Philadelphia has four Pennsylvania counties that are included in the broader Philadelphia metropolitan area: Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery. You would be forgiven if you mistook three of the suburban county seats for one another – Doylestown (Bucks), West Chester (Chester), and Media (Delaware) – particularly West Chester and Media with their Federal style architecture. Each of these towns are quaint and charming, with a collection of historical homes, restaurants, and bars befitting of a wealthy suburban community.
Then there’s Norristown. With a population of 34,324, Norristown is larger than its three other suburban county seats combined. The population is also significantly more diverse – 41% White, 36% Black, 23% Other. 28% of the population identifies has Hispanic, a three-fold increase since 2000. By comparison, Doylestown, West Chester, and Media are 95%, 72%, and 83% White, non-Hispanic, respectively. Norristown feels larger. It feels more diverse. You aren’t mistaking it for its county seat counterparts.
To put Norristown’s size in comparison to the other county seats and surrounding townships look no further than the town’s top attraction: the Elmwood Park Zoo, a zoo forever memorialized in Jerry Spinelli’s Maniac Magee, where the titular character supposedly kissed a bull (technically a bison but Spinelli needed to make a rhyme work). In addition to bison, the zoo is home to giraffes, zebras, jaguars, red pandas, monkeys, alligators, and a wide range of local fauna.
Then there’s Norristown. With a population of 34,324, Norristown is larger than its three other suburban county seats combined. The population is also significantly more diverse – 41% White, 36% Black, 23% Other. 28% of the population identifies has Hispanic, a three-fold increase since 2000. By comparison, Doylestown, West Chester, and Media are 95%, 72%, and 83% White, non-Hispanic, respectively. Norristown feels larger. It feels more diverse. You aren’t mistaking it for its county seat counterparts.
To put Norristown’s size in comparison to the other county seats and surrounding townships look no further than the town’s top attraction: the Elmwood Park Zoo, a zoo forever memorialized in Jerry Spinelli’s Maniac Magee, where the titular character supposedly kissed a bull (technically a bison but Spinelli needed to make a rhyme work). In addition to bison, the zoo is home to giraffes, zebras, jaguars, red pandas, monkeys, alligators, and a wide range of local fauna.
I have always had a personal connection to Norristown. My grandparents (on my mother’s side) lived on West Fornance and I still have vivid memories of their massive twin home. I remember Christmas parties. I remember my grandparents watching me while my parents were at work or on a weekend vacation. I remember my grandmother bringing sugar cookies to classmates when we were on a kindergarten fieldtrip to Elmwood Park Zoo. I’ve kept a passing interest in Norristown’s developments over the years. I drive through Norristown on the return from King of Prussia to not only avoid traffic on I-76 but to also see how the borough has changed.
Norristown's courthouse, second in my "Suburban County Court Houses" ranking to Media (which is one of the best in the country). The Montgomery County Courthouse is a monstrous edifice made larger by its presence atop a hill. What’s missing are the dining establishments where Courthouse employees, lawyers, etc. could grab a meal. There are very limited options on Main Street.
Norristown's courthouse, second in my "Suburban County Court Houses" ranking to Media (which is one of the best in the country). The Montgomery County Courthouse is a monstrous edifice made larger by its presence atop a hill. What’s missing are the dining establishments where Courthouse employees, lawyers, etc. could grab a meal. There are very limited options on Main Street.
Other suburban towns have gone through a mini-renaissance. The dining and drinking options have changed from chains to local owners. Norristown has remained relatively unchanged. You are more likely to find a traffic jam on its main streets than a microbrewery. When planning a trip around Norristown, I had a few destinations in mind, the rest were found through a lot of movement on Google Maps.
Norristown's main thoroughfare area extends from Markley/Swede Road to Dekalb Pike and further east.
Even grabbing a cup of coffee was a minor headache before Timshel Coffee opened in 2018. Across the street from Timshel is Five Saints Distillery, which, despite the hours indicating otherwise, was unfortunately closed when I visited. The Jewelry Exchange on the southeast corner of Dekalb and Main Street has been a neighborhood stalwart for years. Beyond these places, Main Street is most closed storefronts.
Even grabbing a cup of coffee was a minor headache before Timshel Coffee opened in 2018. Across the street from Timshel is Five Saints Distillery, which, despite the hours indicating otherwise, was unfortunately closed when I visited. The Jewelry Exchange on the southeast corner of Dekalb and Main Street has been a neighborhood stalwart for years. Beyond these places, Main Street is most closed storefronts.
What No Reservations self-guided tour is complete without a restaurant stop? Norristown’s Hispanic population has resulted in a burgeoning Mexican restaurant scene. The question wasn’t what type of food should I eat, it was which Mexican restaurant should I select. I went with La Poblanita Mexican Bar and I’m glad I did because the restaurant was in the center of a “Little Mexico” area on Marshall Street between Astor and Kohn Streets. There were at least three Mexican grocery / convenience stores in the three block area and another ten Mexican restaurants.
I headed East on Main Street to Crazy Aarons. On the drive I passed August Moon, a highly rated Japanese and Korean restaurant, and Lou’s Sandwich Shop, an old-school counter-style restaurant and home to the world famous zep (basically a hoagie turned on its side).
Crazy Aarons is a local manufacture of improved super putty that is available in all sorts of crazy varieties. There’s clear glass putty. Putty that changes colors from human heat. Putty that glows in the dark. Putty that smells like pizza. You can even make your own putty. Crazy times. |
West of the Eisenhower Academy is Elmwood Park. I remember walking down to this park as a child and thinking it was so cool that my grandparents had a playground half a block from their house. The Fire Chief Memorial amphitheater is a relic of a bygone era. On the south end of the park is a Christopher Columbus Memorial. Norristown’s first immigration boom came via Italy and some of the borough’s most famous resident’s are of Italian Heritage such as Tommy Lasorda, Mike Piazza, Geno Auriemma, Steve Bono, and Maria Bello.
I also stopped at the Eisenhower Science and Technology Leadership Academy. The Eisenhower Academy formerly served as the Norristown School District’s Highschool (where one Nancy Hamill graduated). It's an imposing building now hosting middle school classes.