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Bucks County, Pennsylvania facts for kids

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Bucks County
County of Bucks
Bucks County Administration Building
Bucks County Administration Building
Official seal of Bucks County
Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Bucks County
Location within the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
Map of the United States highlighting Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Pennsylvania
Founded November 1682
Named for Buckinghamshire
Seat Doylestown
Largest township Bensalem
Area
 • Total 622 sq mi (1,610 km2)
 • Land 604 sq mi (1,560 km2)
 • Water 18 sq mi (50 km2)  2.8%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 646,538
 • Density 1,070/sq mi (410/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 1st
Pennsylvania Historical Marker
Designated: October 29, 1982

Bucks County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538; it is the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. The county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English county of Buckinghamshire or more precisely, its abbreviation.

Bucks County constitutes part of the northern boundary of the PhiladelphiaCamdenWilmington, PA–NJDEMD Metropolitan Statistical Area, more commonly known as the Delaware Valley. It is located immediately northeast of Philadelphia and forms part of the southern tip of the eastern state border with New Jersey.

History

Founding

Mercer Museum
The Mercer Museum in Doylestown Borough

Bucks County is one of the three original counties created by colonial proprietor William Penn in 1682. Penn named the county after Buckinghamshire, the county where he lived in England. He built a country estate called Pennsbury Manor in Falls Township, Bucks County.

Some places in Bucks County were named after locations in Buckinghamshire, including Buckingham Township, named after the county town of Buckinghamshire; Chalfont, named after Chalfont St Giles, the parish home of William Penn's first wife and the location of the Jordans Quaker Meeting House, where Penn is buried; Solebury Township, named after Soulbury, England; and Wycombe, named after the town of High Wycombe.

Bucks County was originally much larger than it is today. Northampton County was formed in 1752 from part of Bucks County, and Lehigh County was formed in 1812 from part of Northampton County.

Revolutionary War

General George Washington and his troops camped in Bucks County as they prepared to cross the Delaware River to take Trenton, New Jersey, by surprise on the morning of December 26, 1776. Their successful attack on Britain's Hessian forces was a turning point in the American War of Independence. The town of Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania and Washington Crossing Historic Park were named to commemorate the event.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 622 square miles (1,610 km2), of which 604 square miles (1,560 km2) is land and 18 square miles (47 km2) (2.8%) is water.

The southern third of the county between Philadelphia and Trenton, New Jersey, often called Lower Bucks, resides in the Atlantic Coastal Plain, and is flat and near sea level, and the county's most populated and industrialized area. Bucks County shares a western border with Montgomery County, and also borders Philadelphia to the southwest, and Northampton and Lehigh Counties to the north. From north to south, it is linked to Warren, Hunterdon, Mercer and Burlington Counties in New Jersey by bridges.

Tohickon Creek and Neshaminy Creek are the largest tributaries of the Delaware in Bucks County. Tohickon Creek empties into the river at Point Pleasant and Neshaminy at Croydon (Bristol Township).

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1790 25,216
1800 27,496 9.0%
1810 32,371 17.7%
1820 37,842 16.9%
1830 45,745 20.9%
1840 48,107 5.2%
1850 56,091 16.6%
1860 63,578 13.3%
1870 64,336 1.2%
1880 68,656 6.7%
1890 70,615 2.9%
1900 71,190 0.8%
1910 76,530 7.5%
1920 82,476 7.8%
1930 96,727 17.3%
1940 107,715 11.4%
1950 144,620 34.3%
1960 308,567 113.4%
1970 410,056 32.9%
1980 479,211 16.9%
1990 541,174 12.9%
2000 597,635 10.4%
2010 625,249 4.6%
2020 646,538 3.4%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2019

As of the 2010 census, there were 625,249 people. The population density was 1,034.7 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 86.6% Non-Hispanic white, 3.9% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 4.1% Asian (2.1% Indian, 1.1% Chinese, 0.7% Korean, 0.5% Filipino, 0.3% Vietnamese, 0.1% Japanese, 0.4% other Asian) 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.7% were of two or more races, and 1.5% were of other races. 4.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

As of the census of 2000, there were 218,725 households, and 160,981 families residing in the county. There were 225,498 housing units at an average density of 371 per square mile (143/km2). 20.1% were of German, 19.1% Irish, 14.0% Italian, 7.5% English and 5.9% Polish ancestry.

