Blue Bell

Blue Bell is a census-designated place (CDP) in Whitpain Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 6,067. The town was originally known as Pigeontown, after the large flocks of the now-extinct passenger pigeons that once gathered there. It was renamed in 1840 after the historically prominent Blue Bell Inn. In July 2005, Money magazine ranked Blue Bell 14th on its list of the "100 Best Places to Live in the United States" Blue Bell is home to the global headquarters of Unys, an information technology services company. It is also home to Blue Bell Community College, Bluestone Country Club, and Blue Bell Country Club. The most common industries for men in Blue Bell are construction (5%), real estate and rental and leasing (6%), and educational services (4%). It is one of the most affluent areas outside the Main Line communities in the Philadelphia area. The Dutchman is a well-known historical landmark within the town of Blue Bell. The CDP is located at 40°841N 75°168W (40.144759, -75.268752). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 5.4 square miles (14 km²), all land. In recent years the name "Blue Bell" has become informally synonymous with the larger surrounding area within the 19422 ZIP code, including the communities of Center Square and Belfry.

History

Blue Bell is the primary city name, but also Center Square, Penllyn are acceptable city names or spellings. Whitpain Public School was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. The Dutchman is a well-known historical landmark within the town of Blue Bell. The school is located in the town's historic district. It is located on the former site of the Blue Bell School, which was closed in the 1950s and 1960s. The building is now a private residence, and was built in the 1970s and 1980s by a local family. It has been converted into a public school, which opened in the early 1990s. It was built on the site of a former school in Blue Bell, which is now in the city's historical district, and is known as the 'Dutchman' The school's name comes from the Dutchman, which means 'the man' or 'the place' in Dutch. It also stands for 'Whitpain', which is the name of the school's first principal, William Whitpain, who was killed in a car accident in the 1930s. He was buried in a shallow grave in the front yard of his home, which has since been turned into a museum. The Dutchman was also the home of the first black mayor of the town, William Brown, who died in the 1940s and 1950s. In the 1980s and 1990s, the school was the subject of a documentary, "The Dutchman: The Story of the Whitpain School," about the life of William Brown and his son, William "Bill" Whitpain.

Geography

Blue Bell is located at 40°841N 75°168W (40.144759, -75.268752). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 5.4 square miles (14 km²) The name "Blue Bell" has become informally synonymous with the larger surrounding area within the 19422 ZIP code, including the communities of Center Square and Belfry. The boundary between area codes 215/267/445 and 610/484 runs through Blue Bell's center. The CDP of Blue Bell proper consists of an area roughly centered upon the namesake Inn, but in recent years the name has been used to refer to a larger area of the town. The name Blue Bell was first used in the early 1900s. The town's nickname is derived from the Blue Bell Inn, which was built in the late 1800s. It is located on the banks of the Blue River, which runs through the center of the city. The city's name comes from the nearby Blue Bell River, where the town's name was originally derived from. The Blue Bell river is a tributary of the Ohio River, and runs north-south through the city's downtown area. Blue Bell is home to the Bluebell Inn, one of the oldest inns in the U.S., which was founded in 1875. It was built on the site of the former Blue Bell Hotel, which dates back to the 18th century. The Inn is located in the town of Belfry, New Hampshire.

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, there were 6,395 people, 1,424 households, and 1,827 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,183.0 people per square mile (456.4/km²). There were 2,503 housing units at an average density of 463.0/sq mi (178.6/ km²) The racial makeup of the C DP was 90.32% White, 6.52% Asian, 2.42% African American, 0.02% Native American,0.22% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.14% of the population. The median income for a household was $106,617, and $115,541 for a family. The per capita income was $43,813. About 2.8% of families and 2.1% of those under age 18 were below the poverty line. 95.6% of residents have a high school diploma or higher; 61.7% have their bachelor's degree or higher, and 23.5% have a graduate or professional degree. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.03. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.2 males. There were 1,434 households, of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.2% were married couples living together, and 24.9% were non-families.

Economy

Blue Bell is home to the global headquarters of Unisys, a provider of information technology services and products. UniTek Global Services, an international telecommunications, cable and satellite services company, is headquartered in Blue Bell. Blue Bell Country Club boasts an 18-hole Arnold Palmer Signature golf course. The nearest major shopping malls are the Montgomery Mall in North Wales, the Plymouth Meeting Mall in Plymouth Meeting, and the King of Prussia mall in King of prussia. The most common industries for men in BlueBell include professional, scientific and technical services (18%), finance and insurance (10%), health care (7%), real estate and rental and leasing (6%), construction (5%), chemicals (5%) and educational services (4%). The mostcommon industries for women in Bluebell include professional and scientific services (11%), educational Services (11%) and accommodation and food services (3%). Blue Bell is located on the Ohio River, which runs through the center of the city. It is also home to Montgomery County Community College, Wings Field Airport, Bluestone Country Club, and BlueBell Country Club. The closest major airports to Blue Bell are Wings Field and Blue Bell Airport, which are both located in Montgomery County, North Wales. It also has an airport that is a short distance away from Blue Bell, in the town of Plymouth Meeting. It has an international airport with an airport terminal, which is located in the city's suburb of Plymouth. The city's population is 2.2 million, and it has a population of 1.7 million.

Education

Blue Bell is part of the Wissahickon School District which was ranked ninth, in September 2016, by Patch.com's "50 Best Places to Teach in Pennsylvania" There are also two institutions of higher education in Blue Bell, the main campus of Montgomery County Community College and Reformed Episcopal Seminary. Blue Bell is located in the Montgomery County portion of Pennsylvania. The school district was founded in the early 1900s. It was named after the town of Blue Bell in Pennsylvania, where the first school was built in 1820. The district was named for the town's first school, which was built on the site of the former Blue Bell Post Office. It is located on the banks of the Susquehannock River, which runs through the center of the district. The town has a population of about 2,000 people, according to the 2010 census. It has a school district that was ranked No. 9 in the state in the year of 2010. It also has a community college and a seminary in the same year, in the fall of that year, as well as a high school and a middle school. It's located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, which is in the northeastern corner of the state and is home to the Pennsylvania State College of Arts and Sciences, which has a campus that opened in the mid-1970s. The state's highest school ranking was No. 7 in the 2010-11 school year, with a grade point average of 3.9.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Blue Bell, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania = 31.1. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 2. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Blue Bell = 4.1 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 2,759 individuals with a median age of 45.9 age the population dropped by -8.86% in Blue Bell, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,207.27 residents per square mile of area (466.10/km²). There are average 2.58 people per household in the 2,228 households with an average household income of $108,343 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 6.90% of the available work force and has dropped -4.83% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 23.44%. The number of physicians in Blue Bell per 100,000 population = 500.9.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Blue Bell = 44.4 inches and the annual snowfall = 22 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 116. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 203. 87 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 22 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 45, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Blue Bell, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania which are owned by the occupant = 78.44%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 27 years with median home cost = $397,480 and home appreciation of -2.87%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $16.80 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $7,403 per student. There are 14.6 students for each teacher in the school, 660 students for each Librarian and 362 students for each Counselor. 4.82% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 38.43% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 23.30% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).