Pennsylvania, Devon

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Pennsylvania is situated on the high ground to the north of Exeter between the ancient deer park of Duryard, and Stoke Hill. It was last area to be developed, due to the steep sided valleys, in the 19th century and was named after the US state by Joseph Sparkes, a Quaker banker who built the first terrace there, in about 1820. Its southern slopes, nearest to the city, include many spacious late Victorian and Edwardian houses, while on the steep higher hills, heading north out of Exeter, the housing is mainly 1920s-1970s, with a few newer estates on the city's extremities. Its proximity to Exeter University has made it popular with academics and students. J. K. Rowling was a resident of Pennsylvania while a student at Exeter University in the late 1980s. It is thought that her description of suburbia where Harry is brought up comes from her times there.