There were 218,725 households, out of which 35.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.20% were married couples living together, 8.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were non-families. 21.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.70% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 30.70% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $59,727, and the median income for a family was $68,727. Males had a median income of $46,587 versus $31,984 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,430. About 3.10% of families and 4.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.80% of those under age 18 and 5.50% of those age 65 or over.

Population growth

The 2013 population estimate of Bucks County Pennsylvania was 626,976. This ranked the county fourth in the state, well behind (more than 10%) the counties of Philadelphia with 1,553,165 (247% of Bucks), Allegheny with 1,231,527 (196%), Montgomery with 812,376 (130%), and well ahead of Delaware with 561,973 (89.6%).

Growth began in the early 1950s, when William Levitt chose Bucks County for his second "Levittown". Levitt bought hundreds of acres of woodlands and farmland, and constructed 17,000 homes and dozens of schools, parks, libraries, and shopping centers. By the time the project ended, the population of Levittown had swelled to almost 74,000 residents. At the time, only whites could buy homes. This rule however, was soon overturned. Other planned developments included Croydon and Fairless Hills. This rapid sprawl continued until the mid-1960s.

In the 1970s, a second growth spurt began. This time, developers took land in townships that were mostly untouched. These included Middletown Township, Lower Makefield Township, Northampton Township and Newtown Township. Tract housing, office complexes, shopping centers, and sprawling parking lots continued to move more and more towards Upper Bucks, swallowing horse farms, sprawling forests, and wetlands. At this time, the Oxford Valley Mall was constructed in Middletown, which would become the business nucleus of the county.

Growth has somewhat stabilized since the 1990s, with smaller increases and less development. However, the main reason for this is not a lack of population growth, but loss of land. Lower Bucks now lacks large parcels of land to develop. Smaller residential and commercial projects must now be constructed. However, redevelopment of existing building sites is now a leading coalition in Lower Bucks. Many areas along the Delaware River have surpluses of abandoned industry, so many municipalities have granted building rights to luxury housing developers. Also, as the regions that began the suburban boom in Bucks, such as Levittown, begin to reach their 50th anniversaries, many commercial strips and other neglected structures are being torn down to be replaced with new shopping plazas and commercial chains. Also, with rising property values, areas with older construction are undergoing a renaissance. At the same time, Central and Upper Bucks are still seeing rapid growth, with many municipalities doubling their populations.

Arts and culture

Fine and performing arts

Many artists and writers based in New York City have called Bucks County home, settling mainly in the small stretch between Doylestown and New Hope and along the Delaware River. Notable residents have included Margaret Mead, Pearl S. Buck, Oscar Hammerstein, II, Stephen Sondheim, Charlie Parker, Moss Hart, George S. Kaufman, James Michener, Dorothy Parker, S. J. Perelman, Stan and Jan Berenstain, Daniel Garber, Alfred Bester, Annie Haslam, and Jean Toomer. Bucks County has been the home of writer/musician James McBride, Academy Award-winning film composer Joe Renzetti, musician Gene Ween of Ween, painter Christopher Wajda, photographer Michael Barone, and furniture designer George Nakashima. James Gould Cozzens lived in Lambertville, New Jersey, just across the river from Bucks County, and used Doylestown as the model for the setting of two novels; he is considered a Bucks County artist.

The county boasts many local theater companies, including the long-established and recently reopened Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Town and Country Players in Buckingham, ActorsNET in Morrisville, and the Bristol Riverside Theatre, a professional Equity theater in Bristol. The Bucks County Symphony, founded in 1953, performs in Doylestown throughout the year.

