The Philadelphia Main Line, known simply as the Main Line, is an informally delineated historical and

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

region of suburban

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

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, ...

. Lying along the former Pennsylvania Railroad's once prestigious Main Line, it runs northwest from

Center City Philadelphia Center City includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of Philadelphia. It comprises the area that made up the City of Philadelphia prior to the Act of Consolidation, 1854, which extended the city borders to be coterminous wi ...

parallel to

Lancaster Avenue Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster * House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

, also known as

U.S. Route 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route in the system of the United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. With a length of , it is the third longest ...

. The railroad first connected the Main Line towns in the 19th century. They became home to sprawling

country estate An estate is a large parcel of land under single ownership, which would historically generate income for its owner. British context In the UK, historically an estate comprises the houses, outbuildings, supporting farmland, and woods that s ...

s belonging to Philadelphia's wealthiest families, and over the decades became a bastion of " old money". Today, the Main Line includes some of the wealthiest communities in the country, including Gladwyne, Villanova, Radnor, and Ardmore. Today, the railroad is

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...

Keystone Corridor The Keystone Corridor is a 349-mile (562 km) railroad corridor between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that consists of two rail lines: Amtrak and SEPTA's Philadelphia-to-Harrisburg main line, which hosts SEPTA's Paoli/Thorndale ...

, along which

SEPTA The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five c ...

Paoli/Thorndale Line The Paoli/Thorndale Line, or R5 commonly known as the Main Line, is a SEPTA Regional Rail service running from Center City Philadelphia through Montgomery County and Delaware County to Thorndale in Chester County. It operates along the far eas ...

operates.

History

The Main Line region was long part of Lenapehoking, the homeland of the

matrilineal Matrilineality is the tracing of kinship through the female line. It may also correlate with a social system in which each person is identified with their matriline – their mother's lineage – and which can involve the inheritance ...

Lenni Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory inclu ...

Native Americans (the "true people", or "Delaware Indians"). Europeans arrived in the 1600s, after

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 ...

sold a tract of land, called the Welsh Tract, to a group of

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 1681. This accounts for the many Welsh place names in the area. However, what might be termed the "Celtification" of many Main Line place and street names occurred long after colonial times. So, for instance, as a marketing device to attract wealthy new residents, the area once awkwardly named Athensville became the more culturally glamorous Ardmore ( Ardmore is a place name found in Ireland and Scotland) in 1873. The Pennsylvania Railroad built its main line during the early 19th century as part of the

Main Line of Public Works The Main Line of Public Works was a package of legislation passed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1826 to establish a means of transporting freight between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. It funded the construction of various long-proposed can ...

that spanned Pennsylvania. Later in the century, the railroad, which owned much of the land surrounding the tracks, encouraged the development of this picturesque environment by building way stations along the portion of its track closest to Philadelphia. The benefits of what was touted as "healthy yet cultivated country living" attracted Philadelphia's social elite, many of whom had one house in the city and another larger "country home" on the Main Line. In the 20th century, many wealthy Philadelphia families moved to the Main Line suburbs. Part of the national trend of suburbanization, this drove rapid investment, prosperity, and growth that turned the area into greater Philadelphia's most affluent and fashionable region. Estates with sweeping lawns and towering maples, the

débutante A debutante, also spelled débutante, ( ; from french: débutante , "female beginner") or deb is a young woman of aristocratic or upper-class family background who has reached maturity and, as a new adult, is presented to society at a formal ...

balls and the

Merion Cricket Club Merion Cricket Club is a private club in Haverford, Pennsylvania, founded in 1865. The current clubhouse is its sixth, the last four having been designed by Philadelphia architect Frank Furness and his partner, Allen Evans, who was also a founder ...

, which drew crowds of 25,000 spectators to its matches in the early 1900s, were the setting for the 1940

Grant Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom * Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama * Grant, Inyo County, ...

