Wallingford, Pennsylvania

Wallingford is an unincorporated community in Nether Providence Township, Delaware County in Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1687, it is named for Wallingford, England. In 2007, Wallingford was named by Money Magazine as the 9th best place to live in the United States; two other towns in the area made the top 15.[1] Most locations in Nether Providence use Wallingford's zip code.

It is west of Interstate 476 (known locally as the "Blue Route") and east of S. Providence Road, PA 252. Crum Creek forms the township's eastern border with the borough of Swarthmore. Wallingford lies north of Chester on the southwest edge of the Philadelphia urban area. Wallingford is about 9 miles from Philadelphia proper.

The first area school started in 1810 and was built on a portion of a 78-acre (32 ha) land grant of farmer and friend of William Penn. Nether Providence School District was formed in 1856; it merged with the Swarthmore School District to become the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District but retained both the Nether Providence and Swarthmore High Schools. In 1984, the middle and high schools merged to become Strath Haven Middle School and Strath Haven High School. The Helen Kate Furness Library was founded in 1902.

Waynesboro, Pennsylvania

Waynesboro is a borough in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, on the southern border of the state. Waynesboro is in the Cumberland Valley between Hagerstown, Maryland, and Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. It is part of Chambersburg, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. It is 2 miles north of the Mason–Dixon line and close to Camp David and the Raven Rock Mountain Complex.

The population within the borough limits was 10,568 at the 2010 census. When combined with the surrounding Washington and Quincy Townships, the population of greater Waynesboro is 28,285. The Waynesboro Area School District serves a resident population of 32,386, according to 2010 federal census data.

The region around Antietam Creek had been home to Native Americans for thousands of years prior to settlement by Anglo-Europeans in the mid-18th century. Beginning in 1751 a certain John Wallace obtained several warrants for the land on which the center of the town now stands. In 1797 John Wallace, a son of the original British settler, laid out the town of Waynesburg in what was then the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. When incorporated in 1831, the borough was given the name "Waynesboro'." It is one of several dozen towns, cities, and counties named after General Anthony Wayne, a hero of the American Revolutionary War.

Westtown School

Founded in 1799 by the Religious Society of Friends, Westtown’s Campus is located in Chester County, PA, 25 miles west of Philadelphia. In 1799, Westtown was around one day’s carriage ride from Philadelphia.

Westtown is a Quaker school affiliated with the Friends General Conference branch of the Religious Society of Friends. All students are required to attend Meeting for Worship together with adults in the community who voluntarily attend (boarding students are required to attend Westtown Monthly Meeting on Sundays as well). Westtown uses the traditional Quaker practice of coming to unity in making some high-level decisions.

Westtown School first opened in May 1799. It was founded by Philadelphia Quakers who raised the money to build a boarding school and purchased land a full day’s carriage ride from Philadelphia—where they could provide a “guarded education in a healthy environment" away from the secular influences of the city. For many years, Westtown was nearly self-sufficient, with the campus providing raw materials used in the construction of its buildings and food for the people who lived and worked at the school.

Worcester, Massachusetts

Worcester (/ˈwʊstər/ (listen) WUUS-tər)[3] is a city in, and the county seat of, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population was 181,045,[4] making it the second most populous city in New England after Boston.[5] Worcester is located approximately 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston, 50 miles (80 km) east of Springfield and 40 miles (64 km) north of Providence. Due to its location in Central Massachusetts, Worcester is known as the "Heart of the Commonwealth", thus, a heart is the official symbol of the city. However, the heart symbol may also have its provenance in lore that the Valentine's Day card, although not invented in the city, was mass-produced and popularized by Esther Howland who resided in Worcester.[6]

Worcester was considered its own distinct region apart from Boston until the 1970s. Since then, Boston's suburbs have been moving out further westward, especially after the construction of Interstate 495 and Interstate 290. The Worcester region now marks the western periphery of the Boston-Worcester-Providence (MA-RI-NH) U.S. Census Combined Statistical Area (CSA), or Greater Boston. The city features many examples of Victorian-era mill architecture.

