Greater Philadelphia Apartments

Renting an Apartment in Lansdale

Lansdale is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 28 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Early in the twentieth century, its industries included agricultural implement works, a canning factory, foundries, brickyards, a silk mill, and manufacturers of cigars, stoves, shirts, rope, iron drain pipe, and glue.  In 1900, 2,754 people lived here; in 1910, 3,551; and in 1940, 9,316 people were inhabitants of Lansdale. The population was 16,071 at the 2000 census.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 7.9 km� (3.1 mi�), all land.

Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 16,071 people, 6,620 households, and 4,051 families residing in the borough. The population density was 2,027.8/km� (5,245.8/mi�). There were 6,893 housing units at an average density of 869.7/km� (2,250.0/mi�). The racial makeup of the borough was 85.40% White, 3.94% African American, 0.09% Native American, 7.98% Asian, 0.16% Pacific Islander, 0.73% from other races, and 1.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.90% of the population.

There were 6,620 households out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.8% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the borough the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $46,232, and the median income for a family was $54,891. Males had a median income of $40,009 versus $29,825 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $22,096. About 4.1% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.4% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Politics and government

Lansdale has a city manager form of government with a mayor and a nine-member borough council. The mayor is Michael DiNunzio. The Borough Manager is F. Lee Mangan.

The borough is part of the Thirteenth Congressional District (represented by Rep. Allyson Schwartz), Pennsylvania's 53rd Representative District (represented by Rep. Robert Godshall) and the 24th State Senate District (represented by Sen. Robert Wonderling).

Schools

K-6 public elementary schools in Lansdale include Knapp Elementary, General Nash Elementary, Walton Farm Elementary, and York Avenue Elementary. St. Stanislaus School is a Catholic K-8 school. Penndale Middle School serves grades 7-9. Lansdale area high schools include Lansdale Catholic High School, Christopher Dock Mennonite High School, and North Penn High School. The latter two high schools are located outside Lansdale Borough in neighboring Towamencin Township.

Kugel ball

Lansdale is home to a Kugel ball, which is a 2,200-pound dark grey granite sphere supported by a very thin film of water pumped from beneath its base. The Kugel Ball used to freeze up because the water that spins the granite ball was never turned off during the winter months. In recent years, the water has been turned off at the start of winter. The Kugel Ball is located in Railroad Plaza, adjacent to the SEPTA R5 train station in downtown Lansdale. The plaza consists of a bricked patio with benches centered around the Kugel Ball. The plaza closes at 11:00 p.m., the town's curfew, and the police make sure that there is no one in the park past that time. In German, kugel means "ball".

History

Lansdale was named for Phillip Lansdale Fox, chief surveyor of the North Penn Railroad. By the naming conventions of the time, it should have been called Jenkintown, since the land immediately surrounding the train station was owned by the Jenkins family, but there was already a town by that name along the rail line.

According to legend, Lansdale was once home to the mysterious H tree, which stood on a 12 foot hill. There were supposedly 3 H trees in the whole world, and they were thought to be the entrance to hell. One would have to circle one of the trees six times, and jump off the cliff, and the ground would open up and take you to hell. The H tree was cut down to make room for housing development. This has been featured in the book "Weird Pennsylvania.