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45-653: Horsham Township is made up of several community areas including Horsham (19044) and portions of the Hatboro (19040), Ambler (19002), Chalfont (18914) and North Wales (19454) ZIP codes. Horsham Township is named after the market town of Horsham in West Sussex , England. Horsham is one of several townships in Montgomery County whose name and size were determined by master survey lines drawn by William Penn 's engineers as they first plotted this part of

90-675: A 42-acre historic park located in Horsham Township, featuring the Keith House, the only surviving residence of a colonial Pennsylvania governor. The mansion has remained virtually intact since the late 18th century. As of 2019 there were 116.49 miles (187.47 km) of public roads in Horsham Township, of which 23.70 miles (38.14 km) were maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 92.79 miles (149.33 km) were maintained by

135-553: A conference center and hotel on the site. Once the land is transferred, the surplus property will comprise about 8% of the Township's total land area. The NAS-JRB Willow Grove Redevelopment Plan details the existing conditions, issues and opportunities, and recommendations that will guide the Horsham Township Authority for NAS-JRB Willow Grove in the redevelopment process. According to the U.S. Census Bureau ,

180-557: A household in the township was $ 103,917. The per capita income for the township was $ 51,306. About 2.7% of the population was below the poverty line . Horsham Township has a diverse and growing business community. Major Employers located in Horsham The Hatboro-Horsham School District serves the township along with nearby Hatboro . Educational institutions include: All Hatboro-Horsham schools have received blue ribbon honors from both

225-517: A resting spot with a tavern for those traveling along either Limekiln Pike or Horsham Road. Here lived several generations of the Simpson family, one of whom was the mother of Ulysses S. Grant , the 18th president of the United States. The hamlet of Davis Grove grew at the intersection of Keith's Road (now called Governors Road) and Privet Road and was once a focal point of community life. It

270-484: A similar way, Prospectville, originally known as Cashtown, was established at the junction of two roads, Limekiln Pike and Horsham Road. This portion of Limekiln Pike was an extension of the original segment established in 1693 to provide a thoroughfare between Old York Road and the limekilns of Thomas Fitzwater in Upper Dublin Township. Prospectville, on a high elevation point within the township, offering

315-530: A small group of Naval Aviators, maintenance personnel, and biplanes and evolving into a home for aircraft and personnel from every branch of the United States Armed Forces. The Township saw significant development post WWII, beginning along Easton Road and County Line Road. This trend continued into surrounding communities. Until the late 20th century, the northwestern end of the township was still mostly rural. In 2005, NAS-JRB Willow Grove

360-637: Is a census-designated place in Horsham Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania , United States. The population was 15,193 at the 2020 census . It is home to the Biddle Air National Guard Base at the former site of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove . Horsham is coterminous with the ZIP Code 19044. It covers an area of 5.47 miles and is located 16 miles (26 km) north of Philadelphia . Horsham

405-401: Is a bicycle and pedestrian network which provides ready access to parks, schools, library, neighborhoods, retail centers and business parks. The Power Line Trail runs across the township along a PECO Energy right-of-way. Horsham Township has three golf courses: Commonwealth National Golf Club (an Arnold Palmer-designed course), Squires Golf Club, and Talamore Country Club. Graeme Park is

450-547: Is located at 40°10′34.20″N 75°08′2.40″W  /  40.1761667°N 75.1340000°W  / 40.1761667; -75.1340000 (40.178484, -75.128786). The climate in Horsham is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally cool to cold winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Horsham has a humid continental climate , abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps. As of

495-469: Is located to the south in neighboring Upper Moreland Township, connecting to Pennsylvania Route 611. SEPTA provides bus service within Horsham Township. The Route 55 bus follows Pennsylvania Route 611 through the township and heads north to Doylestown and south to Willow Grove and Olney Transportation Center in North Philadelphia . Three additional bus routes serve the business parks in

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540-413: Is near Willow Grove Park. Harper works at an amusement park named "Paradise" which is loosely based on Michener's own experiences as a young man when he worked at Willow Grove Park. The carnival scenes for Abbott and Costello's final film together, Dance with Me, Henry , were filmed at the park in 1956. In 1973, the grounds were used in the film Malatesta's Carnival of Blood . A documentary of

