Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Abington Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 55,310 in as of the 2010 census.

Abington Township is one of Montgomery County's oldest communities dating back to before 1700 and being incorporated in 1704. It is home to some of the county's oldest transportation routes, industries and churches. Many of these older business and transportation centers were the forerunners of modern Abington. Today, Abington Township is a highly desirable residential area that contains the Willow Grove Park Mall, several small businesses, and a few of Montgomery County's largest employers.

History
The land that comprises Abington today was purchased from the native Lenape by William Penn during the 1680s. By the next decade, a handful of European settlers built and lived in Hill Township, at the crossroads of Susquehanna Street Road and Old York Road. After brief times under other names, the township incorporated as Abington in 1704. The name's origin is not known. A local 1734 census counted 42 resident landowners.

Some institutions have been in Abington for most of its existence. The cornerstone of the original Abington Friends School, in operation since before Abington's incorporation, is used in today's school building. The Abington Presbyterian Church opened in the early years of the township, and while the original building is gone, its graveyard is still used today.

The railroad reached the township in 1855, with the first station building erected in 1873, on the site of today's Noble Station.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 15.5 sqmi, of which, 15.4 sqmi of it is land.

Demographics
As of the 2010 census, the township was 79.7% White, 12.4% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 4.9% Asian, and 2.1% were two or more races. 3.2% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.

As of 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated there were 55,234 people, 21,252 occupied households, and 14,819 families residing in the township. The population density was 3,563 people per square mile (1,377/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 80% White, 12% Black, 3% Asian, a fraction of a percent Pacific Islander, 1% from other races, and 3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3% of the population.

There were 21,252 households out of which 32% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 11% had a female householder with no husband present, 56% were married couples living together, and 30% were non-families. 26% of all households were made up of individuals and 12% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the township the population was spread out with 22% under the age of 18, 9% from 18 to 24, 25% from 25 to 44, 29% from 45 to 64, and 16% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. The population was 47% male, and 53% female.

The median income for a household in the township was $77,363, and the median income for a family was $94,473. The per capita income for the township was $38,737. About 2% of families and 3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1% of those under age 18 and 5% of those age 65 or over.

Government
Abington Township does not have a mayor. Rather it is governed by a Board of Commissioners, who are elected one from each of the township's fifteen wards. A President of the Board is elected from among these commissioners, and serves as the head of government for Abington Township. Carol T. DiJoseph is the current Commission President.

Most of the township is in the Thirteenth Congressional District (represented by Rep. Allyson Schwartz) with a small part in the Eighth Congressional District (represented by Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick).

In 2004, Pennsylvanian political scientists Dr. G. Terry Madonna and Dr. Michael Young identified Abington Township as an especially interesting political bellwether—a local area "looked to for early readings of how national elections will turn out."

Communities
Abington Township comprises sixteen "communities" as follow alphabetically:

Communities:


 * Abington
 * Ardsley
 * Crestmont
 * Elkins Park
 * Glenside
 * Hollywood
 * Huntingdon Valley
 * McKinley
 * Meadowbrook
 * Noble
 * North Hills
 * Roslyn
 * Roychester
 * Rydal
 * Willow Grove

The communities are unofficial, unincorporated subdivisions of the township, corresponding roughly to voting districts and elementary school placement. Their primary importance aside from community identity is the postal system (e.g., to send a letter to someone living in the Glenside community, you would address the letter to Glenside, Pennsylvania rather than Abington Township, Pennsylvania). Additionally, some portions of some of these subdivisions, including Glenside, Huntingdon Valley, North Hills, Willow Grove, and Elkins Park, are actually in neighboring townships.