The Wild River Review, an online magazine that publishes in-depth reporting, works of literature, art, visual art, reviews, interviews, and columns by and about contemporary artists, photographers, and writers, is based out of Doylestown.

Literature

The seemingly autobiographical novel The Fires of Spring by James Michener takes place in and around Doylestown.

Popular culture

Alecia Moore, more commonly known as Pink, was born in Doylestown, as was motion picture writer and director Stefan Avalos. Three American Idol contestants live in Bucks County: Justin Guarini, who was born in Atlanta, but moved to Bucks County; Jordan White, who was born in Cranford, New Jersey and moved to Bucks County, and Anthony Fedorov, who was born in Ukraine and was from Trevose, in Lower Southampton Township. Singer/actress Irene Molloy and classical tenor David Gordon were born in Doylestown. Musician Asher Roth was born in Morrisville. The Tony Award-winning Broadway play Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is set in the county.

Film

M. Night Shyamalan's 2002 film Signs, starring Mel Gibson, was filmed and takes place in Bucks County. The town scenes were filmed on State Street in Newtown Borough, and the drugstore scene was filmed at Burns' Pharmacy on Pennsylvania Avenue in Morrisville. The house was built on farmland privately owned and leased to Delaware Valley College in Doylestown Township. A stage set for some interior shots was created in a warehouse on State Road in Bensalem Township. Shyamalan's film Lady in the Water was shot across the street from the Bloomsdale section of Bristol Township. In addition, Shyamalan's 2008 film, The Happening, was filmed in Upper Bucks County, including Plumsteadville.

With the exception of the footage filmed in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, all of The Last Broadcast was shot in Bucks County (though the name was changed).

A short scene from Stephen King's The Stand is based in Pipersville.

The producer Fred Bauer, the director Steve Rash and composer Joseph Renzetti of The Buddy Holly Story all live in Bucks County, where the film was conceived, and written by Bob Gittler.

Although filmed in California, one of Steven Spielberg's earliest films, Something Evil, is set in Bucks County.

The film Law Abiding Citizen, starring Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx, was filmed partially in New Hope.

The NBC pilot episode for Outlaw, starring Jimmy Smits, filmed in the Andalusia section of Bensalem Township March 22–23, 2010.

The feature film The Discoverers was filmed in a variety of locations in Bucks County, including Croydon, Bristol, Newtown, New Hope, and Tyler State Park.

The Central Bucks West football team was followed during the 1999 season for the documentary The Last Game. It was directed by T. Patrick Murray and Alex Weinress.

The County Fair scene in Charlotte's Web was filmed at the Southampton Days fair in Southampton, Bucks County.

The majority of the independent Titanic film The Last Signals by Tom Lynskey was filmed in Bucks County.

The 1942 film George Washington Slept Here was set chiefly in Bucks County, although most of the filming took place in the studio.

Safe, starring Jason Statham, filmed at the Parx Casino and Racing in Bensalem Township.

Bucks County has been mentioned multiple times on the popular Freeform TV series Pretty Little Liars.

Parks and recreation

Pennsylvania state parks

Neshaminy Creek in Tyler State Park
Neshaminy Creek in Tyler State Park

There are six commonwealth-owned parks in Bucks County:

County parks

Lake Galena, Bucks County, PA
Lake Galena in Peace Valley Park

Historic properties

Pennsbury Manor 01
Pennsbury Manor

County recreation sites

  • Frosty Hollow Tennis Center
  • Core Creek Tennis Center
  • Oxford Valley Golf Course
  • Oxford Valley Pool
  • Tohickon Valley Pool
  • Weisel Hostel
  • Peace Valley Boat Rental
  • Core Creek Boat Rental

County Nature Centers

Transportation

Airports

  • Public airports administered by the Bucks County Airport Authority
    • Doylestown Airport
    • Quakertown Airport, also a Civil Air Patrol facility
    • Van Sant Airport and Park, formerly owned and administered by the Bucks County Department of Parks and Recreation
  • Private Airports
    • Pennridge Airport, owned by Pennridge Development Ent. Inc but open to public use for general aviation
    • Sterling Aviation Heliport, privately owned and public heliport and helicopter repair facility located in Croydon, PA next to Neshaminy State Park.

