Tredyffrin Township, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Tredyffrin Township is a township located in eastern Chester County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
. The population was 29,332 at the 2010 census. Originally settled in the late 17th century, Tredyffrin is bounded by Delaware
and Montgomery
counties. It includes on its northern boundary a small part of Valley Forge National Historical Park
, where George Washington
encamped during the American War of Independence. Tredyffrin and the entire Great Valley region also have many limestone
deposits.
Unincorporated communities within Tredyffrin Township include Chesterbrook
, Strafford
, a portion of Paoli
, and a portion of Wayne
. Tredyffrin is bordered by Easttown
, East Whiteland
, Willistown
, Charlestown
, Upper Merion
, Radnor
and Schuylkill
townships.
, the township has a total area of 19.9 square miles (51.5 km²), of which 19.8 square miles (51.3 km²) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²), or 0.15%, is water.
of 2000, there were 29,062 people, 12,223 households, and 7,834 families residing in the township. The population density
was 1,464.9 people per square mile (565.6/km²). There were 12,551 housing units at an average density of 632.6 per square mile (244.3/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 90.88% White, 2.84% African American, 0.11% Native American, 5.12% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races
, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population.
There were 12,223 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples
living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the township the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $82,258, and the median income for a family was $105,183 (these figures had risen to $90,915 and $121,809 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $76,393 versus $46,124 for females. The per capita income
for the township was $47,584. About 2.2% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.
, but in 2005 two Democrat
s were elected to the board; the first Democrats on the board in the 300 year history of the Township. Party registration as of July 2010 were 45% Republican, 39% Democrat, and 16% Independent and third parties. In the 2008 Presidential election, Tredyffrin voters gave 58% of its votes to Democratic candidate Barack Obama
over John McCain
, a significant change from previous elections.
decided to set aside a portion of Pennsylvania for the Welsh
to settle in. This area, known as the "Welsh Tract
", was surveyed in 1684 and included several modern-day townships, including Tredyffrin. Although the Welsh Tract was originally meant to be a self-ruling municipality, it was divided between Chester County and Philadelphia when that county was created in 1685, and the Welsh subsequently submitted to the authority of Chester County. In 1707, Tredyffrin was incorporated as a township. This name comes from the Welsh tref, which means "town", joined to dyffryn, which means "wide, cultivated valley". Tredyffrin was quick to develop into a thriving township. In 1710, the first mill in Tredyffrin was started by Thomas Jerman on what is now North Valley Road. Swedesford Road, one of the first roads in the township, was created by 1718.
As the population of the township grew, with 30 resident landowners in 1722 and 83 in 1774, churches sprung up to meet the demand by religious residents. In 1710, the Baptist minister Hugh Davis moved to the Great Valley from Britain and, there being several Baptist families in this area, the Great Valley Baptist Church was formed on 22 April 1711. The church originally met in Radnor
. However, there were enough members of this Baptist church that by 1722, a log building was erected in Tredyffrin to serve the congregation. In 1714, the Great Valley Presbyterian Church was started in Tredyffrin. It was the first Presbyterian church in Chester County. A church building was built in 1720 and was used for 73 years. Also in 1714, the Quaker Haverford Monthly Meeting (which was established in April 1684) voted to allow its members that lived in the Great Valley to hold a meeting every other month in Tredyffrin, which was called the Valley Meeting. There was also an Anglican church, built in 1700.
As Tredyffrin includes part of Valley Forge National Historical Park
, there are many Revolutionary War
-related sites in the township, especially the park and houses where various generals were quartered.
Development in the township was sparked in the 19th century by construction and advertisement of the "Main Line" railroad service, which terminated in Paoli
, which straddles the western border of the township.
Tredyffrin-Easttown school district was unusual for the area in being integrated
during the early part of the century. In the 1932, the district planned to segregate after building a new school, and African-Americans in the township boycotted the school system for two years in protest (the "School Fight"). In 1934 a negotiated settlement was reached whereby the schools remained integrated, and helped kill school segregation in Pennsylvania.
During the Cold War
, a Nike
anti-aircraft missile site was active in the township.
, meaning that they are primarily metamorphic. Limestone
is often at the surface in the Great Valley, so many limestone kilns were created in the 18th century. The northern edge of the township is a ridge of quartzite
and sandstone
(the Cambrian
Chickies Formation
) including Valley Forge Mountain (or Mount Misery), which was mined for quartz in the 18th century through the mid-19th century.
Students in Tredyffrin Township attend schools in the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District
.
High school students in Tredyffrin Township attend Conestoga High School.
