Township (Pennsylvania)
| Township | |
|---|---|
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| Category | Third-level administrative division |
| Location | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
A township in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a federated state of the United States of America, is one of four types of municipalities in the state, along with counties, cities, and boroughs.
History [edit]
Townships were established based on convenient geographical boundaries and vary in size from six to forty square miles (15–104 km²). There are two classifications of townships, first class and second class. To become a first class township, townships of the second class must have a population density of 300 inhabitants per square mile (120 /km2) and voters must approve the change of classification in a referendum. However, many townships have chosen to remain second class townships even though they meet the population density requirements to become first class townships.[1]
Any township, regardless of its class, may adopt a home rule charter, at which point it is no longer governed by the Pennsylvania Township Code and instead becomes a home rule municipality.[citation needed] Nevertheless, many former townships that adopted home rule charters retain "Township" in their official names, and the state still classifies them as townships for some official purposes.
See also [edit]
- List of townships in Pennsylvania
- List of cities in Pennsylvania
- List of towns and boroughs in Pennsylvania
- List of places in Pennsylvania
References [edit]
- ^ "Pennsylvania Local Government" (PDF). Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Retrieved October 8, 2007.
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