Editing Lower Towamensing Township, Pennsylvania

{{short description|Township in Pennsylvania, US}}
{{Distinguish|Towamensing Township, Pennsylvania}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Lower Towamensing Township
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| image_skyline = LITTLE GAP COVERED BRIDGE.jpg
| imagesize = 250px
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| image_caption = [[Little Gap Covered Bridge]], February 1971
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| image_map = Map of Lower Towamensing Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania Highlighted.png
| mapsize = 250px
| map_caption = Location of Lower Towamensing Township in [[Carbon County, Pennsylvania]]
| image_map1 = Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Carbon County.svg
| mapsize1 = 250px
| map_caption1 = Location of Carbon County in [[Pennsylvania]]
| coordinates = {{coord|40|48|00|N|75|37|31|W|display=inline,title}}
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| subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name = [[United States]]
| subdivision_type1 = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Pennsylvania]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of counties in Pennsylvania|County]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Carbon County, Pennsylvania|Carbon]]
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| established_title = Founded
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| leader_title = Mayor
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| unit_pref = Imperial
| area_footnotes = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2016">{{cite web|title=2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2016_Gazetteer/2016_gaz_place_42.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=Aug 13, 2017}}</ref>
| area_total_km2 = 55.17
| area_total_sq_mi = 21.30
| area_land_km2 = 55.05
| area_land_sq_mi = 21.25
| area_water_km2 = 0.12
| area_water_sq_mi = 0.04
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| elevation_m = 
| elevation_ft = 449
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| population_as_of = [[2010 United States census|2010]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total = 3228
| 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|accessdate=June 9, 2017}}</ref>
| population_est = 3168
| population_rank = 
| population_density_km2 = 57.55
| population_density_sq_mi = 149.05
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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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| area_code = [[Area code|610]]
| geocode = 
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| blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info = 42-025-45128
| blank1_name = 
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| blank2_name_sec2 = Wikimedia Commons
| blank2_info_sec2 = 
| website = {{URL|https://www.lowertowamensing.org}}
| footnotes = 
}}

'''Lower Towamensing Township''' is a township in [[Carbon County, Pennsylvania]]. It is part of [[Northeastern Pennsylvania]]. The [[Lenape|Lenape Indian tribe]] name is eponymous and was once applied by the natives to the whole region<ref name="History_V">
{{cite book
 |  title = History of Carbon County Pennsylvania
 |  url = https://archive.org/details/historyofcarbonc00bren
 | author = Fred Brenckman
 |  date  = 1913
 | publisher = Publisher: James J. Nungesser ('gutenberg project' e-reprint)
 | location  = [[Harrisburg, PA]]<!--  --->
 | chapter   = '''Chapter V. Captivity of the Gilbert Family'''|page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofcarbonc00bren/page/62 62]
 | quote  = ... before the ring of the axe was again heard in the forests, and the curling smoke wreaths ascended from the chimneys of the log cabins of Towamensing, as this whole region was then known.
}}</ref> of Carbon County and bits of the Poconos to the north ([[Luzerne County]]) and to [[Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania|Schuylkill County]] (southwest). The population was 3,228 at the 2010 census.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/0600000US4202545128| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Lower Towamensing township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| accessdate=April 6, 2015| archive-url=https://archive.today/20150406171851/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/0600000US4202545128| archive-date=April 6, 2015| url-status=dead}}</ref>

==History==
The Aquashicola Volunteer Fire Department has been serving the township for numerous years. The [[Little Gap Covered Bridge]] was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1980.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>

==Geography==
The township is in southeastern Carbon County and is bordered by [[Northampton County, Pennsylvania|Northampton County]] to the south and [[Monroe County, Pennsylvania|Monroe County]] to the east. According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the township has a total area of {{convert|55.17|sqkm|disp=flip}}, of which {{convert|55.05|sqkm|disp=flip}} is land and {{convert|0.12|sqkm|disp=flip|2}}, or 0.21%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010"/> It is drained by tributaries ([[Aquashicola Creek]], etc.) of the [[Lehigh River]] which separates it from East Penn Township, and its southern geographic boundary is [[Blue Mountain (Pennsylvania)|Blue Mountain]].

Villages in the township include [[Aquashicola, Pennsylvania|Aquashicola]] (locally pronounced "ack-wa-SHIK-la"), Christian Corner, Hazard, and [[Little Gap, Pennsylvania|Little Gap]] (which hosts the [[Blue Mountain Resort]]). [[Pennsylvania Route 248]] passes through the westernmost parts of the township, following the Lehigh River, and connects [[Lehighton, Pennsylvania|Lehighton]] to the northwest with the [[Lehigh Valley|Allentown–Bethlehem]] area to south, as well as having nearby interchanges in [[Palmerton, Pennsylvania|Palmerton]] and [[Bowmanstown, Pennsylvania|Bowmanstown]].

