Ridley 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 ...

Delaware County, Pennsylvania Delaware County, colloquially referred to as Delco, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. With a population of 576,830 as of the 2020 census, it is the List of counties in Pennsylv ...

, United States. The population was 30,768 at the 2010 census. Ridley Township contains the (CDPs) of

Folsom Folsom may refer to: People * Folsom (surname) Places in the United States * Folsom, Perry County, Alabama * Folsom, Randolph County, Alabama * Folsom, California * Folsom, Georgia * Folsom, Louisiana * Folsom, Missouri * Folsom, New Jers ...

and Woodlyn, along with the unincorporated communities of Crum Lynne and

Holmes Holmes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Holmes (surname), a list of people and fictional characters ** Sherlock Holmes, a fictional detective * Holmes (given name), a list of people * Gordon Holmes, a penname used by Louis Trac ...

and a portion of

Secane Secane is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Ridley Township, Pennsylvania, Ridley Township and Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania, Upper Darby Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United State ...

History

Ridley Township derives its name from

Ridley, Cheshire Ridley is a former civil parish, now in the parish of Bulkeley and Ridley, in the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, which lies to the north east of Malpas and to the west of Nantwich. The pa ...

, England, from where John Simcock, one of the original settlers, emigrated. The first mention of Ridley in court records is from 1684 when tax collectors were appointed for the township. During the Revolutionary War, Ridley was traversed by both the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

and the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

moved his troops through Ridley Township on his way to Wilmington,

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

to oppose

General Howe William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe, (10 August 1729 – 12 July 1814), was a British Army officer who rose to become Commander-in-Chief of British land forces in the Colonies during the American War of Independence. Howe was one of three broth ...

. After the Battle of Brandywine, Continental Army soldiers camped along the road in Ridley and George Washington spent the night in the home of John McIlvain. On November 19, 1777, General Cornwallis marched 3,000 men from Philadelphia through Ridley township. It was reported that the "''men robbed the inoffensive people on the route without mercy, taking food from the indigent widow as remorselessly from the wealthy husbandman.''" On December 22, 1777, General Howe and troops passed through Ridley on their raid to and beyond Darby.

Geography

Ridley Township is in southeastern Delaware County, northeast 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 ...

and southeast 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 ...

. The borough of Rutledge is in the northern part of the township but is a separate municipality. The unincorporated communities of

and Woodlyn occupy the central and western parts of the township, respectively. 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 ...

, the township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 3.61%, is water. Most of the water area is in the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

in the southernmost part of the township. Ridley Township has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(''Cfa''.) Its

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

is 7b except close enough to the

where it is 8a. This is the northernmost occurrence of 8a on the eastern North American mainland.

Adjacent municipalities

* Springfield Township, Delaware County - north * Morton, Delaware County - north * Upper Darby Township, Delaware County - northeast * Darby Township, Delaware County - east * Glenolden Borough, Delaware County - east * Norwood Borough, Delaware County - east * Prospect Park Borough, Delaware County - east * Ridley Park Borough, Delaware County - surrounded on three sides by Ridley Township * Tinicum Township, Delaware County - south * Greenwich Township, Gloucester County,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

- south * Eddystone Borough, Delaware County - south * City of Chester, Delaware County - southwest * Nether Providence Township, Delaware County - southwest * Swarthmore Borough, Delaware County - northwest * Rutledge Borough, Delaware County - completely surrounded by Ridley Township

Demographics

As of 2010 census, the racial makeup of the township was 90.0%

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 ...

, 5.7%

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, 2.2% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.4% 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 1.9% of the population. As of the census of 2000, there were 30,791 people, 12,121 households, and 8,218 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 12,544 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 96.97%

, 0.26%

, 0.07% Native American, 1.64% Asian, 0.05%

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 ...

, 0.21% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.92% of the population. There were 12,121 households, out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% 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, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.2% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.14. In the township, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males. The median income for a household in the township was $45,918, and the median income for a family was $54,581. Males had a median income of $41,504 versus $29,972 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 $21,437. About 5.0% of families and 6.7% 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 8.0% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Students residing within the township generally attend schools within the

Ridley School District Ridley School District is a large, suburban public school district in southeastern Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It serves the residents of Ridley Township, and the boroughs of Ridley Park and Eddystone. The township includes the census-desi ...

. 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 ...

is responsible for Catholic schools. Our Lady of Angels Regional School in Ridley Township ( Morton postal address) is the area Catholic school.
Linked from the codebook webpage of the township

War map
- Compare with the address of Our Lady of the Angels/Our Lady of Perpetual Help School, and with Our Lady of Fatima School. It formed in 2012 from a merger of Our Lady of Fatima in

and in Ridley Township, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Ridley Township. In 2012 it had about 503 students, with 215 originating from Our Lady of Fatima. In 2018, as a fire had affected the classroom area, the students were temporarily housed at Cardinal O'Hara. The Ridley School District provided transportation. By 2019 there were 315 students, and the school was being rebuilt.

Transportation

As of 2022, there were of public roads in Ridley 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 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...

is the most prominent highway serving Ridley Township. It follows the Delaware Expressway on an east–west alignment across the southern portion of 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 ...

heads northwest from its terminus at I-95 across the southwestern portion of the township.

U.S. Route 13 U.S. Route 13 or U.S. Highway 13 (US 13) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway established in 1926 that runs for from Interstate 95 (I-95) just north of Fayetteville, North Carolina, to US 1 in the northeast ...

follows the Chester Pike along a southwest–northeast alignment across the southern portion of the township.

