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Bristol, Pennsylvania

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Bristol is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located Template:Convert northeast of Center City in Philadelphia opposite Burlington, New Jersey, on the Delaware River.

Bristol was settled in 1681 and first incorporated in 1720. After 1834, it became very important to the development of the American Industrial Revolution as the terminus city of the Delaware Canal, providing greater Philadelphia with the day's high quality anthracite coal from the Lehigh Canal via Easton. The canal and a short trip on the Delaware River also gave the town access to the mineral resources available in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York via each of the Morris Canal, the Delaware and Hudson Canal, and the Delaware and Raritan Canal, and connected the community to those markets and trade from New York City.

Although its charter was revised in 1905, the original charter remains in effect, making it the third-oldest borough in Pennsylvania after Chester and Germantown. It had 7,104 residents in 1900; 9,256 in 1910; 10,273 in 1920; and 11,895 in 1940. The most recent 2010 census showed its population at 9,726. Its current mayor is Joseph A. Saxton. It is served by SEPTA's Trenton Line.

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

History

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File:King George Inn.JPG
The historic King George II Inn, founded in 1681 in downtown Bristol, the oldest United States–based inn, November 2010
File:200 Mill Bristol.JPG
House on Mill Street, built in 1781, November 2010
File:Grundy Mills Complex.jpg
Grundy Mills Complex, a former textile mill in Bristol, March 2011
File:Harriman historic district.jpg
Bristol Borough's Harriman Historic District, March 2011
File:Bristol, PA borough hall, March 2024.jpg
Bristol Borough Hall, March 2024

Samuel Clift founded the Borough of Bristol, having received a land grant from Edmund Andros, who was then governor of New York. The grant became effective on March 14, 1681 (new style) or March 4, 1681 (old style) at the same time as William Penn's Charter from Charles II became effective. Clift was required by the grant to maintain ferry service across the Delaware River to Burlington, New Jersey, and to run a public house or inn. The inn later became known as the George II.<ref name="bristhist">Template:Cite web</ref>

Bristol Borough was settled in 1681, and named after Bristol, England.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It was originally used as a port and dock. It is rich in history, with many historic and restored houses along the streets of Radcliffe and Mill. In 1697, the Pennsylvania Provincial Council ordered that a town be laid out in the location. A petition was submitted by Joseph Bond, Anthony Burton, John Hall and William Wharton to the Council for incorporation, and was granted in 1702.<ref name="PlaceNames">Place Names in Bucks County, Pennsylvania; George MacReynolds; 1955; Bristol</ref>

Until 1725, Bristol Borough served as county seat of Bucks County.<ref>Template:Cite EB1911</ref>

From its earliest days, it was a center of textile mills,<ref

name=Bristol/> foundries, milling, and miscellaneous manufacturing. With the building of the Template:Convert long, forty feet wide, and five feet deep<ref
name=Bristol-2>Template:Cite web</ref>  Delaware Canal, it became a transshipment gateway<ref
group=notes name=DelDiv>Delaware Canal was later organized and known as the Pennsylvania Canal (Delaware Division).</ref> connecting the anthracite barges floating down the Lehigh Canal's end terminal at Easton to Philadelphia. Bristol Borough was chosen to terminate the Delaware Canal because it already had regular shipping connections to other parts of Philadelphia and Delaware River ports by both the era's typical animal powered barges and coastal/inland shipping vessels. Its docks also had regular ferry services to New Jersey and other points east from as early as 1681<ref
name=Bristol/> until 1931. Developed by John Fitch, Bristol was the home of the first steamboat ferry service taking up to 30 passengers bound for Philadelphia and other ports on the Delaware<ref
group=notes name=port>Steam boat service between Trenton, New Jersey and Philadelphia also played a key role in community development, since many lines had historic sailing ship ferry stops in Bristol.</ref><ref name="PlaceNames"/>

In 1740, William Davis established a shipyard in Bristol, building small vessels such as schooners and sloops. One such vessel was the Morning Glory, noted as the fastest sailing craft on the Delaware. In 1800, John Reed acquired the shipyard.<ref name="PlaceNames"/>

