Beale Township is a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

in Juniata County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, United States. The population was 769 at the 2020 census, a decline from the figure of 830 tabulated in 2010.

History

Beale Township is the location of the Book site, an

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...

dating from the

Woodland period In the classification of :category:Archaeological cultures of North America, archaeological cultures of North America, the Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures spanned a period from roughly 1000 BC to European contact i ...

. It is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

.Beckerman, Ira. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Book Site (36 Jul)".

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

, August 8, 1980. The

Academia Pomeroy Covered Bridge The Academia Pomeroy Covered Bridge at (portal to portal) is the longest remaining covered bridge in Pennsylvania. Built in 1902, this single-lane, double-span wooden covered bridge crosses Tuscarora Creek between Spruce Hill and Beale Town ...

and Tuscarora Academy are also listed. The Academia Pomeroy Covered Bridge at (portal to portal) is the longest remaining covered bridge in Pennsylvania, crossing Tuscarora Creek between Spruce Hill and Beale Townships. It has been owned by the Juniata County Historical Society of

Mifflintown Mifflintown is a borough in and the county seat of Juniata County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 840 at the 2020 census. Geography Mifflintown is located at (40.570728, -77.395488). According to the United States Census ...

since 1962.

Geography

The township is in west-central Juniata County, in the

Ridge and Valley The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Highlands division. The physiographic province is divided into three sec ...

province of the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

. It is bounded by Shade Mountain to the north and Tuscarora Creek to the south. The Herringbone Ridges form a set of low parallel ridges crossing the center of the township. Unincorporated communities in the township include Walnut, Nook, Doyles Mills, and Academia.

Pennsylvania Route 35 Pennsylvania Route 35 (PA 35) is a state highway located in central Pennsylvania. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 522 (US 522) near Shade Gap, Pennsylvania, Shade Gap. The northern terminus is at U.S. Route 11 in Pennsy ...

crosses the northern side of the township, following the valley between Shade Mountain and Herringbone Ridges. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the township has a total area of , all land. The township is drained by Tuscarora Creek and its tributaries and is part of the

Juniata River The Juniata River () is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed August 8, 2011 in central Pennsylvania. The river is ...

watershed, flowing to the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...

. Beale Township is the only township in Juniata County that does not border one of the counties surrounding Juniata. It is bordered by Milford Township to the north and east, Spruce Hill Township to the south and Tuscarora Township to the west.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 726 people, 254 households, and 205 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 328 housing units at an average density of 15.0/sq mi (5.8/km). The racial makeup of the township was 97.66%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.69%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.55% Asian, 0.41% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.38% of the population. There were 254 households, out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.9% were non-families. 15.4% 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 2.86 and the average family size was 3.17. In the township the population was spread out, with 28.0% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.5 males. The median income for a household in the township was $41,458, and the median income for a family was $43,625. Males had a median income of $31,087 versus $21,818 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the township was $16,988. About 6.4% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 10.6% of those under age 18 and 1.1% of those age 65 or over.

References

{{authority control Populated places established in 1775 Townships in Juniata County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania