Morrisville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania

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Morrisville (Template:IPAc-en, Template:IPA) is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located just below the falls of the Delaware River opposite Trenton, New Jersey. The population was 9,809 in the 2020 Census.

Morrisville is located Template:Convert northeast of Philadelphia and Template:Convert southeast of Allentown.

History

The earliest known settlement in what is now Morrisville, was a trading post of the Dutch West India Company operating from 1624 to 1627 on an island in the Delaware River. In its early days, the area was known as Crewcorne and was a part of Falls Township. Later, one of the first ferries to cross the Delaware was established at the site. By the late 18th century, a settlement was forming at the ferry crossing then known as Colvin's Ferry. The settlement incorporated into a borough in 1804, taking the name of Morrisville, after Founding Father Robert Morris. In that same year, the first bridge began being built across the Delaware connected Morrisville to Trenton. It would welcome traffic in 1806.

The Gershom Craft House, Summerseat, and Trenton City/Calhoun Street Bridge are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Summerseat is also designated a National Historic Landmark.<ref name="nris">Template:NRISref</ref>

Morrisville is also home to Graystones, the historic site marking William Penn's first Pennsylvania land purchase from the Lenape Indian tribe.

Morrisville was once considered for the nation's capital.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Robert Morris campaigned behind the scenes to establish the new capital at the "Falls of the Delaware", preferably on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River, which can be seen from Park Avenue in Morrisville, just atop of the 30-foot tall flood control dike. The Delaware River is viewed from here and just below is the famous Falls of the Delaware, for which Falls Township was named.

Geography

Morrisville is located at Template:Coord (40.207458, -74.779918).<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> It is part of a geographical salient that is mostly surrounded by New Jersey.

Originally a village located in Falls Township, until it was partitioned as a borough by the Pennsylvania Legislature in 1804, Morrisville is bordered by Falls Township to the south, Lower Makefield Township to the north and the Delaware River to the east.

Its name is the default city name in the 19067 ZIP code, which covers an area that includes Yardley, Lower Makefield, Morrisville, and part of Falls Township.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.1 km²), of which 1.8 square miles (4.6 km²) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.5 km²) (10.15%) is water.

There are several parks within Morrisville's borders, and the Delaware Canal State Park runs near the eastern border of both the town and Pennsylvania. Located between the Calhoun Street Bridge and the Lower Trenton Bridge (Trenton Makes) is Williamson Park, home to Morrisville Little League and many community events. Adjacent to Graystones is Graystones woods, a tract of woodland that extends from the Delaware Canal to Crown Street in the town's far north. Just south of the Trenton–Morrisville Toll Bridge and the Morrisville–Trenton Railroad Bridge lie two smaller parks, the Morrisville Riverfront Preserve, an 8.8-acre tract preserving some of the last bits of the Delaware River's tidal basin, and the Morrisville Dog Park, a two pen playground for dogs big and small.

Demographics

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As of the 2020 census, there were 9,089 people residing in the borough. Of the 4,013 households, 43.6% were married couple families, 26.3% had a female householder with no spouse, and 20.1% had a male householder with no spouse. The average family size was 2.88.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The racial makeup of the borough was 57.3% Non-Hispanic white, 22.1% Black or African American, 2.0% Asian, 0.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 5.3% some other race, and 10.0% were two or more races. 13.6% were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry and 9.6% were foreign born.

The median age of residents was 40 years, and 14.9% were 65 years old or older.

The employment rate was 68.8% and the median income for a household was $81,028, while the median income of a married-couple family was $127,629. 6.7% of residents were below the poverty line, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and 2.6% of those age 65 and over.

Education

The local school district is the Morrisville School District.

Etymology

The borough is named for American Founding Father, Pennsylvania merchant, and banker Robert Morris, the main financier of the American Revolution. His home Summerseat still stands in town.

Sports

In 1955, the Morrisville Little League baseball team defeated Merchantville, New Jersey to claim the Little League World Series title. It is one of four Pennsylvania teams to have won the tournament since its inception in 1947.

Transportation

Template:Stack As of 2019 there were Template:Convert of public roads in Morrisville, of which Template:Convert were maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and Template:Convert were maintained by the borough.<ref name=PennDOTmap>Template:Cite web</ref>

U.S. Route 1 is the primary highway serving Morrisville. It follows a southwest-northeast alignment across the southeastern portion of the borough, crossing the Delaware River into New Jersey via the Trenton–Morrisville Toll Bridge. Pennsylvania Route 32 also traverses the borough, following a north-south alignment via Bridge Street, Delmorr Avenue and River Road.

SEPTA provides Suburban Bus service to Morrisville along Route 127, which runs between the Oxford Valley Mall near Langhorne and the Trenton Transit Center in Trenton, New Jersey. Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and SEPTA Regional Rail's Trenton Line pass through the borough but do not have any stations within it; the nearest station serving Amtrak and SEPTA Regional Rail is the Trenton Transit Center, which also serves NJ Transit's Northeast Corridor Line, River Line, and bus routes.<ref name=septamap>Template:Cite map</ref>

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Morrisville has a Humid subtropical climate (Cfa). Cfa climates are characterized by all months having an average mean temperature > Template:Convert, at least four months with an average mean temperature ≥ Template:Convert, at least one month with an average mean temperature ≥ Template:Convert and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. This immediately borders a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) as found in Falls Township. Although most summer days are slightly humid in Morrisville, episodes of heat and high humidity can occur with heat index values > Template:Convert. Since 1981, the highest air temperature was Template:Convert on July 6, 2010, and the highest daily average mean dew point was Template:Convert on August 13, 2016. The average wettest month is July, which corresponds with the annual peak in thunderstorm activity. Since 1981, the wettest calendar day was Template:Convert on August 27, 2011. During the winter months, the average annual extreme minimum air temperature is Template:Convert.<ref name="USDA">Template:Cite web</ref> Since 1981, the coldest air temperature was Template:Convert on January 22, 1984. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur, with wind chill values < Template:Convert. The average annual snowfall (Nov-Apr) is between Template:Convert and Template:Convert. Ice storms and large snowstorms depositing ≥ Template:Convert of snow occur once every few years, particularly during nor’easters from

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Ecology

According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Morrisville would have a dominant vegetation type of Appalachian Oak (104) with a dominant vegetation form of Eastern Hardwood Forest (25).<ref name="Conservation Biology Institute">Template:Cite web</ref> The plant hardiness zone is 7a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of Template:Convert.<ref name="USDA" /> The spring bloom typically begins by April 8 and fall color usually peaks by November 3.