585-503: The Pennsylvania Air National Guard remains at their present site along with Army Reserve and Army National Guard units on the former U.S. Air Force Reserve Center facility. The United States Army Reserve , Pennsylvania Air National Guard, and Pennsylvania Army National Guard units are located on the approximately 200-acre base that is located near the intersection of County Line and Easton Roads. The name of

630-450: The 2020 census, Horsham's population was 81.7% Non-Hispanic White, 3.1% Black or African American, 0% Native American and Alaskan Native, 7.7% Asian, 0% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 2.6% were two or more races. 12.2% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry. There were 15,173 people and 5,666 households residing in Horsham. The population density was 2,777.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,072.4/km ). The population

675-711: The Horsham Office Parks Shuttle (h.o.p.s), which connects the Horsham business parks with the Fort Washington station along SEPTA Regional Rail's Lansdale/Doylestown Line during weekday rush hours. Electricity and natural gas in Horsham Township is provided by PECO Energy Company , a subsidiary of Exelon . Trash and recycling collection in the township is provided by private haulers including Arthur Moore, Republic Services , Waste Management , Advanced Disposal, Horizon Waste, and Whitetail Disposal, Inc. Cable, telephone, and internet service to

720-606: The Pennsylvania Department of Education and the United States Department of Education for demonstrating excellence in education. Horsham Township Parks & Recreation has 815 acres of parkland including public parks, a community center and a trail system. The parks contain playground equipment, sand volleyball, tennis courts, picnic pavilions and fields for baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse and football. The Horsham Township Trail System

765-579: The Philadelphia-Willow Grove trolley service was extended to along Easton Road from the Willow Grove Amusement Park at Easton and Welsh Roads. This provided various connections to other trolley lines. In 1926, aviation pioneer Harold F. Pitcairn, purchased a large section of farmland on the west side of Doylestown Pike (now Route 611) and constructed a hangar and a grass airstrip. From 1926 to 1942 Pitcairn used

810-734: The airfield for numerous air shows and to design, construct and test a number of aircraft, including the Mailwing which was used by the United States Postal Service to carry the overnight mail between New York and Atlanta. In 1942, the United States Navy purchased what eventually became the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base (NAS-JRB) Willow Grove which contributed to national defense for over six decades, beginning with

855-410: The area is provided by Xfinity and Verizon . Horsham Township is served by area codes 215, 267, and 445 . The Horsham Water and Sewer Authority provides water and sewer service in the township. The water system in Horsham Township consists of 15 wells, five above-ground storage tanks, and 103 miles (166 km) of distribution lines, serving 7,042 customers. In addition to water supplied from wells,

900-483: The authority also purchases water from the North Wales Water Authority . Multiple groundwater wells in the township are contaminated with perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from the former Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove site, leading to the authority having to close wells to install treatment systems to decontaminate the water. Portions of

945-728: The biggest attractions in the park was the music pavilion, at which John Philip Sousa and his band played several times between 1901 and 1926. The pavilion was demolished in March 1959. The park operated under the name Six Gun Territory from 1972 until its closure. The park's closure was announced in April 1976, and it sat vacant for several years until the land was cleared for a large shopping mall known as Willow Grove Park Mall , which opened in August 1982. The mall pays homage to its predecessor by displaying banners and other objects which hark back to

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990-492: The center of the township along Horsham Road, and Pennsylvania Route 611 , which heads north–south through the eastern part of Horsham Township along Easton Road. Other major roads in the township include Blair Mill Road, which runs southwest–northeast along the southeastern boundary of Horsham Township; Butler Pike , which runs southwest–northeast, beginning in the township at Limekiln Pike and heading southwest towards Ambler : County Line Road, which runs northwest–southeast along

1035-490: The closing of these roads and the absorption of the hamlet. Today, there are virtually no remaining signs of the original settlement. Through most of the early and the middle 19th century, Horsham's population grew slowly. Its character was not altered in any significant way until about 1872, when the North Pennsylvania Railroad extended a rail line from Glenside to New Hope and established a station in

