About the Narberth, Wynnewood, Bryn Mawr and Merion, Pennsylvania Area 

Radnor Township 

Recently voted “Best Place to Live in the Suburbs”, by Philadelphia Magazine, Radnor comprises the best of town and country. Horse farms surround the charming tree lined township and friendly, small-town main street. Local government encourages business growth while protecting Radnor’s historic and tasteful character; buildings are well maintained, parks are everywhere and business areas sensitively planned.  

LOCATION
Radnor Township is in Chester County, Pennsylvania, about 15 miles north of Philadelphia. The communities that make up Little Merion are directly south of Radnor. A comprehensive system of roads ensures easy access to Philadelphia and beyond.  

Interstate 75 runs down Radnor’s eastern flank, linking with Philadelphia and Baltimore to the south and Harrisburg and Pittsburgh to the west. 

US Route 30 (Lancaster Avenue) runs parallel to I 75 on Radnor’s west, also feeding into Philadelphia. Route 30 northwest passes through Paoli, Lancaster and York.  

Interstate 476 journeys east/west, connecting with both I 75 and Route 30 and connecting Radnor to Lower Merion. I 476 and I 75 meet at a major interchange.  

Just west of downtown Philadelphia, I 476 meets up with I 95, which journeys southwest to Newark and northeast into the highways feeding into New York City (which is just over 100 miles away from Radnor).  

TRANSPORTATION/AIRPORTS
The Philadelphia International Airport is about 20 minutes drive from Radnor, connecting residents to cities around the nation and the world. 

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) operates a trolley line through the Radnor and bus service to throughout the township and nearby centers. 

Amtrak passes through Radnor and there are stations at Ardmore (about 4 miles away) and Paoli (about 7 miles away); both offer long distance connections and a commuter service to Philadelphia. 

BRIEF HISTORY
Officially founded in 1682, the Radnor area saw Indian settlement, Quaker colonization, the Fight for Independence, and an extended period of agricultural development before becoming an urban settlement in the 1850s. 

At that time, wealthy industrialists built the Pennsylvania Railroad Main Line to make it easier to get to the pretty farming area, and, like the other Main Line communities, Radnor developed around a station. Affluent businessmen built country estates, gentlemen farms and summer residences. The railroad prospered, as did the surrounding developments.  

SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS
Radnor has much to recommend it, including top schools, beautiful neighborhoods, sensitive urban planning, and a plethora of local art, culture, history, and environmental groups committed to improving and caring for the quality of life shared by residents. The township’s proximity to Philadelphia adds to Radnor’s appeal, as some of America’s top cultural and art institutions are bought to the doorstep, alongside exciting career opportunities and increased options for family members. 

EDUCATION
The Radnor Township School District is one of Pennsylvania’s top rated districts, both regionally and nationally. The US Department of Education awarded Radnor High School the Blue Ribbon of excellence; one of only 266 across the country. Nine out of ten Radnor students go on to a four year college, and there are plenty of prestigious institutions to choose from. 

Bryn Mawr College, Villanova University, Haverford College, Eastern University, and Cabrini College, are all within 5 miles; the Delaware County Community College, Montgomery County Community College, Saint Josephs University, Widener University, and the University of Pennsylvania are all within 15 miles away. There are also several prestigious art schools close at hand, including the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Wayne Ballet and Center for Dance Arts and The Nelly Berman School of Music. 

Haverford Township 

Graceful Haverford bestows its history of wealth on all who live there. Lovely homes, historic estates, a high proportion of public parks, and premiere schools, colleges, and universities are available to all who live there. Neighbors care about their town and cooperate to maintain its character. Haverford College brings top notch music and theater to townspeople and Haverford’s closeness to inner city Philadelphia brings further arts, culture and educational treasures to the doorstep.  

LOCATION
Haverford Township is in northeast Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and makes up part of Philadelphia’s western suburbs. Radnor is directly north and Little Merion to the east. Pretty and historic Bryn Mawr is directly adjacent, as is Ardmore. 

US Route 30 (the Lancaster Pike) runs directly through Haverford, connecting it to downtown Philadelphia to the southeast and Radnor to the north (running further north, Route 30 journeys to Paoli, Lancaster and York). 

I-476 intersects with Route 30 just north of Haverford; this major interstate passes southwest into Philadelphia and northeast to the New York City region, connecting with I 75 at a major interchange on Radnor’s eastern edge.  

TRANSPORTATION/AIRPORTS
Haverford is served by the Philadelphia International Airport, which is about 15 miles away.  

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) runs an ample bus service and Conrail operates the town’s rail into Philadelphia. Amtrak runs an additional service with a station in nearby Ardmore offering both long distance and commuter connections. 

BRIEF HISTORY
In 1681, a group of Welsh Quakers purchased land from William Penn, who had laid it aside as a “Welsh Tract”. 

