Nether Providence Township is a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

in Delaware County,

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. Many residents refer to the township by the name of its largest community, Wallingford, because the Wallingford postal code is used for most of the township. The population of the township was 13,706 at the 2010 census.

Geography

Nether Providence Township is located in central Delaware County at (39.894612, -75.373705). It is bordered to the north by the borough of

Media Media may refer to: Communication * Means of communication, tools and channels used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Interactive media, media that is inter ...

, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

. Other neighboring municipalities are Upper Providence Township to the north; Springfield Township, the borough of Swarthmore, and Ridley Township to the east; the city of

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

to the south; and the boroughs of Brookhaven and Rose Valley to the west. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the township has a total area of , of which , or 0.17%, is water.

Crum Creek Crum Creek (from the Dutch, meaning "crooked creek") is a creek in Delaware County and Chester County, Pennsylvania, flowing approximately , generally in a southward direction and draining into the Delaware River in Eddystone, Pennsylvania. ...

forms the eastern boundary of the township, and

Ridley Creek Ridley Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River in Chester and Delaware counties, Pennsylvania in the United States.Gertler, Edward. ''Keystone Canoeing'', Seneca Press, 2004. The entire drainage basin is in the suburban Philadelphia area, bu ...

forms the western and southern border. Nether Providence's commercial area or downtown is located on Providence Road between the bridge over SEPTA's Media/Wawa line and Wallingford Avenue.

History

The first recorded inhabitants of Nether Providence Township were Native Americans of the

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

tribe, who lived in the area for about five hundred years, but by 1740 few remained. On August 14, 1682, two months before

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

's landing in

, John Sharpless came to the area. Penn had given Sharpless a thousand-acre (4-km) tract, and he settled near Ridley Creek. 1687HolmeMapProvRoad

By the time Penn arrived, there were several small settlements in the area, which became known as Providence Township. Providence Township comprised today's Nether Providence, Rose Valley,

, and Upper Providence. On October 17, 1683, the residents of Providence Township petitioned the Court of Chester County, of which they were then a part, to establish a road from Providence to Chester. The court approved the creation of Providence Great Road (now Route 252). Nether Providence went through four distinct phases from farming, to manufacturing, to resort, and finally, to residential community. By 1729, the area was producing sufficient crops to allow exporting to New England, Canada, and Europe. Fourteen major mill complexes were built in Nether Providence, six on Crum Creek and eight on Ridley Creek. The first, a cotton mill along Crum Creek, was started by Thomas Allen in 1763. He named his mill for his hometown, Wallingford, England. The mills played an essential part in the growth of Nether Providence. Millhands lived in the self-contained villages that grew up around the mills. After the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, wealthy Philadelphians built summer residences and vacation resorts in the area. The first railway was the

Leiper Railroad The Leiper Railroad was a 'family business–built' horse drawn railroad of , constructed in 1810 after the quarry owner, Thomas Leiper, failed to obtain a charter with legal rights-of-way to instead build his desired canal along Crum Creek. The ...

, a horse-drawn quarry rail line, constructed in 1809–1810 and used to haul cut stone until about 1828. That early rail line was superseded by the

Leiper Canal Early in the 19th century, the Leiper Canal built in 1828–29 during the middle of the American canal age ran about along Crum Creek in Delaware County to its mouth in eastern Pennsylvania's Delaware Valley carrying its owner‘s quarried ...

. The first steam-locomotive train came through in 1854; it used a single track with a sidetrack at Wallingford. The first post office in Nether Providence was established at Hinkson's Corner in 1873. Trolleys also contributed to the area's development. The first independent trolley was the Chester and Media Electric Railway, chartered in 1892. The last trolley through the township closed in 1938. The Nether Providence Police Department was established in 1935, and automobile parking was regulated in 1947 and speed in 1949. Three sites within the township, Wolley Stille, the

Thomas Leiper Estate The Thomas Leiper Estate, also known as Avondale, is an historic, American estate that is located in Wallingford in Nether Providence Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. ...

, and Westlawn are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Demographics

As of Census 2010, the racial makeup of the township was 85.6%

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 ...

, 7.0%

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 ...

, 0.1% Native American, 5.2% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.0% of the populatio

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 13,456 people, 5,007 households, and 3,755 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 5,125 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 90.08%

, 6.12%

, 0.10% Native American, 2.34% Asian, 0.04%

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 ...

, 0.27% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 1.13% of the population were

or Latino of any race. There were 5,007 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.08. In the township the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males. The median income for a household in the township was $68,059, and the median income for a family was $78,491. Males had a median income of $72,370 versus $49,048 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 township was $32,946. About 3.1% of families and 3.4% 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 5.2% of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The first area school started in 1810. Nether Providence Township currently lies within the

Wallingford-Swarthmore School District Wallingford-Swarthmore School District is a midsized, suburban public school district in south-eastern Delaware County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It serves the boroughs of Swarthmore, Rose Valley and Rutledge, and the township of ...

