Editing Downingtown, Pennsylvania

{{short description|Borough in Pennsylvania, US}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                            = Downingtown, Pennsylvania
| official_name                   = 
| native_name                     = 
| native_name_lang                = 
| other_name                      = 
| settlement_type                 = [[List of towns and boroughs in Pennsylvania#Boroughs|Borough]]
| image_skyline                   = Downingtown, Pennsylvania.jpg
| imagesize                       = 
| image_alt                       = 
| image_caption                   = Lancaster Avenue
| image_flag                      = 
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| image_map                       = Chester County Pennsylvania incorporated and unincorporated areas Downingtown highlighted.svg
| mapsize                         = 260px
| map_caption                     = Location in [[Chester County, Pennsylvania|Chester County]] and the U.S. state of [[Pennsylvania]]
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| pushpin_map                     = Pennsylvania#USA
| pushpin_label                   = Downingtown
| pushpin_map_alt                 = 
| pushpin_map_caption             = Location in Pennsylvania##Location in the United States
| coordinates                     = {{coord|40|00|40|N|75|42|19|W|display=inline,title}}
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| subdivision_type                = Country
| subdivision_name                = United States
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| subdivision_name1               = Pennsylvania
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| subdivision_name2               = [[Chester County, Pennsylvania|Chester]]
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| established_title               = Incorporated
| established_date                = May 12, 1859
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| governing_body                  = 
| leader_party                    = [[Democratic Party (United States)|D]]
| leader_title                    = Mayor
| leader_name                     = 
Ben Shirk
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| total_type                      = 
| unit_pref                       = Imperial
| area_footnotes                  = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/5/query?where=STATE='42'&outFields=NAME,STATE,PLACE,AREALAND,AREAWATER,LSADC,CENTLAT,CENTLON&orderByFields=PLACE&returnGeometry=false&returnTrueCurves=false&f=json|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 12, 2022}}</ref>
| area_total_km2                  = 5.76
| area_total_sq_mi                = 2.22
| area_land_km2                   = 5.67
| area_land_sq_mi                 = 2.19
| area_water_km2                  = 0.09
| area_water_sq_mi                = 0.04
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| elevation_ft                    = 239
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| population_as_of                = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
| population_footnotes            = <ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly"/>
| population_total                = 7892
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| population_density_km2          = 1392.73
| population_density_sq_mi        = 3606.95
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| timezone1                       = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
| utc_offset1                     = -5
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| utc_offset1_DST                 = -4
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| postal_code_type                = [[ZIP code]]s
| postal_code                     = 19335, 19372
| postal2_code_type               = 
| postal2_code                    = 
| area_code_type                  = 
| area_codes                       = [[Area codes 610, 484, and 835|610, 484, and 835]]
| geocode                         = 
| iso_code                        = 
| blank_name                      = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info                      = 42-19752
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| blank2_name_sec2                = Wikimedia Commons
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| website                         = {{URL|www.downingtown.org}}
| footnotes                       = 
}}
'''Downingtown''' is a [[Borough (Pennsylvania)|borough]] in [[Chester County, Pennsylvania]], United States, {{convert|33|mi}} west of [[Philadelphia]]. As of the [[2020 United States Census|2020 census]], it had a population of 7,898.<ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021">{{cite web |title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2021 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |website=Census.gov |publisher=US Census Bureau |access-date=11 July 2022}}</ref>  Downingtown was settled by European colonists in 1716 and has a number of historic buildings and structures.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History {{!}} Downingtown PA |url=https://www.downingtown.org/about-us/pages/history |access-date=2024-04-25 |website=www.downingtown.org}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Downingtown, Pennsylvania (6479475337) (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Keystone Marker]]]]
The borough was originally named Milltown due to its number of mills along the [[East Branch Brandywine Creek]], the first of which was founded by Daniel Butter. The Butter family also had paper mills in the area, and [[Frederick Bicking]] from [[Winterburg]], Germany, was the patriarch of the Bicking paper families. Around the time of the [[American Revolution]], Milltown became more commonly known as Downingtown after the prominent businessman Thomas Downing,<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n102 108]}}</ref> a [[Quaker]] immigrant in 1717 from [[Bradninch]], Devon, England, who owned a number of those mills.  The burough was officially named Downingtown in 1812.

