Yardley, Pennsylvania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yardley, Pennsylvania
Borough
Yardley Borough Hall
Seal
Location of Yardley in Bucks County, Pennsylvania (left) and of Bucks County in Pennsylvania (right)
Yardley, Pennsylvania Location in Pennsylvania Show map of Pennsylvania Yardley, Pennsylvania Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Bucks
Founded	1682
Incorporated	March 4, 1895
Area
• Total	1.02 sq mi (2.64 km2)
• Land	0.93 sq mi (2.42 km2)
• Water	0.09 sq mi (0.22 km2)  8.8%
Elevation	46 ft (14 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	2,480
• Estimate  (2019)	2,514
• Density	2,691.65/sq mi (1,039.33/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Code	19067
Area code(s)	215, 267 and 445
FIPS code	42-86920
Website	www.yardleyboro.com

Yardley is a small town, or borough, located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It sits right next to the Delaware River and borders Ewing, New Jersey to the east. To its north, west, and south is Lower Makefield Township.

Even though some addresses in Lower Makefield Township use "Yardley" as their city name, they are actually outside the borough's official limits. In 2010, about 2,434 people lived in Yardley. This area is part of the larger Delaware Valley metropolitan area.

Exploring Yardley's Location and Features

Yardley is found at a specific point on the map: 40.241508 degrees North and -74.836325 degrees West. This means it's in the northern part of the world and to the west of the Prime Meridian.

How Big is Yardley?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Yardley covers a total area of about 1.0 square mile (2.6 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 0.9 square miles (2.4 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 0.1 square miles (0.2 square kilometers), is water, making up almost 10% of the borough's total size.

The Delaware Canal: A Waterway Through Town

The Delaware Canal and its walking path, called a towpath, cut right through Yardley. It runs from the northwest to the southeast. You can get to the canal from several streets, including Edgewater Avenue, Afton Avenue, Fuld Avenue, College Avenue, and South Canal Street.

Getting Around: Yardley Station

The Yardley station, which is a train stop for SEPTA Regional Rail, is located on Main Street. This makes it easy for people to travel to and from Yardley by train.

Who Lives in Yardley?

Yardley is home to a diverse group of people. Here's a look at the population over the years:

Yardley's Population in 2010

In 2010, most of the people living in Yardley were White (89.7%). There were also Black or African American residents (3.5%), Asian residents (2.6%), and people of two or more races (1.9%). About 2.5% of the population had Hispanic or Latino family backgrounds.

Yardley's Population in 2000

Back in 2000, there were 2,498 people living in Yardley, making up 1,170 households and 649 families. The borough had about 2,729 people per square mile.

About 24.4% of households had children under 18. Many households (43.9%) were married couples. The average household had 2.14 people, and the average family had 2.86 people.

The median age in Yardley was 40 years old. This means half the people were younger than 40 and half were older.

A Look Back at Yardley's Past

Yardley has a rich history, starting long ago with its first settlers.

How Yardley Began

Yardley was founded by William Yardley, who came to America in July 1682 with his family. Before leaving England, he agreed with William Penn to buy 500 acres (2 square kilometers) of land. This area was called "Prospect Farm" and was just outside what is now Yardley Borough.

William Yardley passed away in 1693, and his family died a few years later, possibly from smallpox. Their graves are in Slate Hill Cemetery, which is one of the oldest Quaker burial grounds in Pennsylvania.

The Yardley Family's Legacy

In 1704, William's nephew, Thomas Yardley, came to America to take care of the family's property and decided to stay. He started a ferry service in 1710. This ferry was important because it connected West Jersey to three roads leading to Philadelphia. The Yardley family owned the land for over 150 years.

When Yardley was founded, there were already small towns nearby like Burlington, Bristol, and Falls Ferry.

Growing into a Village

Yardley started to grow into a village around 1807. By 1880, its population had reached 820 people. Early businesses included factories that made things like wagon wheels and tools, sawmills, and flour mills.

The first post office opened in 1828 and was called "Yardleyville." The name changed back to "Yardley" when the Reading Railroad came through the area in 1876.

Yardley and the Underground Railroad

During the American Civil War, Yardley was an important stop on the Underground Railroad. This was a secret network that helped enslaved people escape to freedom. Some known hiding places in Yardley were under the roof of the Continental Hotel (now the Continental Tavern), in storage bins along the Delaware Canal, and at the General Store. A brick-walled cellar room in a yellow house called Lakeside is also thought to have been a hiding spot.

Becoming an Official Borough

Yardley officially became a borough on March 4, 1895.

Train Collectors Association

The Train Collectors Association, a group for people who love collecting model trains, was started in Yardley in 1954.

Historic Places in Yardley

Several places in Yardley are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These include the former Bridge in Yardley Borough, parts of Washington Crossing State Park, and the Yardley Historic District.

Getting Around Yardley

Yardley has a good network of roads and train services for transportation.

PA 32 northbound in Yardley

Roads in Yardley

As of 2014, Yardley had about 10.64 miles (17.12 kilometers) of public roads. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) maintains 3.74 miles (6.02 kilometers) of these roads, while the borough itself maintains 6.90 miles (11.10 kilometers).

