Paoli | |
Census-designated place | |
Battle of Paoli monument site
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Country | United States |
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State | Pennsylvania |
County | Chester |
Townships | Tredyffrin, Willistown |
Elevation | 509 ft (155.1 m) |
Coordinates | 40°02′27″N 75°29′24″W / 40.04083°N 75.49000°WCoordinates: 40°02′27″N 75°29′24″W / 40.04083°N 75.49000°W |
Area | 2.0 sq mi (5.2 km2) |
- land | 2.0 sq mi (5 km2) |
- water | 0.0 sq mi (0 km2), 0% |
Population | 5,575 (2010) |
Density | 2,787.5/sq mi (1,076.3/km2) |
Founded | 1719 |
Timezone | EST (UTC-5) |
- summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
ZIP code | 19301 |
Area code | 610 and 484 |
Location in Chester County and the state of Pennsylvania.
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Location of Pennsylvania in the United States
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Paoli /peɪˈoʊliː/ is a census-designated place in Chester County near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is situated in portions of two townships: Tredyffrin and Willistown. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 5,575.
The town of Paoli grew around an inn kept in 1769 by Joshua Evans, whose father bought 500 acres (200 ha) from William Penn in 1719 near the current site of the Paoli Post Office. Evans named his inn after General Pasquale Paoli, a Corsican, after he had received the 45th and final toast at a Saint Patrick's Day celebration. The inn's location on the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike, about 20 miles (one day's drive for a horse-drawn wagon) from Philadelphia, ensured its success.
On the evening of September 20, 1777, near Paoli, General Charles Grey and nearly 5,000 British soldiers launched a surprise attack on a small regiment of Patriot troops commanded by General Anthony Wayne in what becomes known as the Paoli Massacre. Not wanting to lose the element of surprise, Grey ordered his troops to empty their muskets and to use only bayonets or swords to attack the sleeping Americans under the cover of darkness.