The borough is located along the [[Lincoln Highway]] (now part of [[U.S. Route 30 in Pennsylvania|U.S. Route 30]]), which runs from the East Coast to the West Coast. It was an early westward road in the wagon days as the [[Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike]]. The Lincoln Highway was the first paved road to cross the nation from the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] to the [[Pacific Ocean]]. Construction of the [[Pennsylvania Turnpike]] started in the early 1940s and was completed in the early 1950s; it runs north of US 30, bypassing Downingtown.
[[File:Downingtown Log House.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|Downingtown Log House]]
Circa 1700, early English settlers built what has become known as the [[Downingtown Log House]]. In 1713, owner Joseph Hickman sold the {{frac|1|1|2}}-story, 21-foot, 9-inch × 25-foot structure to Thomas and Mary Moore. Thomas Moore moved from the Log House in 1729 and died in 1738.

Thomas Downing acquired the Log House in 1739. It remained in the Downing family until 1940, when Thomas W. Downing died and left it to the borough of Downingtown. The borough did some restoration work to the [[Downingtown Log House]] in 1947. It served as the home to the Downingtown Chamber of Commerce from 1950 until 1988. But the Log House was deteriorating as Route 30 had been built close to it. Located {{convert|18|in|cm}} below street level, the house suffered water damage due to runoff from Route 30 and vibration from traffic weakened the structure.

From 1988 until 1990, the Downingtown Historical Society relocated the house and did an extensive restoration with money raised for the project. It now sits approximately {{convert|70|ft|0}} west of its original location, {{convert|22|ft}} from the Route 30 sidewalk, and slightly above street level.<ref>[http://www.downingtownhistoricalsociety.org/loghouse.htm "Log House"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726003020/http://www.downingtownhistoricalsociety.org/loghouse.htm |date=July 26, 2011 }}, Downington Historical Society</ref>

In 1904, [[John S. Trower]] and [[William A. Creditt]], prominent black [[Philadelphia]]ns, founded the [[Downingtown Industrial and Agricultural School]] (DIAS) in Downingtown, to serve as an academic and vocational high school for African-American youths to prepare them for work.<ref name="DIAS"/> Creditt was pastor of the First African Baptist Church in Philadelphia, and Trower, a successful caterer and one of the wealthiest black businessmen in the nation,<ref>"John S. Trower Best Known and Probably Wealthiest Negro in the Country", America’s Historical Newspapers, ''The Washington Bee'', 29 April 1911. Web. 6 Feb. 2011</ref> was a member of his congregation.<ref name="DIAS"/> Believing the North needed a school like the [[Tuskegee Institute]], the men found land in Chester County and built the school on a 100-acre campus.<ref name="DIAS"/>  They both served as principals until their respective deaths, both in 1921.<ref name="DIAS"/> Originally a private, non-denominational school, in 1907 DIAS began to be state supported. Students were admitted from major northeastern cities.<ref name="DIAS">[http://owlsalltheway.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/dias_finding_aid.pdf "Background Note", ''Downington Industrial and Agricultural School Collection,'', Charles F. Blockson Afro-American Collection, Temple University Libraries]</ref> Among its trustees in the early decades was [[Adam Clayton Powell, Sr.]], pastor of [[Abyssinian Baptist Church]] in [[Harlem, New York]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=RFZ2AAAAMAAJ Mather, Frank Lincoln. ''Who's Who of the Colored Race: A General Biographical Dictionary of Men and Women of African Descent'', Vol. 1, Chicago: Memento Edition, 1915, p. 222]</ref> The school operated until 1993. A new facility was constructed on the property and opened in 2002 as the Chester County campus of the [[Delaware County Community College]].

The borough has initiated some widespread and continuing renovation in downtown, particularly to the streetscape; private owners have similarly renovated many commercial buildings. There has also been residential development on recovered industrial lands (brown fields) in the southeastern part of the borough. Downingtown is the location of some large regional and national businesses, including First National Bank of Chester County, and [[Victory Brewing Company]], and formerly [[DNB First]] (acquired by S&T Bank in 2019).<ref>{{cite web|title=S&T Bancorp closes acquisition of DNB Financial|url=https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/trending/a9sKLXdhjco_7vaBDi38iQ2|access-date=2021-10-01|website=www.spglobal.com|language=en-us}}</ref>

[[File:Gen Washington Inn.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|General Washington Inn]]
[[Abraham Lincoln|President Lincoln]]'s funeral train passed through Downingtown. The famous Irish patriot and martyr Theobald Wolfe Tone briefly lived here in 1795.

