Bastress Township, Pennsylvania

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Bastress Township is a township in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 574 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Williamsport, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 References

[edit] History

Bastress Township was formed from part of Susquehanna Township on December 13, 1854 by the Pennsylvania Legislature. The township is named in honor of Solomon Bastress, of Jersey Shore, who was a former member of the legislature and an associate judge.

The first settlers were German Roman Catholic farmers. They migrated to the area beginning in 1837 under the leadership of Father Nicholas Steinbacher. Together they established the parish of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in 1840. The original log church was replaced in by a stone structure in 1853. The parish also established a Catholic school soon after the settlement of Bastress. Immaculate Conception parish and school stand today as a reminder of the German Catholic heritage of the residents of Bastress Township.

Bastress has changed very little since its founding. The community is largely rural and many of the residents are descendants of the first settlers. Since the 1890 census it has grown from a population of 236 to just 574.

[edit] Geography

As the crow flies, Bastress Township is about 100 mi (160 km) northwest of Philadelphia and about 165 mi (265 km) east-northeast of Pittsburgh.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 22.4 km² (8.6 mi²), all land. It is bordered by Susquehanna Township to the north, Armstrong Township to the east, Limestone Township to the south, and Nippenose Township to the west.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 574 people, 188 households, and 150 families residing in the township. The population density was 25.6/km² (66.3/mi²). There were 201 housing units at an average density of 9.0/km² (23.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 99.13% White, and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.

There were 188 households out of which 40.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.5% were married couples living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.7% were non-families. 17.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.05 and the average family size was 3.50.

In the township the population was spread out with 31.7% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 102.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.0 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $50,125, and the median income for a family was $54,844. Males had a median income of $34,306 versus $20,250 for females. The per capita income for the township was $17,880. About 2.6% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

[edit] References

Meginness, John Franklin [1892]. History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania: including its aboriginal history; the colonial and revolutionary periods; early settlement and subsequent growth; organization and civil administration; the legal and medical professions; internal improvement; past and present history of Williamsport; manufacturing and lumber interests; religious, educational, and social development; geology and agriculture; military record; sketches of boroughs, townships, and villages; portraits and biographies of pioneers and representative citizens, etc. etc.", 1st Edition, Chicago, IL: Brown, Runk & Co.. ISBN 0-7884-0428-8. Retrieved on February 20, 2007. “(Note: ISBN refers to Heritage Books July 1996 reprint. URL is to scan of 1892 version with some OCR typos).”