, created by a merger between the Nether Providence and Swarthmore-Rutledge School Districts in 1983. Public school students within the township attend either Nether Providence Elementary School, Swarthmore-Rutledge School or Wallingford Elementary School for grades K-5, depending on where they live. Strath Haven Middle School serves students in grades 6–8, and

Strath Haven High School Strath Haven High School (also abbreviated as SHHS) is a four-year public high school in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, Wallingford, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, enrolling about 1,200 students. SHHS is the only high s ...

serves students in grades 9-12. The township's only parochial school is the Mother of Providence Regional Catholic School, located in the southern part of the township, in Wallingford. It formed in 2012 from a merger of St. John Chrysostom in Wallingford and Nativity BVM School in

. Originally Nativity BVM was to be the location of the merged school, but St. John Chrystosom appealed and the archdiocese changed its decision. Notre Dame Catholic Girls High School was formerly in Moylan. In 1981 it closed. The township is also serviced by the Helen Kate Furness Free Library.

Transportation

As of 2018, there were of public roads in Nether Providence Township, of which were maintained by

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) oversees transportation issues in the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The administrator of PennDOT is the Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation, Michael B. Carroll. PennDOT ...

(PennDOT) and were maintained by the township.

Interstate 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 through ea ...

runs up the east side of the township near Crum Creek, with access from Exit 3 (Baltimore Pike).

Pennsylvania Route 252 Pennsylvania Route 252 (PA 252) is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania that connects PA 320 in Nether Providence Township at its southern terminus to PA 23 in Valley Forge at its northern terminus. The route run ...

follows Providence Road along a northwest-southeast alignment through the center of the township, while

Pennsylvania Route 320 Pennsylvania Route 320 (PA 320) is a north–south state highway in southeastern Pennsylvania. The southern terminus of the long route is at U.S. Route 13 in Pennsylvania, U.S. Route 13 (US 13)/Pennsylvania Route 291, PA 291 in Chester, Pen ...

follows a southwest-northeast alignment through the southeastern corner of the township. The township is served by

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 ...

public transportation. Train stations in the township along

SEPTA Regional Rail The SEPTA Regional Rail system is a commuter rail network owned by SEPTA and serving the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The system has 13 branches and more than 150 active stations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, its suburbs and satellite town ...

Media/Wawa Line The Media/Wawa Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail service that runs from Center City, Philadelphia, Center City Philadelphia west to Wawa Station, Wawa in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Delaware County. It uses the West Chester Branch, which connects ...

include: Moylan–Rose Valley, and Wallingford. SEPTA's light rail

Media–Sharon Hill Line The D, formerly known as the Media–Sharon Hill Line (MSHL), is a light rail line in the SEPTA Metro network serving portions of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The line comprises two services which terminate at 69th Street Transit Center in U ...

passes through the township along its route between

and the

69th Street Transportation Center 69th Street Transit Center is a SEPTA terminal in the Terminal Square area of Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania. It serves the SEPTA Metro L, M, D, and multiple SEPTA bus routes. It is located at the end of 69th Street, a major retail corr ...

. SEPTA provides Suburban Bus service to Nether Providence Township along

Route 109 Route 109 or Highway 109 can refer to multiple roads: Canada * New Brunswick Route 109 * Ontario Highway 109 * Prince Edward Island Route 109 * Quebec Route 109 China * China National Highway 109 Costa Rica * National Route 109 (Costa Ric ...

, which runs between the

Chester Transit Center The Chester Transit Center is a SEPTA bus and train station in Chester, Pennsylvania. The outside portion of the ground level serves SEPTA City Transit Division Route 37, and Suburban Transit Division Routes 109, 113, 114, 117, 118, and 119. A ...

and the 69th Street Transportation Center, Route 110, which runs between

Penn State Brandywine Penn State Brandywine is a commonwealth campus of the Pennsylvania State University located in Middletown Township, Pennsylvania, United States. The campus was formerly known as Penn State Delaware County. The campus has baccalaureate and as ...

and the 69th Street Transportation Center, and Route 118, which runs between the Chester Transit Center and Newtown Square.

Religious institutions

Greater Philadelphia Baptist Church Nether Providence twp DelCo PA

Several religious congregations serve Nether Providence.

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church

Holy Trinity is a Lutheran church located approximately at the intersection of Harvey Road and route 252.

Ohev Shalom

Congregation Ohev Shalom is a synagogue located on route 320, at approximately the junction with route 252.

St. John Chrysostom

St. John Chrysostom is a Roman Catholic church on route 252, across from Springhaven Country Club.

Wallingford Presbyterian Church

Wallingford Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian church located at the intersection of Brookhaven Road and Avondale Road.

Greater Philadelphia Baptist Church

Formerly occupied by Zion African Methodist Episcopal, the church building was occupied by the Greater Philadelphia Church in 2015. It is located in South Media at the intersection of Manchester Ave. and Wallingford Ave.

