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Renting an Apartment in Yardley
Yardley is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The small community of
Yardley Borough is bordered by the Delaware River and Trenton, NJ on the east,
and by Lower Makefield Township on the north, west, and south. The community of
Yardley Borough occupies .92 square mile along the Delaware River in Bucks
County, Pennsylvania.
The population was 2,498 at the 2000 census. Surrounding Lower Makefield
Township (often colloquially called Yardley) had a population of 32,681.
Geography
Yardley is located at [show location on an interactive map] 40°14′29″N,
74°50′11″W (40.241508, -74.836325)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of
2.6 km˛ (1.0 mi˛). 2.4 km˛ (0.9 mi˛) of it is land and 0.3 km˛ (0.1 mi˛) of it
(9.90%) is water.
Demographics
The Borough's population has remained stable, while mushrooming growth in
surrounding Lower Makefield Township has nearly doubled the area's size since
1980.
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 2,498 people, 1,170 households, and 649
families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,048.4/km˛
(2,729.0/mi˛). There were 1,209 housing units at an average density of 507.4/km˛
(1,320.8/mi˛). The racial makeup of the borough was 93.63% White, 3.44% African
American, 0.08% Native American, 1.20% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from
other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. 1.76% of the population were
Hispanic or Latino of any race. The majority of Yardley is part of the Pennsbury
School District.
There were 1,170 households out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18
living with them, 43.9% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 44.5% were non-families. 37.0% of all
households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who
was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the
average family size was 2.86.
In the borough the population was spread out with 20.4% under the age of 18,
4.8% from 18 to 24, 35.3% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were
65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females
there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3
males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $58,221, and the median
income for a family was $70,938. Males had a median income of $50,816 versus
$41,893 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $32,802. About
1.7% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line,
including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.
History
Yardley, Pennsylvania was founded by William Yardley, who emigrated to America
in July, 1682 with his family. He made an agreement with William Penn, before
leaving England, to buy 500 acres (2 km˛) for ten pounds. A survey was completed
in October 1682, and the area William Yardley settled was called "Prospect
Farm." It was located just outside of the present Yardley Borough. William
Yardley died in 1693, and his family in 1702-1703, possibly of smallpox.
A nephew, Thomas Yardley, came to America in 1704 to settle the estate and never
returned to England. He opened a ferry line which started operating in 1710 from
Letchworth Avenue, the lower boundary of the village, and landed in New Jersey
further downstream. This was an important link between West Jersey and the three
roads leading to Philadelphia by way of Falls, Langhorne and Newtown. The
Yardley family occupied the land for more than 150 years.
Neither Philadelphia nor Trenton existed when Yardley was founded, although
there were small settlements at Burlington, Bristol, and near Falls Ferry.
Yardley began to develop into a village about 1807, and by 1880 had a population
of 820. Early industries included a spoke and handle factory, sawmill, felloe
factory, plate and plaster mill, and two flour mills. The first post office,
established in 1828, used the name "Yardleyville." The name became "Yardley"
again at the time the Reading Railroad came through the area in 1876.
During the American Civil War, Yardley was a station for the Underground
Railroad, an escape route for slaves. Known hiding places were under the eaves
of the Continental Hotel (now the Continental Tavern), in bins of warehouses on
the Delaware Canal (completed in 1862), and at the General Store (now
Worthington Insurance). At Lakeside, the yellow house facing Lake Afton on N.
Main St., one brick-walled cellar room is also thought to have been a hiding
place.
Yardley Borough was incorporated on March 4, 1895.
History Timeline
* 1876 The North Pennsylvania RR first constructed the railroad through Yardley
in 1876 and was leased by the Reading RR for 100 years starting in 1879.
* 1883 - The United States Postal Service changed the name of the town to
Yardley from Yardleyville. This was to avoid confusion with the New York
City/Philadelphia train line that made a stop here and at Yardville, NJ.
* 1955 - Flooding caused by hurricanes Connie and Diane wiped out the bridge to
New Jersey.
* 1961 - Scudder Falls Bridge opens, just outside of the borough.
* 1996 - Due to student overpopulation of Quarry Hill Elementary School on
Quarry Rd near Creamery Rd, Afton Elementary School was constructed in the
adjacent lot.
* 1997 - A notable jewelery store in Yardley proper suffered damage from a fire.
This caused quite a stir in the community. The cause of the fire was determined
to be from a cigarette inserted into the building from the exterior.
* 2004 - Hurricane Ivan causes worst flood since 1955.
* 2005 - On April 4th, the water on the Delaware River crested higher than after
Hurricane Ivan. The cause was rain and snow melt.
* 2006 - In late June, there was more flooding of the Delaware River.