CBS3 SummerFest: King Of Prussia Experiencing Rapid Growth With Hopes Of Attracting More Than Work Atmosphere
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. (CBS) -- King of Prussia is located at the Village at Valley Forge, and you can find just about anything. There's no shortage of shopping and it's just one of the many areas in the region experiencing rapid growth. For many, it's also a place to live and work -- 60,000 people work in King of Prussia.
The area hopes to lure those workers to live here.
At Heuser Park, Chrissie DeCamillo, of Bridgeport, is watching her sons Jody and Gavin burn off some energy on a hot summer day while 1-week-old Cameron snoozes. She has been watching King of Prussia transform.
"On our way here, we were just looking at all the development going on," DeCamillo said.
Thousands of residential units are sprouting in spots that were once business only.
The former King of Prussia Business Park is now Moore Park that pairs traditional office buildings with new multi-family housing such as SKYE 750, which is scheduled to open this fall with 248 brand new apartments.
"The opportunity to live and work in the same neighborhood is something that KOP really has not had in its history," King of Prussia District Executive Director Eric Goldstein said.
Not far from there in the new Village of Valley Forge development, new residential buildings like Ave sit across the street from companies like CHOP King of Prussia and a stone's throw from the shops and restaurants of the new Town Center.
"It's brought really a main street or downtown to King of Prussia, which prior to that was a pretty sprawling suburban community," Goldstein said.
Future plans include the First Avenue Linear Park and a potential extension of the Norristown High Speed Rail.
Even with all that construction, the area's namesake is still standing: The King of Prussia Inning -- built in 1709.
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"George Washington stayed in a lot of places, but he definitely stayed here," Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ryan Rosenbaum said.
In the late 1990s, a highway expansion project threatened the inn. The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce bought it.
Then in August 2000, the Inn was moved back six blocks, where it serves as the chamber's headquarters.
"This is a historical landmark so we do get calls every once in a while from people from all over the country that want to come see the building," Rosenbaum said.
Traffic slows way down at Nor-View Farm Garden Center, where you might spot a literal chicken crossing the road.
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"It's interesting to drive up -- you're at the big busy mall and you drive up and you see animals," Jenny Natow, of Springfield, said.
"Everyone travels from everywhere but they don't really know about the farm," Temple University student Nicholle Wall, who lives in KOP, said, "and that's why I like it."
The nine-and-a-half acre farm was once owned by a dairy family.
Now it's owned by Upper Merion Township and populated by goats, chickens, horses and even a pony named Prince of Prussia.
There's a garden center and an ice cream shop.
But one of the biggest draws is the water, filtered from an Artesian well almost 100 feet underground.
"We have people who come from New York, New Jersey," farm operations supervisor Dave Dolga said. "They load up vans and for their whole neighborhood, they come and bottle some water. King of Prussia as a whole is moving along, but we still have this little bit of country here."
