Scott Township, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania
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| Scott Township | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Lackawanna |
| Area | 27.3 sq mi (70.7 km²) |
| - land | 27.3 sq mi (70.7 km²) |
| - water | 0.0 sq mi (0 km²), 0% |
| Center | |
| - coordinates | Coordinates: |
| - elevation | 1,598 ft (487.1 m) |
| Population | 4,931 (2000) |
| Density | 180.4 /sq mi (69.7 /km²) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Area code | 570 |
  Location of Scott Township in Pennsylvania
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 Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
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Scott Township is a civil township in the north central area of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is one of the five municipalities comprised by the Lakeland School District. Township government consists of three elected supervisors with headquarters at the Joe Terry Civic Center, PA Route 438. Two roughly defined communities within the township are more commonly known to the broader region: "Justus" refers to the southern portion centered on the intersection of Rt. 347 and Layton Road and is anchored by two heavy equipment dealers and a large greenhouse and garden shop; "Montdale" refers to the central/northern area surrounding the Rts. 247 and 438 crossroads and has three general stores and a gas station.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 71.7 km² (27.7 sq mi). Land occupies 27.3 square miles (70.8 km²). The majority of its use is distributed among small farms, dense wooded areas, and residential development. This particular region makes up part of the extreme eastern edge of the Endless Mountains dissected plateau. The township is generally hilly with minor valleys cut by streams. These creeks--Rush Brook, Kennedy, South Branch Tunkhannock, and Hull--and larger bodies of water like Chapman Lake, Heart Lake, Griffin Reservoir, Peaceful Valley Pond, and Graves Pond account for the remaining 0.3 square miles (0.9 km²), or 1.19%, of the township's area. Approximately the southern quarter of the township and a very small northeast corner drain into the Lackawanna River, with the rest of the watershed trending west eventually into the Susquehanna River many miles upstream from the confluence of the two.
Many roads connect Scott Township to Greenfield in the north and to Clarks Summit and "the Abingtons" in the west. Rts. 347, 247, and 107 are major traffic routes beyond Bell Mountain to all Lackawanna Valley points north of Scranton, such as Olyphant, Peckville, Eynon, and Jermyn. An approximately five-mile portion of Interstate 81 passes just inside the township's western border. It is accessible by Rts. 632 (Waverly Exit #197), 524 (Scott Exit #199), and 438 (East Benton Exit #201). This major thoroughfare places Scott Township at an approximate two-hour drive from important markets like New York City, Philadelphia, state capital Harrisburg, and Syracuse, NY.
Scott Township shares borders with the following municipalities (clockwise from north):
- Greenfield Twp.
- Carbondale Twp.
- Archbald
- Blakely
- Dickson City
- South Abington Twp.
- North Abington Twp.
- Benton Twp.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 4,931 people, 1,841 households, and 1,450 families residing in the township. The population density was 180.4 people per square mile (69.7/km²). There were 2,123 housing units at an average density of 77.7/sq mi (30.0/km²).
The racial makeup of the township was 98.36% White, 0.65% African American, 0.37% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 0.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.71% of the population. The vast majority of Scott Township's ancestral composition is Polish at 25.5%, followed by Irish (17.1%), English (15.6%), and German (14.4%). Russian and Welsh are the only others exceeding 5% (each at 6.9%).
There were 1,841 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.1% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the township the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 29.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 102.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.8 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $42,130, and the median income for a family was $49,067. Males had a median income of $32,377 versus $23,640 for females. The per capita income for the township was $20,242. About 5.3% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 1.4% of those age 65 or over.
The township is one of the more rural suburbs of Scranton, Pennsylvania's sixth largest city. Scranton and its numerous satellite boroughs provide most of the employment, commerce, and recreation opportunities for Scott Township's residents. Manufacturing is the predominant industry among township workers, though most factories are located elsewhere. The average travel time to work is 20.2 minutes.
[edit] References
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
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