Northampton Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania

History

Northampton Township was originally settled by English colonists who came with William Penn on his voyage to Pennsylvania. They named it after Northampton, the county town of Northamptonshire, England. Northampton Township was incorporated in 1722.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 26.1 square miles (67.6 km²), of which, 25.8 square miles (66.9 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.7 km²) of it (1.07%) is water. It is drained by the Neshaminy Creek, which forms its entire NE boundary, into the Delaware River.

The township is made up of the following unincorporated communities and census-designated places:

Passenger trains

The communities of Holland and Churchville had commuter train service until January 1983 via SEPTA's Fox Chase-Newtown Rapid Transit Line. Service was "temporarily" suspended due to failing train equipment resulting in poor ridership. While Churchville Station has been restored, Holland station was demolished in 2000.

In the ensuing years (particularly post-1995), there has been heavy interest in resuming passenger service by Bucks County officials. Several housing booms throughout the 1980s and 1990s have resulted in homes being situated directly adjacent to the dormant rail line. Though there is overwhelming support from a majority of residents looking for better public transportation options, several residents along Old Jordan Road in Holland have voiced NIMBY opposition to the reactivation of regular passenger service.

Though rail service was initially replaced with a Fox Chase-Newtown shuttle bus, patronage remained light. The replacement bus service was far slower and less convenient than the train service it replaced, resulting in the shuttle bus being very unpopular. The travelling public never saw a bus service as a suitable replacement for a rail service.

Government

Northampton Township is a class two township under Pennsylvania State Code. It is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors.

The five Supervisors are:

Education

Northampton Township is part of the Council Rock School District which includes Northampton Township, Newtown Township, Newtown Borough, Wrightstown Township and Upper Makefield. Northampton Township is represented on the Council Rock School Board in five single-seat School Director regions:

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, the township was 93.2% Non-Hispanic White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 3.4% Asian, and 0.8% were two or more races. 3.5% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.

As of the census of 2000, there were 39,384 people, 13,014 households, and 10,957 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,524.7 people per square mile (588.7/km²). There were 13,138 housing units at an average density of 508.6/sq mi (196.4/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 97.01% White, 0.41% African American, 0.04% Native American, 1.80% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.83% of the population.

There were 13,014 households, out of which 43.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.0% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.8% were non-families. 13.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the township the population was spread out, with 28.2% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $82,655, and the median income for a family was $91,477. Males had a median income of $60,368 versus $38,969 for females. The per capita income for the township was $33,028. About 1.4% of families and 1.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.

Sports

Council Rock Northampton Little League made it to the 2007 Mid-Atlantic Regional Finals, where they lost 4-0 to Salisbury, Maryland.