Public transportation

  • Amtrak's Northeast Corridor line runs through the southern portion of the county. Select daily Northeast Regional and Keystone Service trains in each direction stop at the Cornwells Heights station in Bensalem.
  • SEPTA
    • City Division and Suburban Division bus routes across Southeastern Bucks
    • Regional Rail's Lansdale/Doylestown, Trenton, Warminster and West Trenton lines
  • TMA Bucks's Rushbus – only parts of South and Central Bucks County
  • Bucks County Transport or BCT – a paratransit and ridesharing service
    • Doylestown Dart provides public transportation around the Doylestown area.

Communities

Map of Bucks County Pennsylvania With Municipal and Township Labels
Map of Bucks County, Pennsylvania with Municipal Labels showing Boroughs (red), Townships (white), and Census-designated places (blue).

Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities, boroughs, townships, and, in at most two cases, towns. The most populous borough in the county is Morrisville with 10,023 as of the 2000 census. The following boroughs and townships are located in Bucks County:

Boroughs

Townships

  • Bedminster
  • Bensalem
  • Bridgeton
  • Bristol
  • Buckingham
  • Doylestown
  • Durham
  • East Rockhill
  • Falls
  • Haycock
  • Hilltown
  • Lower Makefield
  • Lower Southampton
  • Middletown
  • Milford
  • New Britain
  • Newtown
  • Nockamixon
  • Northampton
  • Plumstead
  • Richland
  • Solebury
  • Springfield
  • Tinicum
  • Upper Makefield
  • Upper Southampton
  • Warminster
  • Warrington
  • Warwick
  • West Rockhill
  • Wrightstown

Census-designated places

Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well.

Unincorporated communities

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Bucks County.

county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2010 Census)
1 Levittown CDP 52,983
2 Croydon CDP 9,950
3 Bristol Borough 9,726
4 Quakertown Borough 8,979
5 Morrisville Borough 8,728
6 Perkasie Borough 8,511
7 Fairless Hills CDP 8,466
8 Doylestown Borough 8,380
9 Richboro CDP 6,563
10 Telford (lies partially in Montgomery County) Borough 4,872
11 Sellersville Borough 4,249
12 Churchville CDP 4,128
13 Warminster Heights CDP 4,124
14 Chalfont Borough 4,009
15 Village Shires CDP 3,949
16 Woodbourne CDP 3,851
17 Brittany Farms-The Highlands CDP 3,695
18 Newtown Grant CDP 3,620
19 Trevose CDP 3,550
20 New Britain Borough 3,152
21 Feasterville CDP 3,074
22 Plumsteadville CDP 2,637
23 New Hope Borough 2,528
24 Yardley Borough 2,434
25 Woodside CDP 2,425
26 Penndel Borough 2,328
27 Newtown Borough 2,248
28 Dublin Borough 2,158
29 Eddington CDP 1,906
30 Tullytown Borough 1,872
31 Spinnerstown CDP 1,826
32 Langhorne Borough 1,622
33 Langhorne Manor Borough 1,442
34 Cornwells Heights CDP 1,391
35 Richlandtown Borough 1,327
36 Ivyland Borough 1,041
37 Hulmeville Borough 1,003
38 Trumbauersville Borough 974
39 Milford Square CDP 897
40 Silverdale Borough 871
41 Riegelsville Borough 868

Official seal

The traditional seal of Bucks County, Pennsylvania takes its design from the inspiration of the county's founder, William Penn. The center of the seal consists of a shield from the Penn family crest with a tree above and a flowering vine surrounding it in symmetric flanks. The seal has a gold-colored background and a green band denoting Penn as the county's first proprietor and governor. In 1683, Penn's council decreed that a tree and vine be incorporated into the emblem to signify the county's abundance of woods. The seal was used in its official capacity until the Revolutionary War. The county government has since used the official Pennsylvania state seal for official documents. Today, the Bucks County seal's use is largely ceremonial. It appears on county stationery and vehicles as a symbol of the county's heritage. The gold emblem is also the centerpiece of the official Bucks County flag, which has a blue background and gold trim.

