Holland, Pennsylvania facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Holland
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 Holland
Location in Pennsylvania
Holland
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Bucks |
| Township | Northampton |
| Elevation | 161 ft (49 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| Postal code |
18966
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| Area codes | 215, 267, and 445 |
Holland is a small community in Pennsylvania, United States. It's not a city or town with its own government. Instead, it's part of Northampton Township in Bucks County.
Holland is located near other communities like Newtown, Richboro, and Churchville. One of its neighborhoods is Village Shires, which is home to about 4,000 people.
Contents
History of Holland
Holland was first known as Rocksville. This name came from the rocky banks of Mill Creek, a stream nearby. The main part of Rocksville was where Ironworks and Mill Creek met.
In 1870, the name changed to Holland. This happened when a post office was built there. Many Dutch settlers had moved to the area in the 1600s and 1700s.
The Finney family ran a gristmill and a general store in the center of Holland. A gristmill is a place where grain is ground into flour. The old general store is now a restaurant. The gristmill was turned into the Mill Race Inn. It used power from a dam on Mill Creek. Sadly, the dam broke in 2001 after heavy rains. The building is now in bad shape.
For a long time, Holland was mostly farmland, even though it was close to the big city of Philadelphia.
Growing as a Community
In the 1970s, many new houses were built. Large farms were replaced by housing developments. These new homes made Holland a "bedroom community". This means many people who live there travel to nearby cities for work.
Holland is a popular place to live because it's close to both Philadelphia and the Trenton/Princeton area in New Jersey. However, it does not have public transportation like trains or buses for commuters.
Education in Holland
Holland is part of the Council Rock School District. This district serves several communities.
Holland is home to several schools within this district:
- Council Rock High School South
- Holland Middle School
- Holland Elementary School
- Hillcrest Elementary School
- Rolling Hills Elementary School
There are also private Catholic schools in Holland:
- Villa Joseph Marie High School, which is an all-girls school.
- St Katharine Drexel Regional Catholic School, which is connected to St Bede the Venerable Parish. This school was formed in 2012 when two other Catholic schools merged.
Notable People from Holland
Many interesting people have lived in Holland. Here are a few:
- Jenn McAllister: A popular YouTube star.
- James C. Greenwood: Someone who used to represent the area in the U.S. government.
- Matt Walsh: A former basketball star for the Florida Gators. He also played for the NBA's Miami Heat.
- Anthony Green: The lead singer of the band Circa Survive.
- Greg Cochrane: A soccer player who plays left back for San Antonio FC.
- Justin Pugh: An offensive tackle who played for Syracuse University. He was chosen by the New York Giants in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Train Service in Holland
Holland used to have passenger train service. This helped people travel to and from the area.
History of Train Service
Train service to Holland ended on January 14, 1983. This was part of the SEPTA's Fox Chase Rapid Transit Line. The trains used were old and needed repairs. SEPTA, the local transportation agency, could not afford to fix them. Because of this, not many people were using the trains, so the service was stopped temporarily.
After the trains stopped, a shuttle bus replaced the service. It ran between Fox Chase and Newtown. But people didn't like the bus as much as the train. The bus service ended in 1999. The Holland train station shelter was torn down in 2000.
Bringing Back Train Service
Since 1983, many people have wanted train service to return to Holland. Residents and politicians are very interested in this idea.
In 2009, a group called the Pennsylvania Transit Expansion Coalition (PA-TEC) started talking about bringing back train service. They discussed this with local officials and SEPTA. They hope to extend the electric train lines to Newtown, which was planned a long time ago.
Many officials from Bucks and Montgomery Counties support PA-TEC's efforts. Even state leaders are on board. SEPTA has said they would bring back regular train service if there is strong support from the local governments.
