Foster Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania

Foster Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
UTC-4 (EDT)
FIPS code	42-079-26928
Website	fostertownship.org

Foster Township is a township in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The population was 3,413 at the 2020 census.^[2]

Foster Township police services are provided by White Haven Police Department. Emergency medical services are provided jointly by Freeland Northside Community Ambulance and White Haven Rescue Unit. Fearnots Volunteer Fire Company is Foster Township's Fire Department.

Modern-day Foster Township was first settled in 1824 by John Lines. In 1855, territory was taken from

Eckley Miners’ Village

Early years

Before the 1850s,

.

Discovery of coal

In 1853, four

colliery

on the 1,500 acres (6 km²) of land. In 1854, the company began to construct a colliery.

By autumn of 1854, the company had constructed a

Eckley B. Coxe

. In later years, Eckley Coxe, an engineer, became involved in the operations of the village.

European immigration

The first residents of Eckley were mostly

. By the late 1850s and early 1860s, these miners were joined by groups of Irish farmers, who had immigrated to America after the devastating famine in their homeland. By the 1880s and 1890s, a new wave of immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe entered Eckley. These groups included people from Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, and Italy.

The Molly Maguires—a 1970 movie—was filmed in Eckley in 1969. Eckley Miners' Village was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.^[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 45.2 square miles (117.0 km²), of which 44.9 square miles (116.2 km²) is land and 0.27 square miles (0.7 km²), or 0.63%, is water. The Lehigh River, which is also part of Lehigh Gorge State Park, defines the township's eastern border. The community is made up of dense forests and very little farmland. Homes are scattered throughout the community; the census-designated place of Hickory Hills is located near the center of Foster Township. I-80 and PA 940 run east to west through the northern half of the township.

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
2000	3,323		—
2010	3,467		4.3%
2020	3,413		−1.6%
2021 (est.)	3,433	[2]	0.6%

As of the

of any race were 0.78% of the population.

There were 1,268 households, out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the township the population was spread out, with 19.5% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.9 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $36,307, and the median income for a family was $43,065. Males had a median income of $35,589 versus $24,051 for females. The

, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

• 
  I-80

  in Foster Township
• 
  A sign along I-80 in Foster Township
• 
  I-80 in Foster Township

• Official website

40°58′00″N 75°52′59″W / 40.96667°N 75.88306°W / 40.96667; -75.88306