The expense of digging the canal was justifiable as the banks of the Delaware southerly from Easton were less suitable, there was insufficient real estate for extensive additional docks, so the legislature figured the Delaware Canal avoided the need to transship barge loads of coal to boats, drastically saving costs and time. Since Bristol Borough's long established docks were accessible to the Delaware River, the town also became the Delaware Canal's southern (main distribution) terminal end.<ref

group=notes name=canals>Both the Delaware and the Lehigh canals operated over 100 years, into the 1930s, and Bristol Borough saw most of that traffic once the canal was online; though some coal shipped from Easton. Canal traffic diminished as the Railroad age matured, but shipping bulk goods by water transport has decided economic advantages, so the canals lasted until the economic crash in the Great Depression.</ref>  Consequently, later, the Pennsylvania Railroad would also connect to the anthracite flowing through the canals, to the riverine barge and boat traffic, and to provide rail depots servicing the manufacturies.  Even before the canal, Bristol Borough was located along a main land route to New York City,<ref
name=Bristol/> Trenton, and New England so with construction of the canal and railroads, it became a major center of transportation and an even more attractive location for industry.<ref
name=Bristol>Template:Cite web
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By the 1880s, Bristol Borough was home to many factories, including companies manufacturing wall paper and carpet.<ref

name=Bristol/> In World War I, the Bristol Borough docks had sufficient space for a shipyard to construct twelve building slips for the construction of merchant vessels.<ref name=Bristol/><ref name=gsec/> In 1917 Averell Harriman organized the Bristol Borough shipyards founding the Merchant Shipbuilding Corporation (later called Merchant-Sterling)<ref
name=gsec/> and given the U-boat menace, would land a contract to build 40 identical cargo ships for the war.<ref name=gsec>Template:Cite web</ref> The residential area that developed around the shipyards was soon named Harriman, Pennsylvania, and most of the housing built therein is still in use today.<ref name=gsec/> In 1922 Harriman was annexed by Bristol Borough.<ref name=gsec/> Most of the shipping was finished too late to enter World War I, but some of the shipyard's output was used post-war in relief and troop support missions.<ref name=gsec/> The majority of the contracts were canceled in 1919,<ref name=gsec/> and the ship yards rapidly became excess real estate.<ref name=gsec/> Between the two world wars, the eighty-acres of the shipyard were let out to various concerns, including one area<ref name=gsec/> converted to building amphibious planes—the flying boats technology which was the heart and soul of long distance air travel until the technological advances theretofore the middle years of World War II. During World War II the old shipyards were used to build those<ref name=Bristol/> and other airplanes,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but most of the manufacturing in WW-II was not directly related to the war.<ref name=gsec/>

In 1961, Bristol Borough gained national attention when the song "Bristol Stomp", by The Dovells hit #2 on the Billboard pop chart. The song remains a local favorite, and it is often played at ceremonies, parades, and sporting events. The Merchant Shipbuilding site returned to the news in the 1990s when the Bucks County Redevelopment Authority using state and federal funding<ref name=gsec/> targeted the area as a priority for urban redevelopment.

Given its riverfront location, the old shipbuilding site was ranked highest in priority,<ref name=gsec/> and on 20 October 2000 various legislators and officials held a press conference at the former shipyard heralding the construction of the residential development already under way, known as the 'Riverfront North Project',<ref name=gsec/> and publicizing how derelict portions of the slipways were being removed.<ref name=gsec/> The project also established a park with four monuments celebrating the town's past in the redevelopment.<ref name=Bristol/>

Today the preserved elements of the shipyard, and other buildings once important in Bristol Borough's past service are enshrined and celebrated in the Bristol Historic District, Bristol Industrial Historic District,<ref name=Bristol/> and tourism sites celebrating the town's history and rich ethnic diversity. Various annual festivals, in particular keep a multi-ethnic cultural identity alive and well.<ref name=Bristol/>

Historic sites in the town including the Delaware Division of the Pennsylvania Canal, Dorrance Mansion, General Stores and Mold Loft Building-Harriman Yard of the Merchant Shipbuilding Corporation, Grundy Mill Complex, Harriman Historic District, Jefferson Avenue School and Jefferson Land Association Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Delaware Division of the Pennsylvania Canal is also designated as a National Historic Landmark District.<ref name="nris">Template:NRISref</ref>