Private schools in Tredyffrin Township include:
Chester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
, 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 29,332 at the 2010 census. Originally settled in the late 17th century, Tredyffrin is bounded by Delaware
Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 558,979, making it Pennsylvania's fifth most populous county, behind Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, and Bucks counties....
and Montgomery
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...
counties. It includes on its northern boundary a small part of Valley Forge National Historical Park
Valley Forge National Historical Park
Valley Forge National Historical Park is the site where the Continental Army spent the winter of 1777–1778 near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, during the American Revolutionary War. The National Historical Park preserves the site and interprets the history of the Valley Forge encampment. ...
, where George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
encamped during the American War of Independence. Tredyffrin and the entire Great Valley region also have many limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
deposits.
Unincorporated communities within Tredyffrin Township include Chesterbrook
Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania
Chesterbrook is a census-designated place in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,589 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Chesterbrook is located at ....
, Strafford
Strafford, Pennsylvania
Strafford is an unincorporated community in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, located partly in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, and partly in Radnor Township, Delaware County. It is served by its own stop on the SEPTA Paoli/Thorndale Line regional rail train. It is also...
, a portion of Paoli
Paoli, Pennsylvania
Paoli is a census-designated place in Chester County near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated in portions of two townships: Tredyffrin and Willistown...
, and a portion of Wayne
Wayne, Pennsylvania
Wayne is an unincorporated community located on the Main Line, centered in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. While the center of Wayne is in Radnor Township, Wayne extends into both Tredyffrin Township in Chester County and Upper Merion Township in Montgomery County...
. Tredyffrin is bordered by Easttown
Easttown Township, Pennsylvania
Easttown Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,477 at the 2010 census.-History:The land that eventually became Easttown Township was once part of the Welsh Tract, a large expanse of land promised by William Penn to a group of Welsh Quaker...
, East Whiteland
East Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania
East Whiteland Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,650 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, Willistown
Willistown Township, Pennsylvania
Willistown Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,497 at the 2010 census. At the 1860 census, the population of Willistown was 1,521, and in 1980 it was 8,269.-History:...
, Charlestown
Charlestown Township, Pennsylvania
Charlestown Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,671 at the 2010 census.Part of the Valley Forge Christian College's campus, formerly the location of the Valley Forge General Hospital, is located in Charlestown Township. The other part is...
, Upper Merion
Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania
Upper Merion Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 28,395 at the 2010 census.Located from Philadelphia, it consists of the villages of King of Prussia, Swedeland, Swedesburg, Gulph Mills, and Wayne....
, Radnor
Radnor Township, Pennsylvania
Radnor Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 30,878. Radnor Township lies along the Main Line, a collection of highly affluent Philadelphia suburbs....
and Schuylkill
Schuylkill Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania
Schuylkill Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. It contains the village of Valley Forge. The population was 8,516 at the 2010 census....
townships.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited 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 township has a total area of 19.9 square miles (51.5 km²), of which 19.8 square miles (51.3 km²) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²), or 0.15%, is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
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 29,062 people, 12,223 households, and 7,834 families residing in the township. 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 1,464.9 people per square mile (565.6/km²). There were 12,551 housing units at an average density of 632.6 per square mile (244.3/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 90.88% White, 2.84% African American, 0.11% Native American, 5.12% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.29% 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 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population.
There were 12,223 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% 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, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the township the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $82,258, and the median income for a family was $105,183 (these figures had risen to $90,915 and $121,809 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $76,393 versus $46,124 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 township was $47,584. About 2.2% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Tredyffrin is governed by a seven-member Board of Supervisors. The makeup of the board has traditionally been all RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, but in 2005 two Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
s were elected to the board; the first Democrats on the board in the 300 year history of the Township. Party registration as of July 2010 were 45% Republican, 39% Democrat, and 16% Independent and third parties. In the 2008 Presidential election, Tredyffrin voters gave 58% of its votes to Democratic candidate Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
over John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
, a significant change from previous elections.
History
On 13 March 1684, William PennWilliam 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...
decided to set aside a portion of Pennsylvania for the Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
to settle in. This area, known as the "Welsh Tract
Welsh Tract
The Welsh Tract, also called the Welsh Barony, was a portion of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania settled largely by Welsh-speaking Quakers. It covers 40,000 acres to the west of Philadelphia...
", was surveyed in 1684 and included several modern-day townships, including Tredyffrin. Although the Welsh Tract was originally meant to be a self-ruling municipality, it was divided between Chester County and Philadelphia when that county was created in 1685, and the Welsh subsequently submitted to the authority of Chester County. In 1707, Tredyffrin was incorporated as a township. This name comes from the Welsh tref, which means "town", joined to dyffryn, which means "wide, cultivated valley". Tredyffrin was quick to develop into a thriving township. In 1710, the first mill in Tredyffrin was started by Thomas Jerman on what is now North Valley Road. Swedesford Road, one of the first roads in the township, was created by 1718.
