Shenango Township, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania

For other Pennsylvania townships of the same name, see Shenango Township, Pennsylvania.

Shenango Township
Township
Named for: Shenango River
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Lawrence County
Area	24.4 sq mi (63 km2)
Population	7,633 (2000)
Density	140.4 / sq mi (54 / km2)
Established	1796
Timezone	EST (UTC-4)
- summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-5)
Area code	724
Location of Shenango Township in Lawrence County
Location of Lawrence County in Pennsylvania
Location of Pennsylvania in the United States

Shenango Township is a township in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 7,633 at the 2000 census. Shenango Township is situated between the cities of New Castle, Pennsylvania (to the north), and Ellwood City, Pennsylvania (to the south).

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 24.4 square miles (63.3 km²), of which, 24.4 square miles (63.2 km²) of it is land and 0.04% is water.

History

Named for the Shenango River, Shenango Township was incorporated in 1796 as a part of Beaver County, Pennsylvania; since Lawrence County did not yet exist at this time. It later became one of Lawrence County's original townships. It quickly became one of the most populous areas because the land was suitable for many different purposes. One of the first settlers to live in Shenango was William Carins. He came to this area in 1796 and was the man who gave Shenango its name. Carins was awarded the land after his service in the Revolutionary War, he was paid in 500 acres (2 km²) of land. Carins worked as a cloth weaver, and ran a small store where he sold his goods. William Tindall was another one of Shenango's first settlers. Tindal was paid 400 acres (1.6 km²) for his service in the Revolutionary War as well. He lived to the age of 93, and was buried in the Tindall family cemetery near the "Turkey Hill" section of the township. The Tindall family cemetery is most famously known as the resting place of Mary Black, a supposed, but never proven witch of around the same time period. Her grave can be located after following the path from the road until you arrive at the swamp, go around the swamp on the left side. Her grave is separate from the others and is the only one dug up. Shenango's largest land owner was a Philadelphia lawyer named Benjamin Chew. Chew bought up large portions of the southern extent of the township under assumed names for pennies an acre. He later resold the land for a profit, and the small town of Chewton was later named after him.

The township was linked to New Castle, Ellwood and Pittsburgh in 1908 by the Pittsburgh, Harmony, Butler and New Castle Railway, an interurban trolley line. The line closed on 15 June 1931 and the trolleys were replaced by buses.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,633 people, 2,854 households, and 2,171 families residing in the township. The population density was 312.6 people per square mile (120.7/km²). There were 2,996 housing units at an average density of 122.7/sq mi (47.4/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 97.29% White, 1.72% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 0.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.76% of the population.

There were 2,854 households out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.2% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the township the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 102.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $39,949, and the median income for a family was $46,933. Males had a median income of $36,387 versus $21,783 for females. The per capita income for the township was $19,068. About 4.3% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Children residing in the township attend the Shenango Area School District. It was selected by Business Week as one of the top five schools in the state in 2009. Shenango Area schools also serves the adjacent municipality of South New Castle, Pennsylvania residents as well.

A significant percentage of graduates attend college, with Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, Penn State University, Youngstown State University, and Butler County Community College being popular choices.

Residential

Shenango Township is made up by several smaller residential neighborhoods which were built by local developers over the last 50 years. These neighborhoods are interconected be the current state local road system in the township. Shenango saw its first residential developments in the late 1950s and 1960s with the Construction of most the homes that can be found today in Ridgewood Court, and Willowhurst Circle. These two developments were built at the same time that a new high school was being constructed to serve the community. The 1970s and 1980s saw limited residential development throughout the Township, this may be due to the strugling local economy at the time. The 1990s through the present have shown a great turnaround for the township, with the construction of several residential developments. Single family developments such as: "Woodland Hills", "Deer Run", "Orchardale Estates" Phase I, "Jason's Woods" Phase I & II, "Cambridge at Hidden Lake's" Phase I; have led to a significant population growth in Shenango Township over the last 15 years. Joined with the construction of townhomes and condos in "The Field's", and "Shenango Greens" Have added to the diversity of residences in Shenango Township.

Business

Shenango Township is served by three separate commercial centers; the Route US 422 corridor, and the Route PA 65 Corridor, and the Shenango Industrial Park. The Route 65 Corridor is home to much of the townships shopping district. This area is served by the Lawrence Village Plaza, which is home to Kmart, Hallmark Cards, and Dunhams Sports. This area is also served by many national chain fast food restaurants. The 422 corridor is more of a light industrial focused area which is anchored by the McKesson Corporation, this area is also home to the townships lone remaining grocery store, Giant Eagle.

In Popular Culture

Hill View Manor, a former Poor Farm located on PA 65 near Lawrence Village Plaza has been featured on Travel Channel Ghost Adventures Season 4 Episode 6. The location was also featured in Season 7 of Ghost Hunters on Syfy, and Season 2 of Ghost Lab on Discovery Channel.

External links

• Shenango Township Volunteer Fire Department
• Shenango Area School District