The [[County Bridge No. 124]], [[Downingtown Log House]], [[East Lancaster Avenue Historic District]], [[General Washington Inn]], and [[Roger Hunt Mill]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
{{Category see also|People from Downingtown, Pennsylvania}}
*The 1958 movie ''[[The Blob]]'' was filmed in and around Downingtown.  The diner featured in the movie, then called the "Downingtown Diner", was sold and transported to another state and has been replaced with a similar 1950s style diner. Continuing to be advertised as the "home of the Blob," it has changed ownership numerous times over the years but is still open as of 2024.
*The global pretzel shop chain, [[Auntie Anne's]], was founded in a stall in Downingtown's farmer's market in 1988. The chain is now a global company with 1,000 stores and $375 million in annual sales.<ref>[http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/298789 "Auntie Anne's Pretzels"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101011014651/http://articles.lancasteronline.com/local/4/298789 |date=October 11, 2010 }}, Lancaster Online</ref>
*The widely-distributed [[Craft brewery and microbrewery|craft brewer]] [[Victory Brewing Company]] is located and headquartered in Downingtown. It was founded in a vacated [[Pepperidge Farm]] factory on Acorn Lane in 1996.

==Geography==
Downingtown is located at {{Coord|40|0|23|N|75|42|22|W|type:city}} (40.006406, −75.706239).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the borough has a total area of {{convert|2.2|sqmi}}, all  land.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1860= 761
|1870= 1077
|1880= 1480
|1890= 1920
|1900= 2133
|1910= 3326
|1920= 4024
|1930= 4548
|1940= 4645
|1950= 4948
|1960= 5598
|1970= 7437
|1980= 7650
|1990= 7749
|2000= 7589
|2010= 7891
|2020= 7898
|estyear=2021
|estimate=8162
|estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2020-2021"/>
|footnote=Sources:<ref name="USDecennialCensus">{{cite web|title=Census of Population and Housing|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=11 December 2013}}</ref><ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref><ref name=CensusPopEst>{{cite web|title=Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html|work=Population Estimates|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=11 December 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611010502/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html|archive-date=11 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Census 2020|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/downingtownboroughpennsylvania/PST045219}}</ref><ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly">{{cite web|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:42&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108|title=Census Population API|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=Oct 12, 2022}}</ref>
}}

At the 2010 census, the borough was 76.0% non-Hispanic White, 12.0% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 2.7% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and 3.2% were two or more races. 7.2% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/profile/PA |title=Archived copy |access-date=2017-08-26 |archive-date=2012-02-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215053518/http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/profile/PA |url-status=dead }}</ref>

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 7,589 people, 3,059 households, and 1,853 families residing in the borough. The population density was {{convert|3,473.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 3,197 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1,463.2|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the borough was 83.65% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 10.79% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.12% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 2.29% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.04% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1.44% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.67% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 3.53% of the population.

Downingtown has a large population of residents that have Italian ancestry. The burough has two different Italian American organizations and is listed as one of the Italian-American strongholds in the U.S.{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}}

There were 3,059 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.8% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.09.

The borough's population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $45,979, and the median income for a family was $53,468. Males had a median income of $38,893 versus $29,284 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the borough was $21,634. About 3.0% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

==Climate==
According to the [[Köppen Climate Classification]] system, Downingtown has a [[humid continental climate]], abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.<ref>[http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=110055&cityname=Coatesville%2C+Pennsylvania%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Downingtown, Pennsylvania]</ref>

{{Weather box
|location = Downingtown, Pennsylvania
|single line = Yes
|metric first = Yes
|Jan high F = 39
|Feb high F = 42
|Mar high F = 51
|Apr high F = 61
|May high F = 72
|Jun high F = 80
|Jul high F = 85
|Aug high F = 83
|Sep high F = 76
|Oct high F = 65
|Nov high F = 53
|Dec high F = 44
|year high F = 61
|Jan low F = 21
|Feb low F = 23
|Mar low F = 30
|Apr low F = 39
|May low F = 48
|Jun low F = 59
|Jul low F = 64
|Aug low F = 62
|Sep low F = 54
|Oct low F = 42
|Nov low F = 34
|Dec low F = 26
|year low F = 46
|Jan precipitation inch = 3.6
|Feb precipitation inch = 3.3
|Mar precipitation inch = 3.8
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.7
|May precipitation inch = 3.9
|Jun precipitation inch = 4.5
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.4
|Aug precipitation inch = 4.5
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.7
|Oct precipitation inch = 3.3
|Nov precipitation inch = 3.3
|Dec precipitation inch = 3.8
|year precipitation inch = 45.8
|source 1 = Weatherbase <ref name=Weatherbase>
{{cite web
|url =http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=716072&cityname=St-Andrews-New-Brunswick
|publisher=Weatherbase
|title=Weatherbase.com
|year=2013
}}
Retrieved on October 24, 2013.
</ref>
|date=October 2013
}}

