Editing Maxatawny Township, Pennsylvania

{{short description|Township in Pennsylvania, US}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Maxatawny Township
| official_name = 
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| settlement_type = [[Township (Pennsylvania)|Township]]
| image_skyline = Maxatawny Farm.jpg
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| image_caption = A farm in Maxatawny Township in July 2007
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| image_map = Maxatawny Township.png
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| map_caption = Location of Maxatawny Township in [[Berks County, Pennsylvania]]
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| pushpin_map = USA Pennsylvania#USA
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| pushpin_label = Maxatawny Township
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| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Maxatawny Township in Pennsylvania
| coordinates = {{Coord|40|29|30|N|75|44|29|W|type:city_region:US-PA|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 = [[Berks County, Pennsylvania|Berks]]
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| established_title = Founded
| established_date = 1732
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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|access-date=August 13, 2017}}</ref>
| area_total_km2 = 67.33
| area_total_sq_mi = 26.00
| area_land_km2 = 67.22
| area_land_sq_mi = 25.95
| area_water_km2 = 0.11
| area_water_sq_mi = 0.04
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| elevation_ft = 423
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| population_as_of = [[2010 United States census|2010]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total = 7906
| pop_est_as_of = 2016
| pop_est_footnotes = <ref name="USCensusEst2016"/>
| population_est = 7334
| population_rank = 
| population_density_km2 = 109.11
| population_density_sq_mi = 282.59
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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 = [[ZIPp Code]]s
| postal_code = 19511, mainly 19530, 19538, 19539
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| area_code = [[Area codes 610, 484, and 835|610]]
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| blank_info = 42-011-48128
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| blank2_name_sec2 = Wikimedia Commons
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| website = {{URL|http://www.maxatawny.net/}}
| footnotes = 
}}

'''Maxatawny Township''' is a [[Township (Pennsylvania)|township]] in [[Berks County, Pennsylvania]], United States. The population was 7,906 at the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]].

==History==
Maxatawny is a name derived from a Native American language purported to mean "bear's path creek".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wagner|first1=A. E.|last2=Balthaser|first2=Francis Wilhauer|last3=Hoch|first3=D. K.|title=The Story of Berks County (Pennsylvania)|url=https://archive.org/details/storyberkscount00hochgoog|year=1913|publisher=Eagle Book and Job Press|page=[https://archive.org/details/storyberkscount00hochgoog/page/n36 28]}}</ref>

The [[Boyer-Mertz Farm]], [[Hottenstein Mansion]], [[Kemp's Hotel]], and [[Siegfried's Dale Farm]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]], the township has a total area of 26.3&nbsp;square miles (68.0&nbsp;km{{sup|2}}), of which 26.2&nbsp;square miles (68.0&nbsp;km{{sup|2}})  is land and 0.04&nbsp;square mile (0.1&nbsp;km{{sup|2}})  (0.15%) is water. Its villages include [[Bowers, Pennsylvania|Bowers]], Hinterleiter, [[Maxatawny, Pennsylvania|Maxatawny]], Mill Creek Corner, and [[Monterey, Berks County, Pennsylvania|Monterey]]. The township is in the [[Delaware River]] watershed and most of it is drained by the [[Sacony Creek]] into the [[Schuylkill River]]. An area in the eastern portion is drained by the [[Little Lehigh Creek]] into the [[Lehigh River]].

Maxatawny Township has a hot-summer [[humid continental climate]] (''Dfa'') and the [[hardiness zone]] is 6b, except in some areas north of [[U.S. Route 222 in Pennsylvania|222]], where it is 6a. The average monthly temperatures in Monterey range from 28.5&nbsp;°F in January to 73.0&nbsp;°F in July.<ref>[http://prism.oregonstate.edu/explorer/]</ref>

'''Adjacent townships'''
*[[Longswamp Township, Pennsylvania|Longswamp Township]] (east)
*[[Rockland Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania|Rockland Township]] (south)
*[[Richmond Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania|Richmond Township]] (southwest)
*[[Greenwich Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania|Greenwich Township]] (northwest)
*[[Weisenberg Township, Pennsylvania|Weisenberg Township, Lehigh County]] (north)
*[[Upper Macungie Township, Pennsylvania|Upper Macungie Township, Lehigh County]] (northeast)

Maxatawny Township surrounds the borough of [[Kutztown, Pennsylvania|Kutztown]], and touches [[Lyons, Pennsylvania|Lyons]] to the south and [[Topton, Pennsylvania|Topton]] to the east.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|align=left
|1980= 5269
|1990= 5724
|2000= 5982
|2010= 7906
|estyear=2016
|estimate=7334
|estref=<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>
|footnote=Source: US Census Bureau
}}
As of the 2010 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> there were 5,982 people, 1,348 households, and 997 families residing in the township. The population density was {{convert|228.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 1,384 housing units at an average density of {{convert|52.8|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the township was 96.05% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.99% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.08% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.60% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.13% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.33% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.80% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.45% of the population.