Pennsylvania Route 32 runs through Yardley, following the Delaware River. It goes south to Morrisville and north to New Hope. This route is known for its scenic views. Pennsylvania Route 332 starts in Yardley and heads west towards Newtown.

Train Services

A SEPTA Regional Rail train on the West Trenton Line stops at the Yardley station

The main train line from Philadelphia to Bound Brook, New Jersey passes through Yardley and has a stop there. This line crosses the Delaware River on a large stone bridge called the West Trenton Railroad Bridge. Today, this line is used by SEPTA Regional Rail as the West Trenton Line and also by CSX for freight trains.

SEPTA trains stop at the Yardley station. In the past, before the 1950s, trains from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad traveling to New York City also used this line.

Important Moments in Yardley's History

Here are some key dates and events in Yardley's past:

Yardley Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
94 S Main St., Yardley
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Location	Roughly bounded by Main St., Afton Ave., Letchworth Ave., Canal St., S. Edgewater Ave., and Delaware Canal, Yardley, Pennsylvania
NRHP reference No.	05000417

• 1876: The North Pennsylvania Railroad built the railroad through Yardley.
• 1843: The United States Postal Service changed the town's name from Yardleyville to Yardley. This was to avoid confusion with another town called Yardville, New Jersey, on the train line.
• 1895: Yardley officially became a Borough within Lower Makefield Township.
• 1955: Flooding from hurricanes Connie and Diane destroyed the bridge to New Jersey.
• 1961: The Scudder Falls Bridge opened just outside the borough.
• 1976: The Reading Railroad and other train companies that were struggling were taken over by Conrail.
• 1984: The first DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) office, PJ'S Auto Tags, opened in Yardley Borough.
• 1996: Afton Elementary School was built next to Quarry Hill Elementary School to help with too many students.
• 1997: A fire damaged a well-known jewelry store in Yardley. It was caused by a cigarette.
• 2004: Hurricane Ivan caused the worst flood since 1955.
• 2005: On April 4, the Delaware River flooded even more than after Hurricane Ivan. This was due to rain and melting snow.
• 2006: In late June, there was more flooding of the Delaware River.
• 2011: In early September, the area experienced even more flooding.

Yardley's Weather and Environment

Yardley has a specific type of weather and natural surroundings.

Yardley's Climate: What's the Weather Like?

Yardley has a Humid subtropical climate (Cfa). This means it has hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters. All months have an average temperature above freezing (32°F or 0°C). At least four months have an average temperature of 50°F (10°C) or higher, and at least one month is 71.6°F (22°C) or higher. There isn't a big difference in rainfall between the seasons.

Even though summer days are usually a bit humid, sometimes it can get very hot and humid, with the heat index feeling like it's over 108°F (42°C). The hottest air temperature recorded since 1981 was 103.9°F (39.9°C) on July 20, 2011.

The wettest month on average is July, which is also when most thunderstorms happen. The most rain in one day since 1981 was 5.85 inches (14.9 cm) on September 16, 1999.

In winter, the average coldest temperature is 1.0°F (-17.2°C). The coldest air temperature recorded since 1981 was -10.4°F (-23.6°C) on January 22, 1984. Sometimes, it can get extremely cold and windy, with the wind chill making it feel like it's below -9°F (-23°C).

Yardley usually gets between 24 and 30 inches (61 and 76 cm) of snow each year (from November to April). Every few years, there are ice storms or big snowstorms that drop 12 inches (30 cm) or more of snow, especially during storms called nor’easters from December to February.

Yardley's Natural Environment

Yardley's natural plant life would mostly be Oak trees, forming an Eastern Hardwood Forest. The area's plant hardiness zone is 7a, meaning the average coldest temperature in winter is 1.0°F (-17.2°C).

Spring flowers usually start blooming around April 7, and the leaves on trees typically reach their brightest fall colors by November 3.

Famous People from Yardley

Many talented people have connections to Yardley, including:

• Susan Abulhawa, a writer and activist.
• Algernon Cadwallader, an emo band.
• Bill Barretta, a puppeteer known for the Muppets.
• Robert Costa, a reporter for The Washington Post and writer.
• David Curtiss, a professional swimmer who was a finalist in the 2020 US Olympic Trials.
• Hallie Jackson, a correspondent for NBC News.
• Richard Kind, an actor and comedian.
• Kristin Minter, an actress known for ER.
• Jimmy Ockford, a professional soccer player for Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC.
• Brian O'Neill, a professional hockey player who played for the New Jersey Devils and Team USA in the 2018 Winter Olympics.
• Aileen Quinn, an actress famous for playing Annie in the Annie movie.
• Meghan Roche, a fashion model.
• Matthew Schuler, a singer and contestant on The Voice.
• Bo Welch, a production designer and director known for Beetlejuice and The Cat in the Hat.
• Zach Woods, an actor from The Office and Silicon Valley.

See also

In Spanish: Yardley para niños