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Lansdale
Main Street in Lansdale
Main Street in Lansdale
Motto(s): 
Life in Motion
Location of Lansdale in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Location of Lansdale in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Lansdale is located in Pennsylvania
Lansdale
Lansdale
Location in Pennsylvania
Lansdale is located in the United States
Lansdale
Lansdale
Location in the United States
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
County Montgomery
Government
 • Type Council-manager
Area
 • Total 2.99 sq mi (7.75 km2)
 • Land 2.99 sq mi (7.75 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
361 ft (110 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 16,269
 • Estimate 
(2019)
17,083
 • Density 5,707.65/sq mi (2,204.08/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
19446
Area codes 215, 267 and 445
FIPS code 42-41432

Lansdale is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, northwest of Philadelphia. It is a densely-populated commuter town, with many residents traveling daily to Philadelphia using SEPTA Regional Rail's Lansdale/Doylestown Line. In 1900, 2,754 people lived here; in 1910, 3,551; and in 1940, 9,316 people were inhabitants of Lansdale. The population was 16,269 at the time of the 2010 census.

Lansdale is the center of the North Penn Valley, a region which includes the surrounding townships and boroughs.

History

Lansdale Municipal
Lansdale Municipal building

The earliest known settlers in Lansdale were members of the Jenkins family. At the peak of its growth, the Jenkins homestead occupied approximately 120 acres of land. The construction of the North Pennsylvania Railroad during the 1850s contributed to rapid growth and expansion in Lansdale. Employment opportunities generated by the railroad brought settlers, housing, and local businesses to the area. By 1872, Lansdale Borough was officially incorporated and named after Phillip Lansdale Fox, chief surveyor of the North Penn Railroad. By the naming conventions of the time, it should have been called Jenkintown, since the land immediately surrounding the train station was owned by the Jenkins family, but there was already a town by that name along the rail line.

The Jenkins Homestead and Lansdale Silk Hosiery Compy-Interstate Hosiery Mills, Inc. are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Kugel ball

Kugel Ball in Lansdale
The Kugel Ball

Lansdale is home to a Kugel ball, which is a dark grey granite sphere supported by a very thin film of water pumped from beneath its base. The Kugel Ball is located in Railroad Plaza, adjacent to the SEPTA Lansdale/Doylestown Line train station in downtown Lansdale. The plaza consists of a bricked patio with benches centered on the Kugel Ball and closes at 11:00 pm. An annual 5k race is held in June, accordingly named the Kugel Ball race, which starts and ends at the actual Kugel Ball in Railroad Plaza.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8.0 km2), all land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1880 798
1890 1,858 132.8%
1900 2,754 48.2%
1910 3,551 28.9%
1920 4,728 33.1%
1930 8,379 77.2%
1940 9,316 11.2%
1950 9,762 4.8%
1960 12,612 29.2%
1970 18,451 46.3%
1980 16,526 −10.4%
1990 16,362 −1.0%
2000 16,071 −1.8%
2010 16,269 1.2%
2020 18,773 15.4%
Sources:

As of the 2010 census, the borough was 75.9% White, 5.9% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 13.3% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian, and 2.7% were two or more races. 4.4% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.

As of the census of 2000, there were 16,071 people, 6,620 households, and 4,051 families residing in the borough. The population density was 5,245.8 people per square mile (2,027.8/km2). There were 6,893 housing units at an average density of 2,250.0 per square mile (869.7/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 85.40% White, 3.94% African American, 0.09% Native American, 7.98% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 0.73% from other races, and 1.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.90% of the population.

There were 6,620 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the borough the population was spread out, with 22.2% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $46,232, and the median income for a family was $54,891. Males had a median income of $40,009 versus $29,825 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $22,096. About 4.1% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

In popular culture

An episode of the Fox television series Fringe, which aired on September 24, 2009, was set in Lansdale. The scenes that took place in Lansdale were filmed in British Columbia, and the town was depicted as a rural area consisting primarily of corn fields and not as the densely populated suburban town that it actually is.

The beginning of the episode "Changes" of Season 7 of the Fox television series House, which aired on May 2, 2011, was set in Lansdale.

In the 1981 novel A Natural Weapon by Garry Mitchelmore, Lansdale is one of two towns (the other being Cache, Louisiana) that has its natural gas supply poisoned by terrorists.

