Ardmore is an unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The United States Census Bureau has also defined a census-designated place (CDP) around the community for statistical purposes. The community has
no legal existence as a municipality.
The community of Ardmore is a suburb in the west side of Philadelphia,
primarily within Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County and is the seat of Lower Merion Township. However, the CDP also
includes the area of Ardmore Park in adjacent Haverford Township
in Delaware County. The population was 12,616 at the 2000 census.
Originally named Athensville in 1853, the community was renamed Ardmore in 1873 by the Pennsylvania Railroad on which it is a station (MP 8.5) on the Main Line.[1]
Since 2004, Ardmore's business district has been the subject of a hotly contested eminent domain battle. A grassroots
organization, the Save Ardmore Coalition *[2], opposed an eminent
domain/redevelopment program that would likely have involved the demolition of certain historic buildings, and favored preserving
those buildings for other commercial use. In March 2006 the Lower Merion Township Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution
disavowing the use of eminent domain for the benefit of private redevelopment projects. The Ardmore battle was also instrumental
in prompting the Pennsylvania General Assembly to enact legislation in
2006 *restricting the use of eminent domain for private projects.
Geography
Ardmore is located at 40°00′24″N, 75°17′07″W (40.001411,
-75.295180)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of
4.9 km² (1.9 mi²).
Ardmore is adjacent to Wynnewood and Haverford. Residents from South Ardmore and Wynnewood cooperate as the ArdWood Civic
Association. The North Ardmore Civic Association represents residents of North Ardmore and Wynnewood north of
Montgomery Avenue.
Ardmore's train station is served by SEPTA and Amtrak passenger
trains.
Residents and visitors enjoy several parks including South Ardmore Park, which is partly in Ardmore and partly in
Wynnewood. Suburban Square, the second oldest shopping mall in the U.S., is located adjacent to the Ardmore train station.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 12,616 people, 5,529 households, and 3,129 families residing
in Ardmore. The population density was 2,550.3/km² (6,588.5/mi²). There were 5,711
housing units at an average density of 1,154.5/km² (2,982.5/mi²). The ethnic makeup of the CDP was 83.51% Caucasian, 11.47% African American, 0.12% Native American, 2.58% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other ethnic groups, and 1.60% from two or more ethnic groups. 2.05% of
the population were Hispanic or Latino or of other cultural backgrounds.
There were 5,529 households out of which 23.9% included children under the age of 18, 43.0% were married couples living together, 10.7% have a female head of household, and 43.4% are other types of families
or singles. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from
45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $60,966, and the median income for a family was $75,828. Males had a median
income of $46,920 versus $40,802 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was
$36,111. About 2.4% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Pupils living in the Lower Merion Township portion attend schools in the Lower
Merion School District, while pupils living in the Haverford Township portion attend schools in the School District of Haverford Township.
Among the many notable graduates of Lower Merion High School in Ardmore are
General Henry H. "Hap" Arnold (1903), Commanding General of the U.S. Army Air Forces in WWII; General Alexander M. Haig,
Jr. (1942), the 59th United States Secretary of State;
James H. Billington (1946), the Librarian of
Congress, and; Kobe B. Bryant (1996), a professional NBA basketball player.
Notable residents
[1]
References
- ^ (1963) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's
Who.
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
