Moving To Buckingham, PA? Information
Buckingham Township
Bucks County's largest municipality, Buckingham Township, is flanked by Solebury, Upper Makefield, Wrightstown and Doylestown Township and Borough. Originally populated by the Lenni Lenape Indians, the area began to attract European settlers in the late 1600s. By the late 1700s, small towns, villages and hamlets and extensive farms were home to an increasing number of people including English and Welsh Quakers, as well as many Germans. Most of the 18th and 19th century residents were involved in agriculture and the myriad early trades associated with rural life.
Today, the vestiges of that way of life remain, with the many villages located at cross roads in places like Bridge Valley, Forest Grove, Furlong, Holicong, Lahaska, Mechanicsville and Mozart. Here "antique" homes made of local stone, stucco, brick and wood clapboard, some with slate roofs and hand-blown glass windows still intact, can still be found, typically hugging the roads in the remains of the old hamlets.
Agriculture is still an important part of the fabric of life in Buckingham and the Township government and residents, with help from the County and Commonwealth, has worked to actively preserve and conserve farms. In 1989, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania established a farm preservation program. The first two Bucks County farms protected are located in Buckingham. Today some 3,620 acres of land are preserved . . . with one out of three farms now protected through the Bucks County program located in Buckingham. Of those acres, 760 have been protected through gifts of land or easements; 611 acres through County purchase of easements; 1,363 acres through Township/County purchase of easements and 422 acres through the Transfer of Development Rights Program.
Buckingham Township's history is richer than just its excellent soil and abundant streams and creeks. During the winter of 1776, George Washington headquartered here, as did General Nathanael Greene, commander of Washington's left wing during the Battle of Trenton who stayed at Bogart's Tavern (now the General Greene Inn).
Buckingham also played a role in the Underground Railroad prior to and during the Civil War. The Mount Gilead African Methodist Episcopal Church, located near the top of Buckingham's highest point, Buckingham Mountain, was often the last stop for escaped slaves before they were ferried across the Delaware River in nearby Solebury and Upper Makefield. The church, originally built of logs in 1835, was rebuilt in 1852 of stone, and appears today much as it did then.
Another historic structure is the Wycombe train station. This charming building was constructed in 1891 and serves as the cornerstone of Wycombe, a village listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Township is currently working to restore the train station.
Though Buckingham has no commercial downtown to call its own, there is plenty to do. Peddler's Village, an important Bucks County Tourist attraction located in Lahaska on the Solebury border, is popular with locals too. Opened 47 years ago by Earl Jamison, who renovated existing antique structures, moved additional old buildings to the property and built many more in an appealing vintage style, the Village has 70 specialty shops, a family entertainment center with a carousel, and six restaurants, as well as an Inn and lovely gardens. Peddler's Village hosts a regular series of events featuring scarecrow, quilt and gingerbread house contests, music, seasonal festivals and more that attract thousands.
Across the road from Peddler's Village is Penn's Purchase, a discount shopping center that has recently added an Italian restaurant that is proving to be popular with locals and shoppers. The Pineville Tavern and the Candlewick are two other restaurants that have faithful local patrons.
Youth sports are very big in Buckingham. Soccer, basketball, baseball and softball seem to draw the most kids, but there is also lots of interest in lacrosse, field hockey, volleyball and football at the league level. Scouting and 4-H also offer activities for children. Many of the sports are played at Hansell, Holicong and George Bush Parks.
Buckingham is also home to Lookaway Golf Club, an 18-hole private club with course designed by Rees Jones.
For amateur thespians, Town and Country Players is a non-profit community theater that has provided the Central Bucks area with quality theater for the past 60 years.
And for the equestrians, there are a number of riding stables including Cando Farm, Bridle Path Farm, and Biamonte Stables at Groth Hill Farm.
There was very little growth in Buckingham until the mid-part of the 20th century when the community began to attract individuals who built new ranch and Cape Cod-style homes. The in the 1960s, builders began to buy farms to create "developments" and "neighborhoods". Today there are 30 to 35 developments including some that are currently under construction, and quite a few that are "on the books," but not yet started.
The older developments reflect the tastes of their era with 2-story colonials, split and bi-levels and ranches. The newer construction includes a number of townhouse communities ranging in price from the high $300,000s to mid $400,000s, as well as several luxury single-family home developments where the prices have gone well over the $1,000,000 point.
Currently, there are two properties priced over $3,000,000 in Buckingham. One is a new 10,000 sq. ft., seven-bedroom, eight full bath, three half bath stone manor home on 3.3 acres in Stoneymead, a new development, with homes priced at $3,725,000. The other is a newly-converted antique barn by Bucks County Timbercraft on 14 acres listed at $4,395,000.
There are 39 listings between $1,000,000 and $2,999,000 that include new Toll Brothers construction at Spring Valley, and Stoneymead, which is a Barley Custom Home development. Some of the $million-plus listings are located in established, 9 to 14 year-old small developments like Ash Mill and Indian Ridge, and in Stone Ridge which features traditional Bucks County stone and Tuscan-villa inspired homes built by several area builders.
In the year ending on July 1, 2009, eight properties sold for between $1M and $2,999,000. Seven of them ranged in price from $1M to $1.6M. A 4000 sq. ft., 158-year-old farmhouse that had been redone in a French country style, on 14 acres, sold for $2,435,000. No properties have sold for over the latter price in the past year.
Buckingham has a large number of homes in the $700,000 to $999,000 range, with 49 current listings. In the year ending 6/31/2009, 27 listings sold in that price range. Most are located in developments including Upper Mountain Estates, Coldbrook, Buckingham Chase, Buckingham Woods, Oakleigh, Summer Lea, The Reserve at Holicong, Deer Valley and Windsor Square. They are typically large, traditional designs, and on an acre+. A few of the sold properties are on individual lots scattered throughout the Township's lovely countryside.
In the $500,000 to $699,000 price range, there are currently 53 listings, with 60 having sold in the past year. Most of these homes are located in developments including Hearthstone, Buckingham Forest, Buckingham Place, Devonshire, Windsor Square, Hunter's Run, The Ridings of Bucks County, Cold Spring Hunt and Bridlewood Farms. They are typically colonials and traditional designs on small (.25 to .50 acre).
There are 119 homes priced under $499,000 in Buckingham Township that are currently on the market. Most are townhomes, including new construction at The Villages of Buckingham (Toll) and Heritage Center (Heritage) Also among the listings are a number of modestly priced (in the low to mid $100,000s) modular homes in Buckingham Springs, an over-55 community. Last year, there were 114 sales in this price range.