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About Porter Township
Overview
Porter Township resides in Pennsylvania's Pike County, located relatively close to the New York metropolitan area. Thanks to its relatively far, yet close location, it enjoys a life 'free from the constraints of urban development.'
As a result, Porter Township is one of the smallest townships in Pennsylvania that's surrounded by a beautiful and breathtaking abundance of unadulterated flora and fauna.
The deepest southeastern portion within Porter Township consists of nothing but stretches of the most 'rural areas in all of Pike's many townships.' Over 400 people populate these modest surroundings, which pretty much define the rural living experience found within the Pocono Mountains region.
Porter Township Today
Thousands of people visit the Delaware Forest in Porter Township each year. The Delaware Forest is home to a wide variety of recreational activities—not to mention, the beautiful view of the scenery itself. It's also home to a healthy population of black bears; many studies have used this location to observe the animal in its natural habitat.
Being an incredibly rural area, there are several opportunities for prospective residents to see and potentially commit to Pocono real estate in the area. As mentioned, around 400 people live in Pocono homes that further make this township as beautifully rural as most assume.
History
Porter Township was first established in December 1851, combining lands originally apart of Delaware and Lehman Townships. The township was named for James Madison Porter, believed to have been the first permanent resident in the area around 1849.
Porter himself established several key areas within the township, including the naming of the steep cliffs located on the town's eastern portion—Irving's Cliff. The name may have also originated from David Rittenhouse Porter, governor of Pennsylvania from 1839 to 1845.
Even though there were early settlers, some attribute the lack of true settlement to the land's relatively 'weak' soil. The deemed inhospitable soil was known not to support settlements. Areas that did receive significant cultivation usually supported only one single homestead. The people that did settle there were mostly heavily involved with harvesting timber that surrounded the relatively rocky terrain.
Porter Township experienced several wildfires by the 1800s. By then, most of the township was clear of timber, leaving behind a near desolate land of low brush and scrub oak. The dry land was ripe for the wildfires that later spread through the countryside. One such fire actually burned from Green Township, into Porter Township, and right through to Lehman and Delaware—meeting the Delaware River.
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