Tinicum Township, more popularly known as "Tinicum Island" or "The Island", a
census-designated placeA census-designated place is a type of place identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
and township in
Delaware CountyDelaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2000, the population was 550,864, making it Pennsylvania's fifth most populous county, behind Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, and Bucks counties....
,
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 4,353 at the 2000 census. Included within the township's boundaries are the communities of Essington and Lester.
Tinicum Township has the distinction of being the site of the first recorded European settlement in Pennsylvania as Fort Nya Gothenborg Located on the
South RiverThe Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.The Delaware was explored by Adriaen Block as part of the New Netherlands Colony, and was named the South River to mark the southernmost reach of that colony....
, it was settled by the
SwedesSwedes are a Scandinavian people, mostly inhabiting Sweden and the other Nordic countries, with descendants living in a number of countries....
in 1643 and served as capital of the
New SwedenNew Sweden was a Swedish colony along the Delaware River on the Mid-Atlantic coast of North America from 1638 to 1655. It was centered at Fort Christina, now in Wilmington, Delaware, and included parts of the present-day American states of Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Along with Swedes...
Colony, under the rule of Governor
Johan Björnsson PrintzJohan Björnsson Printz was governor from 1643 until 1653 of the Swedish colony of New Sweden on the Delaware River in North America.-Background:...
.
One of the island's notable aspects is the
John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at TinicumThe John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum is a 200 acre National Wildlife Refuge spanning Philadelphia and Delaware counties in Pennsylvania. Located in Tinicum Township, the refuge is adjacent to the Philadelphia International Airport. Established in 1972 as the Tinicum National...
, attracting visitors to the island year-round.
Geography
Tinicum Township is located at (39.868962, -75.288273).
According to the
United States Census BureauThe 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. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
, the township has a total area of 8.7
square mileThe square mile is an imperial and US unit of measure for an area equal to the area of a square of one statute mile.
s (22.6 km²), of which, 5.7 square miles (14.9 km²) of it is land and 3.0 square miles (7.7 km²) of it (34.10%) is water.
Demographics
As of the
censusA "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.In other words every 10 years...next one would be in 2010 The term is used mostly in connection with...
of 2000, there were 4,353 people, 1,749 households, and 1,136 families residing in the township. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
was 758.5 people per square mile (292.8/km²). There were 1,876 housing units at an average density of 326.9/sq mi (126.2/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 89.08% White, 4.80% Black or
African AmericanRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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...
, 0.07% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.32% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget , 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 0.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.26% of the population.
There were 1,749 households out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged by a variety of ways, depending on the culture or demographic...
living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the township the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $42,910, and the median income for a family was $49,129. Males had a median income of $37,358 versus $27,134 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among everyone. Per capita income is usually reported in units of currency per year...
for the township was $19,203. About 6.8% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 2.7% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Tinicum Township is part of the
Interboro School DistrictInterboro School District is a school district in southeastern Pennsylvania, just outside Philadelphia in Delaware County.The district is made up of four communities: the boroughs of Glenolden, Norwood, and Prospect Park, and Tinicum Township...
and is the district's only township.
Tinicum School and
Interboro High SchoolInterboro High School is a high school located in Prospect Park, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia in Delaware County.As the sole high school in the Interboro School District, students from surrounding communities Glenolden, Norwood, Prospect Park itself, and the two towns of Tinicum Township ...
serve the township.
Birth of the Stromboli
Stromboli (food)Stromboli is a type of turnover filled with various cheeses, Italian meats or vegetables. The dough is Italian bread dough.Stromboli are similar to but distinct from calzones, as calzones are pockets of dough filled with meat, cheese and vegetables, and stromboli can contain the same ingredients...
is reported to have originated in 1950 in Tinicum Township at Romano's Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria, by Nazzareno Romano. There, William Schofield supposedly gave it the name, after the movie Stromboli (movie), starring
Ingrid BergmanIngrid Bergman was a Swedish actress. She won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and the Tony Award for Best Actress in the first Tony Award ceremony in 1947. She is ranked as the fourth greatest female star of American cinema of all time by the American Film Institute...
. Other sources claim the stromboli was the brainchild of Mike Aquino, Sr. and that he created it in
Spokane, WashingtonSpokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, as well as the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
in 1954.
External links