![]() ![]() The 1899 legislation was later amended to allow for a transition from second to first class township status, and these transition requirements remain the same today. It wasn't until the 1930s and 1940s that townships of the second class were granted greater powers in this regard. This separate classification enabled townships to preserve their character and fiscal integrity, and it gave first class townships greater power when dealing with the impact of growth. At that time, all townships with a population density greater than 300 people per square mile were designated as first class townships. In 1899, the legislature attempted to remedy this problem by providing for two categories of township - first and second class. As growth intensified around cities and boroughs, developed portions of adjacent townships were annexed into them. But as the Industrial Revolution brought more and more development to the Commonwealth, the existence of many townships was jeopardized. ![]() William Penn began establishing townships in Pennsylvania as early as 1682, with about 10 families to each. When the pilgrims first came to America from England, they brought the concept of township with them, and by order of the Mayflower Compact, townships became the first political subdivisions in the new world. Townships are the oldest form of organized government in the United States, dating back to the 17th century.
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