Leiper Church

The historic Leiper church is located on Fairview Road in Ridley. In 2015, it became home to Holy Myrrh Bearers Ukrainian Catholic church.

Grace Bible Fellowship

The Foundry

Government and communities

Major communities in Nether Providence are Garden City, South Media and Wallingford. The South Media Fire Company was organized in 1922 and Garden City Fire Company in 1944. Ambulance service is provided by the Media Fire Company and Parkside Fire Company. The Moylan community near Rose Valley is also within Nether Providence Township, as are the Bowling Green, Park Ridge, Pine Ridge, and Wesley Manor communities located north of Baltimore Pike.

Garden City

Within Garden City area are the Waterville, Lapidea, Putnum Village, and Crum Creek Manor sections. The Crum Creek Manor section is known for its circular layout. Putnam Village is usually considered within the Garden City community. Garden City is known as a working class

blue collar A blue-collar worker is a person who performs manual labor or skilled trades. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involve manufacturing, retail, warehousing, mining, carpentry, electrical work, custodia ...

area, made up of row houses and ranch houses built for returning World War II veterans in the 1940s. The small community of Garden City is located in the southernmost part of Nether Providence. It borders Chester city to the south, where it is cut off by Ridley Creek. It lies southwest of the intersection where Route 252 (South Providence Road) and Route 320 (Chester Road) meet, and it is cut off by Route 252 (or sometimes Harvey Road) at the east. The north and west borders of the community are disputed. Moore Road or Georgetown Road are loosely used as the northern border for Garden City. West Brookhaven Road (or in some cases Putnam Village) is often used as the western border of Garden City. Garden City is home to the Garden City Fire Co., the Foundry Church, and the Creekside Swim Club. Nether Providence Elementary School is the elementary school for the Garden City Community and is often considered within Garden City.

South Media

South Media is an unincorporated community bordering the southern edge of

. The neighborhood lies within the Media, PA 19063 postal code. It lies north of Wallingford and Rose Valley and west of North Providence Road. East Baltimore Avenue is usually considered the northern border. It is home to the South Media Fire Co., the oldest fire company in Nether Providence.

Moylan

Moylan is an unincorporated community, founded on the land and tax reform principles of

Henry George Henry George (September 2, 1839 – October 29, 1897) was an American political economist, Social philosophy, social philosopher and journalist. His writing was immensely popular in 19th-century America and sparked several reform movements of ...

, located partially in Nether Providence township and partially in Rose Valley Borough. It is home to the Moylan – Rose Valley commuter train station on the

, which is located on Manchester Avenue. To the north Moylan borders the township of Upper Providence and the unincorporated community of South Media. The southern boundary is sometimes disputed, but it is approximately Rose Valley Road.

Wallingford

Wallingford is an unincorporated community in the middle of Nether Providence. Wallingford usually refers to the area in between Brookhaven Road, Route 252, Rosevalley Road and Avondale Road. The neighborhood of South Wallingford is also in Wallingford.

Neighborhoods

Bowling Green

Bowling Green is a neighborhood of detached houses north of Baltimore Pike bordering Media Borough. Streets in Bowling Green are Mulberry Lane, Bent Road, Quaint Road, Twyckenham Road, Truepenny Road, Luckie Lane, Hidden Acres Lane and Surrey Road while west of Beatty Road.

Pine Ridge

Pine Ridge is a neighborhood of detached houses north of Baltimore Pike. Streets in Pine Ridge are Hemlock Road, Beechwood Road and Pine Ridge Road. Pine Ridge is zoned to go to Swarthmore-Rutledge School even though it is in Nether Providence Township.

Wesley Manor

Wesley Manor is a neighborhood of detached houses north of Baltimore Pike. Streets in Wesley Manor are Meredith Drive, Springlawn Drive, and Surrey Road while east of Beatty Road.

Sproul Estates

Sproul Estate is a neighborhood of detached houses north and west of Bullens Lane and bordered on the west by 320. It is named after William Cameron Sproul, where he resided.

Notable people

Horace Howard Furness Horace Howard Furness (November 2, 1833 – August 13, 1912) was an American Shakespearean scholar of the 19th century. Life and career Horace Furness was the son of the Unitarian minister and abolitionist William Henry Furness (1802–1896), ...

William Henry Furness III William Henry Furness III (August 10, 1866 – August 11, 1920) was an American physician, ethnographer and author from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He made multiple trips to the Oceania, South Pacific, and was among the first to study and photogra ...

* Horace H. F. Jayne *

Thomas Leiper Thomas Leiper (15 December 1745 – 6 July 1825) was a Scottish American businessman, banker and politician who owned a successful tobacco exportation business as well as several mills and stone quarries. He served as a lieutenant in the First T ...

* Albert Cook Myers

References

External links

Nether Providence Township official website
* {{authority control Populated places established in 1682 Townships in Delaware County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania 1682 establishments in North America