Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania
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Cheltenham Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 36,875 at the 2000 census.
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[edit] History
Cheltenham was established in 1682 by 15 Quakers from Cheltenham, England, including Richard Wall and Toby Leech, who purchased 4,070 acres of land from William Penn.[1][2]
The La Mott section of the township was the site of Camp William Penn, the training grounds of the first African-American troops ever enlisted into the United States Army during the American Civil War. These soldiers were at General Lee's surrender, helped hunt down John Wilkes Booth and were the only African-American soldiers to carry President Lincoln's casket.
The USCT (United States Colored Troops) 3rd Regiment were the first to be trained at Camp William Penn. It is tradition that soldiers have a grand parade before leaving for war, but Philadelphia was partially a racist community at that time and the government believed that a parade might cause a riot, so it was cancelled. The leader of the Camp (Colonel Louis Wagner) was furious and made sure the next regiment to come through would have a parade.
Cheltenham was incorporated as a township in 1900.
[edit] Geography
Cheltenham is a residential township in Montgomery County, southeastern Pennsylvania. It borders Philadelphia and is 16 km (10 mi) northeast of the city's center.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 23.4 km² (9.0 mi²). The area consists of rolling hills and also has a few streams running through it, most notably the Tookany Creek. It includes the census-designated places of Cheltenham, Elkins Park, Wyncote, Glenside, Melrose Park, La Mott and Laverock.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 36,875 people, 14,346 households, and 9,640 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,576.7/km² (4,083.1/mi²). There were 14,897 housing units at an average density of 637.0/km² (1,649.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 66.45% White, 24.61% African American, 0.12% Native American, 6.44% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 1.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.99% of the population.
30.4% of the townships households have children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.4% are headed by married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the township the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.0 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $61,713, and the median income for a family was $76,792. Males had a median income of $50,564 versus $36,439 for females. The per capita income for the township was $31,424. About 3.0% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Politics and Government
Cheltenham Township does not have a mayor. Rather it is governed by a Board of Commissioners, who are elected one from each of the township's seven wards. A President of the Board is elected from among these commissioners, and serves as the head of government. Morton Simon is the current Commission President.
The township is in the Second Congressional District (represented by Rep. Chaka Fattah).
[edit] Education
The Cheltenham School District is one of the top ranked school districts in the State of Pennsylvania after Central Bucks School District, Council Rock School District, Lower Merion School District, and Abington School District. There are seven public schools and a number of private schools. They include Cheltenham Elementary School (k-4), Myers Elementary School (k-4), Glenside Elementary School (k-4), Wyncote Elementary School (k-4), Elkins Park School (5-6), Cedarbrook Middle School (7-8), and Cheltenham High School (9-12). The main private high school in Cheltenham Township is Bishop McDevitt High School (9-12) which is under the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Elkins Park is the home of Tyler School of Art, a visual arts university with ties to Temple University.
[edit] Libraries
Cheltenham Township has four libraries which are the East Cheltenham Free Library, Elkins Park Free Library, La Mott Free Library, and the Glenside Free library.
[edit] Public Transit
Three SEPTA Regional Rail line stations are located wholly within the township. The stations carry the names of the neighboorhoods in which they are located: Elkins Park; Glenside; and Melrose Park. Two additional stations, (Jenkintown-Wyncote and Cheltenham), straddle the township's border.
Beginning on January 31, 2005, Cheltenham Township partnered with Abington Township to launch a shared transit service. The Cheltenham Transit Service will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays according to the same route and timetable as the current schedule. A new bus will be used for the service since Laidlaw Transit Service will be the new contractor. All other policies and procedures will remain the same. The bus runs in Abington Township on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
The addition of Saturday to the Cheltenham Transit Service schedule offers riders new flexibility in their weekend travels. Although the change will result in a net reduction in service, Township officials consider this option preferable to eliminating the transit bus altogether.
[edit] Emergency Services
Nearly 200 volunteer firefighters serve in the Township's five fire companies, in Cheltenham, Elkins Park, Glenside, La Mott and Ogontz. Every volunteer spends hundreds of hours each year practicing firefighting techniques and training with sophisticated equipment. Firefighters also strive to prevent fires from happening through education programs. Specially trained firefighters visit local schools to teach youngsters how to avoid fire dangers. The Fire Expo, held in conjunction with National Fire Prevention Week each October, offers impressive apparatus demonstrations as well as expert advice on using smoke detectors properly and devising a personal home fire escape plan.
Also, the Cheltenham Police Department is the law enforcement agency of Cheltenham,with 86 Officers. Cheltenham also has a government operated Emergency Medical Service.
[edit] Famous current or former residents
- Michael Brecker (saxophonist)
- Randy Brecker (jazz, rock, and R&B trumpeter)
- Jay Cooke (financier - had his 'country estate' in LaMott)
- Bill Cosby (comedian)
- Cyrus H.K. Curtis (founder of the Curtis Publishing Co., which published The Saturday Evening Post, Ladies Home Journal and The Philadelphia Inquirer)
- Reggie Jackson (Hall of Fame baseball player, Actor - grew up in township)
- George H. Lorimer (longtime editor of The Saturday Evening Post)
- Lucretia Coffin Mott (prominent feminist, abolitionist, and Quaker)
- Benjamin Netanyahu (former Israeli prime minister - lived in township during high school)
- Jonathan Netanyahu (Israeli war hero who died saving Jewish hostages in Operation Entebbe)
- Ezra Pound (poet - grew up in township)
- John Wanamaker (businessman sometimes called the father of the department store - had a second home in the township)
[edit] Miscellaneous
Cheltenham has its own public access cable TV channel, Channel 42 on Comcast Cablevision.
Cheltenham is twinned with Cheltenham, UK
[edit] Points of interest
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- School District of Cheltenham Township
- Cheltenham Township
- Art: Xanthus Russell Smith (1839-1929) Mather's Cottage, at Cheltenham (Montgomery County), 1880
| Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania |
| Cheltenham • Elkins Park • Glenside • La Mott • Laverock • Melrose Park • Wyncote |
| Educational Institutions: Arcadia University • Cheltenham High School • Pennsylvania College of Optometry • Reconstructionist Rabbinical College • Tyler School of Art • Westminster Theological Seminary |
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Points of Interest: Beth Sholom Synagogue • Curtis Hall Arboretum • Wall House |
| See also: Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district |
