Downingtown Borough - Suburban Living with a City Feel

Tucked in the southeast corner of the Commonwealth, 33 miles from Philadelphia, lies the Borough of Downingtown.

Settled by European colonists in 1716, this Chester County borough is rich in history. To this day, there are many historic buildings and structures still stand. Originally named “Milltown”, due to its number of mills along the East Branch Brandywine Creek, the first of which was founded by Daniel Butter.

Around the time of the American Revolution, Milltown became more commonly known as “Downingtown” after the prominent businessman Thomas Downing, a Quaker immigrant in 1717 from Bradninch, Devon, England, who owned a number of those mills. The borough was officially named Downingtown in 1812.1

For movie buffs, the 1958 movie “The Blob” was filmed in and around Downingtown. The diner featured in the movie, then called the “Downingtown Diner” was sold, and transported to another state, but has been replaced with a similar 1950s-style diner, that you can visit today.

For snack lovers, Auntie Anne’s Pretzels first offered their gooey goodness in a stall at the Downingtown Farmers Market in 1988. The famous pretzels can now be found in over 1,000 locations across the country.

As seen on downingtown.org, “The Borough of Downingtown has a council-manager form of government established by ordinance in 1953. Downingtown's rich history is readily apparent to residents and visitors alike as they travel along East Lancaster Avenue where numerous historic structures line the street.

Downingtown is experiencing a revitalization with many new projects currently underway, as well as proposed projects that will enhance our future growth and provide many types of opportunities for our residents. The River Station project, a transit-oriented development, is currently under construction by The Hankin Group. The development is located at the former Sonoco Paper Mill site. River Station will provide opportunities for new commercial businesses, restaurants, and residential living with easy access to transit and pedestrian trails.’’

With its proximity to Philadelphia and the suburbs of the city, there is a lot to offer in this borough. Suburban living with all the amenities of a larger city with great restaurants, coffee shops, museums, public transportation, and more make it a great place to visit and live.

1 en.wikipedia.org