Churchville 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

Northampton Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania Northampton Township is a Township (Pennsylvania), township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The township is located approximately 12 miles northeast of Philadelphia. The population was 39,915 at the 2020 United States census, 202 ...

, United States. The population was 5,348 at the 2020 census.

Geography

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 ...

, Churchville has a total area of , of which , or 0.98%, is water.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, Churchville was 95.3% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 2.1% Asian, and 0.8% were two or more races. 1.2% of the population was 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 4,469 people, 1,370 households, and 1,257 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 1,375 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.99%

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 ...

, 0.40%

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 ...

, 1.19% Asian, 0.04% from other races, and 0.38% 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 0.51% of the population. There were 1,370 households, out of which 42.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 85.9% 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, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 8.2% were non-families. 7.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.20 and the average family size was 3.35. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 32.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $95,010, and the median income for a family was $97,114. Males had a median income of $65,550 versus $41,750 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 $32,507. About 1.5% of families and 2.6% 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 7.9% of those age 65 or over.

Passenger trains

History

Churchville's population boom and growth as a commuter haven took place in the mid-1980s, just after the town lost its commuter railway line. Trains served the town until January 14, 1983 via

SEPTA SEPTA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly four million people througho ...

's Fox Chase-Newtown Rapid Transit Line. The station, and all of those north of Fox Chase, were closed due to failing diesel train equipment that the then-cash-strapped SEPTA could not afford to rehabilitate. As a result, ridership was low and the service cancelled on a "temporary" basis. As such, Churchville Station still appears in SEPTA's publicly posted

tariffs A tariff or import tax is a duty imposed by a national government, customs territory, or supranational union on imports of goods and is paid by the importer. Exceptionally, an export tax may be levied on exports of goods or raw materials and is ...

. Although rail service was initially replaced with a Fox Chase-Newtown

shuttle bus A shuttle bus is a bus that travels a shorter route in comparison to most bus routes. Typically, shuttle buses travel in both directions between two points. Shuttle buses are designed to transport large groups of people who are all travelling ...

, patronage remained light. The traveling public never saw a bus service as a suitable replacement for a rail service, and the Fox Chase-Newtown shuttle bus service ended in 1999. The Churchville Historic District 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 1995.

Resumption of passenger train service

In the ensuing years since 1983, there has been heavy interest by both residents and politicians in resuming passenger service to Churchville. In September 2009, the Southampton-based Pennsylvania Transit Expansion Coalition (PA-TEC) began discussions with township officials along the railway, as well as SEPTA officials, about the realistic possibility of resuming even minimal passenger service to relieve traffic congestion in the region. Plans call for completing the electrification to Newtown, as originally planned in the late 1970s. PA-TEC's efforts have received overwhelming bipartisan support by both Bucks and Montgomery County officials, as well as at the state level, despite SEPTA's overall reservations. However, SEPTA has also confirmed they are willing to reestablish regular commuter service if strong political support exists in both counties.

Sights

The Churchville Nature Center, operated by the facility of the Bucks County Department of Parks and Recreation, protects 65 acres of wildlife preserve. The center features a visitor center with exhibits, a reptile room, a recreated 1500s

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

village, a seasonal native butterfly house, gardens and 2 miles of trails.

Notable person

* Jay Wright, former coach of

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Saint Thom ...

men's basketball

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Bucks County, Pennsylvania Census-designated places in Pennsylvania