Secane is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either ha ...

in Ridley Township and

Upper Darby Township Upper Darby Township, often shortened to Upper Darby, is a home rule township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The township borders Philadelphia, the nation's sixth most populous city as of 2020 with 1.6 million residents. As of the 2020 cen ...

, Delaware County,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, United States. At its center is retail shopping and a

commuter rail station Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are consi ...

. Immediately surrounding the center are four large garden apartment complexes surrounded by single-family homes. The neighborhood has a curvilinear/

cul-de-sac A dead end, also known as a cul-de-sac (, from French for 'bag-bottom'), no through road or no exit road, is a street with only one inlet or outlet. The term "dead end" is understood in all varieties of English, but the official terminology ...

street pattern typical of

post-World War II The aftermath of World War II was the beginning of a new era started in late 1945 (when World War II ended) for all countries involved, defined by the decline of all colonial empires and simultaneous rise of two superpowers; the Soviet Union (U ...

residential development. It is located in two school districts,

Upper Darby Upper Darby Township, often shortened to Upper Darby, is a home rule township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The township borders Philadelphia, the nation's sixth most populous city as of 2020 with 1.6 million residents. As of the 2020 cen ...

and Ridley.

History

Secane is named after a 17th-century

Algonquin Algonquin or Algonquian—and the variation Algonki(a)n—may refer to: Languages and peoples *Algonquian languages, a large subfamily of Native American languages in a wide swath of eastern North America from Canada to Virginia **Algonquin la ...

leader. In July 1683,

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...

purchased the lands between

Chester Creek Chester Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River in Delaware County, Pennsylvania in the United States.Gertler, Edward. ' ...

and the

Schuylkill River The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river running northwest to southeast in eastern Pennsylvania. The river was improved by navigations into the Schuylkill Canal, and several of its tributaries drain major parts of Pennsylvania's Coal Region. It f ...

from the

Unami The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) was formed on 14 August 2003 by United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1500 at the request of the Iraqi government to support national development efforts. UNAMI's mandate includes ...

chiefs Secane and Icquoquehan. Secane was the home of the Tully-Secane Country Club. However, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia converted the golf course into Our Lady of Fatima Church.

Geography

Secane is divided between the municipalities of Ridley Township, and

, and is often confused with Clifton Heights, since the two communities share the same the ZIP code. The Muckinipattis Creek initiates in Secane and runs south through the community until it meets with Darby Creek in Tinicum Township. Secane has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40� ...

(''Cfa'') and average monthly temperatures range from 33.2° F in January to 78.0° F in July. The local

hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most wide ...

is 7a.

Education

Ridley School District serves houses in Ridley Township. Upper Darby School District serves houses in Upper Darby Township. Our Lady of Angels Regional School in Ridley Township, near

Morton Morton may refer to: People * Morton (surname) * Morton (given name) Fictional * Morton Koopa, Jr., a character and boss in ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' * A character in the '' Charlie and Lola'' franchise * A character in the 2008 film '' Horto ...

, is the area Catholic school. It formed in 2012 from a merger of Our Lady of Fatima in Secane and Ridley Township and Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Ridley Township.

Demographics

Secane has a population of almost 24,000 people and was farmland before it was developed into a residential area in the 20th century.

Transportation

Three main roads run through the town, Providence Road, South Avenue and Franklin Avenue, which leads to Kedron Avenue ( Route 420). Secane SEPTA station 2015

Secane station is a stop on the

SEPTA Regional Rail The SEPTA Regional Rail system is a commuter rail network owned by the SEPTA, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and serving the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia Metropolitan area. The system has 13 branches and more than 150 active ...

Media/Wawa Line The Media/Wawa Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail service that runs from Center City Philadelphia west to Wawa in Delaware County. It uses the West Chester Branch, which connects with the SEPTA Main Line at 30th Street Station. Under the Pennsylv ...

, which runs west from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sin ...

to Elwyn. The station was previously a stop on the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

and known as Spring Hill.

Notable people

Pat Croce Pasquale "Pat" Croce (born November 2, 1954) is an American entrepreneur, sports team executive and owner, author, and TV personality. He served as team president of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s Philadelphia 76ers from 1996 to 2001 ...

, former

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

owner * Joe Sestak, retired U.S. Navy officer and congressman

References

Unincorporated communities in Delaware County, Pennsylvania Unincorporated communities in Pennsylvania {{DelawareCountyPA-geo-stub