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Renting an Apartment in Upper Darby
Upper Darby Township is a township and largest municipality in Delaware
County and the 5th largest municipality in the state of Pennsylvania. It was
founded during a split from Darby Township on August 30, 1736. However it was
not incorporated under the home rule charter until 1907. Located just 5.8 miles
from Center City, and bordering the Philadelphia city limits via Cobbs Creek,
many of its residents work in the city. The east-west Philadelphia subway (the
'El') terminates at 69th street, Upper Darby's principal business district.
Several trolley and bus lines connect 69th Street Terminal to the western
suburbs of Philadelphia. As of the 2000 census, the township had a total
population of 81,821. By 2005, the population was estimated at 79,620.
Upper Darby is 65% residential, 25% commercial, and 8% other. Because of a
home-rule charter adopted in the 1970s, the township utilizes a mayor-council
form of management (other "First Class" townships in Pennsylvania have a board
of commissioners divided into wards, and "Second Class" townships having a board
of supervisors, which are usually elected "at-large"). The current mayor of
Upper Darby is F. Raymond Shay.
It is the birthplace of singer, songwriter and record producer Todd Rundgren and
two Saturday Night Live alumni- former head writer and cast member Tina Fey and
cast member Cheri Oteri. Other notable residents include Lloyd Alexander, Jamie
Kennedy, Vinnie Paz of Hip-Hop group Jedi Mind Tricks and Dr. Jack Ramsay.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of
20.4 km˛ (7.9 mi˛). The township lies on the edge of the Piedmont slightly above
the City of Philadelphia (60 to 260 feet above sea level). The area is crossed
by several small creeks. The borough of East Lansdowne, Pennsylvania is an
enclave completely surrounded by Upper Darby Township; additionally, an exclave
of Upper Darby Township is separated from the rest of the township.
The Census-Designated Place of Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania and the Community of
Primos, Pennsylvania are part of Upper Darby Township.
Adjacent municipalities
* Haverford Township, Delaware County - north
* City of Philadelphia - east
* East Lansdowne Borough, Delaware County - southeast
* Yeadon Borough, Delaware County - southeast
* Lansdowne Borough, Delaware County - south
* Darby Borough, Delaware County - south
* Aldan Borough, Delaware County - south
* Darby Township, Delaware County - south
* Ridley Township, Delaware County - southwest
* Springfield Township, Delaware County - west
History
The area was first settled in the late 1653 by a group of 100 Swedes. The
abundance of creeks and streams in the area favored the development of mills and
it was in Upper Darby that the first mills in Delaware County could be found.
The mill trade greatly increased the population of Upper Darby, from just over
800 in 1800 to almost 5000 by 1890. The Swedish Cabin, thought to have been
built in 1654, is located on Creek Road along the Darby Creek and is believed by
many to be a remnant of the early Swedes, who introduced the log cabin to this
area. Today the "Swedish Cabin" is designated with a Pennsylvania Historical
Marker. The Cabin is also on the National Register of Historic Places.
Upper Darby Township was settled by Quakers and formed out of Darby Township in
1736. In 1798, Upper Darby was one of the several municipalities that voted to
secede from Chester County and form a new county, hence Delaware County was
established with the seat at Chester City. In 1851 the seat was moved to Media,
where it remains today.
Reflecting its Quaker beginnings, Upper Darby was active in the antislavery
movement. Many homes in the area were stops on the Underground Railroad. Two
regiments from Upper Darby took part in the fighting in the American Civil War,
and one, the 106th, was involved in the Battle of Antietam. The business
district is noted for many fine examples of Art Deco style buildings. The 20th
century saw a population explosion in Upper Darby. By the 1960s it ranked as the
7th most populous municipality in Pennsylvania, eclipsing such towns as
Harrisburg (the state capital), Chester and Bethlehem.
Demographics
As of the census˛ of 2000, there were 81,821 people, 32,551 households, and
20,474 families residing in the township. The population density was 4,014.1/km˛
(10,397.7/mi˛). There were 34,322 housing units at an average density of
1,683.8/km˛ (4,361.6/mi˛). The racial makeup of the township was 77.27% White,
11.33% African American, 0.12% Native American, 8.86% Asian, 0.03% Pacific
Islander, 0.52% from other races and 1.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 1.64% of the population.
There were 32,551 households out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18
living with them, 45.0% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 31.6% of all
households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who
was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the
average family size was 3.23.
In the township the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18,
8.4% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64 and 13.7% who were
65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females
there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2
males.
The median income for a household in the township was $41,489, and median income
for a family was $52,500. Males had a median income of $38,090 versus $30,416
for females. The per capita income for the township was $20,770. About 7.3% of
families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.1%
of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Upper Darby Township's Public Education is served by the Upper Darby School
District. In all, the 12 Public Schools plus the Kindergarten Center serve
nearly 12,000 students. Upper Darby High School is the largest High School in
the State of Pennsylvania with well over 4,000 students. In addition to the
public school district, Upper Darby is home to several parochial and private
schools of Children. Monsignor Bonner High School and Archbishop Prendergast
High School, both Roman Catholic are the largest private school in the Township.
Both schools offer grades 9-12 with a combined enrollment close to 2,000
students. In addition to the two high schools, there are nine parochial primary
and middle schools located in the Township including the St. Lucy Day School for
Children with Visual Impairments, with a combined enrollment of 2,867. Almost
all of the private academic schools in the Township are administered by the
Archdiocese of Philadelphia except for the Holy Family Academy, which is a
Catholic academy run by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus.
Also available to residents of Upper Darby and surrounding areas is the Upper
Darby Adult Evening Program (UDAEP). UDAEP offers professional development and
general education classes to township residents. UDAEP is an independent
non-profit entity separate from the Upper Darby School District.
Public schools
* Upper Darby High School
* Beverly Hills Middle School
* Drexel Hill Middle School
* Aronimink Elementary School
* Bywood Elementary School
* Charles Kelly Elementary School (opened on September 4, 2007).
* Garretford Elementary School
* Highland Park Elementary School
* Hillcrest Elementary School
* Primos Elementary School
* Stonehurst Hills Elementary School
* Walter Senkow Elementary School
* Westbrook Park Elementary School
* Upper Darby Kindergarten Center (The former Drexel Hill Elementary School)
Parochial schools
* Monsignor Bonner High School for boys
* Archbishop Prendergast High School for girls
* Holy Child Academy
* Saint Andrew the Apostle School
* Saint Bernadette's School
* Saint Dorothy's Elementary School
* Saint Laurence