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Artisen New Hope PA October 2004
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| New Hope's primary industry is tourism. On weekends the streets are crowded with tourists visiting the many restaurants, antique shops and art galleries, or taking the popular walk along the river and the Delaware Division of the Pennsylvania Canal. Compared to surrounding communities, New Hope has a vibrant night life, although most businesses are required to close for the night by 2:00 AM. Located in an attractive historic mill, The Bucks County Playhouse features a constant stream of plays and musical productions. New Hope was once a popular spot for Broadway shows to be tested and fine tuned, and many notable stage actors bought weekend homes in the area. It was also home to an art colony, founded by Edward Redfield and William L. Lathrop, that produced important regional work. Other members or associates with the colony included George Sotter. The area later grew to become a popular gay resort in the 1950s and today New Hope still has an active and large gay community. A common joke among locals was that the town had no hardware store, but three gay bars[citation needed] (although the town now has a hardware store and only one gay bar remains). Ironically, New Hope also has somewhat of a reputation as a hangout for hard-core motorcyclists (bikers) on weekends in the warmer months. New Hope is also a terminal point on the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad. On weekends, tourists can ride the historic and scenic line through Bucks County. Union Camp Corporation had a bag production facility in New Hope until the late 1980s, which employed around one hundred people total and was located uphill from the New Hope Ivyland railroad. The former factory complex has been recycled as a series of shops and businesses aimed at the teeming tourist industry, known as Union Square. In August 2007, Forbes.com named New Hope Borough as one of the best places in the Northeast to buy a summer vacation home. One of my friend, Darby Barrett who is the local impressionist artist also live in New Hope. |
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