Economy

LevittownPA
Levittown, aerial view, circa 1959

The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by William Levitt.

Among Bucks' largest employers in the twentieth century were U.S. Steel in Falls Township, and the Vulcanized Rubber & Plastics and Robertson Tile companies in Morrisville. Rohm and Haas continues to operate several chemical plants around Bristol. Waste Management operates a landfill in Tullytown that is the largest receptacle of out-of-state waste in the USA (receiving much of New York City's waste following the closure of Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island, NY 40 miles (64 km) away).

Bucks is also experiencing rapid growth in biotechnology, along with neighboring Montgomery County. The Greater Philadelphia area consistently ranks in the top 10 geographic clusters for biotechnology and biopharma. It is projected by 2020 that one out of four people in Bucks County will work in biotechnology.

List of notable Bucks County businesses

  • 21st Century Media
  • Alpha Card Services
  • Burpee Seeds
  • Byers' Choice Ltd.
  • Carson Helicopters
  • Charming Shoppes
  • eGames, Inc.
  • EPAM Systems
  • GE Betz
  • Hank's Root Beer
  • Keystone Aircraft
  • V. La Rosa and Sons Macaroni Company
  • Lehigh Defense
  • McCaffrey's Food Markets
  • New Hope and Ivyland Railroad
  • Questar Corporation
  • Rita's Italian Ice
  • West Coast Video
  • Windowizards

Tourism

Schofield Ford Covered Bridge
Bucks County is home to a number of covered bridges, 10 of which are still open to highway traffic and two others (situated in parks) are open to non-vehicular traffic. Shown here is the Schofield Ford Covered Bridge over the Neshaminy Creek in Tyler State Park.

Another important asset of the county is tourism. The county's northern regions (colloquially referred to as Upper Bucks) are renowned for their natural scenery, farmland, colonial history, and proximity to major urban areas (particularly Philadelphia, but New York City, Allentown, Reading and Atlantic City are also within a two-hour radius).

Bucks County is home to twelve covered bridges. Ten are still open to vehicular traffic. Two other bridges, both located in parks, are open only to non-vehicular traffic. All Bucks County bridges use the Town truss design. The Schofield Ford Bridge, in Tyler State Park, was reconstructed in 1997 from the ground up after arsonists destroyed the original in 1991.

Popular attractions in Bucks County include the shops and studios of New Hope, Peddler's Village (in Lahaska), Washington Crossing Historic Park, New Hope Railroad, and Bucks County River Country. Rice's Market near Lahaska is a popular destination on Tuesday mornings. Quakertown Farmer's Market (locally called "Q-Mart") is a popular shopping destination on weekends. The county seat of Doylestown has the trifecta of concrete structures built by Henry Chapman Mercer, including the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, the Mercer Museum and Fonthill, Mercer's personal home.

New Hope & Ivyland 40
New Hope Railroad

Southern Bucks (colloquially referred to as Lower Bucks) is home to two important shopping malls, Neshaminy Mall and Oxford Valley Mall, and Sesame Place, a family theme park based on the Sesame Street television series. Also within Lower Bucks County is Parx Casino and Racing in Bensalem, a casino and thoroughbred horse racing track. The casino was built on the grounds of what was originally Philadelphia Park Racetrack. The complex includes the throughbred horse racing track, expansive casino, a dance club, numerous dining options, and the Xcite Center.

Sports

Rugby league

The Bucks County Sharks rugby league team played in the AMNRL from 1997 to 2010 season. They returned to play in the AMNRL in 2011, until the league's fold in 2014, when they subsequently joined the USARL.

