| Plymouth Meeting | |
| Census-designated place | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Montgomery |
| Townships | Plymouth, Whitemarsh |
| Elevation | 184 ft (56.1 m) |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 3.8 sq mi (9.8 km2) |
| - land | 3.8 sq mi (10 km2) |
| - water | 0.0 sq mi (0 km2), 0% |
| Population | 6,177 (2010) |
| Density | 1,625.5 / sq mi (627.6 / km2) |
| Timezone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Area code | 610 |
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Location of Plymouth Meeting in Pennsylvania
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Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
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Plymouth Meeting is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the northern terminus of the "Blue Route" and the southern terminus of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension (both on I-476). The population was 6,177 at the 2010 census. Plymouth Meeting is considered an affluent suburb of Philadelphia and is home to the Colonial School District, the recently renovated Plymouth Meeting Mall, and several large office parks and shopping centers. It is home to Ikea's U.S. headquarters.[1]
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The township was originally settled by members of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, who worshipped in the Plymouth Friends Meetinghouse. They sailed from Devonshire, England, on the ship Desire, arriving in Philadelphia on June 23, 1686. The township takes its name from the settlers' hometown of Plymouth in Devonshire.
What is now Germantown Pike was ordered laid out by the Provincial Government in 1687 as a "cart road" from Philadelphia to Plymouth Meeting. The actual road was not finished until 1804, when it was built at a cost of $11,287. A road from Plymouth Meeting to Gwynedd appears to have been built in 1751. What is now Chemical Road, following Plymouth Creek, was opened in 1759 to provide access to a new gristmill.
In the early 19th century the Hickorytown Hotel, on Germantown Pike opposite Hickory Road, was a prominent road house. Robert Kennedy, an officer in the Revolution, operated the inn in 1801. In 1806 it was kept by Frederick Dull and in 1825, Jacob Hart. In the beginning of the 19th century it was a training place for the 36th Regiment of the Pennsylvania Militia and the Second Battalion of Montgomery County. The Friendship Company for the Protection against Horse Stealing was organized there in 1807. Township elections were held there as well, and a post office was established there in May 1857. The Plymouth Meeting Post Office appears to have been established sometime prior to 1827.
In 1754, Benjamin Davis received a license to keep an inn on Ridge Pike at Plymouth Creek. This inn, the Seven Stars, was shown on maps as early as 1759. The inn was demolished in 1975 to make way for the Midcounty Expressway.
Early records indicate that one person was elected as "road supervisor" and tax collector. The roads were mostly dirt, and the repair and maintenance was often auctioned off to the lowest bidder, usually a farmer who had large properties and kept many men and horses, and the smaller farmers worked on the roads for them.
Tax records show that the taxpayers had the privilege of working out their taxes on the roads. From 1846 to 1854 the road supervisor was paid one dollar per day for his work as supervisor and collector of taxes. Men working on the roads received $.80 per day and boys received $.40 per day. For the use of a double team of horses with a wagon or cart, one was paid $1.75 per day. Among the 1850 assessments may be found such familiar present-day names as Corson, Cleaver, Davis, Evans, Williams, Fischer, Gillinger, Hallman, Jones, Marple, Rodenbaugh, Sheppard, Shoemaker, Staley and Wood.
Among early industries in Plymouth Township was the Hickorytown Forge operated by the Wood family, and a forerunner of the present Alan Wood Steel Company. The name Plymouth Furnace appears in the records about 1847 and was engaged in the manufacture of nails.
In 1863, a company named Plymouth Iron Company was organized with a capital of $30,000.00. The company purchased the property of Colwell Furnace, which is located just west of the present Colwell Road adjoining the development known as Farmview Village.
The Plymouth Railroad was built in 1836 to serve some 20 lime kilns operating along the route between Conshohocken and Cold Point. In 1870, the line was acquired by the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad and was rebuilt and extended to Oreland at a junction with the North Penn Railroad.
Prior to the building of the Plymouth Railroad, the Philadelphia, Germantown, and Norristown Railroad was built along the Schuylkill River through Plymouth and commenced operation on 1835. The Schuylkill Valley Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad, the tracks of which parallel those of the Reading Railroad, was opened in 1884, and the Trenton Cut-off branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad was built in 1891.
