Tredyffrin Township, Pennsylvania
|
|
Tredyffrin Township is a township located in eastern Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA. As of the 2000 census, the township had a total population of 29,062. Originally settled in the late 17th century, Tredyffrin is bounded by Delaware and Montgomery Counties. It includes on its northern boundary a small part of Valley Forge National Historic Park, where George Washington encamped during the American War of Independence. Tredyffrin and the entire Great Valley region also have many limestone deposits.
| Contents |
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 51.4 km² (19.9 mi²). 51.4 km² (19.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.15% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 29,062 people, 12,223 households, and 7,834 families residing in the township. The population density is 565.6/km² (1,464.9/mi²). There are 12,551 housing units at an average density of 244.3/km² (632.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the township is 90.88% White, 2.84% African American, 0.11% Native American, 5.12% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 1.20% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 12,223 households out of which 29.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% are married couples living together, 6.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% are non-families. 30.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.36 and the average family size is 2.99.
In the township the population is spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 86.7 males.
The median income for a household in the township is $82,258, and the median income for a family is $105,183. Males have a median income of $76,393 versus $46,124 for females. The per capita income for the township is $47,584. 3.7% of the population and 2.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 4.6% of those under the age of 18 and 2.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
History
On 13 March, 1684, William Penn decided to set aside a portion of Pennsylvania for the Welsh to settle in. This area, known as the "Welsh Tract", was surveyed in 1684 and included several modern-day townships, including Tredyffrin. Although the Welsh Tract was originally meant to be a self-ruling municipality, it was divided between Chester County and Philadelphia when that county was created in 1685, and the Welsh subsequently submitted to the authority of Chester County. In 1707, Tredyffrin was incorporated as a township. This name comes from the Welsh "tre", which means "town", joined to "dyffrin", which means "wide, cultivated valley". Tredyffrin was quick to develop into a thriving township. In 1710, the first mill in Tredyffrin was started by Thomas Jerman on what is now North Valley Road. Swedesford Road, one of the first roads in the township, was created by 1718.
As the population of the township grew, with 30 resident land owners in 1722 and 83 in 1774, churches sprung up to meet the demand by religious residents. In 1710, the Baptist minister Hugh Davis moved to the Great Valley from Britain and, there being several Baptist families in this area, the Great Valley Baptist Church was formed on 22 April, 1711. The church originally met in Radnor. However, there were enough members of this Baptist Church that by 1722, a log building was erected in Tredyffrin to serve the congregation. In 1714, the Great Valley Presbyterian Church was started in Tredyffrin. It was the first Presbyterian church in Chester County. A church building was built in 1720 and was used for 73 years. Also in 1714, the Quaker Haverford Monthly Meeting (which was established in April 1684) voted to allow its members that lived in the Great Valley to hold a meeting every other month in Tredyffrin, which was called the Valley Meeting. There was also an Anglican church, built in 1700.
Geology
The rocks of Tredyffrin were laid down in the upper Paleozoic, meaning that they are primarily metamorphic. Limestone is often at the surface in the Great Valley, so many limestone kilns were created in the 18th century.
External links
- Tredyffrin Township (http://www.tredyffrin.org/)
- Tredyffrin-Easttown School District (http://www.tesd.k12.pa.us/)
References
- Futhey, J. Smith, and Gilbert Cope. History of Chester County, Pennsylvania, with Genealogical and Biographical Sketches. Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts, 1881. ISBN 0-7884-0206-4
- "Geologic Map of Pennsylvania". 2000. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Con-servation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey. 16 December 2002 [1] (http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/maps/map7.pdf).
- "History of Tredyffrin Township". Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, PA. 16 December 2002 [2] (http://www.tredyffrin.org/history.htm).
- "Limestone and Dolomite Distribution in Pennsylvania". 2000. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey. 16 December 2002 [3] (http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/maps/map15.pdf).