Villanova is

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 ...

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. A suburb 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 ...

, the community straddles the border of Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County and Radnor Township in Delaware County. It is located at the center 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 ...

, a series of

suburbs located along the original east–west railroad tracks 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 ...

. It is served by the

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 ...

Paoli/Thorndale Line The Paoli/Thorndale Line, commonly known as the Main Line, is a SEPTA Regional Rail service running from Center City, Philadelphia, Center City Philadelphia through Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Montgomery County and Delaware County, Pennsylvan ...

regional rail train and the

Norristown High Speed Line The M, formerly known as the Norristown High Speed Line (NHSL), is a interurban light rapid transit line in the SEPTA Metro network, running between the 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby and the Norristown Transportation Center ...

. The center of the village straddles

U.S. Route 30 U.S. Route 30 or U.S. Highway 30 (US 30) is an east–west main route of the United States Numbered Highway System, with the highway traveling across the Northern U.S. With a length of , it is the third-longest U.S. Highway, afte ...

(

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 ...

) where it intersects

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 ...

(Spring Mill Road). This village center contains the area's post office for ZIP Code 19085, an office building, the

Wilmington Trust Company Wilmington Trust is one of the top 10 largest American institutions by fiduciary assets. Wilmington Trust is currently a provider of international corporate and institutional services, investment management, and private banking. The firm was foun ...

's Pennsylvania headquarters, and several smaller shops. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 8,213.

History

The Bridge in Radnor Township No. 2 and

Camp-Woods Camp-Woods, is a historic estate with associated buildings located at Villanova, Delaware County, Pennsylvania and built on a high spot which had been a 200-man outpost of George Washington's Army during the Valley Forge winter of 1777–78.Th ...

are listed on 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 ...

Geography

Climate

Villanova has a hot-summer

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(''Dfa'') and average monthly temperatures range from 30.9 °F in January to 75.6 °F in July. The local

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 7a.

Demographics

2020 census

Prior to 2020, Villanova was neither an incorporated area nor a census-designated place. Using data for ZIP code 19085, per the census of 2000, there were 9,189 people and 1,932 households residing in the community. The population density was 1,565 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the community was 92.5% White, 3.4% Asian, 3.9% African American, 1.40% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 2.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The median income for a household in the community was $159,538, and the median income for a family was $174,511. The per capita income for the community was $50,204. About 1.5% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line. The estimated median house/condo value in 2009 is $1,435,844.

Education

Colleges

The most notable feature of Villanova is

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Saint Thom ...

, from which the community gains its name. The university campus extends from County Line Road along Spring Mill Road south to Lancaster Pike, US Route 30, and then east to just beyond

Villanova Stadium Villanova Stadium is a 12,500 seat stadium located on the campus of Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania, USA. History Villanova Stadium was originally built in 1927 and dedicated on October 8, 1927. The stadium plays host to a wide ...

, home of the Villanova University football, men's and women's lacrosse, women's field hockey and men's and women's track teams. The university's indoor arena, Finneran Pavilion, is home to the school's NCAA Division I 1985, 2016, and 2018 national champion men's basketball teams. In addition to the undergraduate college, Villanova University includes a well-recognized graduate school, a nursing school, a school of continuing studies, numerous certificate programs, and Villanova University Law School.

Schools

Public school children in Villanova who live in Radnor Township are in the

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 affluent demographic of the Main Line that the Radnor Township Sch ...

. They attend Radnor Elementary School in Radnor, Radnor Middle School in Wayne, and Radnor High School in St. Davids. Children who live in the Lower Merion Township portion of Villanova are in the

Lower Merion School District Lower Merion School District, or LMSD, is a public school district located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The school district includes residents of both Lower Merion Township and the Borough of Narberth. Established in 1836, LMSD is o ...

. school zoning is as follows: Gladwyne Elementary School in Gladwyne, Black Rock Middle School in Villanova, and

Harriton High School Harriton Senior High School , also known simply as Harriton High School, is a Public school (government funded), public secondary school in Rosemont, Pennsylvania, serving portions of Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania. The school is located on ...

Rosemont Rosemont may refer to: People Rosemont is a surname. Notable people with this surname include: * David A. Rosemont, American television producer * Franklin Rosemont (1943–2009), American poet, artist, historian * Norman Rosemont (1924–2018), ...

. Other private schools in the area include the all-boys

Haverford School The Haverford School is a private, non-sectarian, all-boys college preparatory day school, junior kindergarten through grade twelve. Founded in 1884 as The Haverford College Grammar School, it is located in Haverford, Pennsylvania. History ...