The area was first inhabited by members of the Nipmuc tribe. The native people called the region Quinsigamond and built a settlement on Pakachoag Hill in Auburn.[7] In 1673 English settlers John Eliot and Daniel Gookin led an expedition to Quinsigamond to establish a new Christian Indian "praying town" and identify a new location for an English settlement. On July 13, 1674, Gookin obtained a deed to eight square miles of land in Quinsigamond from the Nipmuc people and English traders and settlers began to inhabit the region.[8]

Zieglerville, Pennsylvania

Zieglerville is an unincorporated community in Lower Frederick Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States.[2] Its ZIP Code is 19492[3] and it is located on the west side of the Perkiomen Creek where Route 29 and Route 73 split at a roundabout just north of Schwenksville.

Pennsylvania Route 465

Pennsylvania Route 465 (PA 465) is a 6.64-mile-long (10.69 km) state highway located in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. The southern terminus is at PA 174 in Mooredale. The northern terminus is at PA 641 outside of Carlisle. PA 464 heads northeast from PA 174 along Walnut Bottom Road, passing through farmland. The route reaches developed areas on the western edge of Carlisle and turns north onto Allen Road, intersecting Interstate 81 (I-81) and U.S. Route 11 (US 11) before ending at PA 641. Walnut Bottom Road became part of US 11 and PA 13 in 1926, with the latter designation removed two years later. US 11 and PA 33 switched alignments between Shippensburg and Carlisle in 1941, with PA 33 designated onto Walnut Bottom Road. PA 465 was designated to its present alignment in the 1960s, replacing the PA 33 designation along Walnut Bottom Road.

PA 465 begins at an intersection with PA 174 in the community of Mooredale in Dickinson Township, heading northeast on two-lane undivided Walnut Bottom Road. The road passes through open agricultural areas with occasional patches of woods. Upon crossing into South Middleton Township, the route turns north onto Allen Road and heads past industrial warehouses. PA 465 comes to an interchange with I-81 and continues into Carlisle, passing woods to the west and warehouses to the east. The route intersects US 11 and passes near farmland and distribution centers. After entering North Middleton Township, PA 465 reaches its northern terminus at PA 641.[2][3]

When Pennsylvania legislated routes in 1911, Walnut Bottom Road was designated as part of Legislative Route 35, which ran between Chambersburg and Carlisle.[4] By 1926, PA 13 was designated along Walnut Bottom Road, which was paved.[5] With the creation of the U.S. Highway System in 1926, US 11 was designated along Walnut Bottom Road, concurrent with PA 13.[6][7] The concurrent PA 13 designation was removed from US 11 in 1928.[7] In 1941, US 11 switched alignments with PA 33 between Shippensburg and Carlisle, with US 11 moved to its current alignment between the two towns and PA 33 being designated onto Walnut Bottom Road.[8][9] In the 1960s, PA 33 was decommissioned and PA 465 was designated to run from PA 174 in Mooredale north to PA 641 west of Carlisle, following its current alignment on Walnut Bottom Road and Allen Road.[10]

Waynesburg, Pennsylvania

The region around Waynesburg is underlaid with several layers of coking coal, including the Pittsburgh No. 8 seam, the Waynesburg seam, and the Sewickley (Mapletown) seam. The area is also rich with coalbed methane, which is being developed from the underlying Marcellus Shale, the largest domestic natural gas reserve. Early in the 20th century, four large gas compressing stations and a steam shovel factory were located in Waynesburg.

Waynesburg is named for General "Mad" Anthony Wayne, one of the top lieutenants of George Washington during the Revolutionary War (1776–81). The borough is the location of Waynesburg University, and it is served by the Greene County Airport.

In August 1875 construction began of the 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge Waynesburg and Washington Railroad, conceived by John Day in 1874 and chartered in 1875.[5] Its passenger service ended in 1929, and conversion to 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge followed in 1944 as a wartime measure. Then the railroad was renamed the Waynesburg Secondary Railroad. Regular freight service ended on this line in 1976, though part of it still serves (irregularly) for railroad access to a coal mine.

