Radnor Township, Pennsylvania
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Radnor Township is a township located in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2000 census, the township had a total population of 30,878. Radnor Township lies along the Main Line, an elite collection of highly affluent Philadelphia suburbs. Its schools, most notably its high school, are considered some of the finest in the nation.
Villanova University, Cabrini College, andEastern University (http://www.eastern.edu/) are all located within Radnor Township.
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Geography
Radnor Township is located at 40°2'0" North, 75°22'18" West (40.033433, -75.371843)Template:GR.
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, Rosemont, St. Davids, Garrett Hill and Wayne are located in Radnor Township.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 30,878 people, 10,347 households, and 6,373 families residing in the township. The population density is 866.4/km² (2,244.3/mi²). There are 10,731 housing units at an average density of 301.1/km² (779.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the township is 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 10,347 households out of which 29.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% are married couples living together, 6.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% are non-families. 31.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.39 and the average family size is 3.08.
In the township the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 83.6 males.
The median income for a household in the township is $74,272, and the median income for a family is $107,771. Males have a median income of $71,308 versus $42,652 for females. The per capita income for the township is $39,813. 6.7% of the population and 2.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 2.9% of those under the age of 18 and 7.8% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
History
Founded 1682 as a land grant from William Penn. Named for Radnorshire in Wales. (Several stone monuments throughout the township commemorate the township's Welsh heritage.) The Welsh influence waned in the late 1700s as many left the area due to high taxation.
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.
Other historic structures in Radnor Township include the Sorrel House, a former tavern said to have sheltered George Washington and Lafayette during the encampment at Valley Forge. 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. Highway 30). The Columbia Railroad, later part of the Pennsylvania Railroad also passed through in 1832.
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.
External link
- Radnor Township official website (http://www.radnor.com/)