Bryn Mawr (, from Welsh for 'big hill') 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) located in

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. It is located just west of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

along Lancaster Avenue, also known as U.S. Route 30. , the CDP is defined to include sections of Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County, as well as portions of Haverford Township and Radnor Township in Delaware County. Bryn Mawr is located toward the center of what is known as the Main Line, a group of affluent Philadelphia suburban villages stretching from the city limits to Malvern. They became home to sprawling country estates belonging to Philadelphia's wealthiest families during the

Gilded Age In History of the United States, United States history, the Gilded Age is the period from about the late 1870s to the late 1890s, which occurred between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was named by 1920s historians after Mar ...

, and over the decades became a bastion of old money. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 5,879. Bryn Mawr is home to

Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh language, Welsh: ) is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as a ...

, and contains a sizable amount of student rentals, with roughly half of the community's population aged 18–24.

History

Bryn Mawr is named after an estate near

Dolgellau Dolgellau (; ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the traditional county town of the Historic counties of Wales, historic county of Merion ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

that belonged to Rowland Ellis, a Welsh

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

who emigrated in 1686 to Pennsylvania to escape

religious persecution Religious persecution is the systematic oppression of an individual or a group of individuals as a response to their religion, religious beliefs or affiliations or their irreligion, lack thereof. The tendency of societies or groups within socie ...

. Until the construction of the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad ( reporting mark PRR), legal name as 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. At its ...

's Main Line in 1869, the town, located in the old Welsh Tract, was known as Humphreysville, named for early settlers of the Humphreys family. The town was renamed by railroad agent William H. Wilson after he acquired on behalf of the railroad the that now compose Bryn Mawr. To encourage visitors the railroad constructed the Bryn Mawr Hotel adjacent to the new station, which opened in 1872. After a fire destroyed the original building, a distinctive new hotel designed by architect

Frank Furness Frank Heyling Furness (November 12, 1839 – June 27, 1912) was an American architect of the Victorian era. He designed more than 600 buildings, most in the Philadelphia area, and is remembered for his diverse, muscular, often inordinately scaled ...

was built in 1889. The second hotel building is currently occupied by The Baldwin School and was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1979.

was founded in 1885 originally as a

institution but by 1893, it had become non-denominational. In 1893, the first hospital, Bryn Mawr Hospital, was built on the Main Line by Dr. George Gerhard. Glenays, a historic home dating to 1859, was listed on the

in 1977. In the 1990 U.S. Census, the 2000 U.S. Census, and the 2010 U.S. Census, the CDP was located entirely in Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County. For the 2020 U.S. Census, 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 ...

redefined the CDP to, in addition, include portions of Haverford Township and Radnor Township in Delaware County.

Geography

According to the

, in 2000, Bryn Mawr had a total area of , all land, all in Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County. However, the Bryn Mawr ZIP Code of 19010 covers a larger area. As a result, the geographic term Bryn Mawr is often used in a sense that includes not only the CDP, but also other areas that share the ZIP Code. These other areas include the community of Rosemont within Lower Merion Township and Radnor Township, and various other areas within Lower Merion Township, Radnor Township, and Haverford Township. Bryn Mawr is a part of the Philadelphia Main Line, a string of picturesque towns located along a railroad that connects Philadelphia with points west. Some other Main Line communities include Ardmore, Wynnewood, Narberth,

Bala Cynwyd Bala Cynwyd ( ) is a community and census-designated place in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the Philadelphia Main Line in Southeastern Pennsylvania and borders the western edge of Philadelphia at U.S. Rou ...

and Villanova.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census,, there were 3,779 people, 1,262 households, and 497 families residing in the CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 1,481 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 74.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 10.5%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.0% Native American, 10.7% Asian, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.2% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. 4.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 21.1% were of Irish, 10.8% Italian, 6.8% German and 6.4% English ancestry, according to the 2000 census. There were 1,404 households, out of which 13.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.8% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 62.6% were non-families. 41.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.79. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 8.4% under the age of 18, 48.1% from 18 to 24, 21.0% from 25 to 44, 12.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 46.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 42.4 males. As of the U.S. census, the median income for a household in the CDP was $47,721, and the median income for a family was $66,369. Males had a median income of $40,625 versus $31,618 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $23,442. About 5.3% of families and 21.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 23.6% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2000 census, the Bryn Mawr ZIP code was home to 21,485 people with a median family income of $110,956.

