King of Prussia

Welcome to King of Prussia

King of Prussia is a census-designated place in Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 19,936. The community took its name in the 18th century from a local tavern named the King of Prussia Inn, which was named after Frederick II, King of Prussia. Like the rest of Montgomery County, King of Prussia continues to experience rapid development. The largest shopping mall in the United States in terms of space and size, the King of Prussia Mall, is located here. Also located here is the headquarters of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Region I.

History

The eponymous King of Prussia Inn was originally constructed as a cottage in 1719 by the Welsh Quakers William and Janet Rees, founders of nearby Reeseville. The cottage was converted to an inn in 1769 and did a steady business in colonial times as it was approximately a day's travel by horse from Philadelphia. Settlers headed west to Ohio would sleep at the inn on their first night on the road. In 1774 the Rees family hired James Berry to manage the inn, which henceforth became known as "Berry's Tavern". General George Washington first visited the tavern on Thanksgiving Day in 1777 while the Continental Army was encamped at Whitemarsh; a few weeks later Washington and the army bivouacked at nearby Valley Forge.

Parker's spy map, created by a Tory sympathizer of the Kingdom of Great Britain, listed the inn as "Berry's" in 1777, but a local petition in 1786 identified it as the "King of Prussia". It was possibly renamed in honor of Benjamin Franklin's pro-American satirical essay "An Edict by the King of Prussia". At some point a wooden signboard of the inn depicted King Frederick II (Frederick the Great) of Prussia. The inn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

There is no incorporated city of King of Prussia, although the United States Postal Service office there still carries that name (since 1850). The zip code is 19406. King of Prussia's boundaries, as defined by the Census Bureau, are the Schuylkill River to the north, U.S. Route 422 to the west, Bridgeport to the east, and I-76 to the south. However, the Greater King of Prussia Area is often cited to include Bridgeport, parts of Wayne and Radnor Township, King Manor, as well as most of Gulph Mills. The local fire department carries the King of Prussia name, whereas the police department and the school district carry the Upper Merion name. King of Prussia is located at 40°6′N 75°23′W (40.0946, -75.3781).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 8.5 square miles (22 km2), of which 8.4 square miles (22 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2), or 0.83%, is water.

The area is served by area codes 610 and 484. 484 is an overlay area code.

Infrastructure

King of Prussia has retained its role as an important crossroads throughout United States history. In addition to the Inn, from the earliest days, the intersection supported two general stores. Today, four major highways meet in or near the center of King of Prussia. The Schuylkill Expressway (I-76) from Center City, Philadelphia, ends in King of Prussia at the Pennsylvania Turnpike, an east-west toll road across the southern portion of the state. US 422 begins near the center of town and heads west to Reading; thanks to reconstruction in 2000, motorists can now travel directly from Reading to Philadelphia without passing onto US 202. US 202 is the only major highway that becomes a surface road through the area.

The construction of one of the nation's largest shopping malls, thousands of homes, various hotels and highrises, strip malls, restaurants, freeways, a convention center, and much more has caused King of Prussia to become a highly developed community. One unfortunate side effect of the rapid development over the last several decades is that the plumbing and water drainage infrastructure is now barely able to handle the volume, leading to periodic water back ups for homes. The depth of this was shown on a larger scale in October and November 2010 when the King of Prussia Plaza flooded, causing serious damage to many of the first floor areas. Despite this, King of Prussia is seen as an idyllic place to live with some homes and farmsteads older than 200 years still dotting the rolling countryside. Much is being done to protect King of Prussia's many historic sites. Valley Forge National Historical Park, preserving the site where General George Washington and his Continental Army spent the winter of 1777-1778, borders King of Prussia to the west.

King of Prussia is well served by many transit lines including buses, the Norristown High Speed Line operated by SEPTA, and the Rambler operated by the Greater Valley Forge Transportation Management Association.

Education

Public school students in the King of Prussia area attend schools in the Upper Merion Area School District. The schools include Caley Road, Roberts, Bridgeport, and Candlebrook Elementary, Upper Merion Area Middle School and Upper Merion Area High School. King of Prussia also has a Private school, Mother Teresa Regional Catholic School.

Notable Residents

Jobriath Boone - (born Bruce Wayne Campbell December 14, 1946 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, died August 3, 1983), A native of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania,he was an American folk and glam rock musician and actor. He was the first openly gay rock musician to be signed to a major record label, Elektra Records.

The Bloodhound Gang - A comedic rock band originating in the early '90s from King of Prussia, PA.

Courtesy of Wikipedia