/ Hepburn/ Stewart motion picture '' The Philadelphia Story.'' The railroad placed stops about two minutes apart, starting with Overbrook. The surrounding communities became known by the railroad station names which started at Broad Street Station in Center City Philadelphia and went on to 32nd Street Station (replaced by 30th Street Station in 1933), the 52nd Street Station (decommissioned), and then the Main Line stations: Overbrook, Merion, Narberth, Wynnewood, Ardmore, Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Rosemont, Villanova, Radnor, St. Davids, Wayne, Strafford,

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

, Berwyn, Daylesford, Paoli, . At least five of these station buildings, along with the first Bryn Mawr Hotel, were designed by

Wilson Brothers & Company Wilson Brothers & Company was a prominent Victorian-era architecture and engineering firm established in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The company was regarded for its structural expertise. The brothers designed or contributed engineering work to h ...

. A branch line of the Main Line (currently known as SEPTA's

Cynwyd Line The Cynwyd Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line from Center City Philadelphia to Cynwyd in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Originally known as the Ivy Ridge Line, service was truncated on May 17, 1986, at its current terminus at Cynwyd. Trac ...

) extended to the communities now known as Bala and Cynwyd (via Wynnefield Station in Philadelphia), then proceeded to the

West Laurel Hill Cemetery West Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1869, is 200 acres in size and contains the burials of many notable people. It is affiliated with Laurel Hill Cemetery in neighboring P ...

(where there was once a station, as well,) and crossed back into Philadelphia over 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 ...

via the famous Manayunk Bridge. Broad Street Station was replaced with Suburban Station in 1930, and

30th Street Station 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

replaced 32nd Street three years later. Suburban service now extends west of the Main Line to the communities of Exton, Whitford, Downingtown, and Thorndale. The railroad line then continued on to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, with major stations at Lancaster,

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

and

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

. The railroad, since taken over by

, is still in service, although its route is slightly different from the original. It also serves the

of the

Regional Rail system.

Demographics of the Gilded Age

It was not only extremely wealthy people on the Main Line in the period 1880-1920. Wealthy households required large numbers of servants in order to maintain their lifestyle. Often these servants were Black migrants from the South and recent immigrants from Europe. For example, in the 1900 census, Tredyffrin Township was 13.5% Black; another 15% had been born in Europe. The two largest countries of origin were Italy and Ireland. The corresponding figures for Lower Merion Township were 6% Black and 15% born in Europe; almost 11% were from Ireland. Another dimension of this story is illustrated by the community of Mount Pleasant, in Tredyffrin Township just north of Wayne. This is a community that became predominantly Black in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As shown in the census for 1920, most of the Black residents of this neighborhood or their parents had come from the South. Many of the men in this neighborhood (along Henry Avenue and Mount Pleasant Avenue) were employed by the railroad, as quarry workers, or as chauffeurs and gardeners by private families. The occupations often given for women were cook and laundress. This remains a predominantly Black community to the present day.

Today

Today, the Main Line is another name for the western suburbs of Philadelphia along Lancaster Avenue (U.S. Route 30) and the former main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad and extending from the city limits to, traditionally, Bryn Mawr and ultimately Paoli, an area of about . The upper- and upper middle-class enclave has historically been one of the bastions of " old money" in the Northeast, along with places like Long Island's North Shore (AKA: "Gold Coast");

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

;

Middlesex County, Massachusetts Middlesex County is located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,632,002, making it the most populous county in both Massachusetts and New England and the 22nd most populous cou ...

; and

Fairfield County, Connecticut Fairfield County is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is the most populous county in the state and was also its fastest-growing from 2010 to 2020. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 957, ...

. Neighborhoods along the Main Line include nineteenth and early twentieth-century railroad suburbs and post-war subdivisions, as well as a few surviving buildings from before the suburban development era. The area today is known primarily for several educational institutions as well as robust suburban life.

