According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.65 square miles (1.68 km2), all land.[3]
History
An 1862 image of Upland Township
The first European settlers in this area were from the Swedish colony of New Sweden. They arrived in the area in 1643 and built a permanent settlement at Tinicum Island. Although the name literally means "up land", it also reflects the Swedish province of Uppland.
The settlement of Upland was built around the point where Chester Creek flows into the Delaware River, which is part of the city of Chester, formerly also called "Upland". The colonists had plantations devoted to the cultivation of tobacco for export to Sweden. Upland was reflected on the early map of New Sweden made by Peter Lindstrom in 1654.[5][6]
During this period, three governments were competing for colonial supremacy in the mid-Atlantic coastal area: the Dutch, the Swedish and the English. The Swedish settlement was incorporated into Dutch New Netherland on September 15, 1655. In 1664, the English captured New Netherland from the Dutch. In 1676, the Duke of York's laws were promulgated as the rule of conduct on the Delaware River, and courts were established, one of which was the Upland.[7]
By the mid-1800s, the Upland Mills were built along Chester Creek in Upland by the wealthy textile manufacturer John Price Crozer.[8] The mills produced clothing for the US Army and other customers.[9]
The borough of Upland was founded May 24, 1869.[10]
Residents in Upland are zoned to the Chester-Upland School District. Main Street Elementary School is the elementary school in Upland.[12] Residents are also zoned to Smedley Middle School and Chester High School.
As of the 2000 census,[17] of 2000, there were 2,977 people, 1,116 households, and 765 families residing in the borough. The population density was 4,439.0 inhabitants per square mile (1,713.9/km2). There were 1,216 housing units at an average density of 1,813.2 per square mile (700.1/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 77.23% White, 19.68% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.81% from other races, and 1.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.08% of the population.
There were 1,116 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% were married couples living together, 20.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.28.
In the borough, the population was spread out, with 28.7% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $28,869, and the median income for a family was $35,640. Males had a median income of $31,188 versus $26,723 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $15,391. About 20.1% of families and 25.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 46.3% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2014, there were 9.88 miles (15.90 km) of public roads in Upland, of which 2.38 miles (3.83 km) were maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 7.50 miles (12.07 km) were maintained by the borough.[18]
Interstate 95 is the main highway serving Upland; portions of Interchange 6 are located within the borough.
Points of interest
The Caleb Pusey house is the oldest existing structure known to have been visited by William Penn
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