Radnor Township is a municipality in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2000 census, the township
population was 30,878. Radnor Township lies along the Main Line, an elite
collection of highly affluent Philadelphia suburbs.
Villanova University, Cabrini College,
the Valley Forge Military Academy and College and
Eastern University are all located within Radnor Township.
The headquarters of TV Guide magazine and Airgas are located
here.
Geography
Radnor Township is located at 40°2′0″N, 75°22′18″W (40.033433,
-75.371843)1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total
area of 35.7 km² (13.8 mi²). 35.6 km² (13.8 mi²)
of it is land and 0.07% is water.
Some or all of the communities of Bryn Mawr, Garrett Hill, Rosemont, St. Davids, Villanova, Radnor and Wayne are located in Radnor Township.
Adjacent Municipalities
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 30,878 people, 10,347 households, and 6,373 families
residing in the township. The population density was 866.4/km² (2,244.3/mi²). There
were 10,731 housing units at an average density of 301.1/km² (779.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 89.55%
White, 5.67% Asian, 3.09% African American,
0.08% Native American, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.62% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. 2.03% of the population
were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 10,347 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were
non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the township the population was spread out with 19.5% under the age of 18, 24.0% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 20.6%
from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 87.2
males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.6 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $74,272, and the median income for a family was $107,771. Males had a
median income of $71,308 versus $42,652 for females. The per capita income for the
township was $39,813. About 2.4% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.
History
Radnor Township was founded 1682 as a land grant from William Penn. The township was
part of the Welsh Tract and was named for Radnorshire
in Wales. In 1717, the Welsh Friends erected a Quaker meetinghouse near what is now the intersection of Conestoga
Road and Sproul Road at the geographic center of the township. The new
town, "Radnorville", grew around the meetinghouse. The Welsh influence waned in the late 1700s as
many left the area due to high taxation. Stone monuments were erected in various locations throughout the township in the late
twentieth century to commemorate the township's Welsh heritage.
Other historic structures in Radnor Township include the Sorrel House, a former
tavern located on Conestoga Road that sheltered George
Washington and Lafayette during the Continental Army's
retreat back to Philadelphia from the Battle of Brandywine. The inn is now part of
the facility of the Agnes Irwin School.
Lancaster Pike, the first toll
road in the United States, connected the cities of Philadelphia and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, passing through
Radnor Township, opened in 1794. That road is now part of the Lincoln Highway (U.S. Route 30 in Pennsylvania).
The Columbia Railroad, later part of the Pennsylvania
Railroad also passed through in 1832. Thus, Radnor is one of the towns associated with the
local moniker "Main Line." A separate railroad passing through Radnor Township, the Philadelphia and Western Railroad, was opened in the early twentieth century. The
"Main Line" railroad facilities and a portion of the P&W facilities are still used by SEPTA (the Philadelphia area's transit authority), and the "Main
Line" railroad tracks are also used by AMTRAK.
In the 1880s, George W. Childs bought property in the community
of Louella in the western part of Radnor Township, renamed the area Wayne,
Pennsylvania (after American Revolutionary War hero Anthony Wayne) and organized one of the United States's first
suburban developments.
Education
Primary and secondary schools
Public schools
Pupils in Radnor Township attend Radnor Township School District.
Radnor High School is the sole high school of the district.
Private schools
Valley Forge Military Academy and College contains a
boarding school program for grades 7 through 12. The Agnes Irwin School is an
all-girls school for prekindergarten through twelfth grade. St. Katherine of Sienna is a Catholic school in Wayne for students grades K-8. The Hilltop School is a very small school located on
top of a hill in Ithan.
Colleges and universities
Villanova University , Eastern
University, and Cabrini College are located within Radnor Township. Valley Forge
Military Academy and College operates a two-year junior college.
Notable Residents, past and present
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
