In 1795, the first white settler constructed a permanent home in modern-day Jackson Township; his name was Palmer Ransom. He was followed by additional settlers. Jackson Township was formed in 1844 from a portion of Plymouth Township. It originally covered an area of fifteen square miles. The township was named in honor of Andrew Jackson. Due to its thick forests, the lumber industry was one of the first major employers in the area. In the township’s early days, there were roughly nine sawmills and three gristmills. By 1850, the population of Jackson increased to nearly six hundred. Over time, farming replaced logging as the primary industry in the township.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of, of which is land and, or 0.64%, is water. There are two noteworthy communities in Jackson Township: Chase and Huntsville. Larksville Mountain defines the southeastern border of the municipality. The territory’s interior is made up of creeks and rolling hills. PA 29 runs through the western half of the township.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,453 people, 952 households, and 767 families residing in the township. The population density was 335.4 people per square mile. There were 1,004 housing units at an average density of 75.6/sq mi. The racial makeup of the township was 73.01% White, 24.66% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.90% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.58% from other races, and 0.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.15% of the population. There were 952 households, out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.3% were married couplesliving together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.4% were non-families. 16.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.04. In the township the population was spread out, with 14.2% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 40.4% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 242.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 286.2 males. The median income for a household in the township was $56,464, and the median income for a family was $62,162. Males had a median income of $33,274 versus $29,643 for females. The per capita income for the township was $25,127. About 4.3% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.
