Franconia Township, Pennsylvania

History

Franconia Township was founded in the late 1720s. The name means "Land Of The Franks", and most of the settlers were Germans seeking religious freedom.

The Bridge in Franconia Township was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 13.9 sqmi, of which 13.8 sqmi is land and 0.07% is water. It is in the Delaware watershed and is drained by the East Branch Perkiomen Creek and the West Branch Neshaminy Creek. The township's villages include Earlington, Franconia, Morwood, Reliance, and Harleysville. Route 113 crosses it from northeast to southwest and its other major road is north-to-south Allentown Road.

Neighboring municipalities

• Hatfield Township (southeast)
• Towamencin Township (south)
• Lower Salford Township (southwest)
• Upper Salford Township (west)
• Salford Township (northwest)
• West Rockhill Township, Bucks County (north)
• Telford (northeast)
• Souderton (northeast)
• Hilltown Township, Bucks County (east)

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, the township was 93.2% White, 1.6% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 3.3% Asian, and 1.2% were two or more races. 1.8% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.

At the 2000 census there were 11,523 people, 4,151 households, and 3,300 families living in the township. The population density was 833.1 PD/sqmi. There were 4,236 housing units at an average density of 306.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the township was 96.57% White, 0.86% African American, 0.08% Native American, 1.71% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.89%.

There were 4,151 households, 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.2% were married couples living together, 5.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.5% were non-families. 18.0% of households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.07.

The age distribution was 25.2% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males.

The median household income was $62,126 and the median family income was $67,209. Males had a median income of $49,952 versus $32,925 for females. The per capita income for the township was $25,751. About 1.4% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

As of 2018 there were 79.47 mi of public roads in Franconia Township, of which 2.50 mi were maintained by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC), 19.59 mi were maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 57.38 mi were maintained by the township.

Interstate 476 is the most prominent highway traversing Franconia, following the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension along a northwest–southeast alignment across the western and southwestern portion of the township. However, the nearest interchange is south of Franconia in Towamencin Township. Pennsylvania Route 113 is the other numbered highway traversing the township, following a northeast–southwest alignment across northern and western portions of Franconia along Harleysville Pike.

The northeastern edge of Franconia Township near Souderton is served by SEPTA bus Route 132, which runs between the Montgomery Mall and Telford.

Politics and government

Franconia is a Second Class Township governed by five supervisors, elected at-large for staggered six-year terms.

The township is part of Pennsylvania's 53rd Representative District, represented by Rep. Steve Malagari since 2019.

References

References

1. "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates".
3. "Franconia Township History".
4. {{NRISref
5. (DVRPC), Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. "DVRPC > Site Search".
6. "Census 2020".
7. "Census 2010: Pennsylvania - USATODAY.com".
8. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
9. "Franconia Township map". PennDOT.
10. "SEPTA Official Transit & Street Map Suburban". SEPTA.
11. "Montco Election Results".