Berwyn is a
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
(CDP) in
Chester County Chester County may refer to:
* Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States
** Chester County Council, boy scout council in Pennsylvania.
* Chester County, South Carolina, United States
* Chester County, Tennessee, United States
* Cheshire
...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
, United States. Berwyn is located in
Tredyffrin and
Easttown townships. The area is part of the
Philadelphia Main Line
The Philadelphia Main Line, known simply as the Main Line, is an informally delineated historical and Social class in the United States, social region of suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Lying along the former Pennsylvania Railroad's onc ...
suburbs.
History
In 1877, the town received its current name, Berwyn, which a
Welsh settler proposed after the
Berwyn range
The Berwyn range (Welsh (language), Welsh: ''Y Berwyn'' or ''Mynydd y Berwyn'') is an isolated and sparsely populated area of moorland in the northeast of Wales, roughly bounded by Llangollen in the northeast, Corwen in the northwest, Bala, Gw ...
overlooking the
River Dee in
Denbighshire
Denbighshire ( ; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, Flintshire to the east, Wrexham to the southeast, Powys to the south, and Gwynedd and Conwy to the west. Rhyl is the largest town, and Ruthi ...
, Wales. Prior to 1877, the village was named Cocheltown, Reeseville, Glassley, and Gaysville.
The
Berwyn School Fight
The Berwyn School Fight was a 1930s fight against school segregation in the southeastern Pennsylvania townships of Tredyffrin and Easttown. In 1932, local school districts attempted to segregate elementary schools by race. Black parents sued ...
was a 1930s campaign against
school segregation
School segregation is the division of people into different groups in the education system by characteristics such as race, religion, or ethnicity.
See also
*'' D.H. and Others v. the Czech Republic''
*Single-sex education By country
* School s ...
. In 1932, local school districts tried to segregate elementary schools by race. Black families sued to stop the segregationists and boycotted the segregated schools until the school districts finally conceded defeat in 1934. Occurring 20 years before ''
Brown v. Board of Education
''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the ...
'' (1954) declared school segregation to be unconstitutional nationwide, the Berwyn School Fight was a landmark early victory for the
civil rights movement.
Geography
Berwyn is located at . According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, Berwyn has a total area of , all land.
Berwyn is bordered by
Devon
Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
to the east,
Paoli to the west,
Newtown Square to the south, and the Chesterbrook section of
Wayne to the north.
Two stops along
SEPTA
SEPTA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly four million people througho ...
's Paoli-Thorndale Line are located in Berwyn:
Berwyn station and
Daylesford station, both on the northern side of
Pennsylvania Route 30.
Demographics
The population of Zip Code 19312, which includes all of Berwyn and small areas of Willistown and Newtown townships, was 11,745 at the
2020 census. The population density was 1,228 people per square mile. 85% of units were single-family homes and 79% of households were headed by a married couple.
According to the 2023
American Community Survey
The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...
's five-year population estimates, Berwyn was 81% non-Hispanic White, 1% Black or African American, 0% Native American and 13% Asian. 4% of residents reported two or more races and <1% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry. 15.9% of residents were foreign-born. 4.4% of residents are U.S. veterans.
The median income for a household was $199,107, with 50% of households earning more than $200,000 per year. The median income for a family was greater than $250,000. The average family income was $300,406.
76% of residents over the age of 25 hold a bachelor's degree.
According to
Zillow
Zillow Group, Inc., or simply Zillow, is an American tech real-estate marketplace company that was founded in 2006 by co-executive chairmen Rich Barton and Lloyd Frink, former Microsoft executives and founders of Microsoft spin-off Expedia; Spen ...
, as of April 2025, the average home value in Berwyn's zip code, 19312, was $905,453. For a single family home, the average value was $921,630.
In 2023,
Niche.com
Niche.com, formerly known as College Prowler, is an American company headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that runs a ranking and review site. The company was founded by Luke Skurman in 2002 as a publisher of print guidebooks on U.S. col ...
ranked Berwyn as the 12th-best place to raise a family in the U.S.
Culture
Berwyn is home of the Footlighters Theater, a non-profit theater that has provided entertainment for over 80 years. Footlighters Theater is the oldest
community theatre
Community theatre refers to any Theatre, theatrical performance made in relation to particular Community, communities—its usage includes theatre made by, with, and for a community. It may refer to a production that is made entirely by a communit ...
on the
Philadelphia Main Line
The Philadelphia Main Line, known simply as the Main Line, is an informally delineated historical and Social class in the United States, social region of suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Lying along the former Pennsylvania Railroad's onc ...
.
