Penn Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
Penn Township is a township in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. History. Penn Township, officially known as the Township of Penn, was named after Pennsylvania founder William Penn. The township was incorporated on February 23, 1855. In the early years after its founding, numerous Scotch-Irish Americans came to the area to farm its rich land. Later in the township's history, coal mining contributed heavily to the economy. Penn Township is also home to the Bushy Run Battlefield. The Bushy Run Battlefield was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966, and  is designated a National Historic Landmark. In 1957 Carnegie Mellon University chose the township for a new lab facility. Geography. Penn Township is located in the western part of Westmoreland County. It is approximately 25 miles east from Pittsburgh and 7 miles west of Greensburg, Pennsylvania. The township is bordered by north by Murrysville, Pennsylvania, northeast by Salem Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, east by Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, southeast by Jeannette, Pennsylvania, southwest by North Huntingdon Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, west-southwest by Trafford, Pennsylvania, and west by Monroeville, Pennsylvania. Penn Township maintains nearly 100 miles of roadways. The  township has three major transportation routes within its boundaries: Pennsylvania Route 130, Pennsylvania Route 993, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike. According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 30.76 square miles (79.1 km), all of it land. Penn Township is also part of the Turtle Creek (Monongahela River tributary). Government. Penn Township was incorporated in 1855 and became a First Class Township (Pennsylvania) in 1958. The township is governed by five commissioners who are publicly elected and serve a four-year term. Penn Township also has a tax collector elected to serve a four-year  term. Like all First Class Townships, Penn Township has a fully functioning police force. Demographics. Population. As of July 1, 2018, Penn Township has a population of 19387. This is a 3.1% decrease from the 2010 US Census Population. Education. Penn Township is within the Penn-Trafford School District. The district operates eight schools, six of which are in Penn Township: The Murrysville branch of the Westmoreland County Community College is located along Mellon Road. Penn Township has an overall graduation rate of 96.3% and a bachelor's degree rate of 37.7%