Wrightstown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania

History

Wrightstown's first settler was John Chapman, who emigrated from England in October 1684, with his wife and children and settled on land which was part of the original William Penn Grant. According to legend, they first lived in a "cave" or "sod hut", probably on what is now Penns Park Road. Twin boys were born in their dwelling during the first winter, originating a long line of descendants, among whom was Henry Chapman Mercer. Although the first dwelling no longer exists, there are seven houses in the Township which were the homes of second and third generation Chapmans. William Smith, who arrived the year after the Chapmans, built a log house which still stands on Mud Road. In addition to the Smith house, there are 140 other houses in the Township which are at least 100 years old.

The boundaries of the Township were established by 1692. A square mile in the center, in the present Penns Park, was reserved for parkland. However, in 1719, this was divided among the surrounding property owners.

In addition to its basically rural character, much of the Wrightstown Township's charm is due to its five villages: Penns Park, Pineville, Rushland, Wrightstown and Wycombe. Each village at one time contained its own post office, a rather distinctive facet of life in the Township. Today, all but the Wrightstown Post Office remain, with home delivery available to approximately 50% of the Township through the Newtown Post Office. A small portion of the township is served with home mail delivery through the Furlong Post Office in neighboring Buckingham Township. Other past villages include Anchor and Chain Bridge.

The Penn's Park General Store Complex, Penns Park Historic District, William Smith House, Waldenmark, Isaiah Warner Farmstead, Wrightstown Friends Meeting Complex, Wrightstown Octagonal Schoolhouse, and Wycombe Village Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 10.0 square miles (25.8 km2), of which 9.9 square miles (25.7 km2) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km2) (0.30%) is water.

Natural features include Anchor Creek, Jericho Creek, Mill Creek, Neshaminy Creek including the Neshaminy Palisades, Newtown Creek, and Robin Run.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, the township was 94.5% White, 1.4% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 2.8% Asian, and 0.8% were two or more races. 1.4% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,853 people, 890 households, and 785 families residing in the township. The population density was 286.0 PD/sqmi. There were 986 housing units at an average density of 99.3 /sqmi.

There were 971 households, out of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.1% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.1% were non-families. 14.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the township the population was spread out, with 27.9% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 29.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $82,875, and the median income for a family was $92,372. Males had a median income of $66,435 versus $36,125 for females. The per capita income for the township was $42,623. About 2.9% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Wrightstown Township, Pennsylvania has a hot-summer, wet all year, humid continental climate (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 values ≥ 100 °F (≥ 38 °C). On average, the wettest month of the year is July which corresponds with the annual peak in thunderstorm activity. During the winter months, episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values

| Jan dew point F = 21.3 | Feb dew point F = 22.6 | Mar dew point F = 28.0 | Apr dew point F = 37.7 | May dew point F = 48.6 | Jun dew point F = 59.3 | Jul dew point F = 63.9 | Aug dew point F = 63.4 | Sep dew point F = 56.9 | Oct dew point F = 45.4 | Nov dew point F = 35.6 | Dec dew point F = 26.3 | year dew point F = 42.5

Transportation

As of 2022 there were 40.27 mi of public roads in Wrightstown Township, of which 19.26 mi were maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 21.01 mi were maintained by the township.

Pennsylvania Route 232 and Pennsylvania Route 413 are the numbered highways traversing Wrightstown Township. PA 232 follows Second Street Pike and Windy Bush Road along a north-south alignment through the central portion of the township, while PA 413 follows Durham Road along a southeast-northwest alignment across northern and eastern portions of the township.

Ecology

According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Wrightstown Township, Pennsylvania would have an Appalachian Oak (104) vegetation type with an Eastern Hardwood Forest (25) vegetation form.

References

References

1. "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates".
3. {{NRISref
4. MacReynolds, George, ''Place Names in Bucks County, Pennsylvania'', Doylestown, Bucks County Historical Society, Doylestown, PA, 1942, P1.
5. "DVRPC > Site Search".
6. "Census 2010: Philadelphia gains, Pittsburgh shrinks in population". [[USA Today]].
7. "Census 2020".
8. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
9. "USDA Interactive Plant Hardiness Map". [[United States Department of Agriculture]].
10. "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State U".
11. "Wrightstown Township map". PennDOT.
12. "U.S. Potential Natural Vegetation, Original Kuchler Types, v2.0 (Spatially Adjusted to Correct Geometric Distortions)". [[Data Basin]].