Lafayette Hill is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

, which is situated primarily within Whitemarsh Township, Montgomery County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. A small part of this community is also located in Springfield Township. Located just west of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

's Chestnut Hill neighborhood, and south of Plymouth Meeting, Lafayette Hill, which has also been known, historically, as "Barren Hill," draws its name from the French General

Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette (; 6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (), was a French military officer and politician who volunteered to join the Conti ...

, who encamped there with his soldiers during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

History

Before the general decampment from

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 ...

in the spring of 1778,

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

dispatched an estimated 2,200 troops under the command of Marquis de Lafayette to act as a defensive screen and to conduct reconnaissance of the British army, which had garrisoned in Philadelphia for the winter. The two forces had a brief engagement at nearby Barren Hill. The community's post office name was officially changed from Barren Hill to Lafayette Hill in March 1883.Pennsylvania Postal Changes
" Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', March 18, 1883, p. 1 (subscription required). Lafayette Hill is an area with many parks and nature reserves. It is home to a Jewish community and Catholic population anchored by St. Philip Neri Church
Congregation Or Ami
and Whitemarsh Valley Country Club. Many people commute to Philadelphia to work. Its main transit system is

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 ...

. Lafayette Hill is home to the Barren Hill Volunteer Fire Company, one of the oldest fire companies in the area. It was founded after a fire destroyed a farm along with several livestock in 1915. Currently, Barren Hill Fire Company has roughly 400 to 500 calls for service each year. Their 1977 firehouse is located on 641 Germantown Pike. Whitemarsh Township is also served by the Spring Mill Fire Company. Lafayette Hill is served by the Colonial School District. Notable people from Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania include:

Terrence Howard Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an American actor performing on film and television. He has received a Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a Golden ...

, John Salmons, Da'Rel Scott,

Brad Furman Brad Furman is an American film and music video director, producer, and writer. Career Furman grew up in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania. He is Jewish and attended Friends' Central School. He later went on to study at New York University (NYU ...

, Reece Whitley, billionaire Michael G. Rubin,

Demographics

The 2016 Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania, population was 10,796. There were 2,229 people per square mile (population density). The racial makeup of the town was 88.48% White, 4.47% African American, 4.62% Asian, 0.00% Native American, and 0.00% 'Other'. 1.95% of the people in Lafayette Hill (zip 19444), Pennsylvania, claim hispanic ethnicity (meaning 98.06% are non-hispanic). In 2016, the median age was 44.5 years old. 56.60% of people in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania, were married. 8.65% were divorced. The average household size was 2.38 people. 37.32% of people were married, with children. 13.56% had children, but were single. The average household income was $190,170. The median household income was $142,315.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Unincorporated communities in Pennsylvania