Stonycreek Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Stonycreek Township is a township
in Somerset County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. The population was 2,221 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Johnstown
, Pennsylvania
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
as the last of the six original townships of Somerset County.
Stonycreek Township gained worldwide attention on September 11, 2001
, when United Airlines Flight 93
crashed there, killing all aboard. Flight 93 was one of four airliners hijacked that day as part of the al-Qaeda
terrorist attack on the United States
. It is widely held that the Flight 93 hijackers intended to use the craft to destroy the United States Capitol
building in Washington, D.C.
Most people believe that the crash here instead was a result of a struggle over control of the plane between hijackers and passengers, who learned of the plane's intended fate through cellphone calls to and from family members. The community intends to preserve the Flight 93 crash site as a historical memorial.
The original temporary memorial to the passengers and crew of Flight 93 was located on a hill, about 500 yards from the crash site. On July 8, 2010, a new temporary entrance and memorial were opened at an area called "The Western Overlook." It is where the FBI set up their command center and where family members first saw the aftermath of the crash, bringing their own memorials, where visitors can leave them today. The initial phase of permanent construction of the Flight 93 National Memorial
, including the visitor's center, will be completed by the 10th anniversary in 2011. The memorial will be built around the crash site, following the plane's flight path, and protecting the area of impact, known as the "Sacred Ground", which will remain protected and accessible only to family members of the passengers and crew.
of Indian Lake, Pennsylvania
. It is bordered to the north by Shade Township
; to the west by Somerset Township
; to the south by Brothersvalley Township
; and to the east by Allegheney Township
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the township has a total area of 61.4 square miles (159.1 km2), of which, 61.2 square miles (158.4 km2) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.7 km2) of it (0.44%) is water.
of 2000, there were 2,221 people, 820 households, and 634 families residing in the township. The population density
was 36.3 people per square mile (14.0/km2). There were 1,033 housing units at an average density of 16.9/sq mi (6.5/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 98.96% White, 0.09% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.05% from other races
, and 0.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.23% of the population.
There were 820 households out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.3% were married couples
living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.6% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% 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 3.10.
In the township the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.5 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $33,828, and the median income for a family was $38,418. Males had a median income of $30,236 versus $21,714 for females. The per capita income
for the township was $14,463. About 9.6% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.9% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.
Township
The word township is used to refer to different kinds of settlements in different countries. Township is generally associated with an urban area. However there are many exceptions to this rule. In Australia, the United States, and Canada, they may be settlements too small to be considered urban...
in Somerset County
Somerset County, Pennsylvania
Somerset County is a county located in the state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 77,742. Somerset County was created on April 17, 1795, from part of Bedford County and named for Somerset, United Kingdom. Its county seat is Somerset. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania,...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 2,221 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Johnstown
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States, west-southwest of Altoona, Pennsylvania and east of Pittsburgh. The population was 20,978 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Cambria County...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
What is now Stonycreek Township was settled in 1762. Most old records of it call it Stony Creek. The Township was incorporated in 1792 from portions of Quemahoning TownshipQuemahoning Township, Pennsylvania
Quemahoning Township is a township in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,180 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area....
as the last of the six original townships of Somerset County.
September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, when United Airlines Flight 93
United Airlines Flight 93
United Airlines Flight 93 was United Airlines' scheduled morning transcontinental flight across the United States from Newark International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco International Airport in California. On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, the Boeing 757–222 aircraft operating the...
crashed there, killing all aboard. Flight 93 was one of four airliners hijacked that day as part of the al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
terrorist attack on the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is widely held that the Flight 93 hijackers intended to use the craft to destroy the United States Capitol
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
building in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Most people believe that the crash here instead was a result of a struggle over control of the plane between hijackers and passengers, who learned of the plane's intended fate through cellphone calls to and from family members. The community intends to preserve the Flight 93 crash site as a historical memorial.
Flight 93 National Memorial
Flight 93 National Memorial
The Flight 93 National Memorial is located at the site of the crash of United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked in the September 11 attacks, in Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania, about north of Shanksville, and southeast of Pittsburgh. The memorial was made to honor the passengers of Flight...
, including the visitor's center, will be completed by the 10th anniversary in 2011. The memorial will be built around the crash site, following the plane's flight path, and protecting the area of impact, known as the "Sacred Ground", which will remain protected and accessible only to family members of the passengers and crew.
Geography
It is located approximately at 40.01°N by 78.88°W, about 3 miles (4.8 km) WSWBoxing the compass
Boxing the compass is the action of naming all thirty-two points of the compass in clockwise order. Such names are formed by the initials of the cardinal directions and their intermediate ordinal directions, and are very handy to refer to a heading in a general or colloquial fashion, without...
of Indian Lake, Pennsylvania
Indian Lake, Pennsylvania
Indian Lake is a borough in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 394 at the 2010 census, down from 450 in 2000...
. It is bordered to the north by Shade Township
Shade Township, Pennsylvania
Shade Township is a township in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,886 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. Shade township was incorporated in 1816. The township was first settled in 1772 and was formed from...
; to the west by Somerset Township
Somerset Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania
Somerset Township is a township in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 12,122 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area and encompasses the census-designated place of Friedens, Pennsylvania.-Geography:According to the...
; to the south by Brothersvalley Township
Brothersvalley Township, Pennsylvania
Brothersvalley Township is a township in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,184 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
; and to the east by Allegheney Township
Allegheny Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny Township is a township in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 654 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania United States metropolitan area.-Geography:...
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the township has a total area of 61.4 square miles (159.1 km2), of which, 61.2 square miles (158.4 km2) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.7 km2) of it (0.44%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,221 people, 820 households, and 634 families residing in the township. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 36.3 people per square mile (14.0/km2). There were 1,033 housing units at an average density of 16.9/sq mi (6.5/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 98.96% White, 0.09% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.05% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.23% of the population.
There were 820 households out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.3% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.6% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% 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 3.10.
In the township the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.5 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $33,828, and the median income for a family was $38,418. Males had a median income of $30,236 versus $21,714 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the township was $14,463. About 9.6% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.9% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.