==Education==

===Public education===
[[Downingtown Area School District]] (DASD) is the school district operating schools serving the borough.<ref name=Downingtownboroughmap>{{cite web|url=https://www.downingtown.org/sites/g/files/vyhlif496/f/uploads/boro_map.pdf|title=Borough Map|publisher=Downingtown Borough|accessdate=2021-06-18}} - Compare to the school maps.</ref> Four elementary schools serve sections of the borough limits: Beaver Creek (in the borough limits), East Ward (in the borough limits), Bradford Heights, and Uwchlan Hills.There are many more in the immediate surrounding area such as: Brandywine Wallace, Lionville, Shamona Creek, Pickering Valley, Springton Manor, and West Bradford.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dasd.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=6100&dataid=12159&FileName=Elementary_Overall_Aug2020.map.pdf|title=Elementary Attendance Boundaries|publisher=[[Downingtown Area School District]]|accessdate=2021-06-18|archive-date=2021-06-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618142423/https://www.dasd.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=6100&dataid=12159&FileName=Elementary_Overall_Aug2020.map.pdf|url-status=dead}} - This map indicates the borough limits in the bottom.</ref> All of the borough goes through the Marsh Creek Sixth Grade Center. And meanwhile, much of the borough is served by Downingtown Middle School and [[Downingtown West High School]] (the latter is mostly in the borough) while some eastern parts are served by Lionville Middle School and [[Downingtown East High School]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dasd.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=6100&dataid=12160&FileName=Secondary%20Boundary%20Map.pdf|title=Secondary Attendance Boundaries|publisher=[[Downingtown Area School District]]|accessdate=2021-06-18}} - This map indicates the borough limits in the bottom.</ref>

Other area schools:
*[[Downingtown S.T.E.M. Academy]] (in the borough limits)

===Other schools===
The [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia]] has two schools in Downingtown Borough:
*[[Bishop Shanahan High School]]
*St Joseph School Parish School K-8 (in the borough limits)
————————————————————————————————————————————————————
*Chester County Intermediate Unit houses several offices and special services in Downingtown.
* Collegium Charter School.
*Creative Kids Of Downingtown
*Devereux Day School-cares (in the borough limits)
*St Joseph School Parish School (in the borough limits)
*Kindercare Learning Center
*21st Century Cyber Charter School

===Tertiary education===
[[Delaware County Community College]] operates the Brandywine Campus in the Downingtown borough limits.<ref name=Downingtownboroughmap/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dccc.edu/about/locations/brandywine-center|title=Brandywine Center|publisher=[[Delaware County Community College]]|accessdate=2021-06-18|quote=The center is located at 443 Boot Road in Downingtown.}} - Compare to the borough map.</ref>

Additionally it operates the Downingtown Campus in [[East Brandywine Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania|East Brandywine Township]], on the site of the former [[Downingtown Industrial and Agricultural School]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dccc.edu/about/locations/downingtown-campus|title=Downingtown Campus|publisher=[[Delaware County Community College]]|accessdate=2021-06-18|quote=Downingtown Campus 100 Bond Drive Downingtown, PA 19335[...]built on the site of the former Downingtown Industrial and Agricultural School,[...]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ebrandywine.org/DocumentCenter/View/15/Street-Map?bidId=|title=Street Map|publisher=[[East Brandywine Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania|East Brandywine Township]]|date=January 2010|accessdate=2021-06-18}}</ref>

==Infrastructure==

===Roads===
{{stack|[[File:2022-09-04 10 28 10 View west along U.S. Route 30 (Coatesville-Downingtown Bypass) just west of the exit for Pennsylvania State Route 282 in Downingtown, Chester County, Pennsylvania.jpg|right|thumb|US 30 westbound in Downingtown]]}}
As of 2012, there were {{convert|22.32|mi}} of public roads in Downingtown, of which {{convert|6.36|mi}} were maintained by [[Pennsylvania Department of Transportation]] (PennDOT) and {{convert|15.96|mi}} were maintained by the borough.<ref name=PennDOTmap>{{cite web|url=https://gis.penndot.gov/BPR_pdf_files/Maps/Type5/15403.pdf|title=Downingtown Borough map|publisher=PennDOT|access-date=March 12, 2023}}</ref>