Core towns

The original Main Line towns are widely considered to follow the acronym "Old Maids Never Wed And Have Babies." From Philadelphia, they are: * Overbrook * Merion * Narberth * Wynnewood * Ardmore * Haverford * Bryn Mawr These seven towns are characterized as one of the primary bastions of old money in Southeastern Pennsylvania. They are comparably more dense than other suburbs and have lively, walkable downtowns. All of these communities were established along Lancaster Avenue prior to the railroad's construction. Further, as early as 1887, Bala and Cynwyd were also included in atlases of the Pennsylvania Railroad in Lower Merion Township and Montgomery County. By 1908, one of the first atlases to refer specifically to the "Main Line" as a socio-cultural entity includes: * Bala * Cynwyd Additionally, the following towns are often grouped with the core Main Line: * Wayne * Paoli * Malvern

Infill communities

Beyond the 9 aforementioned communities, many nearby communities have seeded growth in the twentieth century, either in between the core towns or nearby them. They include: * Gladwyne, immediately to the northeast of Bryn Mawr * Villanova and Radnor, between Bryn Mawr and Wayne * Strafford,

, and Berwyn, between Wayne and Paoli These communities are primarily residential and consist of larger lot sizes than in the nine core towns. All of them, except Gladwyne, are on the railroad and have their own station stop.

Demographics

There is no collective data for the Main Line, so all data is by ZIP code. In comparison, the median family income and home price for the state of Pennsylvania are $68,646 and $155,000, respectively. The following ZIP codes are those within the previously mentioned municipalities that make up the Main Line. All data, with the exception of average home price, are as of the 2000 census. For comparison, the median family income of Beverly Hills, California is $110,040.

Transportation

The Main Line is served by numerous modes of transportation among which are three commuter rail lines operated by

. Connecting the region directly with Center City Philadelphia are the

which shares the former Pennsylvania Railroad four track

grade with Amtrak, and the

Manayunk/Norristown Line The Manayunk/Norristown Line is a commuter rail service in Southeastern Pennsylvania, and one of the 13 lines in SEPTA's Regional Rail network. It has the fourth highest ridership and the highest operating ratio (58%) on the SEPTA Regional Rail ...

which operates over the former

Reading Railroad The Reading Company ( ) was a Philadelphia-headquartered railroad that provided passenger and commercial rail transport in eastern Pennsylvania and neighboring states that operated from 1924 until its 1976 acquisition by Conrail. Commonly call ...

Norristown grade. The light rail

Norristown High Speed Line The Norristown High Speed Line (NHSL), also called the Purple Line, the P&W, or Route 100,) is a interurban light rapid transit line operated by SEPTA, running between the 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby and the Norristown Tr ...

runs over the

Philadelphia and Western Railroad The Philadelphia and Western Railroad was a high-speed, third rail-equipped, commuter-hauling interurban electric railroad operating in the western suburbs of the U.S. city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is now SEPTA's Norristown High Speed ...

line between 69th terminal in

Upper Darby Upper Darby Township, often shortened to Upper Darby, is a Home Rule Municipality (Pennsylvania), home rule Township (Pennsylvania), township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The township borders Philadelphia, the List of United States cities b ...

Norristown Norristown may mean: * Norristown, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Norristown, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Norristown, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Norristown, Pennsylvania Norristown is a municipality with home ...

. Amtrak's intercity '' Keystone Service'' (New York City to Harrisburg) and ''Pennsylvanian'' (New York City to Pittsburgh) also serve the region with stops at the jointly operated Amtrak/SEPTA stations at Ardmore and Paoli. The main thoroughfare through the Main Line is

which follows Lancaster Avenue (formerly the

Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike The Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike, first used in 1795, is the first long-distance paved road built in the United States, according to engineered plans and specifications. It links Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia at 34th Street, st ...

