Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Newtown is a borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....

 in Bucks County
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...

, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 2,248 at the 2010 census. It is located just west of the Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...

 metropolitan area, and is part of the larger Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

 metropolitan area
Delaware Valley
The Delaware Valley is a term used to refer to the valley where the Delaware River flows, along with the surrounding communities. This includes the metropolitan area centered on the city of Philadelphia. Such educational institutions as Delaware Valley Regional High School in Alexandria Township...

. It is entirely surrounded by Newtown Township
Newtown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Newtown Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 19,299 at the 2010 census.-History:Newtown Township traces its roots back to William Penn, who purchased from the Lenni Lenape Indians in 1683. He named this land my "New Township", which gradually...

, from which it separated in 1838. State Street is the main commercial thoroughfare with wide sidewalks, shops, taverns, and restaurants. In September 2011, Yahoo! Travel ranked Newtown Borough seventh in their annual 10 Coolest Small Towns in America list, despite incorrectly claiming that Newtown is part of "Amish Country". While there are very small pockets of Amish communities in Bucks County, this is much more characteristic of Central Pennsylvania, a considerably more rural area than suburban Lower Bucks.

History

Newtown was founded by William Penn
William Penn
William Penn was an English real estate entrepreneur, philosopher, and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, the English North American colony and the future Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was an early champion of democracy and religious freedom, notable for his good relations and successful...

 in 1684. Newtown was one of several towns that Penn had organized around Philadelphia to provide country homes for city residents and to support farming communities. It was the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Bucks County from 1726 until 1813, when it was replaced by a more central Doylestown
Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Doylestown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, north of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 8,380. The borough is the county seat of Bucks County.- History :...

. After his 1776 Christmas morning march to Trenton, and before the Battle of Trenton, General George Washington made his headquarters in Newtown. Newtown was incorporated on April 16, 1838 and has been enlarged three times since. In 1969 Newtown's entire central business district was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

. This designation was largely due to Newtown's historic clock tower. Newtown is enhanced by unique boutiques, colleges, cuisine, a climate for industry, Pennsylvania’s most popular state park (Tyler State Park) and a Heritage Walk that traces the very steps of George Washington. The Law School Admission Council is headquartered in Newtown Township. As a result, many American lawyers have heard of Newtown. The oldest operating movie theater in America is Newtown Theatre at 120 North State Street.

Newtown is known for its wealth of history. One of the most noted former residents of Newtown was painter Edward Hicks
Edward Hicks
Edward Hicks was an American folk painter, a distinguished minister of the Society of Friends, and he also became a Quaker icon because of his paintings.-Early life:...

 (1780-1949). He lived in Newtown for over forty years with his family, where he was able to own his own business. Newtown has an established historical society called the Newtown Historical Association.

Geography

Newtown is located at 40°13′42"N 74°55′56"W (40.228208, -74.932338).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the borough has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.4 km²), all of it land.

The Newtown Creek, a tributary of the Neshaminy Creek
Neshaminy Creek
Neshaminy Creek is a stream that runs southeast through Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Neshaminy Creek proper rises south of the borough of Chalfont, where North Branch Neshaminy Creek and West Branch Neshaminy Creek meet. Neshaminy Creek flows lastly between Bristol Township and Bensalem Township...

, runs North to South and is the western boundary between the borough and the township of Newtown.

Highways

State Street runs through Newtown's main commercial area and intersects with Washington Avenue at the borough's infrastructural center.
Pennsylvania routes 532
Pennsylvania Route 532
Pennsylvania Route 532 is a state route located in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area.-Philadelphia:PA 532 begins as Welsh Road, where it intersects with Roosevelt Boulevard in Northeast Philadelphia. After less than a mile, PA 532 leaves Welsh Road and follows Bustleton Avenue...

, 332
Pennsylvania Route 332
Pennsylvania Route 332 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The route runs from Pennsylvania Route 263 in Hatboro, Montgomery County east to Pennsylvania Route 32 in Yardley, Bucks County.-Route description:...

, and 413
Pennsylvania Route 413
Pennsylvania Route 413 is a long, north–south state highway running from the PA/NJ state line on the Burlington-Bristol Bridge to PA 611 in Bedminster Township in Bucks County...

 converge in and around Newtown. The Newtown Bypass surrounds the borough and runs between the borough's eastern edge and Interstate 95.

Passenger trains

Until January 14, 1983, Newtown was served by SEPTA's Fox Chase/Newtown Line
Fox Chase Line
The Fox Chase Line is a route of the SEPTA Regional Rail system.Originally known as the Fox Chase/Newtown Branch, service was truncated in January 1983 from Newtown to its current terminus in Philadelphia at Fox Chase due to unreliable train equipment and low ridership...

 commuter rail service. At that time, service was suspended because of failing train equipment. Since then, there has been constant talk of reinstating service because of recent strong population growth in the surrounding area; however, this has not materialized. There was also a movement under way to convert the unused rail corridor into a bike trail that has thus far been unsuccessful because of resistance in surrounding communities.