Pennsylvania Route 291 Pennsylvania Route 291 (PA 291) is an east–west state route in Pennsylvania that runs from U.S. Route 13 (US 13) and US 13 Business (US 13 Bus.) in Trainer, Delaware County, east to Interstate 76 (I-76) in South Philadelphia near the ...

follows Industrial Highway along a southwest–northeast alignment through the southeastern corner of the township. Finally,

Pennsylvania Route 420 Pennsylvania Route 420 (PA 420) is a north–south state highway in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The route runs from Pennsylvania Route 291, PA 291 in Tinicum Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Tinicu ...

follows Kedron Avenue along a northwest–southeast alignment through the northeastern portion of the township.

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 ...

provides bus service to Ridley Township along

City Bus A transit bus (also big bus, commuter bus, city bus, town bus, urban bus, stage bus, public bus, public transit bus, or simply bus) is a type of bus used in public transport bus services. Several configurations are used, including low-fl ...

Route 37, 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

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west."." ''City of Philadelphia''. Retrieved November 8, ...

via the

Philadelphia International Airport Philadelphia International Airport is the primary international airport serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It served 30.8 million passengers annually in 2024, making it the busiest airport in Pennsylvania and the 21st-busies ...

Suburban Bus A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

Route 113, which runs between

Claymont station Claymont station (also known as Claymont Transportation Center and Harris B. McDowell III Transportation Center) is a station on the Northeast Corridor in Claymont, Delaware. Claymont has two high-level side platforms with a pedestrian bridge ...

Claymont, Delaware Claymont is a census-designated place (CDP) in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population of Claymont was 9,895. History The community now known as Claymont started on the banks of Naamans Creek where i ...

, 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 ...

, and Suburban Bus Route 114, which runs between Wawa Station and the

Darby Transit Center Darby Transit Center is an intermodal transit station in Darby, Pennsylvania, operated by SEPTA. It serves the SEPTA Metro T routes T3 and T4 as well as SEPTA Suburban Division buses. Near the terminal, a mural can be found of a wall celebr ...

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 ...

briefly passes through the northern portion of the township while SEPTA Regional Rail's

Wilmington/Newark Line The Wilmington/Newark Line is a route of the SEPTA Regional Rail commuter rail system in the Philadelphia area. The line serves southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware, with stations in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, Wilmington, Delaware, and ...

that follows

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C., in the south, with major stops in Providence, Rhod ...

briefly passes through the southern portion of the township; however, the nearest train stations are in neighboring municipalities.

Communities

Ridley Township encompasses the following towns and communities, which are all part of the township, and are known by locals as Ridley, as they share the same taxes, school district, library, police department located in

. Many of these communities, however, all own their own

fire department A fire department (North American English) or fire brigade (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as a fire company, fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organi ...

, though they occasionally serve each other with a serious fire, or other major event. * Crum Lynne *

* Leedom * Milmont Park *

* Swarthmorewood * Woodlyn

Notable people

* David Reese Esrey, businessman and banker * Paul Felder,

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

Lightweight and former CFFC Lightweight Champion *

Ethel Gabriel Ethel Nagy Gabriel (November 16, 1921 – March 23, 2021) was an American record producer and record executive with a four-decade career at RCA Victor. She produced over 2,500 music albums including 15 RIAA Certified Gold Records and hits by Elv ...

, record producer and executive * Joe Hackett, member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 161 Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 161 includes part of Delaware County. It is currently represented by Democrat Leanne Krueger. District profile The district includes the following areas: Delaware County: * Aston Township * ...

from 2011 to 2015 *

George Gray Leiper George Gray Leiper (February 3, 1786 – November 18, 1868) was a Jacksonian democracy, Jacksonian member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, serving one term from 1829 to 1831. Biography Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvan ...

, United States Congressman * Bill McGlone, professional lacrosse player *

James McKinney James McKinney (April 14, 1852 – September 29, 1934) was a U.S. Representative from Illinois. Biography Born in Oquawka, Illinois, McKinney attended the public schools of Lewis County High School and was given the nickname of "Downey" from ...

, U.S. representative from Illinois * John Morton, politician, signer of

United States Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America in the original printing, is the founding document of the United States. On July 4, 1776, it was adopted unanimously by the Second Continen ...

Steve Pulcinella Steve Pulcinella (born October 19, 1965) is an American former powerlifter, strongman, and Highland games competitor. He is the owner of Iron Sport Gym in Glenolden, Pennsylvania. Early life Pulcinella was born and raised in Ridley Township, Pe ...

, powerlifter and strongman *

Dave Schulthise David Schulthise (September 16, 1956 – March 10, 2004), also known as Dave Blood, was an American musician best known as the original bass guitarist for the punk band The Dead Milkmen. Schulthise was born in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania. He hel ...

, bass player for

The Dead Milkmen The Dead Milkmen is an American punk rock band formed in 1983 in Philadelphia. Their original lineup consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Rodney Linderman ("Rodney Anonymous"), guitarist and vocalist Joe Genaro ("Joe Jack Talcum"), bassist Dav ...

George Trosley George Trosley (born 1947) is an American cartoonist known for his cartoons published in ''CARtoons'' and '' Hustler''. Biography Born in 1947 to a working-class family in Woodlyn, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Trosley was fascinated by cars an ...

, cartoonist * Joe Valerio, Former NFL football player,

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

Hack Wilson Lewis Robert "Hack" Wilson (April 26, 1900 – November 23, 1948) was an American Major League Baseball player who played 12 seasons for the New York Giants, Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies. Despite his diminutive statur ...

, Major League Baseball player, single season all time RBI leader(191), in 1930,

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

* William P. Worrall, Pennsylvania State Representative for Delaware County from 1875 to 1876

References

External links

Ridley Township official website

{{authority control Townships in Delaware County, Pennsylvania Townships in Pennsylvania Delaware Valley