Blue Bell is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in

Whitpain Township, Pennsylvania Whitpain Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1701, it has grown to a total population of 20,333 as of the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 6,506. Blue Bell was originally known as Pigeontown, after the large flocks of the now-extinct

passenger pigeon The passenger pigeon or wild pigeon (''Ectopistes migratorius'') is an bird extinction, extinct species of Columbidae, pigeon that was endemic to North America. Its common name is derived from the French word ''passager'', meaning "passing by" ...

s that once gathered there. The town was renamed in 1840 after the historically prominent Blue Bell Inn. Blue Bell is known for its large executive-style mansions, major business parks, community shopping facilities, and small businesses. It is one of the most affluent areas outside the Main Line communities in the

Philadelphia area The Philadelphia metropolitan area, also known as Greater Philadelphia and informally called the Delaware Valley, the Philadelphia tri-state area, and locally and colloquially Philly–Jersey–Delaware, is a major metropolitan area in the Nor ...

. In July 2005, ''

Money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are: m ...

'' magazine ranked Blue Bell 14th on its list of the "100 Best Places to Live in the United States".

History

Whitpain Public School was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2006. The “Dutchman” is a well-known historical landmark within the town of Blue Bell.

Geography

Blue Bell is located at (40.144759, -75.268752). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , all land. While the CDP of Blue Bell proper consists of an area roughly centered upon the namesake Inn, in recent years the name "Blue Bell" has become informally synonymous with the larger surrounding area within the 19422 ZIP code, including the communities of Center Square and Belfry. The boundary between area codes 215/267/445 and 610/484 runs through Blue Bell's center.610/484/835 Area Code Map
/ref>

Demographics

As of the 2000

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, there were 6,395 people, 1,424 households, and 1,827 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 2,503 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.32%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 6.52% Asian, 2.42%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.02% Native American, 0.22% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.14% of the population. There were 1,434 households, of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.03. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 23.8% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $106,617, and the median income for a family was $115,541. Males had a median income of $75,462 versus $50,481 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $43,813. About 1.8% of families and 2.8% 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 ...

, including 2.1% of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over. For the population which consists of peoples 25 years and older; 95.6% of residents have a high school diploma or higher, 61.7% have their bachelor's degree or higher, and 23.5% have their graduate or professional degree.

Economy

Blue Bell is home to the global headquarters of

Unisys Unisys Corporation is a global technology solutions company founded in 1986 and headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. The company provides cloud, AI, digital workplace, logistics, and enterprise computing services. History Founding Unis ...

, a provider of information technology services and products.

Aetna Aetna Inc. ( ) is an American managed health care company that sells traditional and consumer directed health care insurance and related services, such as medical, pharmaceutical, dental, behavioral health, long-term care, and disability plans, ...

, an insurance provider, also maintains an office in Blue Bell. UniTek Global Services, an international telecommunications, cable and satellite services company, is headquartered in Blue Bell. It is also home to the

Montgomery County Community College Montgomery County Community College (MCCC or Montco) is a public community college with campuses in Blue Bell and Pottstown in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, and online. It is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. ' ...

, Wings Field Airport, Bluestone Country Club, and Blue Bell Country Club, boasting an 18-hole Arnold Palmer Signature golf course. The most common industries for men in Blue Bell include professional, scientific, and technical services (18%), finance and insurance (10%), health care (7%), real estate and rental and leasing (6%), construction (5%), chemicals (5%), and educational services (4%). The most common industries for women in Blue Bell include professional, scientific and technical services (11%), educational services (11%), finance and insurance (7%), chemicals (5%), real estate and rental and leasing (4%), and accommodation and food services (3%). The nearest major shopping malls are the Montgomery Mall in

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

, the

Plymouth Meeting Mall The Plymouth Meeting Mall is a shopping mall that is located in the community of Plymouth Meeting in Plymouth Township, Pennsylvania, approximately northwest of Center City, Philadelphia. It is situated at the intersection Germantown Pike ...

in Plymouth Meeting, and the

King of Prussia The monarchs of Prussia were members of the House of Hohenzollern who were the hereditary rulers of the former German state of Prussia from its founding in 1525 as the Duchy of Prussia. The Duchy had evolved out of the Teutonic Order, a Roman C ...

mall in

Education

Blue Bell is part of the

Wissahickon School District The Wissahickon School District is a public school district in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The school district serves the borough of Ambler and the townships of Lower Gwynedd and Whitpain, all Philadelphia suburbs. The district current ...

which was ranked ninth, in September 2016, by Patch.com's "50 Best Places to Teach in Pennsylvania." There is also one institution of higher education in Blue Bell, the main campus of

References

External links

* {{authority control Census-designated places in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Whitpain Township, Pennsylvania Census-designated places in Pennsylvania