[[U.S. Route 30 in Pennsylvania|U.S. Route 30]] is the main highway serving Downingtown. It follows the Coatesville-Downingtown Bypass on an east-west alignment across the northern tip of the borough. [[U.S. Route 30 Business (Chester County, Pennsylvania)|U.S. Route 30 Business]] follows the old alignment of US 30 through the heart of the borough along Lancaster Avenue. [[U.S. Route 322 in Pennsylvania|U.S. Route 322]] also runs through the heart of the borough, following a northwest-to-southeast alignment via Manor Avenue, Lancaster Avenue and Brandywine Avenue and running concurrently with US 30 Business for a short stretch. [[Pennsylvania Route 113]] starts at US 30 Business in the central part of the borough and heads north along Uwchlan Avenue. Finally, [[Pennsylvania Route 282]] also starts at US 30 Business in the core of the borough and heads northward along Green Street, Pennsylvania Avenue and Wallace Avenue.

=== Transit ===
[[File:Downingtown SEPTA and Amtrak station from inbound platform November 2018.jpeg|thumb|Downingtown Station, which serves SEPTA and Amtrak trains]]
[[Downingtown station]] is located along the [[Lincoln Highway]] and is served by both [[SEPTA Regional Rail]]'s [[Paoli/Thorndale Line]] and [[Amtrak]]'s ''[[Keystone Service]]''.  The town is also served by [[SEPTA Suburban Bus]] [[SEPTA Route 135|Route 135]] between [[Coatesville, Pennsylvania|Coatesville]] and [[West Chester, Pennsylvania|West Chester]].

==Notable people==
*[[Adriana Chechik]] (born 1991), pornographic actress
*[[Dave Days]] (born 1991), musician and internet personality
*[[John P. Edge]] (1822–1904), Pennsylvania state politician<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-herald-dr-edge-dead-10-mar-1904-t/137210528/ |title=Dr. Edge Dead |date=1904-03-10 |newspaper=The Herald |page=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=2023-12-21}}{{Open access}}</ref>
*[[Will Howard (American football)|Will Howard]] (born 2001), [[college football]] player
*[[Tyler Kroft]] (born 1992), [[National Football League]] (NFL) player
*[[Jeff Parke]] (born 1982), soccer player who represented the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]] national team<ref>{{Cite web |last=Borg |first=Simon |date=May 4, 2011 |title=Sounders' Parke wants piece of DC United |url=https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/sounders-parke-wants-piece-dc-united |access-date=March 24, 2025 |website=[[Major League Soccer]]}}</ref>
*[[Thomas Buchanan Read]] (1822–1872), poet and painter
*[[Zack Steffen]] (born 1995), soccer player who represented the United States national team<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zack Steffen |url=https://www.ussoccer.com/players/s/zack-steffen |access-date=March 24, 2025 |website=[[United States Soccer Federation]]}}</ref>
*[[Miles Teller]] (born 1987), actor
*[[Elijah Wilkinson]] (born 1995), NFL player

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{wikivoyage|Downingtown|Downingtown (Pennsylvania)}}
*  {{Official website|www.downingtown.org}}
*  [http://downingtownfriendsmeeting.org/ Downingtown Friends Meeting]
*  [http://www.victorybeer.com/ Pennsylvania Craft Brewery - Victory Brewing Company's]
*  [http://www.stjameschurch.ws/ St. James' Episcopal Church - Founded in 1843]
*  [http://www.septa.org/ SEPTA]

{{Geographic Location (8-way)
|Centre = Downingtown
|North = [[File:PA-113.svg|25px]] [[Chester Springs, Pennsylvania|Chester Springs]]
|Northeast = 
|East = [[File:US 30.svg|20px]] [[Exton, Pennsylvania|Exton]]
|Southeast = 
|South = [[File:US 322.svg|25px]] [[West Chester, Pennsylvania|West Chester]]
|Southwest = 
|West = [[File:US 30.svg|20px]] [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania|Lancaster]]
|Northwest = 
|image =  
}}
{{Chester County, Pennsylvania}}
{{Navboxes
|title=Articles relating to Downingtown, Pennsylvania
|list=
{{Chester County, Pennsylvania}}
}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Populated places established in 1702]]
[[Category:Boroughs in Chester County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:1702 establishments in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:1859 establishments in Pennsylvania]]