) running east to west and serves as the backbone of the region by connecting a large majority of its towns and municipalities. Other highways serving the area are the

Schuylkill Expressway The Schuylkill Expressway , locally known as "the Schuylkill", is a freeway through southern Montgomery County and the city of Philadelphia in Philadelphia County, and the easternmost segment of Interstate 76 (I-76) in the U.S. state of Pennsyl ...

(

I-76 Interstate 76 may refer to: Interstate Highways in the United States * Interstate 76 (Colorado–Nebraska) * Interstate 76 (Ohio–New Jersey), running through Pennsylvania Video gaming * ''Interstate '76 ''Interstate '76'' is a vehicular ...

) which connects it to Philadelphia, and the Blue Route (

I-476 Interstate 476 (I-476) is a auxiliary Interstate Highway of I-76 in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The highway runs from I-95 near Chester north to I-81 near Scranton, serving as the primary north–south Interstate corridor throu ...

) which runs north to south connecting the region with the Northeast Extension and the

Pennsylvania Turnpike The Pennsylvania Turnpike (Penna Turnpike or PA Turnpike) is a toll highway operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. A controlled-access highway, it runs for across the state. The turnpike's w ...

to the north, and to Philadelphia International Airport and

I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...

to the south. Along the northern edge of the Main Line,

US 202 U.S. Route 202 (US 202) is a spur route of US 2. It follows a northeasterly and southwesterly direction stretching from Delaware to Maine, also traveling through the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massa ...

runs from the Schuylkill Expressway in a southwesterly direction, crossing US 30 in Frazer. SEPTA also commissions suburban buses on Routes 105 and 106 to run from the

69th Street Transportation Center The 69th Street Transportation Center is a SEPTA terminal in the Terminal Square section of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, just west of the city limits of Philadelphia. The terminal serves the Market–Frankford Line, Norristown High Speed Line, an ...

to Bryn Mawr, with rush hour service extended to Paoli. These buses run almost entirely along Lancaster Avenue. SEPTA also offers light rail service through the

. The Norristown High Speed Line runs along the Main Line from Upper Darby to Ithan Avenue Station and

Villanova Station Villanova station is a SEPTA Regional Rail station on the campus of Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It is in Radnor Township, located on North Spring Mill Road ( PA 320) near County Line Road and serves most Paoli/Thorndale Line ...

before making a northward turn at the junction of Lancaster Avenue and the Blue Route toward

Recreation and attractions

* The Appleford Estate: A 300-year-old estate located in Villanova. Today it is maintained as an arboretum and a bird sanctuary. Its gardens were designed by renowned landscape architect Thomas Warren Sears and include woods, meadows, formal gardens, brick walkways, rhododendron tracts, a stream, pond, and waterfall. Admission is free of charge and the house is available as a rental for special events. * The Barnes Arboretum in Merion. * Bryn Mawr Film Institute: A non-profit community theater founded in 2002 in the old Bryn Mawr Theater building, built in 1926, which is in the process of significant restoration. The institute offers showings of classic movies of the 20th century, opera, film education courses, and film discussions. * The Cynwyd Heritage Trail is a linear 'rail-to-trail' park which opened in 2011. The trail intersects with roads, bridges, neighborhoods, parks, railway stations, historic mills, and the West Laurel Hill and Westminster Cemeteries. The trail also connects to the pedestrian-only Manayunk Bridge on the

, which opened in 2015. *

Chanticleer Garden Chanticleer Garden is a forty-eight-acre botanical garden built on the grounds of the Rosengarten estate at 786 Church Road in Wayne, Pennsylvania. Located on Philadelphia's historic Main Line, Chanticleer retains a domestic scale and is welcomi ...

