Ferguson Township is served by the Ferguson Township Police Department and the Alpha Fire Company for police and fire protection.
History
In 1801, Ferguson Township formed around a mill at the base of Tussey Mountain. The area around the mill would be known as Pine Grove Mills. Other small villages that were first established in the early nineteenth century include Gatesburg, a mining town, Pattonville, which would later merge with Pine Grove Mills, Rock Springs, and Baileyville.
The township adopted a home rule charter in May 1974, effective January 5, 1976, retaining "Township of Ferguson" as its official name.[3] Despite the "Township" designation, Ferguson is no longer governed under the state's Township Code.
Geography
The township has a total area of 47.6 square miles (123.4 km2), all land.
There were 8,057 households, out of which 18.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49% were married couples living together, 23.6% had a male householder with no wife present, 23.2% had a female householder with no husband present. 26.2% of households had someone 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.79.
The age distribution was 14.6% under 18, and 16.5% who were 65 or older. 50.5% identified as female.
The median income for a household in the township was $57,459, and the median income for a family was $78,305. The per capita income for the township was $47,001. 17.6% of the population lived in poverty.
66.1% had a bachelor's degree or higher. 19.2% spoke a language other than English at home, the most common of being Asian and Pacific Islander languages (11%). 15.1% of the populations foreign born, roughly a third of whom are naturalized U.S. citizens. 3.9% of the population are veterans.
Asian community
Asians are the largest minority in Ferguson. The township has officially recognized Lunar New Year,[7]Filipino-American Heritage Month,[8] and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.[9] Ferguson Township is home to three Asian supermarkets, and a handful of Asian Restaurants. Approximately 577 out of 2,879 foreign born residents are of Asian descent,[10] and Asian and Pacific Islander languages are the most common kind of languages spoken at home in the township at 11%. Young Scholars of Central Pennsylvania, a charter school in Westway, teaches Chinese and Spanish to all students from kindergarten through eighth grade.[11]
The Township of Ferguson is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors with two serving at-large and three serving by ward. Supervisors each serve four-year terms for a maximum of two-terms before a minimum two-year break. The Supervisors are chosen by plurality elections every two years alternating between at-large and ward elections.
