Swarthmore is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Swarthmore was originally named Westdale in honor of noted painter Benjamin West, who was one of the early residents of the town. The name was changed to Swarthmore after the establishment of Swarthmore College. "Swarthmore" can be pronounced with the first "r" either vocalized or dropped due to differences in rhotic and non-rhotic accents.
Geography
Swarthmore is located at 39°54′6″N 75°20′49″W / 39.90167°N 75.34694°W / 39.90167; -75.34694 (39.901788, -75.347083)[1].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
| Historical populations |
| Census |
Pop. |
|
%± |
| 1930 |
3,405 |
|
—
|
| 1940 |
4,061 |
|
19.3% |
| 1950 |
4,825 |
|
18.8% |
| 1960 |
5,753 |
|
19.2% |
| 1970 |
6,156 |
|
7.0% |
| 1980 |
5,950 |
|
−3.3% |
| 1990 |
6,157 |
|
3.5% |
| 2000 |
6,170 |
|
0.2% |
| www.dvrpc.org/data/databull/rdb/db82/appedixa.xls.</ref> |
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 6,170 people, 1,993 households, and 1,347 families residing in the borough. The population density was 4,460.4 people per square mile (1,726.3/km²). There were 2,064 housing units at an average density of 1,492.1/sq mi (577.5/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 85.87% White, 5.49% Asian, 4.72% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.07% from other races, and 2.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.37% of the population.
There were 1,993 households out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.1% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the borough the population was spread out with 20.5% under the age of 18, 24.4% from 18 to 24, 18.9% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $82,653, and the median income for a family was $105,874. Males had a median income of $71,750 versus $51,117 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $40,482. About 0.5% of families and 2.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 1.7% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Swarthmore lies within the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District. According to Pennsylvania state policy, Swarthmore is considered too small a town to have its own secondary schools. Hence, in 1984 Swarthmore High School merged with adjacent Nether Providence High School to form Strath Haven High School.
Public schools
| Grades |
School |
| Kindergarten |
Kids' Place |
| 1-5 |
Nether Providence Elementary School
Swarthmore-Rutledge Elementary School
Wallingford Elementary School |
| 6-8 |
Strath Haven Middle School |
| 9-12 |
Strath Haven High School |
Swarthmore is also home to the Swarthmore College, in which is right next to the Benjamin West House (the home of Benjamin West) the house of a painter who lived in what is currently known as Swarthmore, but was Springfield at the time.
Private schools
- Ancona Montessori School
- George Crothers Memorial School
Cultural Institutions
Scott Arboretum is located on the campus of Swarthmore College.
Transportation
Swarthmore Station, a SEPTA Regional Rail train station on the R3 Media/Elwyn Line, sits between the college and the town's center.
References
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
External links
