Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
 The Lower Swedish Cabin in Drexel Hill | |
 Location inDelaware County and the U.S. state ofPennsylvania | |
| Coordinates:39°57′00″N75°18′07″W / 39.95000°N 75.30194°W /39.95000; -75.30194 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Delaware |
| Township | Upper Darby Township |
| Established | October 1996 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Ed Brown (D) |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.2 sq mi (8.3 km2) |
| • Land | 3.2 sq mi (8.3 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 246 ft (75 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
• Total | 28,043 |
| • Density | 8,800/sq mi (3,400/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Code | 19026 |
| Area codes | 610 and 484 |
Drexel Hill is a neighborhood andcensus-designated place (CDP) located inUpper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 29,181 at the2020 census,[1] an increase over 28,043 in 2010, and accounting for over one-third of Upper Darby Township's population.
Drexel Hill is located in the western part of Upper Darby Township at39°57′00″N75°18′7″W / 39.95000°N 75.30194°W /39.95000; -75.30194 (39.949962, -75.301841).[2] The neighborhood is eight miles (13 km) fromCenter City, Philadelphia and is bordered to the north byHaverford Township, to the east by the Kirklyn, Highland Park, Beverly Hills, and Bywood neighborhoods, to the southeast by the borough ofLansdowne, to the south by the borough ofClifton Heights and the Westbrook Park neighborhood, and to the southwest bySpringfield Township.[3]Darby Creek forms the southwestern/southern border of the CDP.U.S. Route 1 (Township Line Road) runs through the northwestern corner of the CDP and forms most of its northern border with Haverford Township.
The CDP has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2), all land.[4]
TheLower Swedish Cabin on Creek Road alongside Darby Creek is possibly the oldest log house in North America. The cabin is believed to have been built by early Swedish settlers who were part of theNew Sweden colony. The cabin was most likely built between 1638 and 1655, but the exact year is not known.Log cabin architecture was a major contribution of the colonial Swedes. European settlers from other countries copied this style of housing, and the log cabin became popular all across America.[5]
Collen Brook Farm is a historic home and associated buildings located at the end of a lane off Mansion Road at Marvine Avenue in Drexel Hill. The original house and barn were built about 1710 by Abraham Lewis. It was most recently acquired by Upper Darby Township in 1989. It is open to the public on Sundays from May through October.[6]
Thornfield, the estate of famedabolitionist and QuakerThomas Garrett, lies on Garrett Road (named for his family, who were among the earliest settlers of that part of the township) and Maple Avenue in Drexel Hill. Garrett resided here before 1822 and would later work as a station master inWilmington, Delaware, the last stop on theUnderground Railroad. In 1956, the Thornfield estate was purchased by Caroline andWalter Isard, activeQuakers who moved to the area when Walter founded theRegional Science department at theUniversity of Pennsylvania. As of 2014, the estate is owned by Randal T. Rioux.[citation needed] It is currently[when?] undergoing restoration, along with renovations necessary to preserve its history and allow for modern capabilities.[citation needed]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 29,744 | — | |
| 2000 | 29,364 | −1.3% | |
| 2010 | 28,043 | −4.5% | |
| 2020 | 29,181 | 4.1% | |
| source:[7][8] | |||
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As of the 2010 census the racial makeup of Drexel Hill was 87.1% White, 5.5% Black or African American, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 5.3% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, and 2.0% other.
The largest ethnic groups in Drexel Hill are Irish (41.8%), Italian (24.5%), German (16.7%), English (9.9%), Polish (4.2%), United States (2.8%), Hispanic (2.2%).
There were 11,896 households, out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% weremarried couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 32.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the CDP, the population was distributed with 24.3% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.4 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $48,765, and the median income for a family was $65,862.[9] Males had a median income of $42,841 versus $31,904 for females. Theper capita income for the CDP was $25,471. About 3.5% of families and 4.9% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
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SEPTA operates twotrolley lines through Drexel Hill: Route 101- a few stops in Drexel Hill are Irvington Rd,Drexel Hill Junction,School Lane,Aronimink,Drexelbrook,Drexel Park,Garrettford,Huey Avenue,School Lane,Anderson Avenue,Drexeline,Drexel Manor,Marshall Road, andCreek Road, stations toMedia and Route 102Sharon Hill, both lines begin at the69th Street Transportation Center. SeveralSEPTA bus routes also operate via Drexel Hill, including routes107,110,111, and115.
