West Norriton, Pennsylvania 2025

West Norriton Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the township's population was 14,706.

The first known human activity in the area of West Norriton dates back to the Native American tribe, Lenape. In 1682, William Penn sold a portion of land that included present-day West Norriton to Isaac Norris. Until recently, in 1800, the land was mainly used for farms and agriculture. With the construction of the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1834, many people from Philadelphia moved to the countryside, leading to development in subdivisions.

Prior to 1965, the Norristown area comprised thirteen individual townships, one of them being West Norriton. The other townships included Plymouth, Whitpain, Worcester, Whitemarsh, Perkiomen, Salford, Upper Dublin, Lower Gwynedd, Whitpain, and Hanover.

During its early days, West Norriton was predominantly a rural farming community. In 1876, the population was 1,289, then increased to 3,276 in 1920. In 1890, an electric trolley line was built between Norristown and Philadelphia, allowing city people to move into the West Norriton area. Even still, the population didn't get much bigger, even by 1940 with a total of 3,984 people, until the post-war World War II building boom. In 1960, the population surged to 7,684.

Most residents are of the Caucasian race. As of the 2010 census, racial makeup was 88.4% White, 2.9% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 6.5% Asian, and 1.3% from two or more races. About 1.4% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.

There were 5,612 households, out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-family households. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the township, the population was spread out, with 27.4% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years.

The median income for a household in the township was $61,415, and the median income for a family was $70,563. Males had a median income of $46,146 versus $32,274 for females. The per capita income for the township was $26,469. About 2.6% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

The Norristown Area School District serves the township. The high school is Norristown Area High School.

The township is home to the Norristown Farm Park, which hosts many community events and festivals. The park features walking trails, picnic areas, and playing fields, and hosts various community events throughout the year. At the township’s northern border lies the Lukens National Historic District, which is the first U.S. site designated as a National Historic Landmark and boasts the wrought iron Liberty Bell. On April 27, 1777, a group of local soldiers, known as the Liberty Bell Battalion, were the first to use the term “Liberty Bell” in a letter to the Pennsylvania Assembly.