1080-775: The coining of the term trolley park . The park was served by the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Co. (PRT), and later by the Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC) Route 6 streetcar line. Streetcar service to the park ended in 1958 when the Pennsylvania Highway Department (predecessor to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation ) acquired portions of the area for construction of the Pennsylvania Route 309 Expressway. One of

1125-467: The colony for sale and settlement. Parallel lines, projected at intervals of a mile and a half and extending in a northwesterly direction from settlements along the Delaware, served not only as base lines for measurement of individual land grants but also as courses for future highways. County Line Road, Horsham Road, and Welsh Road are examples of highways so laid out. The effect of these survey lines upon

1170-528: The day-to-day operations of the township. There are eight departments of the manager's office: Administration, Finance, Public Works, Police, Fire Marshall/Emergency Management, Parks and Recreation, Code Enforcement, and Library. Fire protection is provided by the two fire stations of the Horsham Fire Company No. 1 a combination paid/volunteer fire department. As of the census of 2020, there were 26,564 people and 9,469 households residing in

1215-584: The development pattern of Eastern Montgomery County is very much in evidence today. In 1684, the entire township of 17 square miles (44 km) was made available to individual purchasers. Samuel Carpenter , from the town of Horsham in Sussex, England, after which the township is named, purchased 5,000 acres (20 km), 4,200 acres (17 km) within the present boundaries of the township. In 1709, Carpenter, then Treasurer of Pennsylvania, began to sell tracts of land to migrating Quakers . In 1717, Horsham Township

1260-694: The installation is Biddle Air National Guard Base . On April 27, 2012, the Horsham Township Authority for NAS-JRB (HLRA) submitted the NAS-JRB Willow Grove Redevelopment Plan and Homeless Assistance Submission to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and United States Navy . The plan includes many developments popular with area residents including small nature and conservation parks, an aviation museum, and town center; but also includes some highly unpopular developments such as

1305-581: The junction of routes 463 and 611 range from 31.8 °F in January to 76.6 °F in July. The hardiness zone is 7a. The Home Rule Charter of Horsham Township went into effect in January 1976. The Charter prescribed that there shall be five Council members, elected at large, for four-year terms. The legislative power of the Township is vested with Council. The Council discusses and adopts legislation at their regular monthly meetings. The township manager runs

1350-462: The land's days as an amusement park. A merry-go-round built and installed in 2001 operates within the mall. The park is referred to by Claudette Colbert in the 1934 film She Married Her Boss . James A. Michener wrote a novel in 1949 entitled The Fires of Spring , telling the story of a young orphan boy named David Harper growing up in a poorhouse in Doylestown , Pennsylvania , which

1395-496: The nearby community of Hatboro, 2.75 miles (4.4 km) east of the nucleus of Horshamville. Horsham-Hatboro-Byberry Road provided easy access to Hatboro's station and, as a result, residential development began along the road, virtually linking the two communities together. By 1890, the township's population had reached 1,300. In 1896, the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company's northern extension of

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1440-494: The northeastern border with Bucks County ; Dresher Road/Meetinghouse Road, which runs southwest–northeast in the eastern section of Horsham Township; Lower State Road, which runs southwest–northeast along the northwestern boundary of the township; and Norristown Road, which begins at Horsham Road in the center of the township and heads west to Maple Glen . The Willow Grove Interchange of the Pennsylvania Turnpike

1485-406: The park was created in 1991, titled Life was a Lark at Willow Grove Park . In season one, episode three (“New Frontier”) of the 2002 television show American Dreams , Willow Grove Park was mentioned, along with one of its roller coasters , by Helen Pryor to Will at the end of the episode. A book from Arcadia Publishing released in 2005 entitled Willow Grove Park includes over 200 photos of

1530-839: The southern portion of Horsham Township. The Route 80 bus runs a limited stop express route between Horsham and the Olney Transportation Center. The Route 310 bus, known as the Horsham Breeze Red, and the Route 311 bus, known as the Horsham Breeze Blue, connect the Horsham business parks to the Willow Grove Park Mall and the Willow Grove station along SEPTA Regional Rail 's Warminster Line . Horsham Township operates

