Chalfont is a
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
...
with
home rule status in
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Bucks County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the List of counties in Pennsylvania, four ...
, United States. The population was 4,253 at the 2020 census. The borough is served by
SEPTA Regional Rail
The SEPTA Regional Rail system is a commuter rail network owned by SEPTA and serving the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The system has 13 branches and more than 150 active stations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, its suburbs and satellite town ...
's
Lansdale/Doylestown Line
The Lansdale/Doylestown Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line connecting Center City, Philadelphia, Center City Philadelphia to Doylestown (SEPTA station), Doylestown in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Until 1981, SEPTA diesel service, diesel-powered tr ...
at
Chalfont station
Chalfont station is a SEPTA Regional Rail station in Chalfont, Pennsylvania. Located at Sunset Avenue and Main Street, it serves the Lansdale/Doylestown Line
The Lansdale/Doylestown Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line connecting Center City, ...
.
Chalfont is named after
Chalfont St Giles
Chalfont St Giles is a village and civil parish in southeast Buckinghamshire, England. It is in a group of villages called The Chalfonts, which also includes Chalfont St Peter and Little Chalfont.
It lies on the edge of the Chiltern Hills, we ...
in Buckinghamshire, England. Chalfont was the home of
William Penn
William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...
's first wife, and William Penn is buried at
Jordans Quaker Meeting House near Chalfont St Giles.
History
In 1720,
Simon Butler bought over 150 acres of land, including the "Village of Chalfont." After the construction of his home and mill, Butler bought more than 400 more acres of land. Butler was a giant historical figure who acted as a legal and economic powerhouse in the area. After his death, the land was parceled to a number of people. Between then and 1901 Chalfont held several names, including Butler's Mill, Kungle's Tavern, Barndtsville, and Whitehallville. For many years, the most important building in the area was the tavern and public house, which has burnt down many times and now stands as Leonardo's Pizza. During the Victorian era in 1855, a train station was built along the newly constructed Doylestown Branch of the
North Penn Railroad which helped the community grow and brought about the construction of the many Victorian-style houses.
In 1885, Chalfont established
Forest Park
A forest park is a park whose main theme is its forest of trees. Forest parks are found both in the mountains and in the urban environment.
Examples
Chile
* Forest Park, Santiago
China
* Gongqing Forest Park, Shanghai
* Mufushan National Fore ...
. Forest Park began as a small picnic grounds with frequent live music. The construction of the train station assured the park's success. In time, the grounds grew to become a small amusement park where locals could enjoy rides, a large swimming pool built in the 1930s, music (including string bands in the 1940s), and a host for many company picnics. The park closed its doors forever in 1968.
George Eckhart later owned the Butler's mill. After it burned in 1835, Eckhart rebuilt with a larger mill. Later, Eckhart's son Martin inherited the mill and his other son inherited the farm. Part of the farmland included woods of mostly oak locally known as Eckhart's Grove which was frequently used for dance parties, family gatherings, religious camp meetings and Sunday School picnics. Later, in 1885, the mill was owned by Philip B. Grove who leased it to Valentine B. Clymer and Matthew S. Cogan when it burned again and was never rebuilt. Another gristmill was built in 1793 not far from where Bulter's mill was first operated by men named Miller and Evans, later by Francis D. Hartzel. Two of Hartzel's sons succeeded him. After a fire in 1878, the mill was rebuilt and much of the machinery replaced. About 1761, Henry Lewis built a stone tavern operated by George Kungle during the Revolutionary period. Chalfont was known as Kungles Tavern. After Kungle, the tavern was later owned consecutively by James Morris, Lewis Morris, Abner Morris, then John Barndt from
Tylersport. The village was then known as Barndtsville.
