Yardley Stays True To Itself As Big Spotlight Shines, Mayor Says

Yardley PA

27 October, 2021

1:18 PM

Description

YARDLEY, PA — Chris Harding has always known his hometown of Yardley Borough to be a special place even though like most people at one time or another, he considered leaving. So, when The New York Times contacted Borough officials about profiling Yardley in its real estate section, Harding — who is now seeking another term as mayor — knew there would be plenty to show off. But like any public official, Harding admits he had questions about how a media outlet would portray a town reporters parachute into to provide an outsider's view. But a week after the profile ran in one of the world's largest newspapers, the borough has received rave reviews, cementing what Harding has always known to be true. Yardley has a lot going for it, which borough officials have referred to in social media posts that include the hashtag "Yardley Proud." "The buzz around town is, hey, it's just another confirmation that we should be very proud of where we live," Harding told Patch on Wednesday. "I know the residents of Yardley Borough are proud, but this just reinforces that and kind of lets everyone know why we live the Borough." The New York Times profile painted Yardley as a bucolic and peaceful place that provides residents with a small-town environment that still has its finger on the pulse of an ever-changing economic landscape. It introduced readers to residents who have moved into Yardley from more metropolitan areas and found a charming place where locals are on a first-name basis with the mayor and where quality schools and offerings to residents made Yardley an attractive place to call home. Yardley was characterized as a place to keeps up with the need to keep up with change, but that also pays homage to its roots. It's a portrayal that rings true for Harding, who lives three miles from his boyhood home. Others, however, who are not native to Yardley but now call it home, have discovered the same appeal. David Appelbaum moved to Yardley with his wife 13 years ago from Delaware County. The couple moved here for his wife's job, but quickly found it to be a place they loved. Appelbaum became the president of Experience Yardley, a not-for-profit organization that promotes Yardley and that pushes for the sustainability of local businesses. Appelbaum fell in love with the borough so much that he is now running as the Democratic candidate seeking to unseat Harding as mayor. He told Patch he doesn't need to run, but wants to because he has developed an affinity for his new hometown. "We want to be the best Yardley that we can be without development," Appelbaum told Patch Wednesday. "Within this small square mile, you can experience water activities like boating and fishing, you can go to the canal and fish, you can explore the nature along the canal...and then, of course, there's the history." For only being covering a square mile, Yardley's historic district has remained vibrant and grown exponentially over the past 25 years. While the one main intersection that was that was present more than two decades ago now has a bit more company, Appelbaum has watched as the business community has grown by leaps and bounds in the time he has lived here. He now considers it a hidden gem and a place that is striving to be the river town that shouldn't be missed and that is part of a larger community that encompasses nearby Lower Makefield Township and Morrisville. Yardley has managed to remain true to itself throughout the coronavirus pandemic, which has hit small businesses hard and forced merchants to take stock of where their stores hang their hat. But the reality that many bigger-city employers have allowed their employees to work remotely has opened the doors of residential expansion on Yardley, which Harding said has widened the Borough's scope. Harding won't take credit for Yardley's proud standing and instead, says that others — including the Borough's council, to every community volunteer to every resident and visitor. A myriad people have played a role in making Yardley what it is, the mayor said, but he believes publicity or not, the borough is moving in the right direction. "We won't want to be anyone but Yardley," Harding said Wednesday. "That's not a knock on any other town. All the other surrounding towns have their character, and we want Yardley to have Yardley's character. So while we want to celebrate our history, we need to property embrace the future it's (about) finding the proper balance with that and hearing what the community is saying and what The New York Times article has said, maybe we're on the right path. And that's something to celebrate." Appelbaum agrees, but he also wants to do more celebrating in the future as more people continue to discover and come to appreciate Yardley. He said that the New York Times profile has helped to expand the the borough's platform and has opened it up to perhaps a different audience that knew of Yardley's charge before now. But there's more work to be done, Appelbaum said. "I want to elevate and take that next step so we really can become a river town destination and so we can help sustain the businesses that we have added over the last year and a half and other businesses so we can maintain our property value and so we can have a thriving community," Appelbaum said Wednesday. "Without a thriving business community, we will not have a thriving community."