Education

*Bryn Mawr residents of Lower Merion Township attend schools in the Lower Merion School District; ** school zoning for the Lower Merion Township portion is as follows: Gladwyne Elementary School, Black Rock Middle School, and Harriton High School. *Bryn Mawr residents of Radnor Township attend schools in the Radnor Township School District;
Text list
/ref> Radnor High School is the district's sole high school. *Bryn Mawr residents of Haverford Township attend schools in the School District of Haverford Township;

Haverford High School Haverford Senior High School is the public high school of Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, Haverford Township, Pennsylvania, United States, operated by the School District of Haverford Township. It is at 200 Mill Road in Havertown, Pennsylvania ...

is the district's sole high school. * Sacred Heart Academy Bryn Mawr, the Shipley School and The Baldwin School are all located in Bryn Mawr. The French International School of Philadelphia, which opened in 1991, previously held its classes at Baldwin and then at Shipley.Hellberg, Joyce Vottima.
French School Gets Larger Quarters The Philadelphia School Has Moved Into The Historic Beechwood House.
" ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

''. August 3, 1993. Retrieved on May 14, 2014.

Points of interest

* Harcum College *

Rosemont College Rosemont College is a private Catholic university in Rosemont, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1921 as a women's college by the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus, the undergraduate program opened to male students beginning in fall 2009. ...

* Sacred Heart Academy Bryn Mawr * Baldwin School * Shipley School * Barrack Hebrew Academy * Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech, formerly Clarke School for the Deaf. "Clarke Philadelphia" is located here, with its main campus being in

Northampton, Massachusetts The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence, Massachusetts, Florence and ...

. * American College Arboretum *

The American College of Financial Services The American College of Financial Services (The American College) is a private online university focused on professional training for financial practitioners and located in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. It offers several professional certifica ...

* Bryn Mawr Campus Arboretum * Bryn Mawr Film Institute * Harriton House * The Main Point * Bryn Mawr Hospital

Notable people

* Julius Wesley Becton Jr., retired US Army general, former

Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...

Director, and education administrator *

John Bogle John Clifton "Jack" Bogle (May 8, 1929 – January 16, 2019) was an American investor, business magnate and philanthropist. He was the founder and chief executive of The Vanguard Group and is credited with popularizing the index fund. An avid in ...

, founder and former CEO of

The Vanguard Group The Vanguard Group, Inc. is an American registered investment adviser founded on May 1, 1975, and based in Malvern, Pennsylvania, with about $10.4 trillion in global assets under management as of 31 January 2025. It is the largest provide ...

* Avis Bohlen, U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria (1996–1999) * Derek Bok, lawyer, educator, president of Harvard University *

Neal Boortz Neal A Boortz Jr. (born April 6, 1945) is an American author, former attorney, and former libertarian radio host. His nationally syndicated talk show, ''The Neal Boortz Show'', which ended in 2013, was carried throughout the United States. The ...

, lawyer, broadcaster, U.S. Radio Hall of Fame * Jake Cohen (born 1990), American-Israeli basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv and the Israeli national basketball team * Meredith Colket, silver medalist in pole vault, 1900 Olympics * Samuel Conway, chemist and Anthrocon chairman * Fran Crippen, swimmer * A. J. Croce, musician * Kat Dennings, actress * Mark DiFelice, former professional baseball player,

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

* Fred D'Ignazio, educator and technology writer * Adelaide C. Eckardt, Maryland politician * Edward Fishman, American diplomat and scholar * Emmet French, golfer * Phil Gosselin, Major League baseball player * Philip A. Hart, US Senator from

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

Merrill Kelly Kenneth Merrill Kelly (born October 14, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut on April 1, 2019. Kelly formerly played for the SK Wyverns of the KBO Le ...

, Major League Baseball player for the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

. * Agathe Lasch, Jewish German linguist, first female professor of German studies at a German university, taught at Bryn Mawr College * Edward Barnes Leisenring Jr., coal executive * John Mais, two-time Olympic gymnast * Daniel P. Mannix, author, ''

The Fox and the Hound ''The Fox and the Hound'' is a 1981 American animated buddy drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and loosely based on the 1967 novel of the same name by Daniel P. Mannix. It tells the story of the unlikely friendship between a r ...

'' *

Jayne Mansfield Jayne Mansfield (born Vera Jayne Palmer; April 19, 1933 – June 29, 1967) was an American actress, ''Playboy'' Playmate, and sex symbol of the 1950s and early 1960s. She was known for her numerous publicity stunts and open personal life. He ...

