East Huntingdon Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

For other places in Pennsylvania with similar names, see Huntingdon, Pennsylvania (disambiguation).

East Huntingdon Township, Pennsylvania
Township
Countryside Plaza in downtown East Huntingdon Township.
Map of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Highlighting East Huntingdon Township
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Westmoreland County
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Westmoreland
Settled	1790
Incorporated	1798
Area [1]
• Total	32.96 sq mi (85.37 km2)
• Land	32.95 sq mi (85.35 km2)
• Water	0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Population  (2020) [2]
• Total	7,712
• Estimate  (2021) [2]	7,650
• Density	234.14/sq mi (90.40/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
FIPS code	42-129-21304

East Huntingdon Township is a township in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 7,712 at the 2020 census. ^[2] From 1978 to 1988, the township had been home to the Volkswagen Westmoreland Assembly Plant, which later became a Sony plant. ^[3] As of 2020 companies there include DNP, Cenveo, and Siemens.

History

According to East Huntingdon official website, prior to 1798, East Huntingdon Township was a part of Huntingdon Township which encompassed areas of present day Smithton, Ruffs Dale, Tarrs, Reagantown, rural Scottdale and Bessemer.

Gaut's Dairy Farm as it appears in 2024.

Bessemer Road in East Huntington Township, pictured here in 2024.

The Evergreen Drive-In Theater in 2010.

In 1798, Huntingdon was divided into South Huntingdon and East Huntingdon. East Huntingdon is bordered by Hempfield Township, Mount Pleasant, and Fayette County. One of the oldest families in the area were the Stauffer family. They are the namesake of Stauffer Run, which is a tributary that empties into Jacob's Creek.

The first school to open in East Huntingdon was a schoolhouse built on Gaut's Dairy Farm in Alverton. It was opened in 1802. East Huntingdon continued to open multiple schoolhouses throughout much of the 1800s. The first East Huntingdon school board election occurred on October 6, 1834. With the advent of the school board, the first school district in the area was formed with school taxes being introduced. ^[4] The township was divided into districts, most prominently the East Huntingdon Township and Scottdale School Districts. In the fall of 1964, the two districts combined to form Southmoreland High School ^[5]

The West Overton Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. ^[6]

The township was the site of the Morewood Massacre of 1891, which occurred during a labor union protest.

Several farms encompassed the area of downtown East Huntingdon, known as Bessemer, until the late 1960s when businesses began to purchase the rural areas. Several businesses formed to create the Countryside Plaza. Countryside Plaza encompasses 16.9 acres of land and is home to 20 retail stores. ^[7] In 2000, East Huntingdon expanded with the creation of Summit Ridge Plaza, located directly across from Countryside Plaza on Pennsylvania Route 819.

On June 19, 1947, the Ruthorn Drive-In Theater opened in East Huntingdon on Pennsylvania Route 119 near the Scottdale exit. ^[8] The theater was originally a single screen, drive-in movie theater. It was renamed the Evergreen Drive-In Theater in 1949. The theater added two more screens in 2002, which remain as of June 2024. ^[9]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 32.8 square miles (85 km²), of which 32.8 square miles (85 km²) is land and 0.03% is water. It includes the communities of West Overton, Ruffs Dale, Central, Tars, Rocktown, Feree, West Bethany, Lauffer, Donnelly, Morewood, Reagantown, Alverton, Mayfield, Bessemer, Buckeye, Green Lick, Iron Bridge, Pinetree and Chaintown. ^{[10] [11]} To the north is New Stanton Borough; to the south is Scottdale and Fayette County.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2000	7,781		—
2010	7,963		2.3%
2020	7,712		−3.2%
2021 (est.)	7,650	[2]	−0.8%
U.S. Decennial Census [12]

At the 2000 census there were 7,781 people, 3,142 households, and 2,271 families living in the township. The population density was 237.3 inhabitants per square mile (91.6/km²). There were 3,289 housing units at an average density of 100.3 per square mile (38.7/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 98.68% White, 0.48% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.13% from other races, and 0.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.30%. ^[13]

Of the 3,142 households 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 24.3% of households were one person and 11.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.92.

The age distribution was 22.5% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.

The median household income was $32,460 and the median family income was $39,927. Males had a median income of $29,835 versus $22,787 for females. The per capita income for the township was $15,598. About 9.0% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.1% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.

See also

Official township website

References

1. "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
2. Bureau, US Census. "City and Town Population Totals: 2020—2021". Census.gov. US Census Bureau. Retrieved July 26, 2022.{{cite web}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
3. "Former Sony Corp. plant near New Stanton auditions for new tenant". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Joe Napsha, June 23, 2010. Archived from the original on June 27, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
4. "About".
5. "Southmoreland Event". The Daily News. April 5, 1971. p. 12. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
6. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
7. "Countryside Plaza sold in East Huntingdon". April 12, 2021.
8. "Evergreen Drive-In | Directions".
9. "Evergreen Drive-In | History".
10. "East Huntingdon Second Class Township Map" (PDF). Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
11. Eidemiller, Maryanne Gogniat (January 17, 2022). "Book author to speak at Magnificat Breakfast Jan. 29". The Latrobe Bulletin. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
12. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
13. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.

40°07′00″N79°34′59″W / 40.11667°N 79.58306°W / 40.11667; -79.58306