, located in nearby Haverford and the

Episcopal Academy The Episcopal Academy, founded in 1785, is a private, co-educational school for grades Pre-K through 12 based in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. Prior to 2008, the main campus was located in Merion Station and the satellite campus was located in ...

called among locals as "EA" in

Newtown Square Newtown Township, also referred to by the name of its post office of Newtown Square, is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Prior to 1789, it was part of Chester County, along with the rest of Delaware County. As of t ...

. There are several all-girls schools in Bryn Mawr, including the Baldwin School, the Agnes Irwin School, the Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, and the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur, as well as the coeducational

Shipley School The Shipley School is an independent pre-K12 college preparatory school in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States, approximately 10 miles west-northwest of Philadelphia. History Hannah Shipley, Elizabeth Shipley, and Katharine Shipley, all siste ...

. Rosemont School of the Holy Child on Montgomery Avenue is a nearby Catholic grade school.

Infrastructure

Hospitals

Bryn Mawr Hospital Bryn Mawr Hospital, part of Main Line Health, is a 264-bed acute care hospital located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Bryn Mawr (, from Welsh language, Welsh for 'big hill') is a census-designated place (CDP) located in Pennsylvania, United Sta ...

, at South Bryn Mawr Avenue and Haverford Road, is one of the three nationally ranked community teaching hospitals that serve the Main Line; it is located less than one mile (1.6 km) from the Villanova district line. The hospital has historically been associated with Philadelphia's

Jefferson Medical College Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. The university is ...

for many years. Bryn Mawr Hospital is the chief beneficiary of the area's preeminent social and sporting event, the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, which is held annually during the last week of May at the fairgrounds in

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 ...

Notable people

* Kevin Brennan – stand-up comedian and writer *

Neal Brennan Neal Brennan (born October 19, 1973) is an American comedian, writer, producer, director, and podcaster. He is best known for co-creating and co-writing the Comedy Central series ''Chappelle's Show'' (2003–2006) with Dave Chappelle and for his N ...

– comedian, writer, director, producer, actor *

Colby Cohen Colby Shane Cohen (born April 25, 1989) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He played 3 games in the National Hockey League with the Colorado Avalanche and in the AHL with the Providence Bruins, the minor league affiliate of ...

(born 1989) – ice hockey player *

Fran Dunphy Francis Joseph Dunphy (born October 5, 1948) is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Pennsylvania for 17 seasons, Temple University for 13 seasons, and La Salle University for three season ...

– Temple University men's basketball coach *

Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...

(Dr. J) – former NBA star *

Albert Eugene Gallatin Albert Eugene Gallatin (July 23, 1881 – June 15, 1952) was an American artist. He wrote about, collected, exhibited, and created works of art. Called "one of the great figures in early 20th-century American culture," he was a leading proponent ...

(1881-1952) – artist and art collector * Jim Gardner – television news anchor * Courtlandt S. Gross (1904 - 1982) - aviation pioneer and executive *

Jon Ritchie Jon David Ritchie (born September 4, 1974) is an American former professional football fullback and current sports radio host who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football at Michigan for two se ...

– former NFL fullback and co-host of the

94.1 WIP WIP-FM (94.1 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. and broadcasts a sports radio format. The WIP-FM offices and studios are co-located in Audacy's corporate headq ...

Morning Show *

Conyers Read Conyers Read (April 25, 1881 – December 24, 1959) was an American historian who specialized in the History of England in the 15th and 16th centuries. A professor of history at the universities of Chicago and Pennsylvania, he was president of th ...

– historian *

Michael Smerconish Michael Andrew Smerconish ( ; born March 15, 1962) is an American radio host, television presenter, political commentator, author, and lawyer. He hosts ''The Michael Smerconish Program'' on SiriusXM's POTUS Channel and a weekly program on CNN and ...

– broadcaster, journalist, authorMichael Smerconish house
/ref> *

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...

– actor *

Brian Westbrook Brian Collins Westbrook (born September 2, 1979) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of ...

– former NFL running back * Robert Francis Prevost - 267th Pope of the Catholic Church

Points of interest

Appleford/Parsons-Banks Arboretum Appleford/Parsons-Banks Arboretum (24 acres) is a non-profit arboretum and country estate located at 770 Mount Moro Road, Villanova, Pennsylvania. Appelford began in 1682 with William Penn's grant of to James Moore. In 1728 Robert Jones erected ...

* Arboretum Villanova * Friends of the Willows Cottage * Stoneleigh: A Natural Garden

References

{{authority control Philadelphia Main Line Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania Radnor Township, Pennsylvania Unincorporated communities in Delaware County, Pennsylvania Unincorporated communities in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Unincorporated communities in Pennsylvania