Upper Dublin Township, Pennsylvania

Geobox Township
name = Upper Dublin Township
native_name =
other_name =
other_name1 =
category = Township


image_size =
image_caption =


flag_size =
symbol_type = Seal
symbol = Udseal.gif
symbol_size =
nickname =
motto =
country = United States
state = Pennsylvania
region = Montgomery
region_type = County
district =
area_imperial = 13.2
area_land_imperial = 13.2
area_water_imperial = 0.04
area_water_percentage = auto
area_percentage_round = 2
area_round = 1
location =
lat_d = 40
lat_m = 07
lat_s = 29
lat_NS = N
long_d = 75
long_m = 09
long_s = 59
long_EW = W
elevation_imperial = 230
elevation_round = 1
population_as_of = 2000
population = 25878
population_density_imperial = 1960.7
population_density_round = 1
established_type = Founded
established = 1701
mayor =
timezone = EST
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
postal_code = 19001, 19002, 19025, 19034, 19038, 19075, 19090
postal_code_type = ZIP code
area_code = 215, 267
area_code_type =
code2_type =
code2 =
free_type =
free =
free1_type =
free1 =


map_caption = Location of Upper Dublin Township in Montgomery County
map1 = Pennsylvania Locator Map.png map1_caption = Location of Upper Dublin Township in Pennsylvania
map1_locator = Pennsylvania
map2 = Map of USA PA.svg
map2_caption = Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
website = http://www.upperdublin.net

Upper Dublin Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 25,878 at the 2000 census.

Upper Dublin is made up of several community areas, many of which are unincorporated areas in Montgomery County with no legal status, and are used primarily by the US Postal Service. These community areas are Ambler (19002) (excluding the Borough of Ambler), Ardsley (19038), Dresher (19025), Fort Washington (19034), Jarrettown (19025), Maple Glen (19002), North Hills (19038), Oreland (19075) and Willow Grove (19090).

History

Founding

Upper Dublin dates back to 1684, when Edward Tanner was granted land by William Penn in the Province of Pennsylvania and named it "Upper and Lower Dublin." Lower Dublin was incorporated into the City of Philadelphia following the passage of the Act of Consolidation in 1854. [cite web |url=http://www.ushistory.org/philadelphia/incorporated.html |title=Incorporated District, Boroughs, and Townships in the County of Philadelphia, 1854 |accessmonthday=February 11 |accessyear=2008 |work=Philadelphia History |publisher=ushistory.org ] The "upper" portion has continued to exist around the original survey for the laying out and naming of Susquehanna Road. Upper Dublin Township was established in 1701, when William Penn ordered a survey of all townships in the Commonwealth. It was first settled in 1698, and incorporated in 1719. [ [http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/counties/pdfs/Montgomery.pdf Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission] ] The township was granted its current status of First Class Township in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on January 1, 1946. Originally the area started as a farming community with additional activity in the mining of limestone. Limekiln Pike today continues to be an important travel artery.

American Revolutionary War

During the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War, George Washington and the Continental Army were encamped here after their October 4, 1777 defeat at the Battle of Germantown, and immediately prior to their march to Valley Forge. From December 5 - December 8, 1777, the Battle of White Marsh was fought here between British and American forces. Throughout the encampment, Washington was headquartered at the Emlen House, built by Quaker George Emlen in 1745. British commander General William Howe observed the American lines from the belltower of St. Thomas' Episcopal Church (at Bethlehem Pike and Camp Hill Road), site of the British encampment on December 5. Fort Washington State Park, in neighboring Whitemarsh Township, contains the area in which the primary American defenses were situated.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 13.2 square miles (34.2 km²), of which, 13.2 square miles (34.2 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.15%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 25,878 people, 9,174 households, and 7,274 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,960.7 people per square mile (756.9/km²). There were 9,344 housing units at an average density of 708.0/sq mi (273.3/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 91.48% White, 1.42% African American, 0.09% Native American, 6.23% Asian, 0.19% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.90% of the population.

There were 9,174 households out of which 38.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.4% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.7% were non-families. 17.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the township the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 28.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $80,093, and the median income for a family was $91,418. Males had a median income of $68,353 versus $39,152 for females. The per capita income for the township was $37,994. About 2.7% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.

The ten most common ancestries of residents are Irish (21.3%), German (19.0%), Italian (14.2%), English (10.2%), Russian (8.7%), Asian (6.2%), Polish (6.0%), African American (5.4%) United States or American (4.0%), and French (2.0%).

The most common languages spoken at home after English (88.6%) are Korean (3.1%), Italian (1.7%), Chinese (1.5%), Spanish or Spanish Creole (1.0%), German (0.7%), and French (0.6%).