Points of interest include the Easttown Public Library, the Upper Main Line YMCA, Teegarden Park and Glen Brook Farm. The Easttown Public Library was founded in 1905 and is a member of the
Chester County Library System
The Chester County Library System (CCLS) in Chester County, Pennsylvania is a library system in southeastern Pennsylvania that was organized in 1965. It is a federated system composed of a District Center Library in Exton, Pennsylvania and sevent ...
which consists of the 18 public libraries in the county. The Upper Main Line YMCA was founded in 1962 and sits on the former 124-acre summer estate owned by investment banker J. Gardner Cassatt, the brother of famed painter
Mary Cassatt
Mary Stevenson Cassatt (; May 22, 1844June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker. She was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh's North Side (Pittsburgh), North Side), but lived much of her adult life in France, whe ...
and railroad magnate
Alexander Cassatt
Alexander Johnston Cassatt (December 8, 1839 – December 28, 1906) was the seventh president of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), serving from June 9, 1899, to December 28, 1906.
Family and early life
Alexander Cassatt was born on December 8, 1 ...
.
Economy
Ametek
AMETEK, Inc. is an American multinational conglomerate and global designer and manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices with headquarters in the United States and over 220 sites worldwide.
The company was founded in 1 ...
,
Hardinge, Inc.,
Trinseo
Trinseo is a company focusing particularly on the manufacture of plastics and latex binders. Trinseo (formerly known as Styron) was part of the Dow Chemical Company until Dow grouped several of its businesses for potential sale in 2009. In 2010, ...
,
Triumph Group
Triumph Group, Inc. is an American supplier of aerospace services, structures, aircraft systems, systems and support. Based in Radnor, Berwyn, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, United States, Triumph engineers, Engineering design, designs, and manuf ...
, and
TE Connectivity
TE Connectivity plc is an American-Irish domiciled technology company that designs and manufactures electrical and electronic components. It serves several industries, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, and energy.
TE Connecti ...
have operational headquarters based in Berwyn.
Education
The public school system is
Tredyffrin/Easttown School District.
[2010 Census – Census Block Map: Berwyn CDP, PA]
" U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
. Retrieved on October 9, 2018. Schools serving portions of the Berwyn CDP are Beaumont and Devon elementary schools in Easttown Township and Hillside Elementary School in
Tredyffrin Township.
The district operates two middle schools, Tredyffrin/Easttown and Valley Forge, both in Tredyffrin Township.
Conestoga High School
Conestoga High School, located in Tredyffrin Township, Pennsylvania, is the only upper secondary school in the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District. It has a Berwyn post office address, though it is not in the Berwyn census-designated place.
...
, located in Tredyffrin, and Tredyffrin-Easttown Middle School are located in the township.
The
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in southeastern Pennsylvania in the United States.
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia originally included all of Pennsylvania and Dela ...
operates area Catholic parish schools. In 2012, the Catholic grade school in Berwyn, St. Monica, closed.
Parks
Frank Johnson Memorial Park, in the Berwyn CDP, is operated by the township government. It has a pavilion with toilets, basketball courts, an open field, a "tot lot", and volleyball courts.
[
Crabby Creek Park in Berwyn is operated by the township government. It is a 48 acre park, located off Walnut Lane at Bodine Road which serves as passive open space and a stream corridor buffer for Crabby Creek.
]
Notable people
* Harold Barron
Harold Earl Barron (August 29, 1894 – October 5, 1978) was an American sprinter. He specialized in the 110 m hurdles, in which he won a silver medal at the 1920 Summer Olympics.
Nationally Barron won the AAU hurdles title in 1917 and 1920 an ...
, Olympic sprinter silver medalist
* Jake Cohen, American-Israeli professional basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv
Maccabi Tel Aviv () is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such as football, basketball, j ...
and the Israeli national basketball team
The Israel men's national basketball team () represents Israel in international basketball tournaments. They are administered by the Israeli Basketball Association. Israel is currently ranked 39th in the FIBA World Ranking.
Israel has qualifi ...
* David Eisenhower
Dwight David Eisenhower II (born March 31, 1948) is an American author, public policy fellow, lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, and eponym of the U.S. presidential retreat Camp David. He is the grandson of President Dwight D. Eisenhowe ...
and Julie Nixon Eisenhower
Julie Nixon Eisenhower (born July 5, 1948) is an American author who is the younger daughter of former U.S. president Richard Nixon and his wife, Pat Nixon. Her husband, David, is the grandson of former U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower and h ...
"Where Are They Now? Julie and David Eisenhower"
''AARP Bulletin'', December 22, 2010. p. 1.
*
Rachelle Ferrell, six-octave range recording artist
*
Brad Ingelsby
Brad Ingelsby (born January 4, 1980) is an American screenwriter and film producer.
Early life and education
Ingelsby is the son of basketball player and coach Tom Ingelsby and Rose Ingelsby. His brother Martin Ingelsby is also a basketball co ...
, screenwriter and film producer
*
Drew O'Keefe, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
[ �]
Clipping
from Newspapers.com
Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...
*
Barbara Robinson, author
References
External links
{{authority control
1777 establishments in Pennsylvania
Census-designated places in Chester County, Pennsylvania
Census-designated places in Pennsylvania
Philadelphia Main Line
Welsh-American culture in Pennsylvania