Bucks County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania
. The county seat is
Doylestown
. This county is part of the
Delaware Valley area.
As of 2000, the population was 597,635. A 2004
U.S. Census estimate
placed the population at 621,342, making it the fourth most
populous county in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia
, Allegheny
, and Montgomery
counties), and the 95th
most populous county in the United States. As of 2000,
it is the
76th wealthiest
county in the nation as measured by median family income.
History
Founding
Bucks County was one of the three original counties in
Pennsylvania.
It was named by William Penn in 1682 after Buckinghamshire, England
, the county
where he lived and from which his family originated. Bucks
is the abbreviation for Buckinghamshire, and both names are used
interchangeably in England.
Penn's home, Pennsbury Manor
, is located within Bucks County.
Place
names in Bucks County derived from places in Buckinghamshire
include Buckingham, Chalfont (named after Chalfont St
Giles
), Wycombe
and Solebury (spelled Soulbury
in England). Buckingham
was the former county
town of Buckinghamshire; Buckingham, PA, (now known as Bristol
) was the county seat of Bucks County from
1705-1726. Chalfont St. Giles
in Buckinghamshire was the parish home of William
Penn's first wife, and the location of the Jordans Quaker Meeting
House, where Penn is buried.
Bucks County was originally much larger than it is today.
Northampton
County
was formed in 1752 from part of Bucks County, and
Lehigh
County
was formed in 1812 from part of Northampton
County.
Revolutionary War
In December 1776, Bucks County became the setting for Gen.
George Washington and his troops as they
prepared to cross the Delaware and
storm Trenton, New
Jersey
on Christmas Day. The attack caught the
Hessian army by surprise and
would represent a turning point in the
American War of Independence.
The town
of Washington Crossing,
Pennsylvania
and Washington Crossing Historic
Park were named to commemorate the event.
Law and Government
The executive government is run by a three-seat Board of
Commissioners, one member of which serves as chairperson.
Commissioners are elected through
at-large voting and serve
four-year terms. In cases of vacancy, a panel of county judges
appoints members to fill seats.
The current commissioners are James F. Cawley (R) (Chairman),
Charles H. Martin (R) and Diane M. Ellis-Marseglia (D). The current
terms expire at the end of 2012.
Geography
Bucks County lies in the southeastern edge of the state along the
Delaware River. Most of the land is
typical of the
piedmont
region, with hills becoming more distinct further north. Unlike in
the Southern Piedmont, soil in the Pennsylvania Piedmont has
historically been fertile, giving Bucks County large areas of
valuable farmland. With the decline of the farming industry, debate
has arisen over how much of this
open
space should be preserved, and how much should be allotted for
commercial and residential development.
The
southern third of the county between Philadelphia
and Trenton, New Jersey, often called Lower Bucks, resides in the Atlantic Coastal Plain, and is flat
and near sea level, and the county's most populated and
industrialized area.
The
county shares most of its western border with Montgomery
County, and also borders Philadelphia to the southwest,
and Northampton and Lehigh Counties to the north. From north to south,
it is linked to Warren
, Hunterdon
, Mercer
and Burlington
Counties in New Jersey
by bridges.
Tohickon Creek and
Neshaminy Creek are the largest
tributaries of the
Delaware in Bucks County. Tohickon Creek
empties into the river at Point Pleasant and Neshaminy at
Bristol.
According to the
U.S.
Census Bureau, the
county has a total area of 622 square miles
(1,611 km²).607 square miles (1,573 km²) of it is
land and 15 square miles (38 km²) of it (2.37%) is
water.
Adjacent counties
Industry and commerce
Levittown, aerial view, circa
1959
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 William
Levitt.
Among Bucks' largest employers in the Twentieth Century were
U.S. Steel in Falls Township
, and the Vulcanized Rubber & Plastics and
Robertson Tile companies in Morrisville. Rohm and Haas continues to operate several
chemical plants around Bristol.
Waste
Management operates a landfill in
Tullytown
that is largely the receptacle of out-of-state
waste in the USA (receiving nearly all of New York City's waste
following the closure of Fresh Kills landfill in Staten
Island, NY
40-miles away).
This industry, however, belies another important asset of the
county: tourism.
The county's northern regions (colloquially
referred to as Upper Bucks) are renowned for their natural scenery,
farmland, colonial history, and proximity to major urban areas
(particularly Philadelphia, but New York City
, Allentown
, Reading
and Atlantic
City
are also within a two-hour radius).
Popular
attractions in Bucks County include the shops and studios of
New
Hope
, Peddler's Village
, Washington Crossing Historic
Park, and Bucks County River Country. Southern Bucks
(colloquially referred to as Lower Bucks) is home to two important
shopping centers, Neshaminy
Mall
and Oxford Valley Mall
, and Sesame
Place
, a family theme park
based on the Sesame Street television
series.
