Fleetwood

Fleetwood is a small home-town community of approximately 4000 residents, located in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Incorporated as a borough in 1873, the town of Fleetwood was originally called Crowstown, or Coxtown, when it was laid out in 1868.

In 1859, Officials of the Reading Railroad took an inspection tour of the East Penn Branch, during which names were given to many stations along the route. The name Fleetwood was suggested by one of the company directors after a resort town in England bearing that name. Although the town was not incorporated until 1873, the name stuck.

The first hotel, called the Blue Hotel, was built in 1798 at the corner of what is now Main and Franklin Streets. The name was later changed to The Fleetwood House until it was later razed for the building of the Hotel Fleetwood which still stands at the site as the headquarters for Concern, Inc.

A major industry was established in Fleetwood in 1909 with the establishment of the Fleetwood Metal Body Co. which made automobile bodies for many of the major automobile manufacturers of the time. Due to its quality workmanship, the Body Company became well known domestically and internationally. After being acquired by General Motors Corp. in 1931, the company was closed in Fleetwood and the business moved to Detroit. The name Fleetwood was carried on the top-of-the-line Cadillac for many years.

Fleetwood today is a quiet, suburban community of about 5,000 and maintains its agricultural roots with the presence of the F.M. Brown’s Sons flour mill which provides a large market for local grain production. A major employer in the area is Sunsweet Bottling Works which is located in the borough.

With a good school system, a large, beautiful community park and swimming pool, and a well-run government, Fleetwood is considered a fine place to live.