Pennsylvania Main Line
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- For the historic canal, see Pennsylvania Main Line of Public Works.
- For the New Jersey Transit (formerly Erie Railroad) Main Line, see Main Line (NJ Transit).
The Main Line is a suburban area of southeastern Pennsylvania bordering but not including the city of Philadelphia, covering parts of Montgomery, Delaware and Chester Counties.
History
Although many of the Main Line towns were founded and settled in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the region earned its name in the nineteenth century after the Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad, alongside which its towns grew.
The Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad traveled through the area from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, and ultimately Chicago, Illinois. The line itself is still in service. Amtrak provides passenger service to Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, and Chicago. The SEPTA R5 regional rail line provides local passenger service to the communities along the Main Line.
Known for its high real estate costs and some of the best public schools in the state, the Main Line began as "Summer Homes" for the Philadelphia Elite before there were practical ways to get to today's popular vacation spots such as the Jersey Shore. Philadelphians built sprawling mansions, most of which were located along the rail line, and they would take the train out.
The Main Line Today
Today the Main Line contains many of Philadelphia's wealthiest suburbs. The three main townships are Lower Merion Township, Radnor Township, and Tredyffrin Township. One well-known former resident of the area is NBA star Kobe Bryant, who lived in Lower Merion while his father was an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers, and graduated from high school there. On the subject of the Philadelphia 76ers, one well known current resident is Allen Iverson. During the time between the accusations and trial for Iverson of gun possession, media cameras and some ordinary people and tourists were frequently staked outside of Iverson's Gladwyne mansion, sometimes for full days. Iverson has since moved from that Gladwyne mansion. Other famous residents have been film director M. Night Shyamalan; diplomats Lenore and the late Walter Annenberg; and Will Smith, who has an alternate mansion in Villanova.
Towns in the Main Line include:
- Ardmore, Pennsylvania
- Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
- Belmont Hills, Pennsylvania
- Berwyn, Pennsylvania
- Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
- Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania
- Daylesford, Pennsylvania
- Devon, Pennsylvania
- Gladwyne, Pennsylvania
- Haverford, Pennsylvania
- Merion, Pennsylvania
- Narberth, Pennsylvania
- Paoli, Pennsylvania
- Penn Wynne, Pennsylvania
- Radnor, Pennsylvania
- Rosemont, Pennsylvania
- St. David's, Pennsylvania
- Strafford, Pennsylvania
- Villanova, Pennsylvania
- Wayne, Pennsylvania
- Wynnewood, Pennsylvania
Given the prestige that has come to be attached to the Main Line, there has come to be some dispute over which communities are and are not included within the "Main Line"--particularly when it comes to its western extent: some would draw the line at Paoli, Pennsylvania, or at Devon, Pennsylvania. The magazine Main Line Today purportedly serves the Main Line but includes coverage of such areas as West Chester, Pennsylvania and Media, Pennsylvania that are not even arguably part of the Main Line.
Colleges and universities in the area include:
Links
http://www.lowermerionhistory.org/maps.html Historical Main Line Maps http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/Rail/Prr/Maps/ Maps of the Pennsylvania Railroad