William Stevens had a store on the south bank of the
West Branch Neshaminy Creek
West Branch Neshaminy Creek is one of two branches of the Neshaminy Creek, the other being the North Branch, part of the Delaware River watershed.MacReynolds, George, ''Place Names in Bucks County, Pennsylvania'', Doylestown, Bucks County Histor ...
and opened a post office in 1845. Chalfont was then known as Whitehallville. In 1869, the
North Penn changed the name of the station to Chalfont. Sometime before 1885, the farm inherited by Charles Eckhart was purchased by Isaac Funk. On 27 June 1885, Funk opened the Forest Park on the grounds of the Eckhart's Grove. Guest speakers were attorneys from
Doylestown J. Freeman Hendricks and John D. James. Music was provided by the Chalfont Cornet Band. On 20 June 1778, detachments of
George Washington's army passed through the
West Branch Neshaminy Creek
West Branch Neshaminy Creek is one of two branches of the Neshaminy Creek, the other being the North Branch, part of the Delaware River watershed.MacReynolds, George, ''Place Names in Bucks County, Pennsylvania'', Doylestown, Bucks County Histor ...
and the
North Branch Neshaminy Creek as they travelled from their camp at
Valley Forge
Valley Forge was the winter encampment of the Continental Army, under the command of George Washington, during the American Revolutionary War. The Valley Forge encampment lasted six months, from December 19, 1777, to June 19, 1778. It was the t ...
to
Monmouth
Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...
.
Geography
Neshaminy Creek
Neshaminy Creek is a United States Geological Survey. National Hydrography DatasetThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 stream that runs entirely through Bucks County, Pennsylvania, rising south of the borough of Chalfont, where its north ...
and Pine Run pass through Chalfont.
[MacReynolds, George, ''Place Names in Bucks County, Pennsylvania'', Doylestown, Bucks County Historical Society, Doylestown, PA, 1942] According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, the borough has a total area of , all land.
Chalfont is located within the
Delaware Valley
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 ...
.
Climate
According to the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Chalfont has a Hot-summer
Humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
(''Dfa''). ''Dfa'' climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤ , at least four months with an average mean temperature ≥ , at least one month with an average mean temperature ≥ and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. Although most summer days are slightly humid in Chalfont, episodes of heat and high humidity can occur with
heat index
The heat index (HI) is an index that combines air temperature and relative humidity, in shade (shadow), shaded areas, to posit a human-perceived equivalent temperature, as how hot it would feel if the humidity were some other value in the Shade (s ...
values > . Since 1981, the highest air temperature was on July 22, 2011, and the highest daily average mean
dew point
The dew point is the temperature the air needs to be cooled to (at constant pressure) in order to produce a relative humidity of 100%. This temperature depends on the pressure and water content of the air. When the air at a temperature above the ...
was on August 3, 2016. The average wettest month is July, which corresponds with the annual peak in
thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustics, acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorm ...
activity. Since 1981, the wettest calendar day was on September 16, 1999. During the winter months, the average annual extreme minimum air temperature is .
Since 1981, the coldest air temperature was on January 22, 1984. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur, with
wind chill
Wind chill (popularly wind chill factor) is the sensation of cold produced by the wind for a given ambient air temperature on exposed skin as the air motion accelerates the rate of heat transfer from the body to the surrounding atmosphere. Its va ...
values < . The average annual snowfall (November–April) is between .
Ice storm
An ice storm, also known as a glaze event or a silver storm, is a type of winter storm characterized by freezing rain. The National Weather Service, U.S. National Weather Service defines an ice storm as a storm which results in the accumulatio ...
s and large snowstorms depositing ≥ of snow occur once every few years, particularly during
nor'easters
A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below) is a large-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. Typically, such storms originate as a low-p ...
from December through February.
Demographics
As of the 2010 census, the borough was 92.7% Non-Hispanic White, 1.4% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 3.0% Asian, and 0.8% were two or more races. 1.7% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.
As of the
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 ...
of 2000, there were 3,977 people, 1,382 households, and 1,039 families residing in the borough. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...
was . There were 1,404 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the borough was 95.56%
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 ...
, 1.15%
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 ...
, 0.08%
Native American, 1.49%
Asian, 0.05% from
other races, and 0.77% 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 1.25% of the population.
There were 1,382 households, out of which 40.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.2% 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, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.25.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 29.1% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 34.9% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males.
