The Borough of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania

8 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 9 Council President Jon Ewald says the Borough’s proximity to the U.S. east coast and particularly New York make it attractive to many people. With a population of 20,000, Phoenixville is the 14th fastest growing municipality in the state and in the top two percent for population. Mayor Urscheler reports that the two groups making the move to Phoenixville are millennials who are working in the nearby pharmaceutical and financial services industries, and retiring baby boomers who crave that walkable lifestyle. He adds, “What is really special from a business perspective of our community is that we have this incredible kind of walkability. Our walkability score is through the roof. We have lots of trails, so there’s a lot of connection to other communities. In fact, if you hike the Schuylkill River Trail, which is 27 miles – the distance of a marathon – you would be in Philadelphia.” Most residents travel a short distance outside of the Borough to work, as there are not many industries located Phoenixville. Rather, the Borough has chosen to focus on residential growth and peace for residents without the addition of loud or environmentally unsustainable manufacturing. Ewald points out that people who live in Phoenixville have many natural wonders at their fingertips including French Creek, the Schuylkill River, 16 parks, recreation facilities, and more. “You can go mountain biking and kayaking, basically any sort of recreational sport in town,” Ewald says. “You’re literally on the water, you’re on a canal, you are literally able to do any outdoor activities where we are.” Phoenixville prospered throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and didn’t lose a single business, due to the leadership that ensured they expanded the downtown businesses footprint to within two major blocks. The conscious decisions from leadership also helped to attract people to downtown and to make the Borough their home. Urscheler emphasizes, “Now, it’s really more of an attraction to bring people into the community. People love our downtown, it’s like our community THE BOROUGH OF PHOENI XV I LLE , PENNSYLVANI A