As the population of the township grew, with 30 resident landowners in 1722 and 83 in 1774, churches sprung up to meet the demand by religious residents. In 1710, the Baptist minister Hugh Davis moved to the Great Valley from Britain and, there being several Baptist families in this area, the Great Valley Baptist Church was formed on 22 April 1711. The church originally met in Radnor
Radnor, Pennsylvania
Radnor is a wealthy Main Line township. It is an unincorporated community in Radnor Township of Delaware County and Tredyffrin Township of Chester County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It lies near the communities of Villanova and St...
. However, there were enough members of this Baptist church that by 1722, a log building was erected in Tredyffrin to serve the congregation. In 1714, the Great Valley Presbyterian Church was started in Tredyffrin. It was the first Presbyterian church in Chester County. A church building was built in 1720 and was used for 73 years. Also in 1714, the Quaker Haverford Monthly Meeting (which was established in April 1684) voted to allow its members that lived in the Great Valley to hold a meeting every other month in Tredyffrin, which was called the Valley Meeting. There was also an Anglican church, built in 1700.
As Tredyffrin includes part of Valley Forge National Historical Park
Valley Forge National Historical Park
Valley Forge National Historical Park is the site where the Continental Army spent the winter of 1777–1778 near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, during the American Revolutionary War. The National Historical Park preserves the site and interprets the history of the Valley Forge encampment. ...
, there are many Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
-related sites in the township, especially the park and houses where various generals were quartered.
Development in the township was sparked in the 19th century by construction and advertisement of the "Main Line" railroad service, which terminated in Paoli
Paoli, Pennsylvania
Paoli is a census-designated place in Chester County near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated in portions of two townships: Tredyffrin and Willistown...
, which straddles the western border of the township.
Tredyffrin-Easttown school district was unusual for the area in being integrated
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
during the early part of the century. In the 1932, the district planned to segregate after building a new school, and African-Americans in the township boycotted the school system for two years in protest (the "School Fight"). In 1934 a negotiated settlement was reached whereby the schools remained integrated, and helped kill school segregation in Pennsylvania.
During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, a Nike
Project Nike
Project Nike was a U.S. Army project, proposed in May 1945 by Bell Laboratories, to develop a line-of-sight anti-aircraft missile system. The project delivered the United States' first operational anti-aircraft missile system, the Nike Ajax, in 1953...
anti-aircraft missile site was active in the township.
Historic buildings
- Diamond Rock octagonal 1-room schoolhouse, built 1818
- Wharton Esherick MuseumWharton Esherick StudioWharton Esherick Studio, now housing the Wharton Esherick Museum, was the studio of the craftsman-artist Wharton Esherick , in Malvern, Pennsylvania...
, National Historic Landmark, built starting in 1926 - Seven colonial log houses and cabins
- Joseph Walker House
- Knox Covered Bridge in Valley Forge Park
- Revolutionary war sites: Quarters of Major General William Alexander, Lord Stirling; Quarters of Major General Marquis de Lafayette; Quarters of Brigadier General Anthony Wayne; Quarters of General Charles Cornwallis, and a number of other generals. Tredyffrin historic sites
- Great Valley Mill
- Old Eagle School, built in 1788
Geology
The rocks of Tredyffrin were laid down in the upper PaleozoicPaleozoic
The Paleozoic era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon, spanning from roughly...
, meaning that they are primarily metamorphic. Limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
is often at the surface in the Great Valley, so many limestone kilns were created in the 18th century. The northern edge of the township is a ridge of quartzite
Quartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
and sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
(the Cambrian
Cambrian
The Cambrian is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting from Mya ; it is succeeded by the Ordovician. Its subdivisions, and indeed its base, are somewhat in flux. The period was established by Adam Sedgwick, who named it after Cambria, the Latin name for Wales, where Britain's...
Chickies Formation
Chickies Formation
The Cambrian Chickies Formation is a mapped bedrock unit in Pennsylvania and Maryland. It is named for Chickies Rock, north of Columbia, Pennsylvania along the Susquehanna River.-Description:...
) including Valley Forge Mountain (or Mount Misery), which was mined for quartz in the 18th century through the mid-19th century.
Education
Tredyffrin/Easttown School District
Tredyffrin/Easttown School District is a school district based in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania in the United States....
.
High school students in Tredyffrin Township attend Conestoga High School.
Private schools in Tredyffrin Township include:
- Delaware Valley Friends School (Paoli address)
- Devon Preparatory School (grades 6 -12, Devon address)
- Woodlynde School (Strafford address)
- Heritage School (preschool, Wayne address)
- Vanguard School (ungraded special education, Paoli address)