: An estate and

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...

located in Wayne, which is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. * The Devon Horse Show: The oldest and largest multi-breed horse show in the U.S. * Harriton House: Located in Bryn Mawr, was built in 1704 by a Welsh Quaker named Rowland Ellis. He named the estate "Bryn Mawr", meaning "high hill" in Welsh, which is where the community gained its name. The house's best known occupant was Charles Thomson, the first and only secretary of the Continental Congress in Philadelphia.
Historic Waynesborough
Revolutionary war hero Anthony Wayne's historic estate. Alternatively known as Waynesborough, this is where Anthony Wayne was born. It is registered as a National Historic Landmark and is a historic house museum. * Jenkins Arboretum: A nonprofit botanical garden located in

. * King of Prussia Mall located in

King of Prussia The monarchs of Prussia were members of the House of Hohenzollern who were the hereditary rulers of the former German state of Prussia from its founding in 1525 as the Duchy of Prussia. The Duchy had evolved out of the Teutonic Order, a Roman C ...

is the third-largest mall in terms of retail space in America and is only a short distance away from the Main Line. *The

Lower Merion Academy Bala Cynwyd Junior High School Complex, is a historic school complex in Bala Cynwyd, Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The complex includes the Bala Cynwyd Middle School, the Cynwyd Elementary School, as well as the former Lo ...

was built in 1812, and is a 3.5 story, five bay, stuccoed stone building with

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, fro ...

in the

Federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

style. It was renovated in 1938, in the

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archit ...

style. Located in

Bala Cynwyd Bala Cynwyd ( ) is a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania. It is located on the Philadelphia Main Line in Southeastern Pennsylvania, bordering the western edge of Philadelphia at U.S. Route 1 (City Avenue). It was originally two separ ...

, it is still used for educational purposes and now also house
The Lower Merion Historical Society
It was added to the

in 2002.
The free education provided to local children in the Academy
predated Pennsylvania's state laws mandating free public schooling (1834-1836). *Completed in 1715, The Merion Friends Meeting House, in Merion Station, is the third oldest Quaker Meeting House in the United States. It is still in active use by the Society of Friends. The property also includes stables and a cemetery, with an estimated 2,000 burials (many of which are unmarked in accordance with early Quaker custom). Construction began in 1695, and the meeting house exhibits distinctively Welsh architectural features, including a cross- or T-shape building plan, that distinguish it from later Quaker meeting houses. It was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1999. * The Woodmont Estate

Sporting and social clubs

Private clubs played an important role in the development of the Main Line, offering social gathering places and facilities for cricket, golf, tennis, squash, and horseback riding to wealthy or socially connected families. Among them are: * Aronimink Golf Club *

Merion Golf Club Merion Golf Club is a private golf club located in Haverford Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, a township bordering Philadelphia to the northwest along the historic Main Line. The club has two courses: the East Course, and the West Cours ...

: Ranked America's 7th best golf course in 2008 and hosted the U.S. Open in 2013. * Overbrook Golf Club *

Philadelphia Country Club Philadelphia Country Club is a private country club located in the Gladwyne suburb of Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It has 27 holes of regulation golf including one 18-hole championship course, a nine-hole course, an ...

: One of the first 100 golf courses established in the USA. Hosted the 1939 U.S. Open. * Radnor Hunt: the oldest active foxhunting group in the United States
Waynesborough Country Club

Education

The school districts that serve the Main Line are Lower Merion School District in Montgomery County,

Radnor Township School District Radnor Township School District is a school district that serves Radnor Township, Pennsylvania and has 3 elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. Due to the mostly affluent demographic of the Main Line that the Radnor Townshi ...

and

School District of Haverford Township The School District of Haverford Township is a school district in Haverford Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was created in 1944. The district serves all parts of the township, including Havertown. The current superinte ...

in Delaware County, and

Tredyffrin/Easttown School District Tredyffrin/Easttown School District (T/E in short) is a school district based in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. T/E School District serves the townships of Tredyffrin Township and Easttown Township, and is one of the se ...

and Great Valley School District in Chester County. The region has numerous nationally ranked public and private schools. Among them are: Public High Schools *

Great Valley High School Great Valley High School is a comprehensive, college preparatory, public high school located in eastern Chester County. It is located in East Whiteland Township, near Malvern, Pennsylvania. Located on the same campus as Great Valley Middle Schoo ...

