Wrightstown Township, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Wrightstown Township is a township
Township (United States)
A township in the United States is a small geographic area. Townships range in size from 6 to 54 square miles , with being the norm.The term is used in three ways....

 in Bucks County
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...

, 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...

. The population was 2,995 at the 2010 census.

Geography

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 10.0 square miles (25.8 km²), of which, 9.9 square miles (25.7 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.30%) is water.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, the township was 94.5% White, 1.4% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 2.8% Asian, and 0.8% were two or more races. 1.4% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/profile/PA.

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 2,853 people, 890 households, and 785 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 286.0 people per square mile (110.4/km²). There were 986 housing units at an average density of 99.3/sq mi (38.3/km²).

There were 971 households out of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.1% 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, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.1% were non-families. 14.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the township the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 29.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $82,875, and the median income for a family was $92,372. Males had a median income of $66,435 versus $36,125 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 $42,623. About 2.9% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.

History

Wrightstown's first settler was John Chapman, who emigrated from England in October 1684, with his wife and children and settled on land which was part of the original William Penn Grant. According to legend, they first lived in a "cave" or "sod hut", probably on what is now Penns Park Road. Twin boys were born in their dwelling during the first winter, originating a long life of descendants, among whom was Henry Chapman Mercer. Although the first dwelling no longer exists, there are seven houses in the Township which were the homes of second and third generation Chapmans. William Smith, who arrived the year after the Chapmans, built a log house which still stands on Mud Road. In addition to the Smith house, there are 140 other houses in the Township which are at least 100 years old.

The boundaries of the Township were established by 1692. A square mile in the center, in the present Penns Park, was reserved for parkland. However, in 1719, this was divided among the surrounding property owners.

In addition to its basically rural character, much of the Wrightstown Township's charm is due to its five villages: Penns Park
Penns Park, Pennsylvania
The oldest village in Wrightstown Township, Pennsylvania, Penns Park is located in the center of the township. The zip code is 18943. The crossroads village was known as Logtown as early as 1716 and Pennsville in the early 19th century. In 1862 the village name was changed to its current one...

, Pineville
Pineville, Pennsylvania
Pineville is an unincorporated community on the border between Buckingham and Wrightstown townships in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States.-Name:...

, Rushland
Rushland, Pennsylvania
Rushland, in the northwestern corner of Wrightstown Township, Pennsylvania, was originally known as Sackett's Ford. Joseph Sackett built a grist mill store, and blacksmith shop near the Mill Creek where it joined the Neshaminy Creek...

, Wrightstown and Wycombe
Wycombe, Pennsylvania
Wycombe is an unincorporated community mainly in Wrightstown Township but also in Buckingham Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States...

. Each village at one time contained its own post office, a rather distinctive facet of life in the Township. Today, all but the Wrightstown Post Office remain, with home delivery available to approximately 50% of the Township through the Newtown Post Office. A small portion of the township is served with home mail delivery through the Furlong Post Office in neighboring Buckingham Township. The villages of Penns Park and Wycombe are registered as Historic Villages on the National Register of Historic Places. Source: http://www.wrightstownpa.org/History/history.html

External links

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