The first school in the township was established by the Plymouth Meeting Society of Friends in 1780, although some records indicate a school in operation there before that date. A school was established at Cold Point in 1821. Public schools, established under the system authorized by the legislature in 1834, included Cold Point School on Cold Point Hill, Plymouth Valley School on Butler Pike adjacent to the Friends meeting property, the Eight Square school on North Lane (then known as Spring Mill Road), the Sandy Hill school in Black Horse (now the site of L. Frank Markel and Sons factory) and the North Star school on Germantown Pike on property presently housing Plymouth Center Union Mission church.
Plymouth became a township of the first class in January 1922. Mr. Isaac J. Sheppard became township secretary at that time and served as secretary until his voluntary retirement in 1952. Under the new form of government the board changed from one of three "road supervisors" to one of five "Township Commissioners". Many gradual changes commenced at that time. Street lights were installed in the built-up sections, fire hydrants were installed at critical locations. By 1924, two fire companies were in operation, the Plymouth Fire Company and the Harmonville Fire Company.
In 1925, the Board of Health was organized. Plumbing inspection began in 1934. In 1939, Plymouth adopted a "modern" zoning ordinance. A building code ordinance was also adopted. In 1947, the first subdivision ordinance was adopted. In 1952, the Township Planning Commission was created, and a Recreation Committee was established to study the recreation needs of the township. Growth continued throughout the 1960s and 1970s, which saw the advent of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the Plymouth Meeting Mall, high rise and garden apartment complexes, and many modern industries and offices.
Plymouth Township adopted a Home Rule Charter in 1972. Government under a Home Rule Charter allows a municipality to take any governmental or administrative actions it requires, unless such actions are prohibited by general laws of the Commonwealth. With this charter in place, citizens and their elected officials are given more governing power, and there is more of an opportunity for public involvement in governing procedures and decisions.
Plymouth Meeting is located at (40.108545, -75.282378).[2] It lies primarily within Plymouth Township, with a smaller portion lying within Whitemarsh Township. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 3.8 square miles (9.8 km2), all of it land. Plymouth Township is immediately adjacent to the Schuylkill River, but all river frontage is occupied by industry. Currently a bike trail is under development for river access.
Interstate 476 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike pass through the township. The area is easily accessible to Interstate 76 and the "Main Line" points across the river.
| Historical populations | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1990 | 6,241 |
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| 2000 | 5,593 | −10.4% | |
| 2010 | 6,177 | 10.4% | |
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 5,593 people, 2,215 households, and 1,557 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,478.8 people per square mile (571.3/km²). There were 2,285 housing units at an average density of 604.2/sq mi (233.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 89.34% White, 3.40% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.14% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.91% of the population.
There were 2,215 households out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 25.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 22.7% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $57,601, and the median income for a family was $71,585. Males had a median income of $50,813 versus $38,906 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $31,254. About 3.0% of families and 40.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.
The historic Plymouth Friends Meetinghouse, built in 1708, is located within the town. Plymouth Meeting is home to the Plymouth Meeting Mall, which has AMC Movie Theatres adjacent to it, as well as dining and entertainment spots such as Benihana, Redstone American Grill, P.F. Changs, and Dave and Buster's. The largest Whole Foods Market in the Philadelphia area opened on January 12, 2010. Macy's serves as the anchor store to the mall.
Plymouth Meeting lies in both Plymouth and Whitemarsh townships. The two townships share a high school with the borough of Conshohocken. The term Plymouth Meeting generally refers to most of Plymouth Township, as the township's ZIP code is congruent with that of Plymouth Meeting. The Plymouth Meeting post office, however, is actually located just outside Plymouth Township within Whitemarsh Township. The entire area is generally referred to as "Plymouth Whitemarsh", as is the high school.
The small Catholic school Epiphany of Our Lord in Plymouth Meeting was recently awarded the Blue Ribbon School designation.
La Salle University maintains a satellite campus in Plymouth Meeting.
Villanova University maintains its baseball facilities on the grounds of the Greater Plymouth Township Community Center. The park has a walking trail, sand volleyball courts, indoor basketball and a swimming pool. Concerts are held in the summer, as well as a bocce league.
Plymouth Meeting is the home of Odyssey Fastpitch Softball, a competitive girls travel/tournament softball organization.