Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

For other Pennsylvania townships of the same name, see Derry Township, Pennsylvania (disambiguation).

Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
—  Township  —
Map of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania highlighting Derry Township
Map of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Dauphin
Settled	1717
Incorporated	1729
Government
– Type	Board of Commissioners
Area
– Total	27.3 sq mi (70.7 km2)
– Land	27.1 sq mi (70.2 km2)
Population (2000)
– Total	21,273
– Density	784.0/sq mi (302.7/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Area code(s)	717

Derry Township is a township in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 21,273 at the 2000 census. Hershey, Pennsylvania, the site of the well-known Hershey's chocolate factory and its affiliated amusement park, are also located within the township. Derry Township is home to one of the largest non-metropolitan Public Works in Pennsylvania.

It was named after the city of Derry in Northern Ireland.^{[citation needed]}

History

The Township of Derry was incorporated on August 1, 1729, when Lancaster County divided the territory for tax purposes. At that time, the boundaries of Derry Township were much larger and included what are currently three other townships within Lancaster and Dauphin County. The western portion became Derry Township and the eastern portion became Londonderry Township, Pennsylvania. The first official government in Derry Township was established in 1759. Five officials were elected for one-year terms. The number of elected officials in Derry remains five, however the terms are six years.

Derry became a part of Dauphin County when it was established in 1785. In 1787, the population of Derry Township was 198. The most recent census records the population as 21,273.

The Derry Session House and Enclosure and Quarries of the Hummelstown Brownstone Company are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[1]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 27.3 square miles (71 km²), of which, 27.1 square miles (70 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) of it (0.66%) is water.

Unincorporated communities and census designated places in Derry Township.

• Hershey, Pennsylvania

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 21,273 people, 8,861 households, and 5,688 families residing in the township. The population density was 784.0 people per square mile (302.7/km²). There were 9,481 housing units at an average density of 349.4/sq mi (134.9/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 92.65% White, 1.67% African American, 0.07% Native American, 3.96% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.40% of the population.

There were 8,861 households out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 30.4% 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 2.32 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the township the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $52,290, and the median income for a family was $68,838. Males had a median income of $48,510 versus $32,430 for females. The per capita income for the township was $31,365. About 2.8% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

Derry Township has its own Public Works department; public library, the Hershey Public Library; and its own police force, The Derry Township Police Department. Derry Township is also home to HERCO and HersheyPark.

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Derry Township Official Site
• Derry Township Police Department

Coordinates: 40°16′00″N 76°37′59″W / 40.2666667°N 76.63306°W / 40.2666667; -76.63306