According to the book "Weird Pennsylvania," Lansdale was also once home to one of the world's three "H Trees," which are believed to mark portals to Hell. An individual had only to circle the trees a certain number of times and jump off a small cliff, on the ledge of which the trees grew. Upon doing so, the portal would open and transport the individual to Hell.


Education

The community is a part of the North Penn School District. K-6 public elementary schools in Lansdale include Gwynedd Square Elementary, Knapp Elementary, Oak Park Elementary, Inglewood Elementary, Walton Farm Elementary, and York Avenue Elementary. Penndale Middle School serves grades 7–9. The area public high school is North Penn High School in Towamencin Township.

The borough is also home to Mater Dei Catholic School of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It was formerly home to St. Stanislaus School. In January 2012, the archdiocese announced that St. Rose of Lima School in North Wales would be merging with St. Stanislaus, with students attending classes in Lansdale at St. Stanislaus. The newly combined school was renamed from St. Stanislaus to Mater Dei, Latin for "Mother of God."

Calvary Baptist School is a pre-K-12th grade Christian school. Lansdale area private high schools include Lansdale Catholic High School and Dock Mennonite Academy. Dock is in Towamencin Township.

The DeSales University Lansdale Area Campus was an institute of higher education, with a campus specifically designed for adult students. The campus closed in 2019, with classes moved to the main campus in Center Valley or online.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Lansdale SEPTA station October 2018
The Lansdale station on SEPTA's Lansdale/Doylestown Line

The main east–west street in Lansdale is Main Street (Pennsylvania Route 63), which runs northwest–southeast. The main north–south street is Broad Street, which runs southwest–northeast. Pennsylvania Route 363 begins at PA 63 on the western edge of Lansdale and heads southwest on Valley Forge Road. The Lansdale interchange of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension (Interstate 476) is located to the west of the borough in Towamencin Township and connects to PA 63.

Lansdale is served by SEPTA Regional Rail's Lansdale/Doylestown Line via Lansdale station in downtown, the Pennbrook station in the southern part of the borough, and the 9th Street station in the northern part of the borough, with service to Center City Philadelphia and Doylestown along with intermediate points. Three SEPTA Suburban Division bus routes serve Lansdale: the Route 94 connects the southern part of Lansdale with the Montgomery Mall and Chestnut Hill, the Route 96 connects Lansdale with the Norristown Transportation Center in Norristown, and the Route 132 connects the borough with the Montgomery Mall and Telford.

Lansdale is the headquarters of the Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad, a short-line freight railroad. The Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad operates the Lansdale Yard in the borough and provides freight rail service out of Lansdale to several points in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia on SEPTA-owned lines. The railroad interchanges with CSX Transportation in Lansdale.

Utilities

Lansdale Electric, owned by the borough, provides electricity to most of Lansdale, with portions of the borough receiving electricity from PECO Energy Company, a subsidiary of Exelon. The borough's electric department purchases its electricity from American Municipal Power. Natural gas in Lansdale is provided by PECO Energy Company. The North Penn Water Authority provides water to Lansdale and some surrounding areas. Sewer service in Lansdale is provided by the borough, which operates a wastewater treatment facility. Trash and recycling collection in Lansdale is provided by contracts with private haulers, although the borough has plans for a single hauler serving all residents.

Notable people

  • Ralph F. Hirschmann (1922–2009), biochemist who led synthesis of the first enzyme.
  • Margaret Battavio (Little Peggy March) (born 1948), American pop singer. Her song I Will Follow Him was number one in April 1963.
  • Russell Hoban (1925–2011), expatriate writer, author of Riddley Walker and the Frances the Badger children's books, was born and grew up in Lansdale.
  • Jennifer Strong (c. 1973/1974 – 2011), soccer player
  • The Wonder Years, a pop-punk band signed to Hopeless Records
  • Ralph James Wickel (1921–2001), Lansdale High School alum served in WWII, awarded tennis scholarship at Temple University, competed in regional and national tennis tournaments. Selected for Junior Davis Cup competition and participated in the US Championships in the early 1950s.
  • Joe Judge (1981- ), former head coach of the New York Giants.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Lansdale para niños

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