Darby, Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
 Darby Friends Meeting House, built 1805 | |
 Location inDelaware County and the U.S. state ofPennsylvania | |
  Darby Location in Pennsylvania Show map of Pennsylvania Darby Location in the United States Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:39°55′06″N75°15′30″W / 39.91833°N 75.25833°W /39.91833; -75.25833 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Delaware |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Darren R. Burrell |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.84 sq mi (2.18 km2) |
| • Land | 0.84 sq mi (2.18 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 79 ft (24 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 10,715 |
| • Density | 12,722.2/sq mi (4,912.05/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code | 19023 |
| Area codes | 610 and 484 |
| FIPS code | 42-18152 |
| Website | www |
Darby is aborough inDelaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is located along Darby Creek 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest ofCenter City Philadelphia. The borough of Darby is distinct from the nearby municipality ofDarby Township.
Darby was settled in 1682 by sevenQuaker families led by abolitionist and fair trade advocate John Blunston. The name Darby is derived from the English city ofDerby (pronounced"Darby"), thecounty town ofDerbyshire (pronounced"Darbyshire"), the origin of many early settlers.[3] Incorporated on May 3, 1853,[4] it had 3,429 residents in 1900, 6,305 in 1910, 10,334 in 1940, and 10,687 at the2010 census.
Darby founder John Blunston immigrated to Pennsylvania in October 1682. He was involved in real estate, agriculture, and goods trading. An early Quaker settler, Blunston was a close associate ofWilliam Penn and an active political figure in early Pennsylvania. He first served in the Colonial Assembly from 1683 to 1688. In this early stage of provincial government, Blunston became a strong proponent for the rights of the Assembly. In 1685 Blunston was appointed to a committee that argued against the Provincial Council's practice of enacting laws without legislative approval. In the same year, Blunston led the Assembly in their attempt to impeach Chief Justice Nicholas More. Blunston returned to the Assembly for the 1695 term. During his second period of service in the Assembly, he was elected the 12th Speaker of the Assembly on May 10, 1697. He was re-elected Speaker on May 10, 1699, and again on May 10, 1700. During this time he was instrumental in drafting a new frame of government for the Province. He retired from the Assembly after the 1701 term.
In addition to Blunston's service in the Assembly, he served as a Provincial Councilor starting in 1700 and ending in 1723. He served as justice of the peace for Chester County from 1684 to 1693 and again from 1695 to 1703. He was also actively involved with Darby Quaker Meeting House in what was then Chester County (now Delaware County), and was one of the Quakers who fought to cease the slave trade amongst Friends. He called upon purchasers to boycott products made by slaves as stolen products, thus advocating a "Fair Trade" policy. He represented the Chester Quarterly Meeting at the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of Friends 17 times between 1688 and 1715.
Darby is home to the fifth-oldest all-volunteer Fire Department and theDarby Free Library, one of the oldest libraries in the United States, founded in 1743. The Darby Friends Burial Ground is the oldest Cemetery in Pennsylvania in continuous use, opened in 1682.
The first temperance society in Pennsylvania, "Darby Association for Discouraging the Unnecessary Use of Spirituous Liquors", was organized at the Darby Friends Meetinghouse in 1819.
In 1833, three of the founding fourteen members of the Pennsylvania Female Anti Slavery Society were members of the Darby Friends Meeting.
Violent racial incidents hit all over the country as part of the1919 Red Summer. TheDarby 1919 lynching attempt was the attemptedlynching of Samuel Gorman of Darby on July 23, 1919. Samuel Gorman, a 17-year-old black boy, was sent to jail for the alleged murder of William E. Taylor.
