Township (Pennsylvania)
A township in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a state of the United States of America, is one of four types of municipalities in the state (along with counties, cities, and boroughs). Townships (see civil township) 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] Both first and second class townships may adopt home rule charters.
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. 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.
[edit] See also
- List of townships in Pennsylvania
- List of cities in Pennsylvania
- List of towns and boroughs in Pennsylvania
- List of places in Pennsylvania
[edit] References
- ^ "Pennsylvania Local Government" (PDF). Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_71264_0_0_18/. Retrieved October 8, 2007.
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