Little League

The county has a considerable history of producing Little League baseball contenders. Since its inception in 1947, four of the seven Pennsylvania teams to compete in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania have come from Bucks County: Morrisville (1955), Levittown American (1960 and 1961), and Council Rock-Newtown (2005). Two of these squads, Morrisville and Levittown (1960), went on to win the World Series title. In 2007, Council Rock Northampton won the PA State championship, and lost in the finals of regionals.

PIAA

The county is a part of PIAA's District I, and has seen many schools capture multiple state titles.

American Legion Baseball

In 1996, Yardley Western Post 317 won the American Legion National Championship.

Bristol Legion Post 382 recently won the 2011 American Legion State Championship.

Horse racing

  • Parx Casino and Racing (formerly Philadelphia Park Racetrack and Keystone Racetrack), formerly the home of Triple Crown contender Smarty Jones, is in Bensalem.

Education

Colleges and universities

  • Bucks County Community College
  • Delaware Valley University
  • Cairn University in Langhorne
  • Holy Family University in Newtown
  • La Salle University in Newtown
  • Strayer University in Trevose
Map of Bucks County Pennsylvania School Districts
Map of Bucks County, Pennsylvania Public School Districts

Public school districts

  • Bensalem Township School District
  • Bristol Borough School District
  • Bristol Township School District
  • Centennial School District
  • Central Bucks School District
  • Council Rock School District
  • Morrisville Borough School District
  • Neshaminy School District
  • New Hope-Solebury School District
  • Palisades School District
  • Pennridge School District
  • Pennsbury School District
  • Quakertown Community School District
  • Souderton Area School District (also in Montgomery County)

The Bucks County public schools listed above are served by a regional educational service agency called the Bucks County Intermediate Unit #22 located in the county seat of Doylestown.

Public charter schools

  • Center Student Learning Charter School – Pennsbury
  • School Lane Charter School

Private schools

  • 27 Catholic grade schools (there are also the 27 parishes in Bucks County of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia)
  • Abrams Hebrew Academy (K–8)
  • Archbishop Wood Catholic High School
  • Calvary Christian School
  • Conwell-Egan Catholic High School
  • George School
  • Holy Family Regional Catholic School
  • Holy Ghost Preparatory School (9–12 for boys)
  • Newtown Friends School (PreK-8)
  • Plumstead Christian School
  • Quakertown Christian School
  • Solebury School
  • St. Katherine Drexel
  • St. Michael the Archangel
  • Trevose Day School
  • United Friends School Quakertown
  • Villa Joseph Marie High School (9–12 for girls)

Community, junior and technical colleges

  • Bucks County Community College
  • Bucks County School of Beauty Culture
  • Bucks County Technical High School
  • Cairn University
  • CHI Institute
  • Delaware Valley University
  • Holy Family University
  • Middle Bucks Institute of Technology
  • Pennco Tech