* Conestoga High School (Tredyffrin/Easttown SD) *

Harriton High School Harriton High School is a public secondary school serving portions of Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania. The school is located on the Philadelphia Main Line. Harriton is one of two high schools in the Lower Merion School District; the other is ...

(Lower Merion SD) *

Lower Merion High School Lower Merion High School is a public high school in Ardmore, a community in Philadelphia's Main Line suburbs. It is one of two high schools in the Lower Merion School District; the other one is Harriton High School. Lower Merion serves both Lo ...

Radnor High School Radnor High School is a public high school in Radnor, Pennsylvania. Of all high schools in Pennsylvania, Radnor is ranked 3rd by U.S. News & World Report, and 1st by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Overview Radnor High School is the on ...

Private Schools * Academy of Notre Dame de Namur (Girls) *

Agnes Irwin School The Agnes Irwin School is a non-sectarian college preparatory day school for girls from pre-kindergarten through grade 12. It was founded in 1869 by Agnes Irwin in Philadelphia. Irwin, a great-great-granddaughter of Benjamin Franklin, later beca ...

(Girls) *

The Baldwin School The Baldwin School (simply referred to as Baldwin School or Baldwin) is a private school for girls in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1888 by Florence Baldwin. The school occupies a 19th-century resort hotel designed by ...

(Girls) * Delaware Valley Friends School * Devon Preparatory School (Boys) * Holy Child School at Rosemont (Preschool-grade 8) *

Malvern Preparatory School , motto_translation = Truth, Unity, Love , address = 418 South Warren Avenue , location = , region = , city = Malvern , county = , state ...

(Boys) * Merion Mercy Academy (Girls) * Episcopal Academy * Friends' Central School * The Haverford School (Boys) * The Mesivta High School (Boys) * Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy (Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania), Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy (Co-ed) * Kohelet Yeshiva High School (Co-ed) * The Phelps School (Boys) * Sacred Heart Academy Bryn Mawr (Girls) * The Shipley School * Valley Forge Military Academy and College, Valley Forge Military Academy * Villa Maria Academy (Malvern, Pennsylvania), Villa Maria Academy (Girls) * Woodlynde School (Co-ed) Parochial Schools * Archbishop Carroll High School (Radnor, Pennsylvania), Archbishop John Carroll High School * SS Colman-John Neumann School (Pre-K~8) * St. Aloysius Academy (Boys, Pre-K~8) * St. Katharine of Siena School (Pre-K~8) * St. Margaret's School (Pre-K~8) * St. Monica's School (Pre-K~8) * St. Norbert's School (Pre-K~8) * St. Patrick's School (Pre-K~8)

Higher education

* Bryn Mawr College * Cabrini University * Eastern University (United States), Eastern University * Harcum College * Haverford College * Immaculata University * Penn State Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies * Rosemont College * Saint Joseph's University * St. Charles Borromeo Seminary * Valley Forge Military Academy and College * Villanova University

In popular culture

Film

1940–1989

*''The Philadelphia Story (film), The Philadelphia Story (1940)'' *''Kitty Foyle (film), Kitty Foyle (1940)'' *''South Pacific (1958 film), South Pacific (1958)'': Character "Lt. Joe Cable, USMC" is from Ardmore *''The Young Philadelphians, The Young Philadelphians (1959)'' *''The Happiest Millionaire, The Happiest Millionaire (1967)'' *''Obsession (1976 film), Obsession (1976)'' : Starring Cliff Robertson, Genevieve Bujold and John Lithgow *''Grease (film), Grease (1978)'': Loosely based on Radnor Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Radnor, PA *''Taps (film), Taps (1981):'' starring Timothy Hutton and Tom Cruise, filmed at VFMA, featuring scenes in Wayne (at Farmers Market and North Wayne Avenue) *''Trading Places, Trading Places (1983)'' *''Mannequin (1987 film), Mannequin (1987)''

