| Peters Township | |
| Township | |
| Country | United States |
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| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Washington County |
| Area | 19.8 sq mi (51 km2) |
| - land | 19.6 sq mi (51 km2) |
| Population | 21,213 (2010) |
| Density | 896.6 / sq mi (346 / km2) |
| Timezone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Area code | 724 |
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Location of Peters Township in Washington County
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Location of Washington County in Pennsylvania
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Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
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| Website: www.peterstownship.com | |
Peters Township is a township in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 17,566 at the 2000 census.
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According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 19.8 square miles (51.2 km²), of which 19.6 square miles (50.7 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.5 km²) is water. The main thoroughfares in Peters Township are U.S. Route 19 heading North and South, and East McMurray Road heading East and West.
Peters Township was incorporated in 1781 as one of the 13 original Townships of Washington County when it became part of Pennsylvania. Prior to 1781, the Peters Township area was part of Virginia. Over the years, portions of Peters Township were sectioned off to form other municipalities; eventually, leaving the present configuration of 19.5 square miles (51 km2).
Peters Township was named after William “Indian” Peters. There is uncertainty as to whether Mr. Peters was an Indian or a white man who traded with the Indians of the area. Regardless, the Indian name has long-been associated with Peters Township.
Some of the first settlers were the Wright Brothers (James & Joshua), James Matthews, John Sweringer, Rev. David Phillips, Andrew Dunlevy, Daniel Townsend and Robert Bell. Peters was initially a farming community and then later on coal became a major industry that resulted in the development of Hackett.
Peters Township remained a sparsely populated rural community until the 1950s. In 1950 the population was 3,004. By the year 2000, this number had increased to 17,556. In 1976, the Township’s Home Rule Charter became effective. This altered the form of government from the prevalent Second Class Township Supervisor format to the present Council-Manager form.
The Township’s current Arrowhead logo was adopted with the new Home Rule Charter. It was designed by local artist, Robert Chamberlain, who used an arrowhead found in Peters Township as the pattern.[1]
As of the census [2] of 2010, there were 21,213 people, 7,292 households, and 6,079 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,071.4 people per square mile (414.9/km²). There were 7,559 housing units at an average density of 381.8 per square mile (148.2/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 96.2% White, 0.5% African American, 0.1% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population.
Of the 7,292 total households, 40.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.3% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.6% were non-families. 14.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the township the population was spread out with 31.1% under the age of 18, 2.7% from 18 to 24, 19.7% from 25 to 44, 33.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males.
The Peters Township School District (PTSD) has two Elementary Schools (Bower Hill Elementary School and Pleasant Valley Elementary School) that educate students in grades K-3. The secondary elementary school (McMurray Elementary School) educates students in grades 4-6. The Peters Township Middle School (PTMS) educates students in grades 7-8. The Peters Township High School(PTHS) educates students in grades 9-12.
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