Darby has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km2), all land. It has ahumid subtropical climate (Cfa) and average monthly temperatures range from 33.6 °F (0.9 °C) in January to 78.3 °F (25.7 °C) in July.[5]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | 780 | — | |
| 1870 | 1,205 | 54.5% | |
| 1880 | 1,779 | 47.6% | |
| 1890 | 2,972 | 67.1% | |
| 1900 | 3,429 | 15.4% | |
| 1910 | 6,305 | 83.9% | |
| 1920 | 7,922 | 25.6% | |
| 1930 | 9,899 | 25.0% | |
| 1940 | 10,334 | 4.4% | |
| 1950 | 13,154 | 27.3% | |
| 1960 | 14,059 | 6.9% | |
| 1970 | 13,729 | −2.3% | |
| 1980 | 11,513 | −16.1% | |
| 1990 | 11,140 | −3.2% | |
| 2000 | 10,299 | −7.5% | |
| 2010 | 10,687 | 3.8% | |
| 2020 | 10,715 | 0.3% | |
| Sources:[6][7][8][9][10][2] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[11] | Pop 2010[12] | Pop 2020[13] | % 2000 | % 2010 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 3,722 | 1,706 | 895 | 36.14% | 15.96% | 8.35% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 6,143 | 8,330 | 8,849 | 59.65% | 77.95% | 82.59% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 11 | 26 | 25 | 0.11% | 0.24% | 0.23% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 84 | 74 | 78 | 0.82% | 0.69% | 0.73% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0.07% | 0.03% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 29 | 16 | 70 | 0.28% | 0.15% | 0.65% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 205 | 304 | 330 | 1.99% | 2.84% | 3.08% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 98 | 228 | 468 | 0.95% | 2.13% | 4.37% |
| Total | 10,299 | 10,687 | 10,715 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of thecensus[8] of 2000, there were 10,299 people, 3,405 households and 2,393 families residing in the borough. The population density was 12,624.5 inhabitants per square mile (4,874.3/km2). There were 3,999 housing units at an average density of 4,902.0 per square mile (1,892.7/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 36.37%White, 60.00%African American, 0.14%Native American, 0.87%Asian, 0.07%Pacific Islander, 0.51% fromother races, and 2.04% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 0.95% of the population.
There were 3,405 households, out of which 41.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.1% weremarried couples living together, 30.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.45.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 33.4% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 17.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.3 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $26,938, and the median income for a family was $30,065. Males had a median income of $35,507 versus $22,451 for females. Theper capita income for the borough was $16,990. About 35.5% of families and 20.6% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 27.6% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.
Darby is a relatively urban place, with almost twice the population density of nearbyDarby Township. The Pennsylvania State Police reported[14] that the crime rate (per capita) in 2011 compared to the per-capita rate for Delaware County as a whole was six times higher for violent crimes (murder, robbery and assault, not including sex crimes), 24 times for property crimes (including arson), but only two times for drug offenses (not including alcohol offenses).[15]
William Penn School District serves Darby.[16] The district was created in 1972; prior to that year, Darby was in the Darby-Colwyn School District.[17]
The city is also home toBlessed Virgin Mary (BVM), a parochial school affiliated with theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
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As of 2018, there were 14.14 miles (22.76 km) of public roads in Darby, of which 2.19 miles (3.52 km) were maintained by thePennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 11.95 miles (19.23 km) were maintained by the borough.[18]
U.S. Route 13 is the only numbered highway serving Darby. It follows a southwest-to-northeast alignment along MacDade Boulevard through the center of the borough.
Darby is served by theSEPTA Subway–Surface Trolley Lines number11 and13 at theDarby Transportation Center and the SEPTAWilmington/Newark Line at theDarby station.
Darby once had three other railroad stations. Two, owned by theBaltimore and Ohio Railroad (now thePhiladelphia Subdivision ofCSX), one at Main and 6th Streets,[19] where theSEPTA Route 11 trolley crosses today, and the other, Boone Station, at Poplar Street and Lawrence Avenue.[20] ThePennsylvania Railroad station was on the site of what is now theSEPTA station for theWilmington/Newark Line.[19]
Darby Borough is in Pennsylvania's 5th Congressional district, currently represented by DemocratMary Gay Scanlon.In the Pennsylvania legislature, Darby is represented by Democrat Joanna E. McClinton in the 191st House District. Darby is in the 8th Pennsylvania Senate District, represented by Democrat Anthony H. Williams.
In local politics, Democrats hold an absolute majority of the borough's council seats, and the mayorship is held by Democrat Darren R. Burrell.
| Office | Ward | Holder | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Councilwoman (Council President) | 3rd Ward | Lucille Pratt | Democratic |
| Councilwomen Council Vice President | 1st Ward | Darlene Hill | Democratic |
| Councilwoman | 1st Ward | Tracey Holmes Williams | Democratic |
| Councilwoman | 1st Ward | Cheryl Butts | Democratic |
| Councilwoman | 2nd Ward | Janice Davis | Democratic |
| Councilwomen | 2nd Ward | Edna Stockley | Democratic |
| councilman | 2nd Ward | Alfred Robinson, Jr. | Democratic |
| Councilman | 3rd Ward | Omar K. Thompson | Democratic |
| Councilwomen | 3rd Ward | Jennifer Parks | Democratic |
| Preceded by | Bordering communities ofPhiladelphia | Succeeded by |
Municipalities and communities ofDelaware County, Pennsylvania,United States | ||
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| Ghost town | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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