Upper Providence Township is a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

in Delaware 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 ...

, United States, located around and to the north of the borough of

Media Media may refer to: Communication * Means of communication, tools and channels used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Interactive media, media that is inter ...

, and approximately west of center city

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 ...

. The population was 10,142 at the 2010 census. The township lies between Ridley Creek on the west and Crum Creek on the east. Most of Ridley Creek State Park is in the township, towards the northern edge. Zoning is 98% residential, 1% commercial and 1% industrial, with minimal space zoned to commercial business.

History

The area was settled about 1683 and formed into Providence Township. On October 17, 1683, the residents of Providence Township petitioned the Court of Chester County, of which they were then a part, to establish a road from Providence to

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

. The court approved the creation of Providence Great Road (now Route 252). Upper Providence Township and Nether Providence Township, Pennsylvania split in 1687. The borough of

was formed in 1850 from pieces of both townships. Water power was used extensively in the township's early history, with local mills including Sycamore Mills or Bishop's Mills built on Ridley Creek in 1718, Robinett Grist Mill (1687), Malin's Grist Mill (1770), Register's Nail Factory (1812), and Palmer's Mills (1802). The first school in the township was the Blue Hill School near Chapel and Providence roads, started with money left by

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

James Turner in his 1787 will. The Union Library on Sycamore Mill Road opened in 1813 and had over 800 volumes by 1843. Sandy Bank School opened in 1836, was rebuilt 1905, and enlarged in 1926. Lower Banks School opened in 1872. The Rose Tree Union School District was established in 1947. The Rose Tree Tavern, built in 1739, was a well-known inn in the late 19th century as a summer resort for Philadelphians. Steeplechase races and fox hunts were held there by the Rose Tree Hunt Club. It still stands after having been moved and renovated ahead of the PA 252 road widening project of 2013, reopening its doors in 2011 as a tourism office in Rose Tree Park. Media Cemetery was established in 1857 and merged with West Media Cemetery in 1928 to create the current 21-acre sized cemetery.

Geography

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 township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 3.57%, is water. The noted Rose Tree Park is located in Upper Providence Township, but is owned and managed by Delaware County; the township does have other various parks, including Cherry Street Park, Houtman Park, Ray Roche Park, Louis Scott Park, and Berman Park.

Demographics

As of Census 2010, the racial makeup of the township was 89.8%

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 ...

, 3.9%

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 ...

, 0.0% Native American, 4.3% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.5% 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 1.5% of the population. 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 10,509 people, 4,075 households, and 2,828 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 4,299 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 91.83%

, 3.90%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 0.08% Native American, 3.05% Asian, 0.29% from other races, and 0.85% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.07% of the population. There were 4,075 households, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% 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, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.13. In the township the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 94.4 males. The median income for a household in the township was $107,166, and the median income for a family was $130,450. Males had a median income of $99,848 versus $75,491 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 $55,532. About 1.3% of families and 3.9% 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 2.7% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Upper Providence Township lies within the Rose Tree Media School District, created in 1966 by a merger with the Rose Tree Union and Media Borough School Districts. Public school students residing within the township attend either Rose Tree Elementary School, in the township boundaries, - The map indicates the location of Rose Tree Elementary School and Springton Lake iddleSchool. The train station is indicated with "SEPTA". or Media Elementary School for grades K-5, depending on where they live. Springton Lake Middle School (located within township boundaries) serves students in grades 6–8, and Penncrest High School serves students in grades 9–12. The Walden School and Benchmark School are the only two private schools in the township. St. Mary Magdalen School is the township's only parochial school. Cardinal O'Hara High School is the local parochial high school located one mile outside Upper Providence Township. Pennsylvania Institute of Technology is in the township. The township is served by the Media-Upper Providence Free Library.

Transportation

As of 2019, there were of public roads in Upper Providence Township, of which were maintained by Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and were maintained by the township. The township's road system is made up of many local roads and a few major roads that are maintained by PennDOT, such as

US 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort ...

, PA 252 (both Providence Road and Palmer's Mill Road), Rose Tree Road, Baltimore Pike, Bishop Hollow Road, Ridley Creek Road, Kirk Lane, and others, with most traffic volume occurring at the interchange between PA 252 and US 1 (Media Bypass), where Kirk Lane and Rose Tree Road are also both within a tenth of a mile of the interchange and contribute to the traffic volume of the interchange area. The township is served by

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 ...

public transportation. The Media station along SEPTA Regional Rail's Media/Wawa Line is in the township. - Compare with the township map. SEPTA provides Suburban Bus service to Upper Providence Township along Route 110, which runs between Penn State Brandywine and the 69th Street Transportation Center, and Route 118, which runs between the Chester Transit Center and Newtown Square.

Notable people

John Cassin John Cassin (September 6, 1813 – January 10, 1869) was an American ornithology, ornithologist from Pennsylvania. He worked as curator and vice president at the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences and focused on the systemic classification ...

(1813–1869), ornithologist born in Upper Providence Township * Frank Furness (1839–1912), architect

References

External links

Upper Providence Township official website
{{PA Home Rule Municipality Census-designated places in Delaware County, Pennsylvania Townships in Delaware County, Pennsylvania