1990–present

*Downtown (film), ''Downtown'': Set in Bryn Mawr, PA, Bryn Mawr and filmed in Philadelphia, starring Anthony Edwards (actor), Anthony Edwards, Forest Whitaker and Joe Pantoliano *''Philadelphia (film), Philadelphia (1993):'' Tom Hanks's character celebrates Thanksgiving at his family home in Lower Merion Township, Lower Merion *''To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)'': The setting for Patrick Swayze's character's family home is Bala Cynwyd, with those scenes filmed in Montclair, New Jersey. *''Wide Awake (1998 film), Wide Awake (1998):'' M. Night Shyamalan movie, filmed at his alma mater, Waldron Mercy Academy, starring Rosie O'Donnell and Denis Leary. *''The Sixth Sense, The Sixth Sense (1999)'': The wake scene was set in Bryn Mawr *''In Her Shoes (2005 film), In Her Shoes (2005)'': Toni Collette's character attends a Main Line wedding and jokes about what she should wear. Starring Cameron Diaz and Shirley MacLaine *''Pride (2007 film), Pride (2007)'' *''Dare (film), Dare (2009)'' *''Happy Tears (film), Happy Tears (2009)'' *''Tenure (film), Tenure (2009)'' *''The Art of the Steal (2009 film), The Art of the Steal (2009):'' Documentary chronicling the acquisition and emigration of the Barnes Foundation, Barnes art collection from Merion to Philadelphia. *''The Lovely Bones (film)'' *''Foxcatcher, Foxcatcher (2014)'' *Split (2016 American film), ''Split (2016)''

Literature

*''A Stranger Is Watching'': The main character's murdered wife Nina grew up in a wealthy Philadelphia Main Line Family. In the book, it mentions that Nina went to Bryn Mawr College. *''Blackbird Sisters'', mystery novels by Nancy Martin *''Bobos in Paradise'', by David Brooks (journalist), David Brooks *''Official Preppy Handbook'', by Lisa Birnbach *The ''Pretty Little Liars (book series), Pretty Little Liars'' series, by Sara Shepard, which uses the fictional Main Line suburb of Rosewood as its setting. *''Pterodactyls'', by Nicky Silver. The play is set in a Main Line house. *''Song of Solomon (novel), Song of Solomon'', by Toni Morrison. The character First Corinthians is educated at Bryn Mawr College. *''The Catcher in the Rye'', by J.D. Salinger. Valley Forge Military Academy (where Salinger attended for two years) is the basis for Pencey Prep. Additionally, the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, believes Jane Gallagher to have gone to The Shipley School, Shipley, a Main Line private school. *''The It Girl (novel series), The It Girl'', by Cecily von Ziegesar *''The Lovely Bones'', by Alice Sebold *''Curtis Sittenfeld#The Man of My Dreams, The Man of My Dreams'', by Curtis Sittenfeld *''The Badge of Honor Series'', by W.E.B. Griffin. The main character, Matt Payne, is from Merion. *''Americanah'', by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The main character gets assaulted by a tennis coach in Ardmore and subsequently works as a nanny on the Main Line (possibly Merion) *''Luckiest Girl Alive'', by Jessica Knoll, which uses the Main Line and the fictional Bradley School, based on Shipley School, The Shipley School, as its setting *''The Ginger Barnes Main Line Mysteries'', by Donna Huston Murray, take place in the Philadelphia Main Line. * That Summer by Jennifer Weiner

Television

*''All My Children,'' Soap opera which aired from 1970 to 2011, set in a fictional suburb of Philadelphia, named Pine Valley and modeled after the town of Rosemont, PA, Rosemont. *''Broad City'': Co-creator and co-star Abbi Jacobson is from Wayne. *''Made (TV series), Made'' *''My Super Sweet 16'' *''One Life to Live'' *''Thirtysomething (TV series), Thirtysomething'' *''Pretty Little Liars (TV series), Pretty Little Liars'', as with the book, set in fictional Rosewood based on the city Rosemont, Pennsylvania and modeled after the town of Wayne, Pennsylvania. *''How to Get Away with Murder'' *''Mad Men'': Betty Draper, Don Draper's wife in seasons Mad Men (season 1), one through Mad Men (season 3), three, is said to be from Lower Merion Township and to have attended Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr. *''Mare of Easttown'': HBO mini-series starring Kate Winslet, set and filmed in Easttown Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, Easttown Township.

