Lansdale, Pennsylvania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lansdale
Borough
Main Street in Lansdale
Flag Seal Logo
Motto(s):  Life in Motion
Location of Lansdale in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Lansdale Location in Pennsylvania Show map of Pennsylvania Lansdale Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Montgomery
Government
• Type	Council-manager
Area
• Total	2.99 sq mi (7.75 km2)
• Land	2.99 sq mi (7.75 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	361 ft (110 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	18,773
• Density	6,272.30/sq mi (2,422.12/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Code	19446
Area codes	215, 267 and 445
FIPS code	42-41432

Lansdale is a busy town, called a borough, in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. Many people who live here travel daily to Philadelphia for work or school. They often use the SEPTA Regional Rail train, specifically the Lansdale/Doylestown Line. In 2020, about 18,773 people lived in Lansdale.

Lansdale is like the main town in the North Penn Valley area, which includes other towns and townships nearby. It's located about 27 miles (43 km) southeast of Allentown and 21 miles (34 km) north of Philadelphia.

History

How Lansdale Started

Lansdale Municipal building

The first known families to settle in the Lansdale area were the Jenkins family. Their land was quite large, about 120 acres! The town started to grow quickly in the 1850s. This happened when the North Pennsylvania Railroad (which later became part of the Reading Railroad) was built. The railroad brought new jobs, homes, and businesses to the area.

Becoming a Borough

By 1872, Lansdale officially became a borough. It was named after Phillip Lansdale Fox, who was the chief surveyor for the North Penn Railroad. Usually, a town might be named after the family who owned the land around the train station, which would have been the Jenkins family. But there was already a town called Jenkintown on the same rail line, so they chose a different name.

The Jenkins Homestead and the Lansdale Silk Hosiery Compy-Interstate Hosiery Mills, Inc. are important historical places in Lansdale. They are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Kugel Ball

The Kugel Ball

Lansdale is home to a special attraction called the Kugel ball. It's a huge, dark gray granite ball that weighs about 2,200 pounds (1,000 kg)! What's cool is that it floats and spins on a very thin layer of water pumped from underneath it.

You can find the Kugel Ball in Railroad Plaza, right next to the SEPTA train station in downtown Lansdale. The plaza is a nice brick area with benches. Every June, there's even a 5k race called the Kugel Ball race, which starts and ends right at the Kugel Ball!

Hometown Heroes Program

The Lansdale Borough Hometown Heroes Banner Program is a way for the community to show respect and honor to its veterans. These are people from Lansdale who are currently serving or have served in the United States Armed Forces.

Geography

Lansdale covers about 3.1 square miles (7.75 km2) of land. It has a hot-summer humid continental climate, which means it has warm summers and cold winters. The average temperature in January is about 30.2°F (-1°C), and in July, it's about 74.7°F (23.7°C).

Population Information

In 2010, the people living in Lansdale came from many different backgrounds. About 75.9% were White, 5.9% were Black or African American, and 13.3% were Asian. Also, 4.4% of the population had Hispanic or Latino family roots.

Education

Lansdale is part of the North Penn School District. For younger students (grades K-6), there are several public elementary schools in Lansdale, including Gwynedd Square, Knapp, Oak Park, Inglewood, Walton Farm, and York Avenue Elementary.

Students in grades 7–9 attend Penndale Middle School. The public high school for the area is North Penn High School, which is located in Towamencin Township.

There are also private schools in Lansdale. Mater Dei Catholic School is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It was formed when St. Rose of Lima School merged with St. Stanislaus School.

Other private schools in the Lansdale area include Calvary Baptist School, which teaches students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, and Lansdale Catholic High School. Dock Mennonite Academy is another private high school nearby in Towamencin Township.

Media

Lansdale has its own local newspaper, The Reporter, which is printed daily. You can also find local news online from North Penn Now and Montgomeryville-Lansdale Patch.

North Penn Television is a TV station run by the North Penn School District. It broadcasts meetings of the school board and various events from around the school district, like sports games and concerts.

Arts and Entertainment

Lansdale hosts a special event called First Friday during the warmer months. It's a fun time with live music, food trucks, and local activities like scavenger hunts.

Every September, Lansdale is home to Bike Night, where thousands of motorcyclists gather for a big event.

The Rock Den was a music store that held weekly open mic nights and shows. Another popular local place for music was the Underground at Round Guys.

In 2022, a documentary film called "Lansdale, Then, Now and Forever" was released. It was directed by Jason Zoblin and was all about the local music scene.

Transportation and Utilities

Transportation

PA 63 westbound in Lansdale

Lansdale has many public roads. The main east–west street is Main Street (Pennsylvania Route 63), and the main north–south street is Broad Street. Pennsylvania Route 363 also starts on the western side of Lansdale.

If you're traveling by car, the Lansdale exit for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Northeast Extension (Interstate 476) is just west of the borough.

Lansdale station on SEPTA's Lansdale/Doylestown Line

Lansdale is well-connected by train. SEPTA Regional Rail's Lansdale/Doylestown Line has three stations in the borough: Lansdale station downtown, Pennbrook station in the south, and 9th Street station in the north. These trains can take you to Center City Philadelphia and Doylestown.

There are also three SEPTA Suburban Division bus routes that serve Lansdale. Route 94 connects to the Montgomery Mall, Route 96 goes to Norristown, and Route 132 connects to the Montgomery Mall and Telford.

Lansdale is also the main office for the Pennsylvania Northeastern Railroad, which is a freight train company. They operate the Lansdale Yard and move goods by rail to different places in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia.

Utilities

Lansdale Electric, which is owned by the borough, provides electricity to most of Lansdale. Some parts of the borough get electricity from PECO Energy Company. Natural gas is also provided by PECO Energy Company.

The North Penn Water Authority supplies water to Lansdale and nearby areas. The borough also handles sewer services and has a wastewater treatment facility. For trash and recycling, private companies collect it, but the borough is planning to have one company serve all residents.

Notable People

Lansdale has been home to many interesting people:

• Kenneth Kraus (born 1956) was a former United States Marine. He was the first American taken hostage by Iranian militants in 1979 at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. He was later returned to the embassy.
• Lois Gunden (1915–2005) was honored with the title Righteous Among the Nations. She helped care for and protect Jewish children and child refugees during World War II. She lived in Lansdale from 1958 until her death.
• Ralph F. Hirschmann (1922–2009) was a biochemist who led the team that created the first enzyme in a lab.
• Margaret Battavio (Little Peggy March) (born 1948) is an American pop singer. Her song "I Will Follow Him" was a number one hit in 1963.
• Russell Hoban (1925–2011) was a writer, famous for his children's books about Frances the Badger and the novel Riddley Walker. He was born and grew up in Lansdale.
• Jennifer Strong (around 1973/1974 – 2011) was a soccer player.
• Liza Weil (born 1977) is an actress known for her roles in TV shows like How to Get Away with Murder and Gilmore Girls. She was born in New Jersey but her family moved to Lansdale in 1984, and she graduated from North Penn High School.
• Ralph James Wickel (1921–2001) was a Lansdale High School graduate who served in WWII. He was a talented tennis player, competing in regional and national tournaments, and even participated in the US Championships in the early 1950s.
• Joe Judge (born 1981) is a football coach who used to be the head coach for the New York Giants.

See also

In Spanish: Lansdale para niños