Upper Makefield Township is a township 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 ...

. Upper Makefield is located in 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 ...

, and is part of the

Philadelphia metropolitan area 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 ...

. The population was 8,190 at the 2010 census. It has the eighth-highest per capita income among all townships in

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 ...

. Upper Makefield Township's multimillion-dollar homes, highly-ranked public schools, and relatively easy commute to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

led to its 2006 ranking as "Best Place to Live in the Suburbs" in ''

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 ...

'' magazine. The township is the Philadelphia area's second-most expensive suburb and the 287th-wealthiest neighborhood in the nation with a mean household income of $306,081. The area has also been listed an alternative to

The Hamptons The Hamptons, part of the East End (Long Island), East End of Long Island, consist of the town (New York), towns of Southampton (town), New York, Southampton and East Hampton (town), New York, East Hampton, which together compose the South Fork ...

for the summer by ''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

'' magazine.

History

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 ...

and the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

crossed the Delaware River here the night of December 25–26, 1776, during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, leading to the victory at the

Battle of Trenton The Battle of Trenton was a small but pivotal American Revolutionary War battle on the morning of December 26, 1776, in Trenton, New Jersey. After General George Washington's George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River, crossing of the ...

on the morning of December 26. The Brownsburg Village Historic District, Buckmanville Historic District, John Burroughs Homestead,

Dolington Village Historic District Dolington Village Historic District is a national historic district located at Dolington, Upper Makefield Township and Lower Makefield Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The district includes 64 contributing buildings, 2 contributing sit ...

, John Chapman House, Eagle Tavern, Hayhurst Farm, Keith House-Washington's Headquarters, Makefield Meeting and Smith Family Farmstead are 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 ...

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 ...

, the township has a total area of 21.5 square miles (55.8 km), 20.9 square miles (54.2 km²) of which is land and 0.6 square mile (1.6 km) (2.88%) of which is water. Past and present place names in Upper Makefield include Buckmanville, Dolington, Jericho, Lizette, Lurgan, Washington Crossing, and Woodhill.MacReynolds, George, ''Place Names in Bucks County, Pennsylvania'', Doylestown, Bucks County Historical Society, Doylestown, PA, 1942, P1. Natural features include Houghs Creek, Jericho Mountain, and Pidcock Creek.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, the township was 93.0% Non-Hispanic White, 1.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 2.5% Asian, and 1.0% were two or more races. 2.3% 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 7,180 people, 2,512 households, and 2,105 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 2,598 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 97.12%

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 ...

, 0.81%

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 ...

, 0.07% Native American, 1.27% Asian, 0.24% 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 1.13% of the population. There were 2,512 households, out of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 77.3% 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, 4.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.2% were non-families. 12.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.13. In the township the population was spread out, with 26.7% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 34.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.6 males. The median income for a household in the township was $102,759, and the median income for a family was $114,064. Males had a median income of $90,000 versus $42,365 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 township was $56,288. About 1.6% of families and 2.1% 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 none of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over.

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, Upper Makefield Township, Pennsylvania has a hot-summer, wet all year,

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 ≤ 32.0 °F (≤ 0.0 °C), at least four months with an average mean temperature ≥ 50.0 °F (≥ 10.0 °C), at least one month with an average mean temperature ≥ 71.6 °F (≥ 22.0 °C), and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. During the summer months, episodes of extreme heat and 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 ≥ 100 °F (≥ 38 °C). On average, the wettest month of the year 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. During the winter months, 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 < 0 °F (< -18 °C). The

plant hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...

is 6b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of -0.2 °F (-17.9 °C). The average seasonal (Nov-Apr) snowfall total is between 24 and 30 inches (61 and 76 cm), and the average snowiest month is February which corresponds with the annual peak in

nor'easter 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 ...

activity.

Transportation

As of 2018 there were of public roads in Upper Makefield Township, 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 township. Numbered highways serving Upper Makefield Township include

Pennsylvania Route 32 Pennsylvania Route 32 (PA 32) is a scenic two-lane highway that runs along the west side of the Delaware River in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Signed north-south, it runs from U.S. Route 1 in Pennsylvania, U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Falls Township, Bu ...

Pennsylvania Route 232 Pennsylvania Route 232 (PA 232) is a state highway located in southeastern Pennsylvania. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 1 in Pennsylvania, U.S. Route 1 (US 1)/U.S. Route 13 in Pennsylvania, US 13 at ...

and

Pennsylvania Route 532 Pennsylvania Route 532 (PA 532) is a state route located in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area. The route runs from an intersection with U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Northeast Philadelphia north to an intersection with PA 32 in Washington Crossin ...

. PA 32 follows River Road along a northwest-southeast alignment across the northeastern portion of the township, parallel to the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

. PA 232 utilizes Windy Bush Road as it crosses the northwestern part of the township on a northeast-southwest alignment. Finally, PA 532 follows Washington Crossing Road on a southwest-northeast alignment across the southeastern portion of the township, reaching its northern terminus at PA 32 just shy of the

Washington Crossing Bridge Washington Crossing Bridge (officially the Washington Crossing Toll Supported Bridge) is a truss bridge spanning the Delaware River that connects Washington Crossing, New Jersey, Washington Crossing, Hopewell Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, ...

Ecology

According to the

A. W. Kuchler August William Kuchler (born ''August Wilhelm Küchler''; 26 July 1907 – 17 June 1999) was a German-born American geographer and naturalist who is noted for developing a plant association system that has become widely used in the United Sta ...

U.S.

potential natural vegetation In ecology, potential natural vegetation (PNV), also known as Kuchler potential vegetation, is the vegetation that would be expected given environmental constraints (climate, geomorphology, geology) without human intervention or a hazard event ...

types, Upper Makefield Township, Pennsylvania would have an Appalachian

Oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

(''104'') vegetation type with an Eastern

Hardwood Hardwood is wood from Flowering plant, angiosperm trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostl ...

Forest (''25'') vegetation form.

References

External links

Upper Makefield TownshipUpper Makefield Fire Company Home PageFriends of Washington Crossing Park
{{authority control Pennsylvania populated places on the Delaware River Townships in Bucks County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania