Editing Aston Township, Pennsylvania

{{short description|Township in Pennsylvania, US}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Aston Township, Pennsylvania
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| settlement_type = [[Township (Pennsylvania)|Township]]
| image_skyline = Aston Community Center And Library 3000px.jpg
| imagesize = 
| image_alt = 
| image_caption = Aston Community Center and Library
| image_flag = Flag of Aston Township, Pennsylvania.png
| image_seal = Seal of Aston Township, Pennsylvania.png
| etymology = 
| nickname = 
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| image_map = Delaware County Pennsylvania incorporated and unincorporated areas Aston highlighted.svg
| mapsize = 260px
| map_alt = 
| map_caption = Location in [[Delaware County, Pennsylvania|Delaware County]] and the state of [[Pennsylvania]].
| image_map1 = Pennsylvania in United States (US48).svg
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| map_caption1 = Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
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| coordinates = {{coord|39|52|09|N|75|25|50|W|display=inline,title}}
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| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = United States
| subdivision_type1 = State
| subdivision_name1 = Pennsylvania
| subdivision_type2 = County
| subdivision_name2 = [[Delaware County, Pennsylvania|Delaware]]
| subdivision_type3 = 
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| subdivision_type4 = 
| subdivision_name4 = 
| established_title = Settled
| established_date = 1682
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| leader_title = Mayor
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| total_type = 
| unit_pref = Imperial
| area_total_km2 = 15.13
| area_total_sq_mi = 5.84
| area_land_km2 = 15.13
| area_land_sq_mi = 5.84
| area_water_km2 = 0.00
| area_water_sq_mi = 0.00
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| elevation_ft = 213
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| population_as_of = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total = 16,791
| pop_est_as_of = 2016
| pop_est_footnotes = <ref name="USCensusEst2016">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2016.html|title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates|access-date=June 9, 2017}}</ref>
| population_est = 16706
| population_rank = 
| population_density_km2 = 1109.78
| population_density_sq_mi = 2875.17
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| timezone1 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset1 = -5
| timezone1_DST = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST = -4
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| postal_code_type = [[ZIP Code]]
| postal_code = 19014
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| area_codes = [[Area codes 610, 484, and 835|484 and 610]]
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| blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info = 42-045-03336
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| blank_name_sec2 = [[FIPS code]]
| blank_info_sec2 = 42-045-03336
| blank1_name_sec2 = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info_sec2 = 1216376
| blank2_name_sec2 = Wikimedia Commons
| blank2_info_sec2 = 
| website = {{URL|www.astontownship.net}}
| footnotes = 
}}

'''Aston Township''' is a [[Township (Pennsylvania)|township]] in [[Delaware County, Pennsylvania|Delaware County]], [[Pennsylvania]], United States. The population was 16,791 at the 2020 census.<ref name="Census 2020">{{cite web| url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/astontownshipdelawarecountypennsylvania/PST045219| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Aston township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=December 29, 2015| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213122705/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/0600000US4204503336| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref>

==History==
Aston was first settled in 1682 as a municipality and was incorporated as a township in 1688 (one of the first townships in Pennsylvania). Prior to 1687, Aston was known as '''Northley'''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ashmead|first1=Henry Graham|title=History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania|date=1884|publisher=L.H. Everts & Co.|location=Philadelphia|page=[https://archive.org/details/cu31924006215655/page/n323 290]|url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924006215655|access-date=May 24, 2017}}</ref>  Edward Carter, who was the constable of the township, changed the name from Northley to Aston in remembrance of his old home of [[Aston, Oxfordshire|Aston]] in Oxfordshire, England.<ref>[http://astontownship.net/about-aston-pa/ Aston Township: About Aston]</ref>