The major roads running through Drexel Hill are Township Line Road (US 1), State Road, Burmont Road, Garrett Road, Lansdowne Avenue, Marshall Road, Drexel Avenue, Edmonds Avenue and Shadeland Avenue.
TheUpper Darby School District is the school district covering all of Upper Darby Township, Drexel Hill included.[10] The school district operates the following public schools in the Drexel Hill census-designated place:[11]
Two schools, Hillcrest Elementary School,[18] andUpper Darby High School, are adjacent to the Drexel Hill CDP and use Drexel Hill postal addresses.[19]
The elementary schools that include Drexel Hill CDP in their catchments are Aronomink, Garretford, and Hillcrest. While Kelly is physically in Drexel Hill CDP, its catchment does not include any portion of the CDP.[20] Drexel Hill Middle School is the sole middle school with catchments in Drexel Hill CDP.[21]
These belong to theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia
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As an Upper Darby neighborhood, Drexel Hill is served by the Upper Darby Police Department, Crozer-Keystone Paramedics, based out of Delaware County Memorial Hospital, and the Upper Darby Township Fire Department, a combination paid and volunteer department personnel at five stations:
Companies 26, 36, 37, and 74 are staffed from 7 am Monday until 7 am Saturday by career personnel from IAFF Local 2493. They are supplemented by volunteers during the weekdays and fully staffed by volunteers on weekends.
Television personalityDick Clark lived from 1954 to 1956 at the Drexelbrook Apartment complex while hosting Barr's Diamond Theater and a radio show onWFIL, before he was hired to hostAmerican Bandstand. Television personalityEd McMahon also lived at the Drexelbrook before teaming up withJohnny Carson onDo You Trust Your Wife?, thenThe Tonight Show.
Children's authorLloyd Alexander lived in Drexel Hill with his wife and several cats.
1970s folk/pop singer-songwriterJim Croce grew up in the Bywood and Drexel Hill sections of Upper Darby. Croce graduated Upper Darby Sr. High in 1960 and attendedVillanova University 1961–1965. He married Ingrid Jacobson of Wallingford. Her family is believed to have bought the house Dick Clark sold upon leaving for the west coast whenBandstand left WFIL in the early '60s. Croce was the first to be inducted onUpper Darby High School's "Wall of Fame" in April 1976.
Former United States RepresentativePat Meehan of theSeventh Congressional District of Pennsylvania lives in Drexel Hill.
Alan Graham MacDiarmid ONZ (April 14, 1927 – February 7, 2007), one of three recipients of theNobel Prize for Chemistry in 2000, died in 2007 after falling in his Drexel Hill home. He is buried atArlington Cemetery in Drexel Hill.
Nancy Meyers, producer and director of movies includingThe Parent Trap (1998),What Women Want (2000),Something's Gotta Give (2003),The Holiday (2006),It's Complicated (2009) andThe Intern (2015), was raised in aJewish household in the Drexel Hill area.[27]
Drexel Hill residentGregore J. Sambor was a former commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department best known for his role in the1985 bombing of MOVE, in which six adults and five children died after he told firefighters to stand down and "let the fire burn".
3200 State Road Drexel Hill, PA 19026- Compare to the CDP map.
4611 Bond Ave Drexel HIll , Pa 19026- Compare to the CDP map.
3830 Garrett Road Drexel Hill, PA 19026- Compare to the CDP map.
3400 Dennison Avenue Drexel Hill, PA 19026- Compare to the CDP map.
3001 State Road Drexel Hill, PA 19026
2601 Bond Avenue Drexel Hill, PA 19026- Compare to the CDP map.
601 N. Lansdowne Ave Drexel Hill, PA 19026- Compare to the CDP map.
535 Mason Avenue Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania 19026- Compare to the CDP map.
1001 Turner Avenue, Drexel Hill, PA- Compare to the CDP map.
1225 Burmont Road, Drexel Hill, PA 19026- Compare to the CDP map.
Location 403 N. Lansdowne Avenue Drexel Hill, PA 19026- Compare this to the CDP map.
Founded 1736 | ||
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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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| National | |