Wexford, Pennsylvania

Wexford is an unincorporated community in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The area known as Wexford is split among multiple municipalities, including Franklin Park, McCandless Township, Pine Township, and Marshall Township. It is named after County Wexford in Ireland.[2]

Home to many upper-middle-class people, Wexford's commercial landscape is dominated by a mixture of corporate chains, car dealerships, and a number of local small businesses, giving this small town much diversity. Wexford concentrated on the main thoroughfare of the "Wexford Flats", U.S. Route 19. It is also home to North Allegheny Senior High School, Pine-Richland High School, Marshall Middle School, Wexford Elementary School and Vincentian Academy.

It was ranked the twenty-eighth best place to live by Money magazine in 2005,[3] despite it being essentially a postal zip code and a general descriptor of a section of the suburban Pittsburgh metropolitan area, not a municipality of any type. The presence of North Allegheny Senior High School, a large, well funded public high school, the numerous businesses, and a number of churches along the "Wexford Flats" gives the area a more distinct community identity than simply an otherwise unremarkable suburb in the Greater Pittsburgh Area. Adjacent to Wexford is North Park and North Park lake. This area is a great asset to the community featuring many hiking/biking trails, 5-mile paved running path around the lake, many pavilions for outdoor events, outdoor ice rink, golf course, dog parks, many playgrounds, a C.O.P.E. course, and local restaurants and shops. The lake underwent construction, including dredging and refinishing shore lines, between 2009 and 2012.

Wrightsville, Pennsylvania

Wrightsville is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,320 at the 2010 census.[3] Wrightsville borough has a police department, historic society, and a volunteer fire company.

According to a plaque at Samuel S. Lewis State Park, which overlooks Wrightsville and the Susquehanna River, Wrightsville was among George Washington's choices as the location of the capital of the United States.

The world's longest covered bridge, at 5,960 feet (1,820 m), once spanned the Susquehanna from Wrightsville to neighboring Columbia in Lancaster County. Built in 1814, it was destroyed by high water and ice in 1832. A replacement bridge was burned the night of June 28, 1863, by state militia during the Gettysburg Campaign in the American Civil War. Confederate troops under John Brown Gordon formed a bucket brigade to save the town from fire. Yet another replacement covered bridge was destroyed by a windstorm a few years later.

Big Wapwallopen Creek

Big Wapwallopen Creek (also known as Wapwallopen Creek or Big Wap) is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 23 miles (37 km) long and flows through Bear Creek Township, Fairview Township, Rice Township, Wright Township, Dorrance Township, Hollenback Township, Nescopeck Township, and Conyngham Township.[1] The watershed of the creek has an area of 53.2 square miles (138 km2). The creek has three named tributaries: Balliet Run, Watering Run, and Bow Creek. The creek is designated as a Coldwater Fishery and a Migratory Fishery and is also Class A Wild Trout Waters for part of its length. However, a portion is considered to be impaired by organic enrichment and/or low levels of dissolved oxygen and its pH ranges from moderately acidic to slightly alkaline.

Big Wapwallopen Creek has three large waterfalls, all of which are more than 25 feet (7.6 m) high. The creek flows through the Wapwallopen Gorge in its lower reaches, where it descends 210 feet (64 m). It mainly flows through rock formations consisting of sandstone and shale. The creek has existed for several million years, but the portion of its course that flows through the Wapwallopen Gorge is less than 20,000 years old. The creek's watershed is mainly rural and most of it is forested. It is the main source of flooding in six townships.

Wapwallopen Creek is named after a Native American village that historically existed on the creek. The Delaware tribe inhabited the area by 1675 and the Shawnee tribe also historically inhabited the area. Numerous mills were built on the creek in the 1700s and 1800s, including two powder mills in the Wapwallopen Gorge. The second powder mill was built in 1859 by E.I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company and was one of the largest powder mills in the United States at the time. That powder mill operated until 1912. Numerous bridges were built across the creek in the 1900s. The Wapwallopen Gorge is listed on the Luzerne County Natural Areas Inventory. It is possible to canoe on 10.3 miles (16.6 km) of the creek, but there are some unrunnable points.