How A Pennsylvania Town Became The Most Well-Known Place In South Jersey

In 1803, the Wood family of New Jersey began operating an iron foundry. For 87 years, business was good, but in 1890, George Wood took the family business in a much different direction.

Wood had developed an interest in dairy farming, and he moved to Delaware County, Pennsylvania, to a tiny hamlet called Wawa, named for the Ojibwe word for goose, and started a 1000-acre dairy farm.

The original dairy building in Wawa, Pennsylvania

The dairy took off immediately, thanks to Wood’s business—and science—savvy. Pasteurization wasn’t available yet, and children frequently became ill from drinking raw milk. Wood had his milk certified for safety by doctors, and that made his product extremely popular.

By the 1920s, Wawa dairy was delivering milk to customers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In the ’60s, fewer people had milk delivered to their homes, instead choosing to buy it at new “convenience stores.” Responding to the trend, Grahame Wood opened the first Wawa convenience store near the dairy in Pennsylvania.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BRjOHT6D3Gw/?taken-by=wawa

Today, Wawa employs nearly 25,000 people in more than 720 stores, most of which are concentrated in South Jersey. In fact, there’s a common joke about it:

“You know you’re from South Jersey when there are at least three Wawas within five miles of your house.”

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Wawa sells a wide array of original products, including made-to-order hoagies, pre-made foods, breakfast sandwiches, and—of course—dairy products: milk, cream, ice cream and more. It’s truly beloved by South Jerseyians, and even if they don’t know the store’s history—or that it began in Pennsylvania—they consider South Jersey Wawa’s undisputed, rightful home.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.