In 1682 the first families arrived in Penn’s planned Haverford Township; Lewis David, Henry Lewis, and William Howell selected land along the southern border and began to make a new life alongside their wives and children. Land was cleared for farming, and in 1707 Samuel Morris, Richard Hayes Jr., and David Morris built a gristmill, which stayed in operation until 1904. 

A fulling mill, sawmill and further gristmills followed; in 1810 the Nitre Hall Powder Mills were built on Cobb’s Creek. During the Revolutionary War, these became the country’s second largest powder mills; after the conflict they were converted into a manufacturing plant for cotton and wooden goods.  

The railway arrived in the 1830s, and in the 1850s, the Pennsylvania Railroad began to build the Main Line from Philadelphia to the west. Townships began to spring up at the railway stations and wealthy Philadelphians started to buy large pieces of farmland to develop into country estates. Haverford became a small township; between 1900 and 1925, its population virtually doubled. After WWII, Haverford grew to be a suburb of Philadelphia. 

SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS
Haverford is a beautiful township, graced with tree lined streets, historical homes, and a high ratio of parks and recreational areas. Several historic estates are now open to the public, bringing the elegance of a bygone era to the town.  

A history of wealth and patronage has ensured beautiful neighborhoods, sensitive urban planning, upscale stores and superb schools. There are significantly more public and private schools, colleges and universities in the Haverford area than in most American centers. 

Downtown Philadelphia brings a wealth of culture and educational riches to the doorstep and commuting is made simple by an excellent public transport system. 

EDUCATION
The excellent Haverford School district administers Haverford’s five elementary schools, its middle school and its high school. The district was recently awarded a prestigious Small Learning Communities grant from the US Department of Education. There are also four parochial schools and four private schools in Haverford. 

The superb Haverford College was founded by the Society of Friends in 1833 (their first in the country) and has numerous historic buildings on its lovely 225 acres. Additional higher education options include Bryn Mawr College, Villanova University, Eastern University, and Cabrini College, Delaware County Community College, Montgomery County Community College, Saint Josephs University, Widener University, the University of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Wayne Ballet and Center for Dance Arts and the Nelly Berman School of Music. 

Lower Merion Township 

With the highest median family income in Montgomery County, Lower Merion is one of Pennsylvania’s wealthiest townships. The many historic and pretty communities within its borders enjoy excellent educational opportunities, state-of-the-art health care, upscale shopping and dining and sensitive urban planning with plenty of parks and green areas.  

LOCATION
Lower Merion is in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, and is the largest of its 62 municipalities, embracing the communities of Gladwyne, Belmont Hills, Bala Cynwyd, Merion, Penn Wynne, Wynnewood, Ardmore, Bryn Mawr, Narberth and Rosemont. Radnor is directly north and Haverford is east. 

Lower Merion is traversed by several key interstates and Routes. I 75 journeys south to Philadelphia and Baltimore and west to Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. US Route 30 (Lancaster Avenue) also feeds into Philadelphia; running northwest, Route 30 passes through Paoli, Lancaster and York. I 476 intersects Route 30 south of Radnor and I 75 at a major interchange in Lower Merion.  

I 476 takes you south to Philadelphia, where it meets up with I 95; I 95 runs southwest to Newark and northeast to New York City (about 100 miles away.) 

TRANSPORTATION/AIRPORTS
Philadelphia International Airport is less than 30 minutes drive from the Little Merion area; airlines fly to cities around the country and the world.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) runs a good bus service throughout Little Merion and neighboring regions and Amtrak runs both a long distance service and commuter service into Philadelphia. 

BRIEF HISTORY
Welsh Quakers were the first Europeans to settle Lower Merion Township, when in 1682 William Penn granted them a tract of land. These first arrivals cleared land for farming and were on good terms with local Indians. In 1713, Lower Merion was established as an independent Township with about 52 landholders and tenants, and in 1900 it was incorporated. 

When the Pennsylvania Railroad built the Main Line through the region in the 1850s, Lower Merion became favored destination for the Philadelphia elite, many of whom bought farms and built large estates in the area.  

SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS
Lower Merion is a pretty and prosperous township with a population committed to maintaining their quality of life. Seventeen active civic associations and high attendance at public meetings ensure that the beauty and character of Lower Merion is enhanced and protected. There are more parks within the township than in most American centers, and the Parks Department has one of the best recreation programs in the county. Schools are excellent and local cultural and artistic offerings enhanced by the township’s nearness to Philadelphia, one of the nation’s most historic and cultured cities. 

EDUCATION
The Lower Merion School District is first rate and cares for the township’s 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools and 2 high schools. Students do extremely well academically and benefit from the many colleges in the area, which include Haverford College, Bryn Mawr College, Villanova University, Eastern University, and Cabrini College, Delaware County Community College, Montgomery County Community College, Saint Josephs University, Widener University, the University of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Wayne Ballet and Center for Dance Arts and the Nelly Berman School of Music. 

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