Borough of Bryn Athyn | |
|---|---|
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 Location of Bryn Athyn in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. | |
  Bryn Athyn Location of Bryn Athyn in Pennsylvania Show map of Pennsylvania Bryn Athyn Bryn Athyn (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:40°08′22″N75°04′02″W / 40.13944°N 75.06722°W /40.13944; -75.06722 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Montgomery |
| Incorporated | 1916 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-manager |
| • Mayor | Kenneth Schauder |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.93 sq mi (5.00 km2) |
| • Land | 1.93 sq mi (5.00 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 292 ft (89 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 1,272 |
| • Density | 658.7/sq mi (254.32/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code | 19009 |
| Area codes | 215, 267, and 445 |
| FIPS code | 42-09696 |
| Website | http://www.brynathynboro.org |
Bryn Athyn is ahome-ruleborough inMontgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was formerly a borough, and its official name remains "Borough of Bryn Athyn". The population was 1,375 at the 2010 census. It was formed for religious reasons fromMoreland Township on February 8, 1916. Bryn Athyn is surrounded byLower Moreland Township.[3]
"Bryn Athyn" was intended to mean "Hill of Unity" by its founders. "Bryn" is Welsh for "hill"; the source of "athyn" was the 1889 edition William Spurrell'sAn English-Welsh Pronouncing Dictionary. Spurrell, in turn, apparently got the word from William Owen Pughe, who seems to have coined the term for hisDictionary of the Welsh Language, in which the word is said to mean "tenacious" or "cohesive." It was not attested in print before its inclusion in Pughe's dictionary.[4][5]
Bryn Athyn is located less than two miles north ofPhiladelphia.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2), all land.[6]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 392 | — | |
| 1930 | 766 | 95.4% | |
| 1940 | 800 | 4.4% | |
| 1950 | 913 | 14.1% | |
| 1960 | 1,057 | 15.8% | |
| 1970 | 970 | −8.2% | |
| 1980 | 947 | −2.4% | |
| 1990 | 1,081 | 14.1% | |
| 2000 | 1,351 | 25.0% | |
| 2010 | 1,375 | 1.8% | |
| 2020 | 1,272 | −7.5% | |
| [7][2] | |||
As of the 2010 census, Bryn Athyn was 92.5% White, 2.7% Black or African American, 2.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian, and 1.8% were two or more races. 1.2% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry[1].
As of thecensus[8] of 2000, there were 1,351 individuals, 377 households, and 292 families residing in the borough. The population density was 706.5 inhabitants per square mile (272.8/km2). There were 381 housing units at an average density of 199.3 per square mile (77.0/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 96.82%White, 1.04%African American, 0.07%Native American, 1.26%Asian, 0.22% fromother races, and 0.59% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 0.67% of the population. 17.9% were ofGerman, 15.5%English, 11.8%American, 6.7%Scottish and 6.6%Swedish ancestry according toCensus 2000.
There were 377 households, out of which 41.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.4% weremarried couples living together, 4.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.5% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.21 and the average family size was 3.76.
In the borough, the population was spread out, with 30.2% under the age of 18, 13.8% from 18 to 24, 22.4% from 25 to 44, 16.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $68,646, and the median income for a family was $76,214. Males had a median income of $48,958 versus $35,000 for females. Theper capita income for the borough was $32,737. About 2.4% of families and 3.6% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.
| Year | Republican | Democratic |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 37.5%300 | 59.0%472 |
| 2016 | 37.2%277 | 49.1%365 |
| 2012 | 53.6%388 | 41.6%301 |
| 2008 | 47.5%353 | 50.2%373 |
| 2004 | 59.1%443 | 39.0286 |
| 2000 | 67.5%442 | 24.6%161 |
Bryn Athyn has acity manager form of government with amayor (Kenneth Schauder) and borough council. The borough is part of theFourth Congressional District (represented by Rep.Madeleine Dean), the 152nd State House District (represented by Rep.Nancy Guenst) and the 12th State Senate District (represented by Sen.Maria Collett).
TheBryn Athyn Historic District, aNational Historic Landmark District, includes four historic buildings:
Bryn Athyn is also the site of the General Church affiliated Academy of the New Church, which is the parent organization of theAcademy of the New Church Secondary Schools,Bryn Athyn College, adivinity school, and the Swedenborg Library (which was named in honor ofEmanuel Swedenborg, whose writings constitute the doctrine of the New Church).[13]
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As of 2006 there were 7.86 miles (12.65 km) of public roads in Bryn Athyn, of which 0.87 miles (1.40 km) were maintained by thePennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 6.99 miles (11.25 km) were maintained by the borough.[14]
The only numbered highway serving Bryn Athyn isPennsylvania Route 232, which follows Huntingdon Pike on a north-south route through the borough. Byberry Road, the only other road of significance, passes along the northern and northeastern edges of the borough.
Bryn Athyn had commuter train service until January 14, 1983. Service was suspended due to failing train equipment resulting in a lack of ridership. As of 2017, the train station is used as the Bryn Athyn post office.
Though rail service was initially replaced with a Fox Chase-Newtown shuttle bus, patronage remained light. The replacement bus service was far slower and less convenient than the train service it replaced, resulting in the shuttle bus being very unpopular. The travelling public never saw a bus service as a suitable replacement for a rail service.
In the ensuing years, there has been interest in resuming passenger service byBucks County officials. NeighboringMontgomery County officials are supportive of re-thinking the rail corridor as well, though the belief withinSEPTA management is that the section throughLorimer Park andWalnut Hill Station (the only sparsely populated section along the railway) will never generate enough riders to be feasible.
In September 2009, theSouthampton-based Pennsylvania Transit Expansion Coalition (PA-TEC) began discussions with township officials along the railway, as well as SEPTA officials, about the realistic possibility of resuming even minimal passenger service to relieve traffic congestion in the region. Plans call for completing the electrification to Newtown, as originally planned in the late 1970s. Both Bucks and Montgomery County officials, as well as state representatives, have been receptive to PA-TEC's efforts, despite SEPTA's overall reservations. However, SEPTA has also confirmed that they are indeed open to revisiting the line if there is strong political support in both counties.[15][better source needed]
All plans for resuming the train service were dropped in 2014 when Montgomery County officials decided to extend thePennypack Trail over the derelict rail bed.[16]
SEPTA operates theRoute 24 bus, a bus that goes fromFrankford Transportation Center inNortheast Philadelphia to Southampton. The Route 24 bus goes along Huntingdon Pike while in Bryn Athyn.[17]
On December 5, 1921, twoReading Railroad passenger steam trains collided head-on on a blind curve. The impact sent red-hot coals flying forward from each engine, raining down on the wooden passenger cars of the oncoming train. Twenty-seven people were killed and some 70 injured. Most of those killed had burned to death, in part because the wooden cars had burned so quickly and also because of the inability of rescue workers to get access to the trains, which were wedged between the rock walls of a cut through hilly and wooded terrain without road access for fire equipment. The incident led to a ban on the use of wooden rail cars in order to prevent future disasters of a similar nature.[18]
The Bryn Athyn borough is within theBryn Athyn School District, which does not operate any public schools. The district website cites the small number of children within the borough enrolled in public schools.[19]
90% of school age children attend private schools within the district and the remainder are homeschooled or attend schools in neighboring districts.[citation needed]
