Doug" Reichley is a politician from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania; he was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2002, representing the 134th district. He sits on the House Appropriations, Consumer Affairs, Health and Human Services and Professional Licensure Committees...
, Republican, 134th district - State Senator Pat BrownePat BrownePatrick M. Browne is a Republican member of the Pennsylvania State Senate who has represented the 16th District since 2005. His district includes portions of Lehigh County, Monroe County and Northampton County....
, Republican, 16th district - US Representative Charlie DentCharlie DentCharles "Charlie" Dent is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party.The district includes all of Northampton County, most of Lehigh County, and small parts of Berks and Montgomery Counties....
, Republican, 15th district
Township officials
As a Township of the First Class under Pennsylvania law, Lower Macungie Township has a five-member Board of Commissioners, and a Treasurer. The duties of the Treasurer include, among other responsibilities, the task of collecting certain real estate taxes, a duty which had formerly been performed by the Tax Collector, when the township was a Township of the Second Class. The voters changed the form of government in 2007. The Township Manager is appointed by the Commissioners.The current officials (as of January 2010, following the 2009 election) are:
Board of Commissioners:
- Ryan T. Conrad, Vice President (Republican)
- Roger C. Reis, President (Republican)
- Ron Eichenberg (Republican)
- Douglas H. Brown (Republican)
- Joseph Pugliese (Republican)
Treasurer:
- Darryl Yothers (Republican)
Township Manager (appointed):
- Bruce Fosselman
Public education
The Township is served by the East Penn School DistrictEast Penn School District
The East Penn School District is a public school district located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Originally known as the East Penn Union School District, the district was established in 1952...
, of which it constitutes the majority of the population. Emmaus High School
Emmaus High School
Emmaus High School is a public high school located in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The school serves grades 9 through 12 in Pennsylvania's East Penn School District in the Lehigh Valley region of the state....
serves grades nine through twelve. Eyer Middle School
Eyer Middle School
Eyer Middle School is a public middle school located in Macungie, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is located at 5616 Buckeye Road, on the Macungie side of Buckeye Road, which connects Macungie with west-side Emmaus.The school is part of the East...
and Lower Macungie Middle School
Lower Macungie Middle School
Lower Macungie Middle School is a public middle school located in Macungie, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is located at 6299 Lower Macungie Road in Macungie....
serve grades six through eight.
Industry
Lower Macungie Township is home to the primary manufacturing facilities of Mack TrucksMack Trucks
Mack Trucks is an American truck-manufacturing company and a former manufacturer of buses and trolley buses. A wholly owned subsidiary of Renault Véhicules Industriels since 1990, Mack Trucks is currently a subsidiary of AB Volvo. The company's headquarters are located in Greensboro, North Carolina...
and Day-Timer
Day-Timer
Day-Timers, Inc. is a corporation based in East Texas, Pennsylvania. The primary product line consists of various styles of calendars and dated planners but they also provide many other products with a focus on time management and personal productivity...
.
External links
- Lower Macungie Township
- Pool Wildlife Sanctuary just outside of Emmaus on the Little Lehigh