In March 2023, there was a chemical spill in the Delaware River, caused by an equipment failure at the Trinseo chemical plant in Bristol.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Demographics

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Template:US Census population

As of a 2014 estimate, the borough was 69.2% Non-Hispanic White, 16.4% Black or African American, 1.5% Native American and Alaskan Native, 0.2% Asian, 3.5% Some other race, and 3.4% were Two or more races. 15.0% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

As of the 2010 census, the borough was 81.1 White, 9.5% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.6% Asian, and 3.5% were two or more races. 14.2% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There are 661 veterans living in Bristol Borough. There were 9,726 people, 4,237 households, and 3,926 families residing in the borough. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 4,207 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert.

There were 4,004 households, out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.7% were married couples living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.20. In the borough the population was spread out, with 24.5% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.

The median income for a household in the borough in 2016 was $42,962. Males had a median income of $28,653 versus $19,278 for females. About 8.2% of families and 16% of the population were below the poverty line.

Geography

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Bristol Borough is located at Template:Coord (40.103382, -74.851448).<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (10.81%) is water.

Education

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The Bristol Borough School District comprises two public schools: Warren Snyder-John Girotti Elementary School (K-6) and Bristol High School (7-12). Other schooling opportunities in Bristol are offered through the Roman Catholic parish school of St. Mark Church (K-8), located in the borough. Conwell-Egan Roman Catholic School in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania provides private/parochial schooling for children in grades 9-12. Higher education in Bristol Borough includes Pennco Tech.

Climate

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According to the Köppen climate classification system, Bristol 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. Although most summer days are slightly humid in Bristol, episodes of heat and high humidity can occur with heat index values > Template:Convert. Since 1981, the highest air temperature was Template:Convert on 07/06/2010, and the highest daily average mean dew point was Template:Convert on 08/13/2016. 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 08/27/2011.

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 01/22/1984. 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 ≥ 12 inches (30 cm) occur once every few years, particularly during nor’easters from December through February.

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Transportation

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Template:Stack As of 2017 there were Template:Convert of public roads in Bristol, 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 13 passes southwest-northeast through Bristol on Bristol Pike, heading southwest toward Bensalem and Philadelphia and northeast toward Levittown and Trenton, New Jersey. US 13 connects to the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstate 95) at the Delaware Valley interchange north of Bristol, just west of the Delaware River–Turnpike Toll Bridge over the Delaware River that connects the Pennsylvania Turnpike to the New Jersey Turnpike. Pennsylvania Route 413 passes north-south along the western edge of Bristol, heading north on Veterans Highway toward Langhorne and south to the Burlington-Bristol Bridge over the Delaware River that leads to Burlington, New Jersey. PA 413 connects to Interstate 95 at an interchange north of Bristol.<ref name=PennDOTBucks>Template:Cite map</ref>

The Bristol station is served by SEPTA Regional Rail's Trenton Line that provides service between Center City Philadelphia and the Trenton Transit Center. Trains along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor pass through Bristol but do not stop; the nearest Amtrak station is in Trenton. SEPTA provides Suburban Bus service to Bristol along Route 128, which runs between the Neshaminy Mall and the Oxford Valley Mall, and Route 129, which runs between the Frankford and Knights Bus Loop in Northeast Philadelphia and the Oxford Valley Mall.<ref name=septamap>Template:Cite map</ref> TMA Bucks operates the Bristol Rushbus, which offers peak-hour shuttles between a connection with the Trenton Line train at the Bristol station and certain businesses in Bristol.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Ecology

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According to the A. W. Kuchler, among U.S. potential natural vegetation types, Bristol has 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 7b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of Template:Convert.<ref name="USDA" /> The spring bloom typically begins by April 7 and fall color usually peaks by November 4.

Notable people

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Template:Alumni

See also

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Notes

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References

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<references />

Bibliography

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  • Harold Mitchener & Carol Houser-Mitchener, Images of America : Bristol; Arcadia Publishing, 2000; 128 pages; Template:ISBN
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Template:Bucks County, Pennsylvania Template:Authority control