Upland is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Upland is governed by an elected seven-member borough council. The population was 3,239 at the 2010 census,[3] up from 2,974 at the 2000 census.

Upland, Pennsylvania
Upland Borough Office
Upland Borough Office
Location of Upland in Delaware County, Pennsylvania (top) and of Delaware County in Pennsylvania (below)
Location of Upland in Delaware County, Pennsylvania (top) and of Delaware County in Pennsylvania (below)
Upland is located in Pennsylvania
Upland
Upland
Location of Upland in Pennsylvania
Upland is located in the United States
Upland
Upland
Upland (the United States)
Coordinates: 39°51′24″N 75°22′46″W / 39.85667°N 75.37944°W / 39.85667; -75.37944
CountryUnited States
StatePennsylvania
CountyDelaware
Settled1643
Area
 • Total
0.65 sq mi (1.68 km2)
 • Land0.65 sq mi (1.68 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
26 ft (8 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total
3,239
 • Estimate 
(2019)[2]
3,326
 • Density5,124.81/sq mi (1,978.68/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes
19013, 19015
Area code610
FIPS code42-045-78712
FIPS code42-78712
GNIS feature ID1190221
Websiteuplandboro.org

Geography

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Upland is located in southern Delaware County at 39°51′24″N 75°22′46″W / 39.85667°N 75.37944°W / 39.85667; -75.37944 (39.856762, -75.379429).[4] It is bordered to the west by Chester Township, to the north by the boroughs of Brookhaven and Parkside, and to the northeast, east, and south by the city of Chester. Chester Creek, a southeastward-flowing tributary of the Delaware River, forms the southern boundary of the borough.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.65 square miles (1.68 km2), all land.[3]

History

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An 1862 image of Upland Township

The first European settlers in this area were from the Swedish colony of New Sweden. They arrived in the area in 1643 and built a permanent settlement at Tinicum Island. Although the name literally means "up land", it also reflects the Swedish province of Uppland.

The settlement of Upland was built around the point where Chester Creek flows into the Delaware River, which is part of the city of Chester, formerly also called "Upland". The colonists had plantations devoted to the cultivation of tobacco for export to Sweden. Upland was reflected on the early map of New Sweden made by Peter Lindstrom in 1654.[5][6]

During this period, three governments were competing for colonial supremacy in the mid-Atlantic coastal area: the Dutch, the Swedish and the English. The Swedish settlement was incorporated into Dutch New Netherland on September 15, 1655. In 1664, the English captured New Netherland from the Dutch. In 1676, the Duke of York's laws were promulgated as the rule of conduct on the Delaware River, and courts were established, one of which was the Upland.[7]

By the mid-1800s, the Upland Mills were built along Chester Creek in Upland by the wealthy textile manufacturer John Price Crozer.[8] The mills produced clothing for the US Army and other customers.[9]

The borough of Upland was founded May 24, 1869.[10]

 
Old Main Building of the Crozer Theological Seminary

The John P. Crozer II Mansion, George K. Crozer Mansion, Caleb Pusey House, Old Main of the Crozer Theological Seminary, and Pusey-Crozier Mill Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[11] The Pusey House is one of the oldest buildings in the United States, completed in 1696, and one of the only extant buildings known to have been visited by William Penn (in addition to the Merion Friends Meeting House).

Education

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Residents in Upland are zoned to the Chester-Upland School District. Main Street Elementary School is the elementary school in Upland.[12] Residents are also zoned to Smedley Middle School and Chester High School.

Crozer Theological Seminary was a multi-denominational religious institution built in 1858 by the wealthy industrialist John Price Crozer. Its most famous student was Martin Luther King Jr., who graduated in 1951 with a Bachelor of Divinity degree.[13]

In 1970, the school was moved to Rochester, New York in a merger that formed the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School.[14] The Old Main Building of the Crozer Theological Seminary was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.[15] The seminary grounds are part of the Crozer Arboretum and the Old Main building is part of the Crozer-Chester Medical Center.

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note
18701,341
18802,02851.2%
18902,27512.2%
19002,131−6.3%
19102,2214.2%
19202,48611.9%
19302,5000.6%
19402,431−2.8%
19504,08167.9%
19604,3436.4%
19703,930−9.5%
19803,458−12.0%
19903,334−3.6%
20002,977−10.7%
20103,2398.8%
20203,068−5.3%
[16]

As of 2010 census, the racial makeup of the borough was 51.3% White, 41.3% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 2.4% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.8% of the population [1][dead link].

As of the 2000 census,[17] of 2000, there were 2,977 people, 1,116 households, and 765 families residing in the borough. The population density was 4,439.0 inhabitants per square mile (1,713.9/km2). There were 1,216 housing units at an average density of 1,813.2 per square mile (700.1/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 77.23% White, 19.68% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.81% from other races, and 1.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.08% of the population.

There were 1,116 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% were married couples living together, 20.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.28.

In the borough, the population was spread out, with 28.7% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $28,869, and the median income for a family was $35,640. Males had a median income of $31,188 versus $26,723 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $15,391. About 20.1% of families and 25.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 46.3% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

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I-95 North in Upland

As of 2014, there were 9.88 miles (15.90 km) of public roads in Upland, of which 2.38 miles (3.83 km) were maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 7.50 miles (12.07 km) were maintained by the borough.[18]

Interstate 95 is the main highway serving Upland; portions of Interchange 6 are located within the borough.

Points of interest

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The Caleb Pusey house is the oldest existing structure known to have been visited by William Penn

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  2. ^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Upland borough, Pennsylvania". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  4. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  5. ^ Narrative and Critical History of America (vol. 4) (Justin Winsor. Boston, MA: Houghton, Mifflin, and Company, 1884)
  6. ^ The History of Upland Borough
  7. ^ Upland Court in Chester County
  8. ^ Ashmead, Henry Graham (1883). Historical Sketch of Chester, on Delaware. Chester, Pennsylvania: Republican Steam Printing House. p. 320. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  9. ^ Brackney, William H. (2008). Congregation and Campus: Baptists in Higher Education. Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press. p. 277. ISBN 978-0-88146-130-5. Retrieved 31 July 2017.
  10. ^ Ashmeade, Henry Graham (1884). History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: L.H. Everts & Co. p. 427. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  11. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  12. ^ "Mailing Address." Main Street Elementary School. Retrieved on March 30, 2009.
  13. ^ King, Martin Luther Jr.; Carson, Clayborne (1998), The autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr., New York, New York: Warner Books, p. 62, OCLC 39399036, retrieved 2009-10-06
  14. ^ Dugan, George (1970-05-17), "BAPTIST SEMINARY PLANS TO MERGE; Crozer Theological to Join With School in Rochester", The New York Times, p. 36, ISSN 0362-4331, retrieved 2009-10-06
  15. ^ "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania". CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on 2007-07-21. Retrieved 2018-01-28. Note: This includes Pennsylvania Register of Historic Sites and Landmarks (June 1972). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Old Main" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-01-06.
  16. ^ "Census 2020".
  17. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  18. ^ "Upland Borough map" (PDF). PennDOT. Retrieved March 12, 2023.

Other sources

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  • Jordan, John W. A History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania (Lewis Historical Publishing Company, New York. 1914)
  • Ward, Christopher L. New Sweden on the Delaware (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1938)
  • Armstrong, Edward; William H. Denny The Record of the Court at Upland, in Pennsylvania. 1676 to 1681 (Kessinger Pub Company. 2007) ISBN 0-548-29249-3
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