Notable people

  • Josh Adams, currently professional football running back for the New York Jets born in Warrington, Pennsylvania
  • Charles Albright, (1830–1880), United States Congressman; born in Bucks County
  • Lavoy Allen (1989–), NBA G player for the Northern Arizona Suns
  • Stan and Jan Berenstain, writers and illustrators best known for creating the children's book series The Berenstain Bears
  • Christy Altomare, Actress and singer-songwriter, best known for originating the role of Anya in the Broadway musical Anastasia
  • Jacob Jennings Brown (1775 – 1828), Commanding General of the United States Army
  • Pearl S. Buck (1892–1973), author and Nobel Prize for Literature recipient; lived near Dublin in Hilltown Twp.
  • Sabrina Carpenter (1999–), actress in Girl Meets World
  • Brandon Cottom (1992-), NFL player for the Seattle Seahawks; attended high school at Council Rock High School North
  • Ulric Dahlgren (1842-1864), Union Army Colonel, unsuccessful raid on Richmond, Virginia started the Dahlgren Affair
  • Charles Ellet, Jr. (1810-1862), Civil Engineer and Union Army officer
  • William Edgar Geil, Minister
  • Chad I Ginsburg, guitarist of CKY
  • Justin Guarini, singer/actor, and contestant on American Idol
  • Roy M. Gulick (1904 - 1976), Major General and Quartermaster of the Marine Corps
  • Oscar Hammerstein II, Oscar and Tony Award-winning writer, theatrical producer, and (usually uncredited) theatre director of musicals
  • Samuel Hartsel (1834–1918), Colorado ranching pioneer; born in Bucks County
  • Annie Haslam (1947–), lead singer of the progressive rock group Renaissance
  • Michael Hurley, singer and guitarist
  • Maureen Johnson (1973–), author of young adult fiction
  • Patrick Kerney, former NFL defensive lineman; grew up in Newtown
  • Richard Kind, actor, Spin City and Mad About You
  • Eric Knight, writer of Lassie
  • Michael Levin (1984–2006), American-born Israeli soldier who died in the 2006 Lebanon War
  • Saige Martin, first openly LGBT person and first Latino person to serve on the Raleigh City Council
  • James McBride, writer and musician whose compositions have been recorded by a variety of other musicians
  • Matthew McGurk, United States Army Officer; talent manager; music producer
  • Margaret Mead (1901–1978), anthropologist; raised near Doylestown
  • Henry Chapman Mercer (1856–1930), archaeologist, artifact collector, tile-maker, and designer of poured concrete structures; Doylestown resident
  • James Michener (1907–1997), author; Pulitzer Prize for Fiction recipient; lived in Doylestown
  • Matt Millen (1958-), former National Football League linebacker and executive; lives on a farm in Durham
  • David Miscavige (1960– ), Leader of the Church of Scientology
  • Jamie Moyer (1962– ), starting pitcher in Major League Baseball (Philadelphia Phillies); born in Sellersville
  • Dorothy Parker, writer, best known for her wit, wisecracks, and sharp eye for 20th-century urban foibles
  • Rembrandt Peale (1778–1860), portrait painter and museum keeper
  • S. J. Perelman, humorist, author, and screenwriter; best known for his humorous short pieces written over many years for The New Yorker
  • Christina Perri (1986-), Singer/songwriter
  • Pink (1979– ), singer; real name Alecia Moore; born in Doylestown
  • Justin Pugh, former NFL offensive lineman; attended high school at Council Rock High School South in Council Rock School District
  • Nancy Raabe (1954- ), Lutheran pastor, composer, author, classical music critic. Lives in Hilltop Twp, works in Hatfield.
  • Leon Redbone, singer/songwriter and guitarist
  • Joe Renzetti (1941– ), Academy Award-winning film composer; musical arranger of many hit records; session musician
  • Allen Rosenberg (born 1931), rower and rowing coach
  • Asher Roth, platinum-certified hip-hop artist
  • Dean Sabatino, drummer for the punk band Dead Milkmen; Pennridge High School graduate
  • Liev Schrieber actor, titular protagonist of Ray Donovan; Paternal ancestral home.
  • Bryan Scott, NFL free safety; Bucks County native; attended Central Bucks East High School
  • Paul Simon, musician; owned a farm in Bucks County
  • Steve Slaton, former NFL running back; from Levittown; attended Conwell-Egan Catholic High School in Fairless Hills
  • Andrew Jackson Smith (1815–1897), Union army general
  • Hiram N. Smith (1817-1890), Wisconsin State Assemblyman
  • Ezra Stone (1917–1994), actor and director
  • Superheaven, alternative rock/grunge band formed in 2008 (formerly known as Daylight)
  • Brianna Taylor, cast member of The Real World: Hollywood; born in Warwick, lives in Warminster
  • Troy Vincent, former NFL cornerback; lives in Lower Makefield and attended Pennsbury High School
  • Dean Ween, pseudonym for Mickey Melchiondo of the band Ween
  • Gene Ween, pseudonym for Aaron Freeman of the band Ween
  • Jordan White, singer/songwriter and lyricist, contestant on American Idol

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Bucks para niños

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Bucks County, Pennsylvania Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.