West Bradford Township is a township in Chester County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. The population was 12,376 at the 2010 census.

History

There are three federal historic districts ( Marshallton, Trimbleville, and Northbrook) on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

located within West Bradford Township. Also listed are the Baily Farm,

Bradford Friends Meetinghouse Bradford Friends Meetinghouse, also known as Marshallton Meeting House, is a historic Quaker meeting house located at Marshallton in West Bradford Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1764–1765, and is a one-story, stone s ...

Como Farm Como Farm is a small settlement in Kenya's Central Province. See also * Ruiru * Gichuru Gichuru is a settlement in Kiambu County, Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_cap ...

Derbydown Homestead Derbydown Homestead, also known as the Abraham Marshall House and Birthplace of Humphry Marshall, is a historic home located in West Bradford Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The original house was built in 1707, as a one-room, three bay, ...

Humphry Marshall House The Humphry Marshall House, also historically known as Marshall's Garden, Marshall's Arboretum, and the Botany Farm, is a historic property in Marshallton, an unincorporated village in West Bradford Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Bui ...

Marshallton Inn Marshallton Inn, also known as The General Wayne Inn, is a historic inn and tavern located in West Bradford Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, West Bradford Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The original section was built about 1790, and ...

, and Temple-Webster-Stoner House.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the township has a total area of 18.6 square miles (48.2 km), of which, 18.6 square miles (48.1 km) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km) is water. The total area is 0.32% water.

Adjacent municipalities

* Caln Township (north) * Downingtown (north) * East Caln Township (north) * East Bradford Township (east) * Newlin Township (south) * Pocopson Township (south) * East Fallowfield Township (west)

Major roadways

* *

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 12,376 people, 4,126 households, and 3,449 families residing in the township. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 665.4 people per square mile (256.9/km). There were 4,217 housing units at an average density of 226.7/sq mi (87.5/km). The racial makeup of the township was 92.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 2.9%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.2% Native American, 2.6% Asian, 0.00%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.5% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.4% from two or more races. 2.0% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race. There were 4,126 households, out of which 42.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.6% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.4% were non-families. 13.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.25. In the township the population was spread out, with 30.4% under the age of 19, 4.0% from 20 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 31.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males. The median income for a family was $104,124.

Education

Public schools

West Bradford Township is served by the Downingtown Area School District, and has two elementary schools within the township: * Bradford Heights Elementary School * West Bradford Elementary School Each of the two elementary schools serves sections of the township. All of the township is zoned to Downingtown Middle School and

Downingtown West High School Downingtown High School is a secondary school located in Downingtown, Pennsylvania and Uwchlan Township, Pennsylvania. Population growth in the burgeoning Downingtown Area School District forced the original Downingtown High School to split int ...

. - This map indicates the borough limits.

Neighborhoods

* Brandywine Greene * Embreeville * Marshallton * Northbrook * Romansville * Trimbleville * Victoria Crossing at Bradford Glen

Notable places

*The west branch of the

Brandywine River Brandywine Creek (also called the Brandywine River) is a tributary of the Christina River in southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware in the United States. The Lower Brandywine (the main stem) is longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydr ...

passes through West Bradford.

General Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United S ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

crossed the river at Trimble's Ford en route to the Battle of Brandywine. * Broad Run Golfer's Club, a

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". ...

Rees Jones Rees Jones (born September 16, 1941) is an American golf course architect. Life and career Born and raised in Montclair, New Jersey, the son of legendary golf course designer Robert Trent Jones and the younger brother of golf course designer R ...

, residence of botanist

Humphry Marshall Humphry Marshall (October 10, 1722 – November 5, 1801) was an American botanist and plant dealer. Biography Humphry Marshall was born at Derbydown Homestead in the village of Marshallton, Pennsylvania (within West Bradford Township) on Octo ...

located in the village of Marshallton * Strasburg Road, a historic road paved in 1772-3 that runs through West Bradford * United Sports, a multiple-use sports complex

Notable residents

*Planter and judge

John Beale Bordley John Beale Bordley, (February 11, 1727 Annapolis, Maryland – January 26, 1804 Philadelphia) was a Maryland planter and judge. Life He was the son of Thomas Bordley, from Yorkshire, England 1694, attorney general for Maryland, and his second w ...

resided at and owned Como Farm in West Bradford. The clubhouse of Broad Run Golfer's Club now sits on the ground that was formerly Como Farm. *Former

congressman John Hickman was born in West Bradford. *The well known botanist

lived in West Bradford. *The

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

Claude Rains, who earned four Oscar Nominations for supporting actor and portrayed Captain Renault in the film '' Casablanca'', owned the Stock Grange Farm in West Bradford. The farm had previously been in the family of the Philadelphia naturalist

Witmer Stone Witmer Stone (September 22, 1866 – May 24, 1939) was an American ornithologist, botanist, and mammalogist, and was considered one of the last of the “great naturalists.” Stone is remembered principally as an ornithologist. He was preside ...

, who spent summers at Stock Grange while growing up.

References

External links

West Bradford official website
{{authority control Townships in Chester County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania