South Park Township, Pennsylvania

:"See also South Park (disambiguation)"

South Park Township is located in the southern part of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. It borders and/or touches the municipalities of Bethel Park, Jefferson Hills Borough, Pleasant Hills Borough and Baldwin Borough in Allegheny County, and Union Township in Washington County. The population was 14,340 at the 2000 census.

A large portion of the township is covered by a county park of the same name [http://www.county.allegheny.pa.us/parks/spfac.aspx] . Activities provided in the park include ice skating rinks, tennis courts, a roller hockey rink, a championship golf course, picnic areas, shelters, playgrounds, ballfields, sled riding areas, summer concerts, horse-back riding, walking and biking trails, a very large, wave-action swimming pool, and a large dog park.

History

Composed of portions of St. Clair and Jefferson Townships in 1845, South Park was originally called Snowden Township, named after John M. Snowden, a prominent businessman, politician and former Pittsburgh mayor, who had died earlier that year. In the 1930s, Allegheny County acquired several large parcels of farm land mostly within Snowden Township and created a regional recreational area named South Park. The huge success of South Park, and the fact the facility occupies roughly one-third of the community's total area, eventually prompted a 1966 referendum in which the township was renamed.

The area in and around South Park Township was settled in the mid-1700s. It is the location of the Oliver Miller Homestead where, in 1794, the first shots of the Whiskey Rebellion were fired. A log house was originally built on the site in 1772; it was replaced by a stone structure in the early 1800s, which is open for public tours.

Geography

South Park Township is located at coor dms|40|17|54|N|80|0|7|W|city (40.298382, -80.002097)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 9.2 square miles (23.8 km²). Negligible area is covered by streams and creeks, most notably Peters Creek. South Park, a 1,999 acre (3.1 sq mi) recreational area operated by Allegheny County, is located mostly within the boundaries of South Park Township, although a portion is located in adjacent Bethel Park.

Education

The school district of South Park is coterminous with the township. The school district has a single elementary school for grades K-4, a single middle school for grades 5-8, and a single high school for grades 9-12. [https://www.edline.net/DocViewBody.page?currentDocEntid=1956254247966309364 South Park School District Profile] , [http://www.spaksd.org/ South Park School District] . Accessed July 23, 2008.] The school district's mascot is the Eagles.

Elementary (Kindergarten-4th Grade)

In the early 20th century, three elementary schools were built. Two, Library and Broughton, accepted students from their respective districts. A third, Stewart School, educated Kindergarten and first grade students from both districts. In 1998, the township announced that a new elementary school would be built. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on February 12, 2000, with school superintendent Dr. Lawrence L. Muir and school board members digging the first dirt. In 2001, the South Park Elementary Center opened.

High (9th Grade-12th Grade)

A new South Park Senior High School opened in 2005. As of the 2005-2006 school year, the school had 752 students enrolled and 44.5 teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 16.9 students/teacher. [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?ID=422206000467 South Park Senior High School] , National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed July 23, 2008.]

School Athletics

In the fall of 2005, both the boys' football team and the boys' soccer team won the PIAA state championship finishing their respective seasons undefeated. The boys' soccer team also won the PIAA state championship in 2006. (2007) The girls' soccer team recently won the PIAA state championship. Arizona Cardinals Reggie Wells graduated from South Park High School.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 14,340 people, 5,422 households, and 4,028 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,563.6 people per square mile (603.8/km²). There were 5,616 housing units at an average density of 612.4/sq mi (236.5/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 95.15% White, 3.21% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.12% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 0.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,422 households out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.0% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the township the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $51,001, and the median income for a family was $57,290. Males had a median income of $41,002 versus $27,138 for females. The per capita income for the township was $21,538. About 4.8% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

* [http://www.southparktwp.com South Park Township]
* [http://www.southparkhistoricalsociety.com South Park Historical Society]
* [http://www.sparksd.org South Park School District]
* [http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_list.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=4222060 Data for the South Park Township Public Schools] , National Center for Education Statistics
* [http://www.southparklibrary.org South Park Township Public Library (More information about South Park)]