About Bensalem Township
Welcome to Bensalem Weekly, your guide to what’s happening in one of the 50 best places to live in America. Home to 63,000 residents, making it the largest township in Bucks County and the tenth-largest in Pennsylvania.
We’ll keep you informed about the events, restaurants, shopping, entertainment, and news you need to get the most out of Bensalem. Plus, we profile who and what’s happening around town with our feature articles – to give you a deeper flavor of this fantastic place to live.
Is Bensalem a part of Philly?
No, Bensalem is in Bucks County and borders northeast Philadelphia.
Bensalem Township is composed of many communities, including Andalusia, Bensalem, Bridgewater, Cornwells Heights, Eddington, Flushing, Oakford, Siles, Trappe, and Trevose and we’ll keep you up to date on all of them.
Is Bensalem a good neighborhood?
Forbes thinks so! They’ve named Bensalem one of the 50 best places for families to live. Number 26 to be exact! And it’s not the first time, so we must be doing something right.
If you’re visiting or new to Bensalem Township, here is a great start to experiencing the best and brightest that Bensalem has to offer.
Bensalem School District
The Bensalem Township School District covers approximately 21 square miles and enrolls around 6,000 students.
There are six elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school within the district. The oldest school in the district is Bensalem High School established in 1923, and Cornwells Elementary School is the newest, established in 1998.
Elementary schools
Belmont Elementary School
Cornwells Elementary School
Samuel K. Faust Elementary School
Benjamin Rush Elementary School
Struble Elementary School
Valley Elementary School
Middle schools
Robert K. Shafer Middle School
Cecelia Snyder Middle School
High school
Bensalem High School
Charter School
School Lane Charter School. The school serves grades K-12.
Private Schools
Holy Ghost Preparatory School
Bensalem’s Landmarks and Attractions
Parx Casino and Racetrack
Bensalem is home to Parx Casino and Racetrack which recently opened the Xcite Center, a 1500-seat state-of-the-art concert venue along with 360 nightclub which hosts amazing local musical talent and comedy.
Mission Center and National Shrine of St. Katharine Drexel
The final resting place of St. Katharine Drexel is located on Bristol Pike in Bensalem. St. Katharine, gave up her family wealth to devote her life to charitable and missionary work for African Americans and First Nation people. She also founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, a congregation of missionary nuns.
Pope John Paul II canonized her as the second American-born saint in the Catholic church, and she is the patron saint of racial justice and philanthropists.
Penn Community Bank Bensalem Amphitheater
The amphitheater is the wildly popular outdoor venue for the series of Wednesday evening concerts throughout the summer season.
Women’s Humane Society
150 years after its founding, the Women’s Humane Society still carries on the lifesaving legacy of its founders, committed to making the world an ever kinder, more compassionate place for all animals. They have a full-service staff of veterinarians and an animal rescue shelter where you just might meet your next best friend. Be it a dog, cat or even a bunny.
Mongkoltepmunee Buddhist Temple
The shrine is an exact replica of a temple in Bangkok and is the only one of its kind in the United States. It serves as a place of high ceremonies and meditation for a community of Buddhist monks who came to Bensalem from Thailand in the 1980s. It’s also host to an amazing Thai Food Festival.
Bensalem Township Community Park
The park is home to a skatepark, playground, basketball courts, a roller hockey rink, and baseball football, soccer, and softball fields.
Bensalem is also home to two State Parks
Neshaminy State Park, and Benjamin Rush State Park.
Bensalem’s Jewish Community
The Bensalem Jewish Outreach Center is an Orthodox Judaism outreach institution with the associated synagogue Kehillas B’nai Shalom.
Congregation Tifereth Israel, a Conservative synagogue.
Economy
The U.S. subsidiary of Hoshino, which manufactures Ibanez Guitars and Tama Drums is located in Bensalem Township.
Rita’s Franchise Company, LLC has its headquarters in the Trevose section of the township.
Suez Water Technologies & Solutions is a water treatment company based in Trevose.
ImageOne Industries, Inc. is based in Bensalem and Goodyear, Arizona – with facilities in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Texas.
Bensalem Township Government
A five-member council and a mayor run the town government. The township has its own nine-member school board. The current Republican mayor, Joseph DiGirolamo, is in his eighth consecutive term. There are currently no term limits for the mayor’s seat.
Bensalem Council meetings are open to the public and are held on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at 7:00 P.M. The meetings take place at the Municipal Complex located at 2400 Byberry Road, Bensalem, PA 19020.
The public portion of the meeting is scheduled towards the end after regular agenda items have been discussed and voted upon if necessary.