Unity Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

Unity Township, Pennsylvania
Township
Kingston House (1815) National Register of Historic Places
Map of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Highlighting Unity Township
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Westmoreland County
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Westmoreland
Settled	1760
Incorporated	September 23, 1789
Area
• Total	67.3 sq mi (174 km^2)
• Land	67.1 sq mi (174 km^2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.5 km^2)
Population (2010)
• Total	22,607
• Density	336.9/sq mi (130.1/km^2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Area code(s)	724
Website	http://www.unitytownship.org

Unity Township is a township in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 22,607 at the 2010 census.

History

Unity Township was incorporated on September 23, 1789. Initial records show settlement going back to 1760. Residents of Mount Pleasant Township petitioned the court to establish a new township around the area next to the Loyalhanna creek, based on the inconvenience of the size of the existing township, and the need to travel long distances to conduct township affairs. One of the oldest communities in the township was Youngstown, an important stop in the wagon and stagecoach era, ca. 1818-1852, which became a separate borough in 1831.^[1]

The Kingston House and St. Vincent Archabbey Gristmill are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[2]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 67.3 square miles (174.2 km²), of which, 67.1 square miles (173.8 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (0.24%) is water.

The township contains the following communities: Baggaley, Beatty, Carney, Denison, Donohoe, Dorothy, Dry Ridge, George's Station, Greenwald, Hostetter, Humphreys, Lawson Heights, Lloydsville, Lycippus, Manito, Marguerite, Mutual, Old Crabtree, Pleasant Unity, and Whitney.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 21,137 people, 7,963 households, and 5,773 families residing in the township. The population density was 315.0 people per square mile (121.6/km²). There were 8,372 housing units at an average density of 124.8/sq mi (48.2/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 98.12% White, 0.32% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.86% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.42% of the population.

There were 7,963 households out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.9% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the township the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $40,585, and the median income for a family was $49,593. Males had a median income of $37,907 versus $26,164 for females. The per capita income for the township was $21,116. About 5.8% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.

References

1. History of Westmoreland County Volume 1, Chapter 41
2. Staff (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
3. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.

External links

• Unity Township official site

Coordinates: 40°14′00″N 79°21′59″W / 40.23333°N 79.36639°W