1575-410: The township has a total area of 17.3 square miles (45 km), all land. Its villages include Prospectville , Maple Glen (also in Upper Dublin Township,) Hallowell, and Horsham . Natural features include Park Creek , Little Neshaminy Creek , Pennypack Creek , and Wissahickon Creek . The township has a hot-summer humid continental climate ( Dfa ) and average monthly temperatures in the vicinity of

1620-667: The township receive water from Aqua Pennsylvania , a subsidiary of Aqua America . The sewer system operated by the Horsham Water and Sewer Authority consists of five drainage districts, three of which are in the Pennypack Creek watershed and two of which are in the Neshaminy Creek watershed. Wastewater from the two districts in the Neshaminy Creek watershed, serving the central and western portions of

1665-682: The township, is treated at the Park Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant operated by the authority. Wastewater from the three districts in the Pennypack Creek watershed, serving the southern and eastern portions of the township, is treated at a wastewater treatment plant operated by the Upper Moreland-Hatboro Joint Sewer Authority, which the authority has an agreement with. Horsham, Pennsylvania Horsham

1710-464: The township. Numbered routes serving Horsham Township include Pennsylvania Route 63 , which runs northwest–southeast along the southwestern border on Welsh Road; Pennsylvania Route 152 , which runs north–south through the western part of the township on Limekiln Pike; Pennsylvania Route 309 , which passes north–south through the far western corner of Horsham Township along Bethlehem Pike ; Pennsylvania Route 463 , which runs northwest–southeast through

1755-432: The township. The population density was 1,533.5 inhabitants per square mile (592.1/km). The racial makeup of the township was 83.0% White , 2.8% African American , 0.1% Native American , 8.6% Asian , 0.0% Pacific Islander , and 2.2% from two or more races . Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 8.7% of the population. The age distribution was 4.5% under 5, 24.0% under 18, and 16.1% 65 and over. The median income for

1800-479: Was an amusement park located in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania . It operated for eighty years, from 1896 to 1975. It was the main competitor to Woodside Amusement Park in Fairmount Park until its closure. The park originally was conceived by one of the three Philadelphia area traction companies, Peoples Traction Company, as a means to encourage weekend customers on the trolley line, a practice that led to

1845-450: Was established as a municipal entity by a vote of the people. In 1718, Sir William Keith , then provincial governor of Pennsylvania, acquired 1,200 acres (4.9 km) of Carpenter's land on which he erected a house in keeping with the dignity of his office. The development of Keith's "plantation" proved to be a step in establishing closer ties between Horsham and neighboring communities, particularly those of Hatboro and Willow Grove . He

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1890-517: Was here the residents of the township came to vote, discuss politics, and attend community meetings. The "Golden Ball Inn", which at one time was used to house guests of Governor Keith, enjoyed much Revolutionary splendor. The two roads were formerly through links. Keith's Road extended from Easton Road to Keith Valley Road and Privet Road, from Horsham Road to Easton Road. Expansion of the Willow Grove Naval Air Station caused

1935-583: Was responsible for the construction of the present Easton Road ( PA Highway 611 ) from the old York Road junction at Willow Grove to his mansion on County Line Road in 1722. The first significant settlement in the Township centered around the junction of Horsham and Easton Roads and was known as Horshamington. Keith's extension of Easton Road prompted the establishment of the Horsham Friends Meeting House. The township's early social and economic life revolved around this Meeting House. In

1980-549: Was selected for closure by BRAC 2005 law. In late 2006, the Horsham Township Authority for NAS-JRB Willow Grove (HLRA) was selected as the Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA), and was charged with preparing the required reuse planning documents. In 2011, NAS-JRB Willow Grove was officially closed, 68 years after the base and its hangars were built. The Navy and Marine Corps squadrons/units moved to McGuire Air Force Base in 2011. The 111th Attack Wing of

2025-558: Was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median income for a household in the CDP was $ 85,767, and the median income for a family was $ 68,619. The per capita income for the CDP was $ 41,747. About 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line . It is part of the Hatboro-Horsham School District . Willow Grove Amusement Park Willow Grove Park

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