In 1906, Aston became a first class township. The current boundaries of Aston were established in 1945, when the northwestern portion of the township seceded to form the borough of [[Chester Heights, Pennsylvania|Chester Heights]].<ref name="histofAT">{{cite web|last1=Dougherty|first1=Paul L.|last2=Ross|first2=Ruth M.|title=History of Aston Township|url=http://astontownship.net/about-aston-pa/history-of-aston-township/|website=Aston Township|access-date=March 30, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.chesterheights.org/history.html |title=Chester Heights History |access-date=March 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309131238/http://www.chesterheights.org/history.html |archive-date=March 9, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In colonial times, Concord Road was the main road between [[Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania|Chadds Ford]] on [[Brandywine Creek (Christina River)|Brandywine Creek]] and [[Chester, Pennsylvania|Chester]]. The Seven Stars Inn, located at Concord Road's "Five Points" intersection, served as  overnight quarters for British General [[Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis|Cornwallis]] on September 13, 1777, two days after the [[Battle of the Brandywine]], as British forces slowly pursued George Washington's army.<ref name="phillycom">{{cite news|last1=O'Neill|first1=Robert F.|title=Tavern's Colorful Existence Spanned 2 Centuries Aston's Seven Stars Was The Site Of A Revolutionary War Hanging, A Trade Union's Birth And A Speakeasy.|url=http://articles.philly.com/1992-11-29/news/26006933_1_aston-lord-cornwallis-taverns|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151030014852/http://articles.philly.com/1992-11-29/news/26006933_1_aston-lord-cornwallis-taverns|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 30, 2015|access-date=March 30, 2016|work=The Philadelphia Inquirer|date=November 29, 1992}}</ref>

The following day, three Hessian soldiers were convicted of plundering a local house.  Two, selected by lot, were hanged by the third soldier, and the two corpses were left hanging. [[David Glasgow Farragut]] frequented the tavern as a young student in 1817. The Delaware County [[Odd Fellows]] were organized there in 1831 and during the 1920s, the tavern became a speakeasy. The building was destroyed in 1949 and replaced by a gas station.<ref name="phillycom"/>

A new veterans' memorial, dedicated to all veterans who lived in the township (and present-day Chester Heights prior to 1948) from the [[American Revolution]] to the present-day [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]], along with Aston Township EMTs, police, and firefighters killed in the line of duty, has been built at the same intersection, opposite the former inn site. An unveiling ceremony occurred on November 11, 2006, with the formal dedication ceremony on April 28, 2007. Endless Pools, a major manufacturer of electric swimming machines, is headquartered and manufactures in Aston Township.

==Geography==
[[File:Aston-Beechwood Vol Fire Co Station 72.jpg|thumb|left|Aston Township now closed Fire Dept Station 17 West]]
Aston Township is located in southwestern Delaware County, northwest of [[Chester Township, Pennsylvania|Chester Township]] and southwest of [[Media, Pennsylvania|Media]], the [[county seat]]. The borough of [[Chester Heights, Pennsylvania|Chester Heights]] is along the northwestern border of the township. [[Chester Creek]], a southeastward-flowing tributary of the [[Delaware River]], forms the eastern border of the township.  The township is bordered by the City of [[Chester, Pennsylvania|Chester]] to the south.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the township has a total area of {{convert|15.1|km2|order=flip}}, all land.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/0600000US4204503336| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Aston township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=December 29, 2015| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213122705/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/0600000US4204503336| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref> The township is covered by two [[ZIP code]]s: 19014 (Aston Post Office, which also covers parts of [[Upper Chichester Township, Pennsylvania|Upper Chichester]] and [[Bethel Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania|Bethel]] townships), and 19063 ([[Media, Pennsylvania|Media]]). Waterways in Aston include a portion of Marcus Hook Creek.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|align=left
|1930= 2659
|1940= 3116
|1950= 5576
|1960= 10595
|1970= 13704
|1980= 14530
|1990= 15080
|2000= 16203
|2010= 16592
|2020= 16791
|footnote=<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dvrpc.org/data/databull/rdb/db82/appedixa.xls |title=DVRPC > Site Search |access-date=March 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190409042424/https://www.dvrpc.org/data/databull/rdb/db82/appedixa.xls |archive-date=April 9, 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Census 2020 |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/astontownshipdelawarecountypennsylvania/PST045219}}</ref>
}}
As of 2010 census, the racial makeup of the township was 94.3% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 2.8% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.1% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.6% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.3% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.9% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.6% of the population [https://web.archive.org/web/20170529192346/https://census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2016.html].