Local publications include
Bucks County Courier Times, The
Intelligencer,
The Advance of Bucks County,
Bucks
County Herald,
Bucks County Town and Country Living,
LifeStyle Magazine,
Nouveau, and
BUCKS
Magazine.
Population growth
Growth began in the early 1950s, when
William Levitt chose Bucks County for his
second Levittown. Levitt bought hundreds of acres of woodlands and
farmland, and constructed 17,000 homes and dozens of schools,
parks, libraries, and shopping centers. By the time the project
ended, the population of Levittown had swollen to almost 74,000
residents. At the time, only whites could buy homes. This rule
however, was soon overturned.
Other planned developments included Croydon
and Fairless Hills
. This rapid sprawl continued until the mid
1960s.
In the 1970s, a second growth spurt began. This time, developers
took land in townships that were mostly untouched.
These included
Middletown
, Lower Makefield Township
, and Newtown Township
. Tract housing,
office complexes, shopping centers, and sprawling parking lots
continued to move more and more towards Upper Bucks, swallowing
horse farms, sprawling forests, and wetlands.
At this time, the
Oxford
Valley Mall was constructed in Middletown, which would become
the business nucleus of the county.
Growth has somewhat stabilized since the 1990s, with smaller
increases and less development. However, the main reason for this
is not emigration, but loss of land. Lower Bucks now lacks large
parcels of land to develop. Smaller residential and commercial
projects must now be constructed. However, redevelopment is now a
leading coalition in Lower Bucks. Many areas along the
Delaware River have surpluses of abandoned
industry, so many municipalities have granted building rights to
luxury housing developers. Also, as the regions that began the
suburban boom in Bucks, such as Levittown, begin to reach their
50th anniversaries, many commercial strips and other neglected
structures are being torn down to be replaced with new shopping
plazas and commercial chains. Also, with rising property values,
areas with older construction are beginning to have a "rebirth". At
the same time, Central and Upper Bucks are still seeing rapid
growth, with many municipalities doubling their populations.
Arts and culture
Fine and performing arts
Many
artists and writers based in New York City have called Bucks County home, settling mainly in
the small stretch between Doylestown, Pennsylvania and New Hope and along the Delaware
River. Notable residents have included
Margaret Mead,
Pearl
S. Buck,
Oscar Hammerstein, II,
Stephen Sondheim,
Moss
Hart,
James Michener,
Dorothy Parker,
S. J. Perelman,
Stan and Jan Berenstain,
Bob Dylan,
Annie
Haslam, and
Jean Toomer. Bucks
County is the home of writer/musician
James McBride, academy-award winning,
film composer, Joseph Renzetti ; musician
Gene
Ween of
Ween, painter Christopher Wajda ;
photographer
Michael
Barone and was also home to furniture designer
George Nakashima.
James Gould Cozzens lived in Lambertville, New Jersey
, just across the river from Bucks County, used
Doylestown as the model for the setting of two novels, and is
considered a Bucks County artist.
The county boasts many local
theater
companies, including the long-established
Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope,
and the Bristol Riverside Theatre, a professional Equity theater in
Bristol.
The
Wild River Review, an online
magazine that publishes in-depth reporting, works of literature,
art, visual art, reviews, interviews, and columns by and about
contemporary artists, photographers, and writers, is based out of
Doylestown.
Literature
The seemingly autobiographical novel
The Fires of Spring by
James Michener takes place in and around
Doylestown.
Popular culture
Alecia Moore, more commonly known as
Pink, was born in Doylestown as was motion
picture writer and director,
Stefan
Avalos.
Producer Samik resides
in Bucks County, as do two American
Idol contestants: Justin
Guarini, who was born in Atlanta, but moved to Bucks County;
and Anthony Fedorov, who was born in
Ukraine and was from Trevose
, in Lower
Southampton Township
. Singer/actress Irene
Molloy and classical tenor David
Gordon were born in Doylestown.
Film
M. Night Shyamalan's 2002 film
Signs, starring
Mel
Gibson, was filmed and takes place in Bucks County.
The town
scenes, in particular, were filmed on State Street in Newtown
Borough
, the drugstore scene was filmed at Burns' Pharmacy
on Pennsylvania Avenue in Morrisville. The house was built on farmland privately
owned and leased to Delaware Valley College
in Doylestown Township,
Pennsylvania
. A stage set for some interior shots was
created in a warehouse on State Road in Bensalem
Township, Pennsylvania
. Shyamalan's film, Lady in the Water, was shot
across the street from the Bloomsdale section of Bristol
Township
. With the exception of the Pine Barrens
footage, all of
The Last
Broadcast was shot in Bucks County (though the name was
changed). Also, a short scene from
Stephen
King's
The Stand is based in
Pipersville. The producer Fred Bauer, the
director Steve Rash and composer Joseph Renzetti of the "Buddy
Holly Story," all live in Bucks County, where the film was
conceived, and written by Bob Gittler. Although filmed in
California, one of
Steven
Spielberg's earliest films,
Something Evil, is set in Bucks
County.
