Plymouth Township is a township with home rule status in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. Although it retains the word "Township" in its official name, it has been governed by a home rule charter since 1976 and is no longer subject to the Pennsylvania Township Code.[3] The population was 16,525 at the 2010 census. It is serviced by the Colonial School District and is home to the Plymouth Meeting Mall. It also serves as the home of the Mid-County Interchange between the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 276) and the Mid-County Expressway/Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension (Interstate 476).

Plymouth Township
First Class Township with home rule
Plymouth Friends Meetinghouse, built 1708
Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
Coordinates: 40°08′00″N 75°17′29″W
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Montgomery
Founded	1686
Government
• Type	Council-manager
Area [1]
• Total	8.49 sq mi (21.99 km2)
• Land	8.39 sq mi (21.73 km2)
• Water	0.10 sq mi (0.26 km2)
Elevation	249 ft (76 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	16,525
• Estimate  (2016)[2]	17,642
• Density	2,102.49/sq mi (811.77/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	19462 19428 19422
Area code	610 / 484
FIPS code	42-091-61664
Website	www.plymouthtownship.org

History

Plymouth Meeting, a census-designated place (CDP) that straddles Plymouth and Whitemarsh Townships, was settled by English Quakers in 1686. The Cold Point Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[4]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 8.5 square miles (22.1 km²), of which, 8.4 square miles (21.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (1.41%) is water. Plymouth Township straddles the boundary between a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) and a humid subtropical climate (Cfa). The hardiness zone is 7a. It is drained by the Schuylkill River which forms most of its SW boundary.

Routes

• I-276 / Penna Turnpike
• I-476 / Penna Turnpike NE Extension

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, Plymouth Township was 83.1% White, 7.0% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 7.2% Asian, and 1.7% were two or more races. 2.6% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.[7]

As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 16,045 people, 6,512 households, and 4,363 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,907.3 people per square mile (736.6/km²). There were 6,703 housing units at an average density of 796.8 per square mile (307.7/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 89.26% White, 4.17% African American, 0.09% Native American, 5.22% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.25% of the population.

There were 6,512 households, out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the township the population was spread out, with 20.1% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $54,069, and the median income for a family was $66,938. Males had a median income of $45,953 versus $35,089 for females. The per capita income for the township was $28,862. About 2.4% of families and 4.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Plymouth Township is governed by a five-member Council, elected to staggered four-year terms; four Council members are elected by district and one is elected at-large. Council establishes the policies, goals and objectives for the Executive, Administrative, and Advisory functions. Council Members are limited by the Home Rule Charter to two consecutive terms plus the balance of an unexpired term.[9]

The current Council members are:

• District 1: David Gannon (D) - term expires Dec. 2021
• District 2: Christopher Manero (D), Chair - term expires Dec. 2023
• District 3: Martin Higgins (D) - term expires Dec. 2021
• District 4: Katherine Bandish (D) - term expires Dec. 2023
• At-Large: Karen Bramblett (D), Vice Chair - term expires Dec. 2021

The township is part of the Fourth Congressional District (represented by Rep. Madeleine Dean). It is also in the 70th State House District (represented by Rep. Matthew Bradford) and the 148th State House District (represented by Rep. Mary Jo Daley) as well as the 17th State Senate District (represented by Sen. Amanda Cappelletti).

Education

Colonial School District is the local school district.

Holy Rosary Regional Catholic School in Plymouth Meeting and Plymouth Township is the area Catholic school. It was formed in 2012 by the merger of Epiphany of Our Lord School in Plymouth Meeting, Our Lady of Victory in East Norriton, and St. Titus in Norristown.[10]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Plymouth Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

• Plymouth Meeting News & Events
• Plymouth Township