Business and industry

Fort Washington Office Park

The primary center of business and industry in the Township is the Fort Washington Office Park, which occupies 536 acres (2.2 km²) and contains six million square feet (560,000 m²) of building space. There are more than 65 buildings of various sizes up to 658,535 square feet (61,000 m²). The park contains the offices of over one-hundred different companies, including Aetna, AccuWeather, Eastern National, Genworth Financial, a suburban campus of Temple University, a campus of Gwynedd-Mercy College and a campus of DeVry University. It also contains the corporate headquarters of Johnson & Johnson division McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals, marketers of over-the-counter and prescription pharmaceuticals including Tylenol (acetaminophen) and Motrin IB (ibuprofen) products. Their building is based on a 110 acre (450,000 m²) site and has a workforce of 2,600 employees. The office park was also home to the corporate headquarters of CDNOW, the pioneering online music retailer. In recent years, the Fort Washington Office Park has experienced a vacancy rate higher than that of other commercial/industrial parks in the region, due in some part to problems with flooding. [cite web| url=http://www.planning.org/thenewplanner/nonmember/default1.htm | title=The New Planner: Drowning Office Park Rescued by Students During High Tide | accessdate=2006-11-01 ] [cite web| url=http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/special_packages/flood06/15607939.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp | title=Philadelphia Inquirer: Office park tests nature - again | accessdate=2006-11-01 ]

Fort Washington Expo Center

The Fort Washington Office Park was also home to the Fort Washington Expo Center. Opened in 1993, the Expo Center had hosted some of the region's biggest consumer and trade shows, and at convert|290000|sqft|m2, was the largest such suburban venue in the northeastern United States. The Expo Center closed in 2006, after the building was sold to owners who converted the property to office space. GMAC Mortgage is the major tenant at the property. [cite web| url=http://www.phillyblog.com/philly/showthread.php?t=14704 | title=Philadelphia Inquirer: Fort Washington Expo is sold | accessdate=2006-11-01 ] [cite web| url=http://philadelphia.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2006/01/30/daily57.html?jst=b_ln_hl| title=Philadelphia Business Journal: New expo-center tenant is GMAC Mortgage | accessdate=2006-02-03 ]

Government

Upper Dublin became a Pennsylvania First Class Township in 1946. Elected representatives (commissioners) serve four year terms of office. The government is a council/manager type. There are seven commissioners, one for each ward. The commissioners from odd numbered wards stand for election in 2007, 2011, etc. and the even numbered wards in 2009, 2013 etc. A manager runs the day to day operations with his staff. There are seven departments: Administration, Finance, Public Works, Police, Parks and Recreation, Code Enforcement, and Fleet & Facilities. Fire protection is provided primarily by the Fort Washington Fire Company No. 1, a volunteer fire department.

Board of Commissioners

*Ward 1: Robert J. Pesavento
*Ward 2: Sharon Damsker
*Ward 3: Chester H. Derr, III
*Ward 4: Ira S. Tackel, "Vice President"
*Ward 5: Jules J. Mermelstein, "President"
*Ward 6: Ronald P. Feldman
*Ward 7: Stanley J. Ropski [http://www.upperdublin.net/inc/documents/31/MapLegislative.pdf Upper Dublin Township Legislative Map]

Township Staff

*Township Manager: Paul Leonard
*Finance Director: Jonathan Bleemer
*Township Engineer: Jeff Wert
*Township Solicitor: Gil High
*Code Enforcement Director: Richard Barton
*Library Director: Cherilyn Fiory
*Parks & Recreation Director: Susan Lohoefer
*Police Chief: Terrence Thompson
*Public Works Operations Director: Daniel Supplee

Education

There are four elementary schools (K-5), one middle school (6-8) and one high school (9-12) which are fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The professional staff has an average of 16 years teaching experience and approximately 85 percent hold advanced degrees.

The four elementary schools are Fort Washington Elementary School, Maple Glen Elementary School, Jarrettown Elementary School, and Thomas Fitzwater Elementary School; the middle school is Sandy Run Middle School, and the high school is Upper Dublin High School. Upper Dublin High School is considered to be one of the best-performing public schools in Pennsylvania, with the fifth highest combined score average on the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) in the state. The high school has been recognized three times by the United States Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.

The township is also home to a number of private schools and the following universities: Temple University Ambler and Fort Washington campuses, DeVry University Fort Washington campus and Gwynedd Mercy College Fort Washington campus.

Parks and Recreation

Upper Dublin has more than 40 sites and convert|575|acre|km2 of parkland and open space ranging in size from neighborhood squares to sprawling meadow-like areas. There are natural resource areas as well as active recreation sites with varying amenities including tennis courts, play lots, jogging/exercise trails, picnic pavilions, playing fields, basketball courts and sand volleyball courts. In 2005, the township opened MonDaug Bark Park, with wooded trails as well as a one-acre fenced, off-leash dog park.

In 2006, the Board of Commissioners adopted an extensive Open Space & Environmental Resources Protection Plan that guides local acquisition, development and protection efforts to the year 2020.

Upper Dublin is also home to three golf courses. Manufacturers Golf & Country Club is nestled on historic Camp Hill and is nationally known. Lu Lu Country Club is located in the South Eastern section of the township bordering Abington. The township owns Twining Valley Golf Club operated by Links Management.

References

External links

* [http://www.upperdublin.net Upper Dublin Township]
* [http://www.udsd.org Upper Dublin School District]