Sports and recreation
Football
Little League
The county has a considerable history of producing
Little League baseball contenders.
Since its
inception in 1947, four of the seven Pennsylvania teams to compete
in the Little League World
Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania
have come from Bucks County: Morrisville (1955), Levittown
American (1960 and 1961), and Council
Rock-Newtown (2005). Two of these
squads, Morrisville and Levittown (1960), went on to win the World
Series title. In 2007, Council Rock Northampton won the PA State
championship, and lost in the finals of regionals.
Horse racing
Pennsylvania State Parks
There are six
Commonwealth owned parks
in parks located in Bucks county:
County Parks
Historic Properties
- County owned
- Moland House
an old stone farmhouse built around 1750 located in
Warwick Township, and served as the headquarters for General George
Washington during the American Revolutionary War from August 10,
1777 until August 23, 1777.
- Pennsbury Manor house and grounds, administered by the Pennsylvania
Historical and Museum Commission in association with The Pennsbury Society and are open to the
public.
County Recreation Sites
- Frosty Hollow Tennis Center
- Core Creek Tennis Center
- Oxford Valley Golf Course
- Oxford Valley Pool
- Tohickon Valley Pool
- Weisel Hostel
- Peace Valley Boat Rental
- Core Creek Boat Rental
County Nature Centers
- Churchville Nature Center
- Peace Valley Nature Center
- Silver Lake Nature Center
Politics
Presidential election results
| Year |
Republican |
Democratic |
| 2008 |
45.2% 149,860 |
53.7%
178,345 |
| 2004 |
48.0% 154,469 |
51.2%
163,438 |
| 2000 |
46.3% 121,927 |
50.5%
132,914 |
| 1996 |
41.8% 94,899 |
45.5%
103,313 |
| 1992 |
38.1% 94,584 |
39.4%
97,902 |
| 1988 |
60.0%
127,563 |
38.8% 82,472 |
| 1984 |
63.3%
130,119 |
36.2% 74,568 |
| 1980 |
55.5%
100,536 |
32.6% 59,120 |
| 1976 |
50.7%
85,628 |
47.3% 79,838 |
| 1972 |
62.3%
99,684 |
35.5% 56,784 |
| 1968 |
48.6%
69,646 |
40.2% 57,634 |
| 1964 |
38.9% 50,243 |
60.6%
78,287 |
| 1960 |
54.0%
67,501 |
45.7% 57,177 |
|
As of November 2008, there are 444,966 registered voters in Bucks
County
[13840].
Like Pennsylvania at large, Bucks County is regarded as a
swing vote in major elections. Democratic
registration there overtook the Republicans in early 2008. All four
statewide winners (
Barack Obama for
President,
Rob McCord for Treasurer,
Jack Wagner for Auditor
General, and
Tom Corbett for Attorney
General) carried Bucks in November 2008.
Bucks County was once a safeguard for the
Republican Party, and
although politically the county has diversified, Republicans still
control most of the offices at local levels of government. County
Republicans tend to hold moderate positions on environmental and
social issues while advocating fiscal restraint. While the GOP
controls most offices locally, at the national level, voters have
favored the
Democratic presidential
candidate in the last five elections, but by small margins.
Bucks County is represented in U.S. Congress by
8th
Congressional district (
map). While concerns about
gerrymandering are on the rise, the 8th
District remains one of the few districts in the United States that
is almost fully made up by a single county.
Since 2002, however,
the 8th District has included small portions of neighboring
Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.
