Upper Dublin Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

This article is about the Township of Upper Dublin, PA. For the school district, see Upper Dublin School District.
The Township of Upper Dublin
Township
Coat of arms
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
County Montgomery
Elevation 230 ft (70.1 m)
Coordinates 40°07′29″N 75°09′59″W / 40.12472°N 75.16639°W / 40.12472; -75.16639Coordinates: 40°07′29″N 75°09′59″W / 40.12472°N 75.16639°W / 40.12472; -75.16639
Area 13.2 sq mi (34.2 km2)
 - land 13.2 sq mi (34 km2)
 - water 0.04 sq mi (0 km2), 0.3%
Population 25,569 (2010)
Density 1,960.7/sq mi (757.0/km2)
Founded 1701
President
Board of Commissioners 		Ira S. Tackel
Timezone EST (UTC-5)
 - summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 19001, 19002, 19025, 19034, 19038, 19075, 19090
Area code 215, 267
Location of Upper Dublin Township in Montgomery County
Location of Upper Dublin Township in Pennsylvania
Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
Website: http://www.upperdublin.net

Upper Dublin Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 25,569 at the 2010 census. Until the 1950s, Upper Dublin was mostly farmland and open space, but transitioned to a residential suburb during the postwar population boom. The population went from just over 6,000 residents in the 1950s to just under 20,000 by 1970. Today, Upper Dublin is mostly spread-out development housing, and has the fourth highest median income in Montgomery County.[1]

Upper Dublin is made up of several community areas, many of which are unincorporated areas in Montgomery County with no legal status, and are used primarily by the US Postal Service. These community areas are portions of Abington (19001), Ambler (19002) (excluding the Borough of Ambler), Ardsley (19038), Dresher (19025), Fort Washington (19034), Jarrettown (19025), Maple Glen (19002), North Hills (19038), Oreland (19075) and Willow Grove (19090).

History

Founding

Upper Dublin dates back to 1684, when Edward Tanner was granted land by William Penn in the Province of Pennsylvania and named it "Upper and Lower Dublin." Lower Dublin was incorporated into the City of Philadelphia following the passage of the Act of Consolidation in 1854.[2] The "upper" portion has continued to exist around the original survey for the laying out and naming of Susquehanna Road. Upper Dublin Township was established in 1701, when William Penn ordered a survey of all townships in the Commonwealth. It was first settled in 1698, and incorporated in 1719.[3] The township was granted its current status of First Class Township in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on January 1, 1946. Originally the area started as a farming community with additional activity in the mining of limestone. Limekiln Pike today continues to be an important travel artery.

American Revolutionary War

Main article: Battle of White Marsh
Battle of Whitemarsh, in a German illustration.
George Emlen House, headquarters of George Washington, November 2 to December 11, 1777

During the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War, George Washington and the Continental Army were encamped here after their October 4, 1777 defeat at the Battle of Germantown, and immediately prior to their march to Valley Forge. From December 5–8, 1777, the Battle of White Marsh was fought here between British and American forces. Throughout the encampment, Washington was headquartered at the Emlen House, built by Quaker George Emlen in 1745. British commander General William Howe observed the American lines from the belltower of St. Thomas' Episcopal Church (at Bethlehem Pike and Camp Hill Road), site of the British encampment on December 5. Fort Washington State Park, in neighboring Whitemarsh Township, contains the area in which the primary American defenses were situated.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the Township has a total area of 13.2 square miles (34.2 km2), of which, 13.2 square miles (34.2 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km2) of it (0.15%) is water. It is in the Delaware watershed and almost all of it is drained by the Wissahickon Creek into the Schuylkill River, except for very small areas near the NE boundary drained by the Neshaminy Creek and the Pennypack Creek.

Numbered routes include PA 63 (which forms the northeast border,) PA 152, I-276 (the Pennsylvania Turnpike), and the PA 309 expressway. I-276 and PA 309 meet at the Fort Washington Interchange. I-276 also has a slip ramp in Upper Dublin for E-ZPass users connecting with Virginia Drive east of PA 309. Other important roads include Bethlehem Pike, Butler Pike, Morris Road, Norristown Road, and Susquehanna Road.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1800744—
18501,330—
18601,4378.0%
18701,58810.5%
18801,85616.9%
18902,0088.2%
19001,933−3.7%
19102,93651.9%
19203,0453.7%
19304,37943.8%
19404,6205.5%
19506,63743.7%
196010,18453.4%
197019,56292.1%
198022,34814.2%
199024,0287.5%
200025,8787.7%
201025,569−1.2%
dvrpc.org/reports/DB82.pdf(1930-2000);ancestry.com(1850-1930)
The Upper Dublin Friends Meeting House, built in 1814.

As of the 2010 census,[4] there were 25,569 people, 9,397 households, and 7,214 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,966 people per square mile (758.9/km2). The racial makeup of the township 87.0% White, 1.6% African American, 0.1% Native American, 8.5% Asian, and 1.3% were two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.8% of the population. .

There were 9,397 households, out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.1% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.2% were non-families. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the Township the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 19, 3.9% from 20 to 24, 20.5% from 25 to 44, 33.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.9 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males.

As of the 2000 census,[4] the median income for a household in the township was $80,093, and the median income for a family was $91,418 (these figures had risen to $106,337 and $123,030 respectively as of a 2007 estimate[5]). Males had a median income of $68,353 versus $39,152 for females. The per capita income for the Township was $37,994. About 2.7% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.

The ten most common ancestries of residents are Irish (21.3%), German (19.0%), Italian (14.2%), English (10.2%), Russian (8.7%), Asian (6.2%), Polish (6.0%), African American (1.4%) United States or American (8.0%), and French (2.0%).

