Quakertown, Pennsylvania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Quakertown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in the United States.
The borough is 15 miles (26 km) south of Bethlehem and 30 miles north of Philadelphia, making Quakertown a border town of both the Delaware Valley and Lehigh Valley metropolitan areas. Quakertown is considered part of the Allentown-Bethlehem urbanized area and the Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland (PA-NJ-DE-MD) MSA.
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[edit] History
On September 18, 1777, during the American Revolutionary War, the convoy of wagons carrying the Liberty Bell from Philadelphia to Allentown stopped in Quakertown. The Liberty Bell was stored overnight in the house of Evan Foulke (1237 West Broad Street), and the entourage and their armed escort stayed at Red Lion Inn (now McCoole's Tavern).
[edit] Industry and population
In the nineteenth century, local industrial establishments included cigar and cigar-box factories, silk mills, harness factories, and stove foundries. The population of Quakertown in 1900 was 3,014; it rose to 3,801 in 1910. By 1940, the population had reached 5,150 people. At the 2000 census, the borough's population was 8,931. Today, Quakertown is considered a fast-growing bedroom community and regional shopping and service center for Bucks County and Philadelphia. Today many inhabitants of Quakertown work at the local Wal Mart, K-Mart, Q-Mart, or the new Target. Others are employed in the service sector, or the Fire Department.
[edit] Geography
Quakertown is located at (40.440440, -75.340477)GR1, at an elevation of approximately 500' above sea level.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 5.2 km² (2.0 mi²), all land.
Tohickon Creek, which drains into the Delaware River, flows past the northeastern edge of the borough. Major roads in Quakertown include Pennsylvania routes 309, 313, and 663.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 8,931 people, 3,421 households, and 2,251 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,707.1/km² (4,424.7/mi²). There were 3,631 housing units at an average density of 694.0/km² (1,798.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 94.46% White, 1.20% African American, 0.13% Native American, 1.51% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.58% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.88% of the population.
There were 3,421 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the borough the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $41,942, and the median income for a family was $51,194. Males had a median income of $33,697 versus $26,988 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $20,562. About 3.7% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Notable people from Quakertown
- Bloodhound Gang, punkcore music group.
- Diane Bracalente, Olympic field hockey player.
- Bill Mensch, microcomputer pioneer.
[edit] External links
- Quaketown Official Web Site.
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA.
