Phoenixville Homes for Sale
We are a husband and wife team that lives in Phoenixville and we are very familiar with the entire Phoenixville area including Collegeville. You can search for Phoenixville Homes for Sale by following the links below or by communities on the right. We can show you any home for sale and we do not require any exclusive commitment to use our services.
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History
Bridge and Main
In addition to being able to find Phoenixville Homes for Sale and Phoenixville Real Estate here is some interesting information about Phoenixville. Originally called Manavon, Phoenixville was settled in 1732 and incorporated as a borough in 1849. In its industrial heyday early in the twentieth century, it was an important manufacturing center and it was the site of great iron and steel mills such as the Phoenix Iron Works, boiler works, silk mill, underwear and hosiery factories, a match factory, and the famous (and now highly collectible) Etruscan majolica pottery. Like so many American towns and cities, Phoenixville owes its growth to its waterways. It is not only situated on the broad Schuylkill River, an historic thoroughfare to Native Americans and early settlers alike, but it is bisected by the fast-flowing French Creek, which was quickly harnessed for water power.
Much of this history was recognized by the creation of the Phoenixville Historic District, the largest National Register of Historic Places site in Chester County.
Attractions
Phoenixville is home to the Colonial Theatre, opened in 1903. In 1958, the theatre, along with some other parts of the borough, was featured in the motion picture The Blob. Beginning in 2000, Phoenixville has celebrated this with the annual Blobfest. Festivities include a reenactment of the scene featuring the Colonial. The Colonial runs special programs each weekend, and an ongoing series of movies and events for children.
The Valley Forge Christian College, located in neighboring Schuylkill and Charlestown Townships, is a part of this community, using the land belonging to the former Valley Forge General Hospital. The hospital was built in 1942 to accommodate the wounded of World War II. It was scheduled to be closed around 1949, but remained open until after the Vietnam War, closing in 1975.
Every year the Phoenixville Jaycees host their annual Dogwood Festival, typically beginning in the third week in May.
Since 2004 on the first Friday night of every month the downtown stores, restaurants and businesses and volunteer community groups hold special events including street musicians and entertainers and some outdoor concerts. Phoenixville is in close proximity to Valley Forge park and both the Perkiomen and Schulykill River trails.
Phoenix Iron Works foundry building.
Transportation
Phoenixville is at the intersection of three state routes: 23, 29, and 113. Phoenixville is currently served by SEPTA’s Route 99 bus, which connects with the Manayunk/Norristown Line Regional rail service at the Norristown Transportation Center, the Route 205 bus, which connects with the Paoli station during weekday rush hours, and the Route 139 bus, which connects the King of Prussia Mall with the Philadelphia Premium Outlets in Limerick.
Several major railroads once served Phoenixville. The Reading Railroad entered the east side of town via a station above Bridge Street. The line passes under the north side of town in the Black Rock Tunnel, the second rail tunnel constructed in the United States. Regular commuter trains last stopped at the Phoenixville Station in 1981, when SEPTA ceased operating non-electrified commuter lines. Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) currently utilizes the busy line on a daily basis as part of its Harrisburg Line.
The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) Schuylkill Branch also served Phoenixville. The line enters town crossing the Schuylkill River from neighboring Mont Clare on a high bridge, north of French Creek. The line passes along the north side of the former Phoenix Iron Works site. The station on Vanderslice Street, west of Gay Street, no longer exists. Past the Works, the line splits. The main fork passed through the now abandoned Phoenixville Tunnel, which partially collapsed in the 1990s, and continued toward Reading. The other fork continued along the Pickering Creek Valley and used to connect with the Main Line at Paoli. A section of the line remains in place, and is currently known as the Phoenixville Industrial track (also owned by NS). Passenger service ended in 1928 and regular freight service on the line ceased in 2004. During the 2008 replacement of the Gay Street Bridge, the line was severed at its crossing of Main Street and that rail bridge raised a few feet to allow emergency vehicles to reach the north side of town.
Interest to resume passenger rail service was spurred by the Schuylkill Valley Metro (SVM) project, which was rejected by Federal Transit Administration in 2006. Another project, called the Greenline, has since been proposed an alternative to the SVM. It would utilize the Phoenixville Industrial track, to give Phoenixville a rail link to Philadelphia via Paoli and the Paoli/Thorndale Line of regional rail. The effort to resume passenger train service has led to the creation of the group Citizens for the Train
Demographics
The median income for a household in the borough was $42,500, and the median income for a family was $54,424. Males had a median income of $40,319 versus $32,295 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $22,911. About 4.2% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over. The 2008 U.S. Census population estimate for Phoenixville is 16,382.
Wikipedia contributors. “Phoenixville.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 10 Feb. 2006. Web. 12 Nov. 2010