Norristown, PA

Norristown, located six miles from Philadelphia in Montgomery County, is a home-rule municipality that prides itself on putting important local decisions into the hands of its residents. Despite not technically being a city, Norristown has a population of about 30,000, making it as large as many U.S. cities. It was founded in 1812, and its official name is the Municipality of Norristown, though it is now usually referred to as simply Norristown. Much of the area overlooks the scenic Schuylkill River, which has a famous past as the site of many historic moments of the Revolutionary War.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

The largest industries in Norristown are health care, legal professions, transportation, trade, education, construction, and utilities. It is also known for the manufacture of myriad products, such as textiles, machinery, medical equipment, doors, windows, and explosives, to name a few. Major employers located in Norristown include the following:

• Norristown State Hospital
• Montgomery Hospital
• Montgomery County Government

About 92 percent of Norristown jobs are in the private sector, while the remaining 8 percent are with the government. For jobs in the private sector, the breakdown is as follows:

• About 77 percent are in the service industry, which includes business and professional services, transportation, utilities, trade, education, and health care.
• About 16 percent deal with the goods-producing industries, such as construction and manufacturing.
• About 20 percent of Norristown service industry jobs are in the business and professional services industry.
• About 19 percent of service industry jobs deal with trade, utilities, and transportation.
• About 15 percent of service jobs are in the education and health-care industries.
• About 11 percent of Norristown goods-producing jobs involve manufacturing, and about 5 percent of those jobs involve construction.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

• Montgomery County Cultural Center: This venue houses an award-winning theater program and a children's theater group.
• Norristown Public Library: One of the oldest attractions in Norristown, this library was built in 1794.
• Norristown Arts Building: This large building dedicated to the arts is home to 20 studios, a teaching area perfect for workshops, and a nonprofit gallery that displays contemporary art exhibits throughout the year.
• Norristown Chorale: This music group brings choir concerts to the community several times each year.

FAMILY FUN

• Norristown Farm Park: This park is actually a working farm. It offers visitors opportunities to fish, ski, ride a bike, hike, play ball or have picnics. Located on the Norristown State Hospital grounds, this area also features the serene Stony Creek, which courses through the park.
• Elmwood Park Zoo: Home to more than 300 animals of 100 different species, this 80-acre zoo opened in 1924.
• Golf: For its size, Norristown has many golf courses. Jeffersonville Golf Club, Woods Golf Center, Westover Golf Club, and Center Square Golf Club all feature 18 holes.
• Valley Forge National Historical Park: This historic site, close to Valley Forge, was built to honor those who fought in the Revolutionary War. The park is known for being the area where the Continental Army was created in 1777.
• Schuylkill River Trail: Named after the river that follows this path through Norristown, this trail is perfect for biking, walking or jogging in natural scenery.

LOCAL MEDIA

Because Norristown has few media outlets of its own, it shares many of Philadelphia's newspapers, radio stations, and television channels. The following is a list of just a few of the media outlets available to residents of Norristown:

• Norristown Times Herald
• The Philadelphia Inquirer
• Philadelphia Tribune
• Philadelphia Daily News
• Philadelphia Weekly
• KYW-TV (CBS), Channel 3
• WPVI (ABC), Channel 6
• WHYY-TV (PBS), Channel 12
• WCAU (NBC), Channel 10
• WMMR 93.3 FM (rock)
• WRTI 90.1 FM (jazz)
• WRDV 89.3 FM (oldies)
• KYW 1060 AM (news radio)
• WIP 610 AM (sports radio)

FUN FACTS

• Past and present residents of Norristown include actress Maria Bello, actor Peter Boyle, author Jerry Spinelli, and a host of other well-known actors, musicians, athletes, authors, and politicians.
• Several books make reference to this area, such as Jerry Spinelli's Maniac Magee and Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones.
• The chances of a tornado occurring in Norristown are 27 percent higher than the national average and are slightly higher than the Pennsylvania average.
• Civil War commander General Winfield Scott Hancock was born in this area and buried in Norristown.
• The average work commute for Norristown residents is at exactly the national average, 25 minutes.