The most common languages spoken at home after English (88.6%) are Korean (3.1%), Italian (1.7%), Chinese (1.5%), Spanish or Spanish Creole (1.0%), German (0.7%), and French (0.6%).

Notable residents

Business and industry

Fort Washington Office Park

The primary center of business and industry in the Township is the Fort Washington Office Park, which occupies 536 acres (217 hectares) and contains six million square feet (560,000 m2) of building space. There are more than 65 buildings of various sizes up to 658,535 square feet (61,000 m2). The park contains the offices of over one-hundred different companies, including Aetna, AccuWeather, Eastern National, Genworth Financial, a suburban campus of Temple University, a campus of Gwynedd-Mercy College and a campus of DeVry University. It also contains the corporate headquarters of Johnson & Johnson division McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals, marketers of over-the-counter and prescription pharmaceuticals including Tylenol (acetaminophen) and Motrin IB (ibuprofen) products. Their building is based on a 110-acre (450,000 m2) site and has a workforce of 2,600 employees. The office park was also home to the corporate headquarters of CDNOW, the pioneering online music retailer. In recent years, the Fort Washington Office Park has experienced a vacancy rate higher than that of other commercial/industrial parks in the region, due in some part to problems with flooding.[7][8]

Fort Washington Expo Center

The Fort Washington Office Park was also home to the Fort Washington Expo Center. Opened in 1993, the Expo Center had hosted some of the region's biggest consumer and trade shows, and at 290,000 square feet (27,000 m2), was the largest such suburban venue in the northeastern United States. The Expo Center closed in 2006, after the building was sold to owners who converted the property to office space. GMAC Mortgage is the major tenant at the property.[9][10]

Government

Presidential elections results
Year Republican Democratic
2012 40.6% 6,345 58.4% 9,131
2008 38.1% 6,106 61.3% 9,836
2004 43.0% 6,589 56.8% 8,704
2000 41.8% 5,827 56.0% 7,810
1996 41.6% 5,179 50.8% 6,329
1992 40.9% 5,423 43.0% 5,696

Upper Dublin became a Pennsylvania First Class Township in 1946. Elected representatives (Commissioners) serve four year terms of office. The government is a council/manager type. There are seven commissioners, one for each ward. The Commissioners from odd numbered wards stand for election in 2019, 2023, etc. and the even numbered wards in 2017, 2021 etc. A manager runs the day-to-day operations with his staff. There are seven departments: Administration, Finance, Public Works, Police, Parks and Recreation, Code Enforcement, and Fleet & Facilities. Fire protection is provided primarily by the Fort Washington Fire Company No. 1, a volunteer fire department.

Board of Commissioners

Upper Dublin Township Ward Map

Township Staff

Education

There are four elementary schools (K-5), one middle school (6-8) and one high school (9-12) which are fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The professional staff has an average of 16 years teaching experience and approximately 85 percent hold advanced degrees.

The four elementary schools are Fort Washington Elementary School, Maple Glen Elementary School, Jarrettown Elementary School, and Thomas Fitzwater Elementary School; the middle school is Sandy Run Middle School, and the high school is Upper Dublin High School. Upper Dublin High School is considered to be one of the best-performing public schools in Pennsylvania, with the fifth highest combined score average on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) in the state. The high school has been recognized three times by the United States Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.

The Township is also home to a number of private schools and the following universities: Temple University Ambler and Fort Washington campuses, DeVry University Fort Washington campus and Gwynedd Mercy College Fort Washington campus.

Parks and Recreation

Upper Dublin has more than 40 sites and 600 acres (2.4 km2) of parkland and open space ranging in size from neighborhood squares to sprawling meadow-like areas. There are natural resource areas as well as active recreation sites with varying amenities including tennis courts, play lots, jogging/exercise trails, picnic pavilions, playing fields, basketball courts and sand volleyball courts. In 2005, the Township opened MonDaug Bark Park, with wooded trails as well as a 1-acre (4,000 m2) fenced, off-leash dog park.

In 2006, the Board of Commissioners adopted an extensive Open Space & Environmental Resources Protection Plan that guides local acquisition, development and protection efforts to the year 2020.

Upper Dublin is also home to three golf courses. Manufacturers Golf & Country Club is nestled on historic Camp Hill and is nationally known. Lu Lu Country Club is located in the South Eastern section of the Township bordering Abington. The Township owns Twining Valley Golf Club operated by Links Management.

Locale

 Lower Gwynedd Township Horsham Township Lower Moreland Township
Whitpain Township Abington Township
   Upper Dublin Township  
Whitemarsh Township Springfield Township Abington Township

References

  1. ↑ Montco Info
  2. ↑ "Incorporated District, Boroughs, and Townships in the County of Philadelphia, 1854". Philadelphia History. ushistory.org. Retrieved February 11, 2008.
  3. ↑ Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
  4. 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  5. ↑ Upper Dublin Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania - Selected Economic Characteristics: 2005-2007
  6. ↑ Marc Narducci (December 23, 2010). "Union sign Upper Dublin High player, 15". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 24, 2010.
  7. ↑ "The New Planner: Drowning Office Park Rescued by Students During High Tide". Archived from the original on 2006-07-14. Retrieved 2006-11-01.
  8. ↑ "Philadelphia Inquirer: Office park tests nature - again". Retrieved 2006-11-01.
  9. ↑ "Philadelphia Inquirer: Fort Washington Expo is sold". Retrieved 2006-11-01.
  10. ↑ Kostelni, Natalie (February 3, 2006). "Philadelphia Business Journal: New expo-center tenant is GMAC Mortgage". Retrieved 2006-02-03.
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