Local civic associations include Crestmont Civic Association, Glenside Gardens Civic Association, Hollywood Civic Association, Lower Huntingdon Valley Civic Association, McKinley Civic Association, Rydal-Meadowbrook Civic Association and Tall Trees Association. The civic associations work together on Traffic Summits in even years (2012, 2014, 2016, etc.) and Economic Summits in odd years (2013, 2015, 2017, etc.). These Summits focus on eliminating traffic congestion that interferes with the growth of businesses in the Township. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's Traffic Calming Handbook recommends the formation of a Local Traffic Advisory Committee to work with officials to identify ways to improve safety of the community.

Schools
Abington is served by the Abington School District. The elementary schools in this township are:
 * Copper Beech Elementary
 * Highland Elementary
 * McKinley Elementary
 * Overlook Elementary
 * Roslyn Elementary
 * Rydal Elementary
 * Willow Hill Elementary

The middle school (grades 7-9) is Abington Junior High School and the senior high (grades 10-12) is Abington Senior High School.

There are several private schools located inside the township, such as Meadowbrook and Abington Friends School. Penn State’s Abington campus is located in the Rydal section of the township.

The school district received some notoriety in the 1960s when it became one of the key parties in the school prayer controversy, with Abington School District v. Schempp. The Supreme Court case resulted in a declaration of the unconstitutionality of school-sanctioned Bible reading.

The Elementary Schools, Junior High School, and Senior High school within Abington School District have recently undergone a series of renovations and rebuilding resulting in more up-to-date and sophisticated structures.

Services infrastructure
Abington Memorial Hospital and Holy Redeemer Hospital are both located in Abington Township. Abington Memorial Hospital (AMH) is a 665-bed, regional referral center and teaching hospital, which has been providing comprehensive, high-quality services for people in Montgomery, Bucks, and Philadelphia counties for more than 90 years. The Annual June Fete Village Fair and Horse & Pony Show is a fundraising event run by The Women's Board which consists of 50 active members and is supported by 12 auxiliaries with 630 members.

Alverthorpe Park is located in the community of Abington. Abington Art Center is a contemporary art museum located in Abington.

Notable natives and residents

 * Gail Berman - former president of entertainment at Fox Broadcasting Company and former president of Viacom's Paramount Pictures; 1974 Abington graduate
 * Amar Gopal Bose - MIT professor and founder of the audio company Bose Corporation; attended Abington Senior High School
 * Bradley Cooper - actor
 * Ray Downs - author and musician
 * Krista Errickson - actress
 * Tom Feeney - former U.S. Representative from Florida
 * Jon D. Fox - former U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania
 * Matthew Fox - actor, famous for his portrayal of "Jack" on Lost
 * Eddie George - retired NFL running back
 * Adam Gerber - 2007 United States Poker Championship winner
 * Deborah Kaplan - screenwriter and film director
 * Bil Keane - cartoonist of The Family Circus; resided in Roslyn with his family from 1948 to 1959
 * Chad Kolarik - University of Michigan hockey player, drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes
 * Ken V. Krawchuk - Libertarian Party candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania in 1998 and 2002
 * Joey Lawrence - actor
 * Matthew Lawrence - actor (brother of Joey Lawrence)
 * Benjamin Lay - philanthropist, abolitionist, and Quaker extremist
 * Stephen Lynch - Tony Award-nominated actor, comedian and musician
 * James Morrow - science fiction author, born in the area and alludes to the case in his novel Blameless in Abaddon, whose title community is a parallel of Abington
 * Jeff Parke - current Major League Soccer player
 * Mike Richter - retired NHL goaltender
 * Bob Saget - actor and comedian
 * Ellery Schempp - physicist; famous for his involvement as a student in Abington School District v. Schempp
 * Allyson Y. Schwartz - incumbent U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania
 * Stephen A. Schwarzman - Chairman, CEO and co-founder of Blackstone Group
 * Chris Thayne - founder of Chris Thayne's crab shack (located in Ardsley, Pa) and former relief pitcher for AAA baseball team Camden RiverSharks
 * Mike Vogel - actor, known for his roles in the films Grind and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
 * Shawn Wooden - retired NFL safety for the Miami Dolphins