| Name: | Bucks County |
|---|---|
| FIPS code: | 42-017 |
| State: | Pennsylvania |
| Founded: | November 1682 |
| Named for: | Buckinghamshire |
| Seat: | Doylestown |
| Largest town: | Bensalem |
| Total Area: | 622 sq mi (1,610 km²) |
| Land Area: | 604 sq mi (1,560 km²) |
| Total Population: | 646,538 |
| Population Density: | 1,070/sq mi (410/km²) |
| Time zone: | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| Summer Time Zone (DST): | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Website: | www.buckscounty.gov |
Bucks County location map. Where is Bucks County?
History
Founding
Bucks County is one of the three original counties created by colonial proprietor William Penn in 1682. Penn named the county after Buckinghamshire, the county in which he lived in England. He built a country estate, Pennsbury Manor, in Falls Township, Bucks County.
Some places in Bucks County were named after locations in Buckinghamshire, including Buckingham and Buckingham Township, named after the former county town of Buckinghamshire; Chalfont, named after Chalfont St Giles, the parish home of William Penn’s first wife and the location of the Jordans Quaker Meeting House, where Penn is buried; Solebury Township, named after Soulbury, England; and Wycombe, named after the town of High Wycombe.
Bucks County was originally much larger than it is today. Northampton County was formed in 1752 from part of Bucks County, and Lehigh County was formed in 1812 from part of Northampton County.
American War of Independence
General George Washington and his troops camped in Bucks County as they prepared to cross the Delaware River to take Trenton, New Jersey, by surprise on the morning of December 26, 1776. Their successful attack on Britain’s Hessian forces was a turning point in the American War of Independence. The town of Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania and Washington Crossing Historic Park were named to commemorate the event.
Bucks County Road Map
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 622 square miles (1,610 km), of which 604 square miles (1,560 km) is land and 18 square miles (47 km) (2.8%) is water.
The southern third of the county between Philadelphia and Trenton, New Jersey, often called Lower Bucks, resides in the Atlantic Coastal Plain, and is flat and near sea level, and the county’s most populated and industrialized area.
Bucks County shares a western border with Montgomery County, and also borders Philadelphia to the southwest, and Northampton and Lehigh Counties to the north. From north to south, it is linked to Warren, Hunterdon, Mercer and Burlington Counties in New Jersey by bridges.
Tohickon Creek and Neshaminy Creek are the largest tributaries of the Delaware in Bucks County. Tohickon Creek empties into the river at Point Pleasant and Neshaminy at Croydon (Bristol Township).
Adjacent counties
- Lehigh County (northwest)
- Northampton County (north)
- Warren County, New Jersey (northeast)
- Hunterdon County, New Jersey (northeast)
- Mercer County, New Jersey (east)
- Burlington County, New Jersey (southeast)
- Philadelphia County (south)
- Montgomery County (west)
Bucks County Topographic Map
Bucks County Satellite Map
Bucks County Outline Map
