For the stream named Skippack, see Skippack Creek

Skippack Creek

Skippack Creek is a tributary of Perkiomen Creek in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania in the United States.A portion of the creek flows through Evansburg State Park and passes by the census-designated place of Skippack....

.

Skippack is a census-designated place

Census-designated place

A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...

 (CDP) in Montgomery County

Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010, the population was 799,874, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania . The county seat is Norristown.The county was created on September 10, 1784, out of land originally part...

, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 3,758 at the 2010 census.

Geography

Skippack is located at 40°13′37"N 75°23′56"W (40.227014, -75.398889).

According to the United States Census Bureau

United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the CDP has a total area of 2.6 square miles (6.7 km²), of which 2.5 square miles (6.5 km²) is land and 0.39% is water.

Skippack is a historic shopping village which lies within the boundaries of Skippack Township. Once termed Skippackville, the village served residents of Skippack with a post office, fire house, printing house, shirt factory, furniture maker, blacksmith, liquor store, a hat store and several inns including the Valley House now called "Justin's Carriage House". The village has recently seen an influx of unique restaurants and boutiques.

Creamery Village is located within Skippack Township and is partially within the CDP of Skippack. Creamery has its own post office for residents in the adjoining area. The original general store is still standing but today functions as one of the many "antique" dealers in Montgomery County.

Demographics

As of the census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 2,889 people, 1,109 households, and 829 families residing in the CDP. The population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 1,134.0 people per square mile (437.4/km²). There were 1,152 housing units at an average density of 452.2/sq mi (174.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.71% White, 1.00% African American, 0.45% Native American, 1.07% Asian, 0.21% from other races

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.32% of the population.

There were 1,109 households out of which 35.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.9% were married couples

Marriage

Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 38.8% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 93.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $66,486, and the median income for a family was $73,871. Males had a median income of $51,315 versus $40,179 for females. The per capita income

Per capita income

Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the CDP was $31,185. None of the families and 1.1% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

Industry and attractions

The primary industry of Skippack village is tourism. On weekends the streets are crowded with tourists visiting the many restaurants, antique shops, art galleries, or just strolling along the village sidewalks. The town also offers year-round events and free concerts. A community theater, Playcrafters of Skippack, features productions year round.

Local merchants and restaurants throughout Skippack have joined forces to create “First Fridays in Skippack” to encourage the public to re-discover the Village of Skippack and its hidden gems. The event is held every First Friday for the months of April through October from 5-9 p.m.

History

In 1683, German farmers in the Electoral Palatinate began to immigrate to Philadelphia in such numbers that Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin

Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...

 wrote an editorial fearing that it would become a German-speaking city. The city fathers told the newly arrived immigrates that they would have to settle 7 miles (11.3 km) up the Schuylkill

Schuylkill

Schuylkill may refer to the* Schuylkill River, Pennsylvania, United StatesPlaces:* Schuylkill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, neighborhood in South Philadelphia* Schuylkill Expressway, portion of I-76 in Philadelphia* Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania...

 River to the area that is now known as Germantown

Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Germantown is a neighborhood in the northwest section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, about 7–8 miles northwest from the center of the city...

. As the area became settled, later arrivals settle further up the Schuylkill and continued up Perkiomen Creek

Perkiomen Creek

Perkiomen Creek is a tributary of the Schuylkill River in Berks, Lehigh and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania in the United States.Perkiomen Creek begins in Hereford Township, Berks County, initially flows eastward into Upper Milford Township, Lehigh County, and turns southward to reenter...

 and Skippack Creek

Skippack Creek

Skippack Creek is a tributary of Perkiomen Creek in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania in the United States.A portion of the creek flows through Evansburg State Park and passes by the census-designated place of Skippack....

 to a point where travel was not possible because of shallow water. This point is where Skippack Creek crosses Skippack Pike in Skippack Township. In their native Pennsylvania Dutch

Pennsylvania Dutch

Pennsylvania Dutch refers to immigrants and their descendants from southwestern Germany and Switzerland who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries...

, they said they were "Schippach."

Skippack Township was founded in 1702 and was originally named "Van Bebber's Township." The name later changed to Skippack and Perkiomen Township until the two townships split. The township is home to one of the oldest homes still standing in the area, the Indenhofen (De Haven) Farmstead built circa 1720. The Indenhofen Farm, in the beginning, consisted of 440 acres (1.8 km²).

In 1795 Jacob Reiff bought a property at Store Road and Skippack Pike and opened a general merchandise store.http://www.skippack.org/jacob_reiff.htm In 1800 it was sold to Jacob Sorver, who ran it until 1854. The post office was established in 1827 with weekly mail delivery by the Kutztown

Kutztown, Pennsylvania

Kutztown is a borough in Berks County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Allentown and northeast of Reading. As of the 2000 census, the borough has a total population of 5,067. It is the site of Kutztown University.- History :...

 stagecoach

Stagecoach

A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...

.

The Souderton, Skippack & Fairview Electric Railway Co. was formed in 1901 provide a trolley service from Trooper to Souderton. Renamed the Montgomery County Rapid Transit Company (later the Montgomery Country Traction Company), it provided Skippack with a trolley service. Renamed the Skippack & Perkiomen Transit Company in 1923, the "Wogglebug" trolleys ran along banks of Skippack Creek.

External links

• Skippack Township official site
• Skippack Village Online, by the Merchants of Skippack Association
• Skippack Village Restaurants
• Skippack Historical Society
• Skippack Recreation Association
• I Love Skippack blog
• Best of Skippack, information on concerts and events, services, restaurants, and shopping
• Skippack Volunteer Fire Company