Havertown, Pennsylvania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Havertown | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Delaware |
| Township | Haverford |
| Center | |
| - coordinates | Coordinates: |
| - elevation | 276 ft (84.1 m) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| - summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Area code | 610 |
  Location of Havertown in Pennsylvania
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 Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
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Havertown (population roughly 39,000) is a residential suburban community in Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, located approximately 7 miles from the center of Philadelphia, and is part of Delaware County. Havertown's ZIP Code is 19083. Havertown is most notable for being the birthplace of Swell Bubble Gum, which closed its doors in late 2004. Also, Havertown is one of the few towns that have a Superfund site caused by a timber mill that finished telephone poles; the chemical that was used to coat the telephone poles leaked into the ground and water supply. Havertown is home to many small stores.
Havertown is also known for its large Irish American population. Many Irish-Americans still live there today; some even call Havertown the "33rd county", a reference to the 32 counties of Ireland. In fact, according to the 1990 census Havertown had the highest percentage of Irish surnames in the country. The neighborhood takes pride in its distinct Irish heritage and is home to many Irish bars and shops. For these reasons the neighborhood remains a very popular destination for Irish immigrants. Of the 36,300 residents, 11,182 noted "Irish" as their first reported ancestry. [1]
Havertown’s rich history began with its founding by Welsh Quakers in 1681 on land purchased by William Penn. The town is home to many historic sites, such as the Grange Estate, a mansion that entertained the Revolutionary War figures George Washington and General Lafayette. Nitre Hall, also located within the town’s borders, supplied the United States with over 800,000 pounds of gunpowder during the War of 1812. Other Havertown sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places include the Federal School and Lawrence Cabin.
Havertown is home to over thirty outdoor parks and playing fields. The town also provides other recreation facilities including the Haverford Township Free Library, an outdoor skate park, and the Haverford Township Skatium, a multi-use ice rink for Havertown residents. The town is guarded and watched over by the Haverford Township Police Department and is under the protection of five fire companies: Bon Air, Brookline, Llanerch, Manoa, and Oakmont.
Havertown is served by the School District of Haverford Township, which has one high school, one middle school, and five elementary schools. A newly-refurbished Elementary school, Chestnutwold Elementary, re-opened its doors early September. It replaced Oakmont Elementary, which is to become home to the district offices. The Haverford High School sports teams are called the "Fords", and have a Model T Ford as mascot.
The namesake of Haverford and Havertown is Haverfordwest, Wales, UK.
[edit] Notable residents (current and former)
- Billy King, former GM of the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team
- Brendan Hansen, Olympic medalist swimmer
- Mike Tollin, Hollywood film producer and director
- Joe Lunardi, ESPN Bracketologist
- Joe Crawford, NBA Referee
- Jerry Crawford, MLB Umpire
- Glen Macnow, Philadelphia Radio Personality
- Ryan Mulhern, former Washington Capitals player
- Jean Shiley-Newhouse, 1932 Olympic Gold Medalist
- Speedy Claxton, NBA current player
- Tim Donaghy, former NBA Referee
- Marguerite de Angeli, award-winning children's book author lived in Manoa in the 1930s
- John Facenda - Philadelphia newscaster and narrator for NFL Films