The
median income
The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of unde ...
for a household in the borough was $63,491, and the median income for a family was $70,592. Males had a median income of $51,139 versus $30,842 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 borough was $26,248. About 1.1% of families and 4.1% 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 1.4% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.
Arts and culture
The
Chalfont Historic District is listed on 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 ...
and contains many
American colonial
American colonial architecture includes several building design styles associated with the colonial period of the United States, including First Period English (late-medieval), Spanish Colonial, French Colonial, Dutch Colonial, and Georgian. ...
and
Victorian-style houses. Several of these are former residences which are currently occupied by businesses and are concentrated near the intersection of Butler Avenue (
U.S. Route 202 Business) and North Main Street (
Pennsylvania Route 152
Pennsylvania Route 152 (PA 152) is a List of State Routes in Pennsylvania, state highway located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The route travels north–south from an interchange with Pennsylvania Route 309, PA 309 loc ...
) and extend along North Main Street.
Infrastructure
Transportation
As of 2016 there were of public roads in Chalfont, of which were maintained by the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) oversees transportation issues in the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, Michael B. Carroll. PennDOT ...
(PennDOT) and were maintained by the borough.
U.S. Route 202 Business and
Pennsylvania Route 152
Pennsylvania Route 152 (PA 152) is a List of State Routes in Pennsylvania, state highway located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The route travels north–south from an interchange with Pennsylvania Route 309, PA 309 loc ...
are the numbered highways traversing Chalfont. US 202 Business follows the old alignment of
US 202
U.S. Route 202 (US 202) is a spur route of US 2. It follows a northeasterly and southwesterly direction stretching from Delaware in the south to Maine in the north and traveling through the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ne ...
along Butler Avenue. PA 152 follows a southeast-northwest alignment via Limekiln Pike, Butler Avenue and Main Street, running concurrently with US 202 Business for a short stretch.
Chalfont is served by the
Chalfont station
Chalfont station is a SEPTA Regional Rail station in Chalfont, Pennsylvania. Located at Sunset Avenue and Main Street, it serves the Lansdale/Doylestown Line
The Lansdale/Doylestown Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line connecting Center City, ...
on
SEPTA Regional Rail
The SEPTA Regional Rail system is a commuter rail network owned by SEPTA and serving the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The system has 13 branches and more than 150 active stations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, its suburbs and satellite town ...
's
Lansdale/Doylestown Line
The Lansdale/Doylestown Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line connecting Center City, Philadelphia, Center City Philadelphia to Doylestown (SEPTA station), Doylestown in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Until 1981, SEPTA diesel service, diesel-powered tr ...
, which provides service to
Doylestown and
Center City Philadelphia
Center City includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It comprises the area that made up the City of Philadelphia prior to the Act of Consolidation, 1854, which extended the ci ...
.
Bucks County Transport operates the
DART West bus, which runs weekdays from Chalfont to a connection with the
Doylestown DART bus to Doylestown at
Delaware Valley University
Delaware Valley University (DelVal) is a private university in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1896, it enrolls approximately 2,178 students on its suburban, 570-acre campus. DelVal offers more than 28 undergraduate majors, 12 master's prog ...
.
Education
It is in the
Central Bucks School District
The Central Bucks School District (CBSD) is a school district located in Pennsylvania and the third-largest school district in the state. The district covers the Boroughs of Chalfont, Pennsylvania, Chalfont, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Doylest ...
. Unami Middle School is in the borough limits.
Notable people
*
Bobby Shantz, 1952 American League Most Valuable Player, operated a bowling alley and diner with baseball players
Joe Astroth
Joseph Henry Astroth (September 1, 1922 – May 3, 2013) was an American professional baseball player. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics and remained with the team when they moved wes ...
and Shantz's brother
Billy
Billy may refer to:
* Billy (name), a name (and list of people with the name)
* Billy (surname), a surname (and list of people with the surname)
Animals
* Billy (dog), a dog breed
* Billy (pigeon), awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945
* Billy ( ...
.
References
External links
Chalfont Boroughofficial website
{{authority control
Boroughs in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Home Rule Municipalities in Pennsylvania
Populated places established in 1765
Populated places in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
1765 establishments in Pennsylvania