Oaks, Pennsylvania

Oaks, Pennsylvania
Unincorporated community
Oaks
Coordinates: 40°07′54″N 75°27′35″W / 40.13167°N 75.45972°W / 40.13167; -75.45972Coordinates: 40°07′54″N 75°27′35″W / 40.13167°N 75.45972°W / 40.13167; -75.45972
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Montgomery
Township	Upper Providence
Elevation	121 ft (37 m)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	19456
Area code(s)	610 and 484
GNIS feature ID	1182847^[1]

Oaks is a village located in Upper Providence Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, 18 miles (30 km) northwest of Philadelphia. Its boundaries are defined in large part by the village's position at the junction of Perkiomen Creek and the Schuylkill River.

History

The two waterways defined much of the village's early history. In 1825, the Schuylkill Navigation Company completed the Schuylkill Canal and Brower's Locks at Oaks, and the system was heavily traveled. The village of Oaks was named after the canal's designer, Thomas Oakes. Later in the nineteenth century, the railroad largely supplanted the role of the canal. The Perkiomen Railroad built the Oaks station in 1868. The Philadelphia and Reading, sometimes referred to as the Reading Railroad, merged the short line as its Perkiomen Branch. Oaks village cropped up around the station.

Famous residents of Oaks have included Jacob G. Francis, founder of Elizabethtown College, and Harry Whittier Frees.

Present

Today, the village of Oaks is set in dense suburbs. Many of its original structures remain, including the general store, the locktender's house, and many historic homes. Although the tracks are no longer in service in the center of Oaks, a station built in 1918 to replace the original is still located today at the intersection of Egypt Road and Station Avenue.

In 1985, construction of the eastern portion of US Route 422 was completed, connecting King of Prussia to Oaks and out to Reading and beyond, and spurring growth in the area.^[2] However, Oaks remained less developed than its suburban neighbors, due to a limited number of connections to its wastewater treatment plant. As plans for a new plant began, development started in the retail space next to the highway, starting with the construction of several modern box store retailers and a 24-theater cinema. In 2008, the expanded Oaks Wastewater Treatment Plant was completed,^[3] and a new round of both housing and retail growth began, including the opening of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center.

Interest in resuming rail service was spurred by the Schuylkill Valley Metro (SVM) project, which was rejected by Federal Transit Administration in 2006. Another proposal called the Greenline would make Oaks the terminus of a new rail line, with a new station located adjacent to the Expo Center.

Public attractions

Public attractions in Oaks include the 107-acre (0.43 km²) Lower Perkiomen Valley Park, as well as the Schuylkill River Trail and the Perkiomen Trail. The private West Collection of artwork is open to the public at the headquarters of SEI Corporation, and Oaks is now home to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center. The zip code is 19456.

Sports

Oaks was the home of the Valley Forge Freedom of the Mid-Atlantic Hockey League.

References

↑ "Oaks". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
↑ "PhillyRoads: The Pottstown Expressway". Retrieved 2009-05-13.
↑ "Lower Perkiomen Valley Regional Sewer Authority: Oaks Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion and Upgrade". Retrieved 2009-05-18.

External links

Municipalities and communities of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States

County seat: Norristown

Boroughs	Ambler Bridgeport Bryn Athyn Collegeville Conshohocken East Greenville Green Lane Hatboro Hatfield Jenkintown Lansdale Narberth Norristown North Wales Pennsburg Pottstown Red Hill Rockledge Royersford Schwenksville Souderton Telford‡ Trappe West Conshohocken

Townships	Abington Cheltenham Douglass East Norriton Franconia Hatfield Horsham Limerick Lower Frederick Lower Gwynedd Lower Merion Lower Moreland Lower Pottsgrove Lower Providence Lower Salford Marlborough Montgomery New Hanover Perkiomen Plymouth Salford Skippack Springfield Towamencin Upper Dublin Upper Frederick Upper Gwynedd Upper Hanover Upper Merion Upper Moreland Upper Pottsgrove Upper Providence Upper Salford West Norriton West Pottsgrove Whitemarsh Whitpain Worcester

CDPs	Arcadia University Ardmore‡ Audubon Blue Bell Bryn Mawr Eagleville Evansburg Flourtown Fort Washington Gilbertsville Glenside Halfway House Harleysville Haverford College‡ Horsham King of Prussia Kulpsville Maple Glen Montgomeryville Oreland Penn Wynne Plymouth Meeting Pottsgrove Sanatoga Skippack Spring House Spring Mount Stowe Trooper Willow Grove Woxall Wyncote Wyndmoor

Unincorporated communities	Arcola Ardsley Ashmead Village Bala Cynwyd Barren Hill Belmont Hills Bethayres Camp Hill Cedarbrook Cedars Center Point Center Square Chapel‡ Colmar Congo Creamery Crestmont Cheltenham Dresher Earlington Edge Hill Elkins Park Erdenheim Eureka‡ Fairview Village Fitzwatertown Franconia Frederick Geryville‡ Gladwyne Graterford Gulph Mills Gwynedd Gwynedd Valley Haverford‡ Hollywood Huntingdon Valley Jarrettown Lafayette Hill La Mott Laverock Layfield Lederach Line Lexington‡ Linfield Mainland Meadowbrook Melrose Park Merion Mingo Miquon Mont Clare Montgomery Square New Hanover Square Noble North Hills Oaks Obelisk Palm Penn Valley Perkiomenville Port Indian Port Providence Prospectville Rahns Rosemont‡ Roslyn Roychester Rydal Salford Salfordville Sassamansville Spring Mill Sumneytown Swedeland Three Tuns Tylersport Unionville‡ Villanova‡ Wayne‡ West Point Worcester Wynnewood‡ Yerkes Zieglersville

Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

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