Upper Providence Township is a

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

in Delaware County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, located around and north of the borough of

Media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass el ...

, and about west of center city

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. The population was 10,142 at the 2010 census. The township lies between

Ridley Creek Ridley Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River in Chester and Delaware counties, Pennsylvania in the United States.Gertler, Edward. ''Keystone Canoeing'', Seneca Press, 2004. The entire drainage basin is in the suburban Philadelphia area, but ...

on the west and

Crum Creek Crum Creek (from the Dutch, meaning "crooked creek") is a creek in Delaware County and Chester County, Pennsylvania, flowing approximately , generally in a southward direction and draining into the Delaware River in Eddystone, Pennsylvania. I ...

on the east. Most of

Ridley Creek State Park Ridley Creek State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Edgmont, Middletown, and Upper Providence Townships, Delaware County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park, about north of the county seat of Media, offers many recreational act ...

is in the township towards the northern edge. Zoning is 98% residential, 1% commercial and 1% industrial, with minimal space zoned to commercial business.

History

The area was settled about 1683 and formed into Providence Township. On October 17, 1683, the residents of Providence Township petitioned the Court of Chester County, of which they were then a part, to establish a road from

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

. The court approved the creation of Providence Great Road (now Route 252). Upper Providence Township and

Nether Providence Township, Pennsylvania Nether Providence Township is a first class township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Many residents refer to the township by the name of its largest community, Wallingford, because the Wallingford postal code is used for most o ...

split in 1687. The borough of

was formed in 1850 from pieces of both townships. Water power was used extensively in the township's early history, with local mills including Sycamore Mills or Bishop's Mills built on Ridley Creek in 1718, Robinett Grist Mill (1687), Malin's Grist Mill (1770), Register's Nail Factory (1812), and Palmer's Mills (1802). The first school in the township was the Blue Hill School near Chapel and Providence roads, started with money left by

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

James Turner in his 1787 will. The Union Library on Sycamore Mill Road opened in 1813 and had over 800 volumes by 1843. Sandy Bank School opened in 1836, was rebuilt 1905, and enlarged in 1926. Lower Banks School opened in 1872. The Rose Tree Union School District was established in 1947. The Rose Tree Tavern, built in 1739, was a well-known inn in the late 19th century as a summer resort for Philadelphians.

Steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

races and

fox hunt Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of hou ...

s were held there by the Rose Tree Hunt Club. It still stands after having been moved and renovated ahead of the

PA 252 Pennsylvania Route 252 (PA 252) is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that connects PA 320 in Nether Providence Township at its southern terminus to PA 23 in Valley Forge at its northern terminus. The route runs ...

road widening project of 2013, reopening its doors in 2011 as a tourism office in

Rose Tree Park Rose Tree Park is located on Providence Road in Upper Providence Township, Pennsylvania in the suburbs of Philadelphia and used to be used for steeplechase racing. The park is in size and is open to the public. There are benches, picnic table ...

Media Cemetery Media Cemetery is a historic cemetery established in 1857 in Upper Providence Township, Pennsylvania. It is located at 40 Kirk Lane and is 21 acres in size. In 1928, the cemetery merged with the adjacent West Media Cemetery and became a non-profi ...

was established in 1857 and merged with West Media Cemetery in 1928 to create the current 21-acre sized cemetery.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 3.57%, is water. The noted

is located in Upper Providence Township, but is owned and managed by Delaware County; the township does have other various parks, including Cherry Street Park, Houtman Park, Ray Roche Park, Louis Scott Park, and Berman Park. The township's road system is made up of many local roads and a few major roads that are maintained by

PennDOT The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) oversees transportation issues in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, currently Yassmin Gramian. Presently, Pe ...

, such as

US 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making i ...

(both Providence Road and Palmer's Mill Road), Rose Tree Road,

Baltimore Pike The Baltimore Pike was an auto trail connecting Baltimore, Maryland, with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Today, parts of the road are signed as U.S. Route 1 (US 1), US 13, and a small portion of Pennsylvania Route 41 (PA 41). A section of the road ...

, Bishop Hollow Road, Ridley Creek Road, Kirk Lane, and others, with most traffic volume occurring at the interchange between PA 252 and US 1 (Media Bypass), where Kirk Lane and Rose Tree Road are also both within a tenth of a mile of the interchange and contribute to the traffic volume of the interchange area.

Demographics

As of Census 2010, the racial makeup of the township was 89.8%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 3.9%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.0% Native American, 4.3%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.4% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.5% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.5% of the populatio

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 10,509 people, 4,075 households, and 2,828 families residing in the township. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was 1,879.6 people per square mile (725.9/km²). There were 4,299 housing units at an average density of 768.9 per square mile (296.9/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 91.83%

, 3.90%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

, 0.08% Native American, 3.05%

, 0.29% from

, and 0.85% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.07% of the population. There were 4,075 households, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.13. In the township the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 94.4 males. The median income for a household in the township was $107,166, and the median income for a family was $130,450. Males had a median income of $99,848 versus $75,491 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the township was $55,532. About 1.3% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Upper Providence Township lies within the

Rose Tree Media School District Rose Tree Media School District is a school district headquartered in Media, Pennsylvania Media is a borough in and the county seat of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It is located about west of Philadelphia, the sixth most populous city in t ...

, created in 1966 by a merger with the Rose Tree Union and Media Borough School Districts. Public school students residing within the township attend either Rose Tree Elementary School, in the township boundaries, - The map indicates the location of Rose Tree Elementary School and Springton Lake iddleSchool. The train station is indicated with "SEPTA". or Media Elementary School for grades K-5, depending on where they live. Springton Lake Middle School (located within township boundaries) serves students in grades 6–8, and

Penncrest High School Penncrest High School is a public four-year comprehensive high school in Middletown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. It is a part of the Rose Tree Media School District. The district, and therefore ...

serves students in grades 9-12. The Walden School and Benchmark School are the only two private schools in the township. St. Mary Magdalen School is the township's only parochial school. Cardinal O'Hara High School is the local parochial high school located one mile outside Upper Providence Twonship. Pennsylvania Institute of Technology is in the township. The township is served by the Media-Upper Providence Free Library.

Transportation

US Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making i ...

* PA Route 252 * PA Route 476 It is served by

SEPTA The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five coun ...

public transportation (bus & trolly lines). The Media SEPTA station is in the township. - Compare with the township map.

Notable people

John Cassin John Cassin (September 6, 1813 – January 10, 1869) was an American ornithologist from Pennsylvania. He worked as curator and Vice President at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences and focused on the systemic classification of the Acade ...

(1813–1869), ornithologist born in Upper Providence Township *

Frank Furness Frank Heyling Furness (November 12, 1839 - June 27, 1912) was an American architect of the Victorian era. He designed more than 600 buildings, most in the Philadelphia area, and is remembered for his diverse, muscular, often unordinarily scaled b ...

(1839-1912), architect

References

External links

Upper Providence Township official website
{{PA Home Rule Municipality Census-designated places in Delaware County, Pennsylvania Townships in Delaware County, Pennsylvania