North Penn Valley, Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|
 Interactive map of North Penn Valley, Pennsylvania | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Montgomery |
| Population (2010) | |
• Total | 97,957 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| Area codes | 215, 267, and 445 |
TheNorth Penn Valley is a region ofPhiladelphiasuburbs andexurbs inMontgomery County, Pennsylvania. It is somewhat congruent with theNorth Penn School District. It contains the boroughs ofNorth Wales,Lansdale, andHatfield, as well as the surrounding townships. The area to its west has traditionally been morerural, while the suburbs to its south and east are, on the whole, more affluent and densely populated.
The North Penn Valley has a total area of 42 square miles (110 km2) and a population of 97,957.
It is included in the greaterPhiladelphia metropolitan statistical area.
The North Penn Valley is named after theNorth Pennsylvania Railroad, or North Penn Railroad, which was built through the area in the 1850s. The boroughs of North Wales, Lansdale, and Hatfield developed along the North Pennsylvania Railroad line.
There are seven municipalities in the North Penn Valley. The four townships areMontgomery Township,Hatfield Township,Upper Gwynedd Township, andTowamencin Township. The three boroughs areLansdale,Hatfield, andNorth Wales. The North Penn Valley is based around the Borough of Lansdale. Unincorporated communities that are part of the North Penn Valley includeColmar,Kulpsville,Line Lexington,Montgomeryville, andWest Point. The North Penn Valley itself is primarily suburban, with urban centers around Lansdale. Most of the land in the valley is developed with suburban housing developments and commercial centers. The population density of the valley is 2,332 per square mile (900/km2).
The North Penn Valley is served by public schools in theNorth Penn School District which operatesNorth Penn High School, three middle schools, 13 elementary schools, and an alternative education school. The district served about 13,000 students in 2014-2015 and employed about 2,000 staff members.[1] Multiple private schools serve the valley. The Mater Dei School of theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia and theCalvary Baptist School, a pre-K-12th grade Christian school, are in Lansdale. Private high schools in the North Penn Valley includeLansdale Catholic High School in Lansdale andDock Mennonite Academy in Towamencin Township.
The Northeast Extension of thePennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 476) has the Lansdale Interchange in Towamencin Township, about three miles (4.8 km) from downtown Lansdale. Major routes serving the North Penn Valley includeU.S. Route 202, which passes through Montgomery Township on aparkway alignment,U.S. Route 202 Business, which passes through the commercial center of Montgomery Township,Pennsylvania Route 63, which runs west-east across the valley connecting to the Lansdale Interchange of the Northeast Extension and passing through Lansdale along Main Street,Pennsylvania Route 152, which passes through the eastern corner of Montgomery Township,Pennsylvania Route 309, which runs north-south through commercial areas in Montgomery Township and Hatfield Township alongBethlehem Pike,Pennsylvania Route 363, which begins at PA 63 in Lansdale and heads southwest along Valley Forge Road andPennsylvania Route 463, which begins at PA 63 in Hatfield Township and heads northeast to Hatfield before turning southeast and passing through Montgomeryville.[2]
SEPTA Regional Rail provides commuter rail service to the North Penn Valley along theLansdale/Doylestown Line, with stations atNorth Wales,Pennbrook,Lansdale,9th Street,Fortuna,Colmar, andLink Belt. The Lansdale/Doylestown Line connects the valley toCenter City Philadelphia andDoylestown, along with intermediate points.SEPTA operates three bus routes that serve the North Penn Valley, all of which serve Lansdale and theMontgomery Mall. TheRoute 94 bus connects the region to theChestnut Hill section ofPhiladelphia, theRoute 96 bus connects to theNorristown Transportation Center inNorristown, and theRoute 132 bus connects toTelford.[3]
Freight rail service in the North Penn Valley is provided by thePennsylvania Northeastern Railroad, ashort-line freight railroad that is headquartered in Lansdale. The Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad operates the Lansdale Yard in the borough and provides freight rail service out of Lansdale to several points in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia on SEPTA-owned lines.[4]CSX Transportation interchanges with the Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad in Lansdale.[5]
40°14′N75°17′W / 40.233°N 75.283°W /40.233; -75.283
