| Hellam Township, Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
| — Township — | |
| Wildcat Falls near the Susquehanna River in Hellam Township | |
| Map of York County, Pennsylvania highlighting Hellam Township | |
| Map of York County, Pennsylvania | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | York |
| Settled | 1721 |
| Incorporated | 1739 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Board of Supervisors |
| Area | |
| • Total | 27.7 sq mi (71.7 km2) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 6,043 |
| • Density | 218.2/sq mi (84.2/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Area code(s) | 717 |
Hellam Township is a township in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,043 at the 2010 census.[1] Founded around 1736, it was the first township in the area, and it originally included the entirety of modern York and Adams counties. Fire department services are provided jointly by the Hellam and Wrightsville fire departments located in the boroughs of Hallam and Wrightsville.
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Codorus Forge and Furnace Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.[2]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 27.7 square miles (72 km2), of which 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2), or 0.14%, is water.
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 5,930 people, 2,395 households, and 1,726 families residing in the township. The population density was 214.3 people per square mile (82.7/km²). There were 2,538 housing units at an average density of 91.7/sq mi (35.4/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 97.81% White, 0.74% African American, 0.03% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population.
There were 2,395 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.0% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the township the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.7 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $49,750, and the median income for a family was $55,700. Males had a median income of $40,000 versus $28,558 for females. The per capita income for the township was $22,345. About 3.6% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.1% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.Hellam Twp Has 2 Fire departments Hellam(21)& Wrightsville (41).
Possibly as a result of its name, there is a local legend of the Seven Gates of Hell in Hellam Township. The first gate is located off Trout Run Road which, according to the legend, was the location of an insane asylum fire that killed most of its inhabitants. This gate is supposedly the only one visible during the day. The other six gates are said to be visible only during the night. According to the legend, if you pass through all of them, you will land in Hell. It is insisted that no one has ever made it past the fifth gate (after which all have turned back).