Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania
| Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania | |
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| Census-designated place | |
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 Plymouth Meeting
Plymouth Meeting
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| Coordinates: 40°06′08″N 75°16′28″W / 40.10222°N 75.27444°WCoordinates: 40°06′08″N 75°16′28″W / 40.10222°N 75.27444°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Montgomery |
| Township | Plymouth, Whitemarsh |
| Founded | 1686 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.8 sq mi (10 km2) |
| • Land | 3.8 sq mi (10 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 184 ft (56 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 6,177 |
| • Density | 1,625.5/sq mi (627.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 19462 |
| Area code(s) | 610 and 484 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1184137 |
Plymouth Meeting is a census-designated place (CDP) that straddles Plymouth and Whitemarsh Townships in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The settlement was founded in 1686.
The population of Plymouth Meeting was 6,177 at the 2010 census. Plymouth Meeting is home to the; Colonial School District, the recently renovated Plymouth Meeting Mall, and several large office parks and shopping centers. It is also home to IKEA's U.S. headquarters. The confluence of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-276), the Blue Route (I-476), and the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-476) at the Mid-County Interchange occur in Plymouth Meeting. This interchange contributes heavily to regional commerce and was a major driver for business and retail development in the area.
The area was originally settled by members of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, who built the Plymouth Friends Meetinghouse in 1708. They sailed from Devonshire, England, on the ship Desire, arriving in Philadelphia on June 23, 1686. The settlement takes its name from the founders' hometown of Plymouth in Devon.
During the Revolutionary War, in May 1778, the Plymouth Friends Meetinghouse served as a temporary military hospital. General George Washington, then at Valley Forge, learned that a British force intended to seize the area and cut off movement of the Continental Army. He sent the Marquis de Lafayette and 2,100 troops to counter. They camped around the meetinghouse on the night before the May 19 Battle of Barren Hill. The next morning the British arrived with a massive force of 16,000, and tried to cut off any escape route. But Lafayette took advantage of the Americans' knowledge of local roads, and managed to successfully escape with minimal casualties.
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