There were 1,348 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.0% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the township, the population was spread out, with 13.9% under the age of 18, 45.6% from 18 to 24, 15.9% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.2 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $51,006, and the median income for a family was $57,813. Males had a median income of $38,092 versus $22,147 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the township was $15,586. About 3.4% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

==Politics and government==

===Legislators===
*State Representative [[Gary Day (politician)|Gary Day]], Republican, 187th district
*State Senator [[Judy Schwank]], Democrat, 11th district
*U.S. Representative [[Dan Meuser]], Republican, 9th district

===Police===
Maxatawny Township was served by the [[Berks-Lehigh Regional Police]].  On April 16, 2012, the Berks-Lehigh Regional Police announced it was disbanding at the end of 2012.<ref name=mcall>{{cite web|access-date=April 27, 2012|last=Callahan|first=Marion|title=Berks-Lehigh Regional police force disbanding|publisher=[[The Morning Call]] |date=April 17, 2012|url=https://www.mcall.com/2012/04/17/berks-lehigh-regional-police-force-disbanding/}}</ref> On December 28, 2012, it was announced Maxatawny Township would form its own police department. The new department would be led by one officer for the time being who would be in charge of ordinance enforcement and traffic studies, with the [[Pennsylvania State Police]] handling emergency calls and arrests in the township. The ordinance that was passed put the framework in place for a department to be created in the future.<ref name=re>{{cite web|access-date=January 2, 2013|title=Police force to be an army of one|publisher=[[Reading Eagle]] |date=December 28, 2012|url=http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=439376}}</ref>

In May 2013, supervisors mailed a survey to residents to gauge whether they supported funding a township police department, at a total cost near $2 million. Out of 1,622 surveys mailed out, 1,040 were returned, and over 80% of the residents who responded voted no, leaving the township's police coverage to the state police for the foreseeable future.<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://storify.com/arichter/maxatawny-township-polls-residents-on-police-cover
| title = Maxatawny Township polls residents on police coverage
| author = Adam Richter
| date = June 4, 2013
| access-date = July 8, 2015
}}</ref>

==Transportation==
{{stack|[[File:2022-09-01 16 24 58 View north along U.S. Route 222 (Kutztown Bypass) from the overpass for Crystal Cave Road in Maxatawny Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania.jpg|thumb|[[U.S. Route 222 in Pennsylvania|US 222]] northbound in Maxatawny Township]]}}
As of 2019, there were {{convert|78.19|mi}} of public roads in Maxatawny Township, of which {{convert|23.06|mi}} were maintained by the [[Pennsylvania Department of Transportation]] (PennDOT) and {{convert|55.13|mi}} were maintained by the township.<ref name=PennDOTmap>{{cite web|url=https://gis.penndot.gov/BPR_pdf_files/Maps/Type5/06224.pdf|title=Maxatawny Township map|publisher=PennDOT|access-date=March 14, 2023}}</ref>

The most prominent highway in Maxatawny Township is [[U.S. Route 222]], which follows a southwest-northeast alignment through the township. [[Pennsylvania Route 737]] extends north from US 222 to [[Interstate 78]] in Krumsville and to Kempton. [[Interstate 78 in Pennsylvania|I-78]]/[[U.S. Route 22 in Pennsylvania|US 22]] run through the northernmost tip of Maxatawny Township for approximately 0.3 mile between [[Greenwich Township, Pennsylvania|Greenwich Township]] and the [[Lehigh County, Pennsylvania|Lehigh County]] line. Other primary local north-to-south roads are Topton Road/Long Lane, Kohler Road, and Noble Street. Other east–west roads include College Boulevard, Hinterleiter Road/Linden Street, and Siegfriedale Road.

==Education==
{{Further|Kutztown Area School District|Kutztown University of Pennsylvania}}
Maxatawny is served by the [[Kutztown Area School District]]. [[Kutztown University of Pennsylvania]] lies mostly in the township and straddles the boundary with Kutztown. 

==Culture==
There is a notable presence of [[Pennsylvania Dutch]] culture in the township, despite growing diversity in from those relocated from regional metropolitan areas. A significant numbers of [[Mennonite]]s continue to farm some of the township's land. Renninger's Antique and Farmers' Market and the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at [[Kutztown University of Pennsylvania]] are located in Maxatawny Township. Bowers Chili Pepper Festival is held annually each September in DeLong Park.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Maxatawny Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania}}
*[http://www.maxatawny.net/ Maxatawny Township official website]

{{Berks County, Pennsylvania}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Populated places established in 1732]]
[[Category:Townships in Berks County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Townships in Pennsylvania]]