===Neighboring municipalities===
*[[Palmerton, Pennsylvania|Palmerton]] (southwest)
*[[Bowmanstown, Pennsylvania|Bowmanstown]] (southwest)
*[[East Penn Township, Pennsylvania|East Penn Township]] (west and southwest)
*[[Mahoning Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania|Mahoning Township]] (west)
*[[Parryville, Pennsylvania|Parryville]] (northwest)
*[[Franklin Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania|Franklin Township]] (northwest)
*[[Towamensing Township, Pennsylvania|Towamensing Township]] (north)
*[[Eldred Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania|Eldred Township, Monroe County]] (east)
*[[Moore Township, Pennsylvania|Moore Township, Northampton County]] (southeast)
*[[Lehigh Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania|Lehigh Township, Northampton County]] (south)
*[[Washington Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania|Washington Township, Lehigh County]] (tangent to the southwest)

===Climate===
The township has a [[humid continental climate]] (''Dfa''/''Dfb'') and the hardiness zone is 6a except along the river and the Aquashicola Creek where it is 6b. Average monthly temperatures in Aquashicola range from 28.3&nbsp;°F in January to 73.3&nbsp;°F in July. [http://prism.oregonstate.edu/explorer/]

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|2010= 3228
|estyear=2016
|estimate=3168
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2016">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2016.html|title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates|accessdate=June 9, 2017}}</ref>
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|accessdate=June 4, 2016}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 3,173 people, 1,207 households, and 900 families residing in the township.  The [[population density]] was 150.4 people per square mile (58.1/km<sup>2</sup>).  There were 1,296 housing units at an average density of 61.4/sq&nbsp;mi (23.7/km<sup>2</sup>).  The racial makeup of the township was 98.74% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.13% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.06% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.44% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.63% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.04% of the population.

There were 1,207 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.0% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the township the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 100.3 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.2 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $36,414, and the median income for a family was $40,855. Males had a median income of $32,113 versus $23,654 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the township was $16,878.  About 6.5% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 13.0% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

==Government==
Lower Towamensing Township is governed by a three-member Board of Supervisors, who meet once a month at the township building. The Board of Supervisors serves as the legislative and executive body of the township. As of 2021, the Board of Supervisors consists of Chairman Brent M. Green, Vice Chairman Jay Mullikin, and Supervisor Connie Brown.<ref>{{cite web|title=Board of Supervisors|publisher=Lower Towamensing Township|url=https://www.lowertowamensing.org/board-supervisors|accessdate=October 19, 2019}}</ref>

==Transportation==
{{stack|[[File:2022-08-08 16 19 21 View east along Pennsylvania State Route 248 (POW-MIA Remembrance Highway) east of the exit for Palmerton in Lower Towamensing Township, Carbon County, Pennsylvania.jpg|thumb|[[Pennsylvania Route 248|PA 248]] eastbound in Lower Towamensing Township]]}}
As of 2010, there were {{convert|52.66|mi}} of public roads in Lower Towamensing Township, of which {{convert|24.01|mi}} were maintained by the [[Pennsylvania Department of Transportation]] (PennDOT) and {{convert|28.65|mi}} were maintained by the township.<ref name=PennDOTmap>{{cite web|url=https://gis.penndot.gov/BPR_pdf_files/Maps/Type5/13207.pdf|title=Lower Towamensing Township map|publisher=PennDOT|access-date=March 17, 2023}}</ref>

[[Pennsylvania Route 248]] passes through Lower Towamensing Township, following a northwest–southeast alignment through the southwestern portion of the township parallel to the [[Lehigh River]].

==Notable residents==
*[[Elisha Marshall]], [[Brevet (military)#United States|brevet]] [[brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]] for the [[Union Army]] in the [[American Civil War]]<ref>{{Citation | last1=Whelan | first1=Frank | title=Lower Towamensing house history tied to Civil War ** Elisha G. Marshall, a Union general, called it home in the 1880s. | newspaper=[[The Morning Call]] | pages=B.04 | date=December 28, 2005}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[https://www.lowertowamensing.org Lower Towamensing Township official website]

{{Carbon County, Pennsylvania}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Populated places established in 1750]]
[[Category:Townships in Carbon County, Pennsylvania]]