As of the 2000 census,<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, there were 16,203 people, 5,838 households, and 4,285 families residing in the township.  The population density was {{convert|2,825.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 5,978 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1,042.6|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the township was 96.66% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.48% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.03% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.78% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.02% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.28% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.75% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.01% of the population.

There were 5,838 households, out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the township, the population was spread out, with 22.8% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $57,150, and the median income for a family was $64,938. Males had a median income of $45,585 versus $32,512 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the township was $23,206.  About 2.5% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

==Transportation==
{{stack|[[File:2022-10-08 12 33 38 View south along Pennsylvania State Route 452 (Pennell Road) from the pedestrian overpass just south of Mount Road in Aston Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.jpg|thumb|[[Pennsylvania Route 452|PA Route 452]] south in Aston Township]]}}
As of 2021 there were {{convert|65.57|mi}} of public roads in Aston Township, of which {{convert|12.00|mi}} were maintained by the [[Pennsylvania Department of Transportation]] (PennDOT) and {{convert|53.57|mi}} were maintained by the township.<ref name=PennDOTmap>{{cite web|url=https://gis.penndot.gov/BPR_pdf_files/Maps/Type5/23101.pdf|title=Aston Township map|publisher=PennDOT|access-date=March 12, 2023}}</ref>

[[Pennsylvania Route 452]] is the only numbered highway traversing Aston Township; it follows a north-south alignment via Pennell Road through the heart of the township.

==Education==
Aston Township is a part of the [[Penn-Delco School District]]. There are two elementary schools located in the township, Aston Elementary and Pennell Elementary. There is one middle school, Northley Middle. The high school in this district is [[Sun Valley High School (Pennsylvania)|Sun Valley High School]], home of the Vanguards. Aston is also the home of [[Neumann University]], a small Catholic-affiliated liberal arts institution.

Holy Family Regional Catholic School in Aston is the area Catholic school. It formed in 2012 from a merger of St. Joseph Catholic School in Aston and Holy Savior-St. John Fisher Elementary School in [[Linwood, Pennsylvania|Linwood]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://catholicphilly.com/2012/07/uncategorized/school-closing-list/|title=2012 Catholic grade school consolidations/closings|work=Catholicphilly.com|date=July 15, 2012|access-date=April 22, 2020}}</ref> St. Joseph opened in 1951 with the church basement being the first school location. The dedicated school building opened with a single floor in 1955 and a second floor added in 1959; the first floor had eight classrooms. The building received two additional classrooms and a 1987 addition.<ref>{{cite web|author=Rodgers, Loretta|url=https://www.delcotimes.com/news/st-joseph-school-holds-60th-anniversary-event/article_f87978e3-3b03-5eb2-b212-76ce014a85cd.html|title=St. Joseph School holds 60th anniversary event|work=[[Delco Times]]|date=October 10, 2011|access-date=May 4, 2020}}</ref>

==Sports==
The [[Aston Rebels]] of the [[North American Hockey League]] played their home games at the [[IceWorks Skating Complex]] from 2015 to 2017.

During the early 1970s, the Aston (Green) Knights played minor league professional football in the [[Seaboard Football League]]. [[Vince Papale]] and [[Joe Klecko]] were among the players that played for the Green Knights.

The Aston Bulls [[rugby league]] team played in the [[American National Rugby League]] from 1998 to 2013. They played their home games at Sun Valley High School from 2006 to 2013, after relocating from [[Glen Mills, Pennsylvania|Glen Mills]].

==Notable people==
*[[Ben Agosto]], Olympic figure skater
*[[Isaac D. Barnard]], former U.S. Senator
*[[Tanith Belbin White|Tanith Belbin]], Olympic figure skater
*[[Asher Blinkoff]], actor, voice actor
*[[Leah Cevoli]], actor
*[[Ben Davis (baseball)|Ben Davis]], professional baseball player, [[San Diego Padres]] and [[Seattle Mariners]]
*[[Gennadi Karponosov]], ice dancing coach and former competitor
*[[Adam Pecorari]], American road racer
*[[Robbie Pecorari]], American road racer
*[[Samuel Riddle (textile manufacturer)|Samuel Riddle]], textile manufacturer

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[http://www.astontownship.net/ Aston Township official website]

{{Delaware County, Pennsylvania}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Townships in Delaware County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Townships in Pennsylvania]]