Millcreek Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania
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| Millcreek | |
| Township | |
| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Pennsylvania |
| County |  Erie |
| Area | 29.5 sq mi (76 km²) |
| Population | 52,129 (2000) |
| Density | 1,768.5 /sq mi (683 /km²) |
| Timezone | EST (UTC-4) |
| - summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-5) |
| Area code | 814 |
 Location of Millcreek Township in Erie County
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 Location of Erie County in Pennsylvania
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 Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
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Millcreek Township is a township in Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 52,129 at the 2000 census. It is the largest suburb of Erie, Pennsylvania.
Millcreek Township is home to the Millcreek Mall and portions of busy Peach Street, the entrance of Presque Isle State Park, Waldameer Park and many other attractions.
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[edit] History
One of the earliest townships in the Erie Triangle to be settled, Millcreek was one of the original 16 townships of Erie County. As families came they moved from the bayfront settlement of Erie they began to form small hamlets such as Federal Hill, Kearsarge, Marvintown, Weigelville, etc all to become part of Mill Creek Township. As the Erie settlement grew, first into a borough, then a city, it annexed more and more sections of the township.
After the east/west roads were laid out, taverns began to sprout about every mile or so. Along the Ridge Road (U.S. Route 20), which was laid west through Millcreek in 1805, one of the few that remains is the Nicholson Tavern. Built in 1836, mostly by Isabella Nicholson and her sons, it is still owned by the family and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Millcreek Township's main peninsula is Presque Isle. During the War of 1812, Oliver Hazard Perry commanded his fleet in battle and strategically used the peninsula's bay as a pier and, a place to construct six out of nine of the ships in his fleet. In 1921 the peninsula was made a state park and was designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service. Today the park is a bird sanctuary with over 150 different species identified here.
Just west of the entry into Presque Isle was a well-forested area known as Hopkins Grove. The Erie Electric Motor Company purchased the grove in 1896 for development into an amusement park. Today Waldameer is one of the oldest amusement parks in the nation.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 29.5 square miles (76.4 km²), of which, 29.5 square miles (76.4 km²) of it is land and 0.03% is water. Millcreek Township is the second largest municipality in Erie County.
Today land use in Millcreek is dedicated to retail, commercial and service-oriented businesses, to light industry, fine public and private schools, and residential areas. About 1% of the land is still zoned for agriculture. Located within its borders is Edinboro University's Porreco Extension Center, Zuck Park, (donated for recreational use by the Zuck family), the Erie Golf Course, and the Asbury Woods Nature Center and Recreation Center, which was once the holdings and summer home of the Behrend family.
Millcreek is served by five volunteer fire departments, West Lake, West Ridge, Lake Shore, Kearsarge and Belle Valley. Advanced life support services are provided by Millcreek Paramedic Service which is owned equally in part by the five fire departments.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 52,129 people, 21,217 households, and 14,088 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,768.5 people per square mile (682.7/km²). There were 22,369 housing units at an average density of 758.9/sq mi (293.0/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 96.55% White, 1.09% African American, 0.09% Native American, 1.34% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 0.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.99% of the population.
There were 21,217 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the township the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.6 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $45,019, and the median income for a family was $56,341. Males had a median income of $41,868 versus $26,610 for females. The per capita income for the township was $24,279. About 3.9% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Education
Millcreek Township is served by the Millcreek Township School District.
[edit] References
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
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