To date, SEPTA has no plans to restore train service. The entire issue of resuming commuter service has been a political albatross almost from the day the trains stopped. Newtown remains the victim in all the political squabbling that has amassed over the years, as they have always given strong support of returned commuter service and have the most the gain. Author Joseph Schwieterman commented in 2001 that "few communities experiencing the loss of service have engaged in as protracted a dialogue about bringing back their passenger trains as Newtown. The continuing impasse has left many transit advocates skeptical that the borough will ever be accessible by rail again."

However, in September 2009, the Southampton-based
Southampton, Pennsylvania
Southampton, Pennsylvania is an unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, situated in the South-Eastern tip of Bucks County.Southampton is located 18 miles North, from the center of Philadelphia....

 Pennsylvania Transit Expansion Coalition
Pennsylvania Transit Expansion Coalition
The Pennsylvania Transit Expansion Coalition is a network of transit advocates who promote responsible investment in transit expansion. The organization's goal is to work with local transit organizations to redirect limited transportation funding to investment in expanding rail-based transit in...

 (PA-TEC) began discussions with all townships along the rail line, as well as SEPTA officials, about possible resumption of passenger service. Bucks County officials and Newtown residents overwhelmingly supported PA-TEC's efforts, making it official in December 2009 when the Newtown Board of Supervisor passed a resolution supporting the full restoration passenger service; neighboring Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010, the population was 799,874, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania . The county seat is Norristown.The county was created on September 10, 1784, out of land originally part...

 officials are also supportive of re-thinking the rail corridor as well.

Toll Brothers
Toll Brothers
Toll Brothers is a Horsham, Pennsylvania based luxury homes builder.-Company Overview:Toll Brothers is a residential and commercial real estate development company with communities in 50 markets throughout 19 states...

 built the "Newtown Station" development east of the station site.

Political controversy

In November 2011, Newtown Democratic Council candidates accused SEPTA board Chairman Pasquale Deon and the agency’s general manager, Joe Casey, of improperly meddling in borough politics regarding use of the Newtown Station site parking lot.

Council commented that SEPTA's involvement “is yet another example of public funds and resources being used to benefit political candidates. Documents show that Republican council candidate Paul Salvatore went directly to the chairman of SEPTA, a prominent Newtown Republican businessman, with Democratic literature, seeking his help to counter it. And he got it, with the SEPTA general manager directed to send a letter to Newtown Borough attacking the Democratic campaign piece."

The dispute had begun in August 2011 when the Republican challengers in Newtown distributed campaign literature that highlighted four goals, one of which was a plan to convert the Newtown Station parking lot into basketball and tennis courts.

In September, the Democratic incumbents responded, noting that the property contained “environmental hazards,” which would have to be cleaned up at great expense and recommended the town seek out other alternative sites for recreation. Republican Paul Salvatore contacted Deon, a longtime friend whom he had discussions with on the SEPTA site prior to the campaign, and brought the new Democratic flier to his attention, as Deon is SEPTA’s board chairman.

Pennsylvania state law forbids Deon from being involved in political matters due to the fact he is a partner in the Sands Casino in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Newtown Council added that "any actions that he took on behalf of the residents of Newtown Borough he did in his capacity as Bucks County representative to SEPTA.”

Salvatore had attached the Democrats’ campaign literature in a September 12 email to Deon that read, “Check out the literature the Democrats are putting out about the SEPTA lot. It implies that there is hazardous waste there but to anyone’s knowledge no tests have ever been done. Please contact me about this matter.” The following day Deon forwarded the email to Jeffrey Knueppel, chief engineer at SEPTA, with one line that read, “Please get me something quick on this. Thanks.”

This lead to a series of emails among SEPTA officials and a letter dated September 19 to the borough signed by Casey that read: “In a campaign leaflet being circulated by two candidates for election to the Newtown Borough Council, there is an allegation that unspecified ‘environmental hazards’ exist at the parking lot at SEPTA’s Newtown Station.” The letter noted there is no indication on the surface of any environmental issue. Determining whether there is an issue underneath the surface would require subsurface investigation and historical search, the letter concluded.

According to 2002 Newtown park and recreation minutes, SEPTA did not want basketball courts on the property because of liability. In addition, borough officials requested that SEPTA “test for PCVP contamination which would have a definite impact on whether the committee would recommend the redevelopment of the lot,” and at some point Joseph Kelly, administrative assistant to Deon, “indicated SEPTA is committed to cleaning up the site.”