, actress * Walter A. McDougall, Pulitzer Prize winner *

Emmy Noether Amalie Emmy Noether (23 March 1882 – 14 April 1935) was a German mathematician who made many important contributions to abstract algebra. She also proved Noether's theorem, Noether's first and Noether's second theorem, second theorems, which ...

, mathematician, died in Bryn Mawr *

Michael A. O'Donnell Michael A. O'Donnell (born June 17, 1956, in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania) is an American writer and researcher and co-principal investigator of the Adolescent Wellness Research Project, jointly with family strengths scholar Nick Stinnett. Their resea ...

, author, lecturer, and Episcopal priest, born here * Richard A. O'Donnell, playwright, composer, lyricist, poet, actor, and stand-up comic *

R. C. Orlan Robert Charles Orlan (born September 28, 1990) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. In high school in Virginia, he was All-District as a pitcher as a junior, All-State as a utility player as a senior, and All-District Academic thr ...

, baseball player * David W. Oxtoby, president of

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalists ...

Teddy Pendergrass Theodore DeReese Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American Soul music, soul and R&B singer and songwriter. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pendergrass lived most of his life in the Philadelphia area, and initial ...

, singer * Chris Pikula, professional Magic: The Gathering player *

Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk (born December 20, 1950) is a professor at the University of Miami's School of Architecture and an architect and urban planner in Miami, Florida. Plater-Zyberk is considered to be a representative of the New Urbanism scho ...

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

professor of architecture and

New Classical New classical macroeconomics, sometimes simply called new classical economics, is a school of thought in macroeconomics that builds its analysis entirely on a neoclassical economics, neoclassical framework. Specifically, it emphasizes the import ...

advocate *

Polly Platt Mary Marr "Polly" Platt (January 29, 1939 – July 27, 2011) was an American film producer, production designer and screenwriter. She was the first woman accepted into the Art Directors Guild, in 1971. In addition to her credited work, she w ...

, author of books for Americans living in France * Happy Rockefeller, wife of

Nelson Rockefeller Nelson Aldrich "Rocky" Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979) was the 41st vice president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford. He was also the 49th governor of New York, serving from 1959 to 197 ...

, who was US Vice President from 1974–1977 * Jake Schindler, professional poker player * Beth Shak, professional poker player for Full Tilt * Saleka Night Shyamalan, singer-songwriter and actress * Jay Sigel, professional golfer, U.S. Amateur champion * Ed Snider, founder of Comcast Spectacor * John Spagnola, former professional football player * Andrew Spence, artist * Richard Swett, former congressman and diplomat * Joseph Wright Taylor, industrialist, Quaker leader, founder and benefactor of

* Jack Thayer, survivor of sinking of RMS ''Titanic'' * M. Carey Thomas, second president of Bryn Mawr College * Cheryl Abplanalp Thompson,

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

handball player in

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

, inductee into Davis and Elkins College Hall of Fame *

Charles Thomson Charles Thomson (November 29, 1729 – August 16, 1824) was an Irish-born Founding Father of the United States and secretary of the Continental Congress (1774–1789) throughout its existence. As secretary, Thomson prepared the Journals of the ...

, secretary of

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

, lived at Harriton House * Ronne Troup, actress *

Emlen Tunnell Emlen Lewis Tunnell (March 29, 1924As noted in the "Early years" section below, reliable sources are substantially in dispute as to w whether Tunnell was born in 1922, 1923, 1924, or 1925. – July 23, 1975), nicknamed "the Gremlin", was an Ame ...

, NFL player for

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

and

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

, member of

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...

Stanley Whitney Stanley Whitney (born 1946) is an American artist who primarily works in abstract painting and printmaking. Biography Stanley Whitney was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania on November 11, 1946. The third of four children, his father was a real ...

, painter * Rake Yohn, chemist and TV personality *

Warren Zevon Warren William Zevon (January 24, 1947 – September 7, 2003) was an American rock singer and songwriter. His most famous compositions include "Werewolves of London", "Lawyers, Guns and Money" and "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner". All t ...

, musician *

Anthony Zinni Anthony Charles Zinni (born September 17, 1943) is a retired United States Marine Corps General (United States), general and a former Commander in Chief of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM). From 2001 to 2003, he served as a special e ...

, US Marine Corps general

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Census-designated places in Pennsylvania Haverford Township, Pennsylvania Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania Radnor Township, Pennsylvania Philadelphia Main Line Welsh-American culture in Pennsylvania