County commissioners
- James Cawley, Chairman, Republican
- Charles Martin, Republican
- Diane Ellis-Marseglia, Democrat
Other county offices
- Clerk of Courts, Mary Smithson,
Republican
- Controller, Ray McHugh,
Republican
- Coroner, Joseph Campbell,
Republican
- District Attorney, Michelle
Henry, Republican
- Prothonotary, Patricia Bachtle,
Republican
- Recorder of Deeds, Edward
Gudknecht, Republican
- Register of Wills, Barbara
Reilly, Republican
- Sheriff, Edward Donnelly,
Republican
- Treasurer, William Snyder,
Republican
Pennsylvania State Senate
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
- Gene DiGirolamo, Republican, Pennsylvania's 18th
Representative District
- Bernard T. O'Neill, Republican, Pennsylvania's 29th
Representative District
- Steve Santarsiero, Democrat, Pennsylvania's 31st
Representative District
- John Galloway, Democrat, Pennsylvania's
140th Representative District
- Anthony J. Melio, Democrat, Pennsylvania's
141st Representative District
- Frank Farry, Republican, Pennsylvania's
142nd Representative District
- Marguerite Quinn, Republican, Pennsylvania's
143rd Representative District
- Katharine M. Watson, Republican, Pennsylvania's
144th Representative District
- Paul Clymer, Republican, Pennsylvania's
145th Representative District
- Scott A. Petri, Republican, Pennsylvania's
178th Representative District
United States House of Representatives
United States Senate
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 597,635
people, 218,725 households, and 160,981 families residing in the
county. The
population density
was 984 people per square mile (380/km²). There were 225,498
housing units at an average density of 371 per square mile
(143/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.01%
White, 4.08%
Black or
African American, 0.14%
Native American, 3.10%
Asian, 0.04%
Pacific Islander, 0.90% from
other races, and 1.09%
from two or more races. 3.16% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race. 20.1% were
of
German, 19.1%
Irish, 14.0%
Italian, 7.5%
English and 5.9%
Polish ancestry according to
Census 2000.
There were 218,725 households out of which 35.30% had children
under the age of 18 living with them, 61.20% were
married couples living together, 8.80% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 26.40% were non-families.
21.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.10% had
someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average
household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the county, the population was spread out with 25.70% under the
age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 30.70% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from
45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median
age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.30 males. For
every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $59,727, and
the median income for a family was $68,727 (these figures had risen
to $71,161 and $86,493 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males
had a median income of $46,587 versus $31,984 for females. The
per capita income for the county
was $27,430. About 3.10% of families and 4.50% of the population
were below the
poverty line, including
4.80% of those under age 18 and 5.50% of those age 65 or
over.
Like the rest of the Philadelphia region, Bucks County is
experiencing a rapid increase of immigrants since the 2000 census.
A 2005
population estimate of Bucks, showed that the Indian and Mexican
populations have already doubled since 2000.
(Bucks county is one of only two counties in Pennsylvania where
Mexicans are the largest Hispanic community, the other being
Montgomery county)
Koreans,
Palestinians,
Turks, and
Russians
also saw significant increases.Bucks County also is home to large
and very prominent
Roman Catholic and
Jewish populations.
Municipalities
Map of Bucks County, Pennsylvania with Municipal Labels showing
Boroughs (red), Townships (white), and Census-designated places
(blue).
Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated
municipalities:
cities,
boroughs,
townships, and, in
at most two cases,
towns. The
most populous borough in the county is Morrisville with 10,023 as
of the 2000 census. The following boroughs and townships are
located in Bucks County:
Boroughs
Townships
Census-designated places
Census-designated places are
geographical areas designated by the
U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes
of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions
under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as
villages, may be listed here as well.
Education
Colleges and universities
300 px
Public school districts
The Bucks County public schools listed above are served by a
regional educational service agency
called the Bucks County Intermediate
Unit#22 located in the county seat of Doylestown,
Pennsylvania.
Community, junior and technical colleges
Notable residents
- Charles Albright,
(1830-1880), born in Bucks County, United States Congressman
- Pearl S. Buck, (1892-1973), lived near Dublin
in Hilltown Twp.
, author and Nobel Prize for Literature
recipient
- Abbie Hoffman,
(1936-1989), died in New Hope, activist
- Margaret Mead,
(1901-1978), raised near Doylestown, anthropologist
- Henry Chapman Mercer,
(1856–1930), Doylestown resident, archeologist, artifact collector,
tile-maker, and designer of poured concrete structures
- James Michener, (1907-1997),
lived in Doylestown, author and Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
recipient
- Jamie Moyer,
(1962– ), born in Sellersville
, starting pitcher in Major League Baseball
(Philadelphia
Phillies)
- Alecia Moore, (1979– ), born in
Doylestown, singer known as Pink
- Dean Sabatino, Pennridge High School graduate and
drummer for the punk band Dead
Milkmen
- Andrew Jackson Smith,
(1815-1897), Union army general
- Ezra Stone, (1917-1994), actor and
director
- Brianna Taylor, cast member of
the The Real World:
Hollywood born in Warwick, lives in Warminster
See also
External links
References
- Bucks County Commissioners
- Pennsbury Manor official website
-
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=05000US34037&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US34%7C05000US34037&_street=&_county=bucks&_cityTown=bucks&_state=04000US42&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=050&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null®=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=
in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania.
, formerly the home of Triple Crown contender
Smarty Jones, is in Bensalem
.
that is part of Washington's Crossing
, a U.S. National Historic Landmark area.
The park
is headquartered in the village of Washington
Crossing
. It marks the location of where George Washington
crossed the Delaware River during the American Revolutionary War.
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