Meeting minutes state that SEPTA “discourage(s) disturbing the soil, digging up or removing the existing blacktop or adding blacktop to the site .... SEPTA would permit the borough to cover the existing blacktop with brick.” In addition, meeting minutes from 2003 state that the borough council was “given certain constraints by SEPTA who preferred that the borough not disturb the soil.” Jane Spector, who designed a conceptual plan for the property, told park and recreation officials that “a condition of the lease is that there would be no remediation of soils by SEPTA, nothing that, considering the property’s history, soils should not be moved or disturbed; no soils test have been done,” according minutes from a 2003 meeting.

Deon and Casey did not respond to the Bucks County Courier Times when questioned about their actions.

Bus

SEPTA currently serves Newtown with bus route 130 (see SEPTA suburban division bus routes
SEPTA Suburban Division bus routes
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority operates or contracts operation of these routes serving points in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties, with a few routes operating into the city of Philadelphia. The Suburban Transit Division is broken down into three divisions...

), which runs to nearby Bucks County Community College
Bucks County Community College
Bucks County Community College is a two-year community college located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. Founded in 1964, Bucks has three campuses and online courses: a main campus in Newtown, an "Upper County" campus in the town of Perkasie, and a "Lower County" campus in the...

 and Langhorne station
Langhorne (SEPTA station)
Langhorne is a station along the SEPTA West Trenton Line to Ewing, New Jersey. It is located at Bellevue & Comly Avenues in Penndel, Pennsylvania...

.

Trails

Newtown Township
Newtown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Newtown Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 19,299 at the 2010 census.-History:Newtown Township traces its roots back to William Penn, who purchased from the Lenni Lenape Indians in 1683. He named this land my "New Township", which gradually...

, which surrounds the borough, has a system of walking trails that lead to the borough in several places.

Education

Newtown is in the Council Rock School District
Council Rock School District
The Council Rock School District also known as CRSD is located in lower Bucks County, in southeastern Pennsylvania. Its administrative offices are located in the Borough of Newtown. It spends over US$ 9,000 per secondary student per year...

. While the district serves many towns in Lower Bucks County, Newtown Township
Newtown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Newtown Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 19,299 at the 2010 census.-History:Newtown Township traces its roots back to William Penn, who purchased from the Lenni Lenape Indians in 1683. He named this land my "New Township", which gradually...

 is home to Council Rock High School North
Council Rock High School North
Council Rock High School North is a high school located in Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It is a part of the Council Rock School District. The school is located across Swamp Road from Newtown Middle School and Tyler State Park, and down Swamp Road from Bucks County Community College...

, Newtown Middle School (formerly Newtown Junior High), Goodnoe Elementary School, Newtown Elementary School, and the former Chancellor Street School, which now acts as the administrative building for the district. The only private school in the township is St. Andrews Catholic Education Center
St. Andrew Catholic School (Newtown, PA)
St. Andrew Catholic Education Center is a Catholic private elementary school in Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It is a K–8, coeducational school within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.-History:...

. George School
George School
George School is a private Quaker boarding and day high school located on a rural campus near Newtown, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded at its present site in 1893, and has grown from a single building to over 20 academic, athletic, and residential buildings...

, though associated with Newtown, is mostly in Middletown Township
Middletown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Middletown Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 45,436 at the 2010 census. Many sections of Levittown, Pennsylvania, are located in the southern end of the township...

, and Newtown Friends School
Newtown Friends School
Newtown Friends School is a coeducational prekindergarten through eighth grade Quaker independent school founded in 1948 and located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Though its name and address indicate it is in Newtown Township, it is physically located in Middletown Township...

, though it bears Newtown's name, is located entirely in Middletown Township. The township is also the site of Bucks County Community College
Bucks County Community College
Bucks County Community College is a two-year community college located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia. Founded in 1964, Bucks has three campuses and online courses: a main campus in Newtown, an "Upper County" campus in the town of Perkasie, and a "Lower County" campus in the...

's main campus. La Salle University
La Salle University
La Salle University is a private, co-educational, Roman Catholic university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. Named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, the school was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. As of 2008 the school has approximately 7,554...

 and Holy Family University
Holy Family University
- History :Holy Family University is a liberal arts university that offers graduate, undergraduate, and non-degree programs. The university strives and believes that it has a lifelong responsibility towards God, Society and Self. The mission statement of Holy Family Includes six core values that...

 also have satellite campuses on the Newtown Bypass.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, the borough was 95.3% Non-Hispanic White, 0.8% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.2% Asian, and 1.2% were two or more races. 1.2% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/profile/PA

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 2,312 people, 920 households, and 595 families residing in the borough. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 4,201.6 people per square mile (1,623.0/km²). There were 936 housing units at an average density of 1,701.0 per square mile (657.1/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 96.6% White, 1.1% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.40% Asian, 1.0% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 1.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population.

There were 920 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the borough the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 82.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.0 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $63,571, and the median income for a family was $78,215. Males had a median income of $54,231 versus $37,283 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the borough was $33,500. About 0.7% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.
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