Notable residents

Arts

*Tory Burch, fashion designer and New York City socialite *Albert C. Barnes, physician, chemist, businessman, art collector, writer, educator, and founder of the Barnes Foundation *Walter Annenberg, newspaper and magazine publisher (Triangle Publications), ambassador, billionaire, philanthropist *Gloria Braggiotti Etting, author, photographer, hostess, and wife of artist Emlen Etting

Business

*Ronald Perelman, billionaire, controlling owner of MacAndrews & Forbes and Revlon *J. Howard Pew, son of Joseph N. Pew, founder of Sun Oil Company, and co-founder of The Pew Charitable Trusts *John B. Thayer, cricketer, Pennsylvania Railroad VP (lost on the ) *Edward T. Welburn, Vice President of Global Design, General Motors *John C. Bogle, founder and CEO of the Vanguard Group *Alexander Cassatt, former president of the Pennsylvania Railroad *Clement Acton Griscom, prominent 19th-century American shipping magnate, businessman, whose home, Dolobran in Haverford is noted for its architecture

Entertainment

*David Boreanaz, actor *The family of Georg Ludwig von Trapp, the family depicted in ''The Sound of Music'' *Chubby Checker, musician *Gideon Glick, actor *Patti LaBelle, musician *Teddy Pendergrass, musician *M. Night Shyamalan, film director *Abbi Jacobson, co-star and co-creator of Comedy Central television series ''Broad City'' *Kate DiCamillo, children's book author *Anne Francine, actress and singer

Military / government / science

*Henry H. Arnold, Henry H. "Hap" Arnold, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II; General of the Army (United States), General of the Army, General of the Air Force *John Hickenlooper, governor of Colorado *Bill Folger, Founder, American Society for the Adoption of the Metric System *Pete Conrad, NASA astronaut; third man to walk on the moon *Alexander Haig, United States Secretary of State, U.S. Secretary of State, White House Chief of Staff, Supreme Allied Commander Europe *Charles Thomson, secretary of the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1789 *Harris Wofford, former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania *David Eisenhower and Julie Nixon EisenhowerBennett, Kitty
"Where Are They Now? Julie and David Eisenhower"
''AARP Bulletin'', December 22, 2010. p. 1. *Oscar Goodman, mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada *Andy Hertzfeld, computer scientist (Apple Inc., Apple) *Hilary Koprowski, polio vaccine pioneer *Anthony Wayne, US Army officer and statesman

Sports

* Mark Herzlich, NFL football player * Kyle Eckel, NFL football player * Julius Erving, List of players in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame National Basketball Association, NBA basketball player * Kobe Bryant, NBA basketball player and incoming Hall of Famer * Richie Ashburn, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Hall of Fame baseball player with the Philadelphia Phillies and Phillies broadcaster * Hobey Baker, Hobart "Hobey" Baker, amateur hockey and football player, member of the Hockey Hall of Fame * Kyle Korver, NBA basketball player * Allen Iverson, Hall of Fame NBA basketball player * Jeffrey Lurie, owner of the Philadelphia Eagles football team * Emlen Tunnell, member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a player, born in Bryn Mawr * John Spagnola, former NFL football player * Andy Reid, head coach of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs * Ed Snider, Edward M. Snider, chairman of Comcast Spectacor, Philadelphia Flyers * Jay Wright (basketball), Jay Wright, head coach of the Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team