Radnor Township is one of the oldest municipalities in Pennsylvania. Radnor Township was founded as a part of the Welsh tract. The original settlers were Welsh-speaking Quakers, led by John Roberts, in an attempt to establish a barony of Wales in Pennsylvania.[6] In about 1681, a group of Welsh Quakers met with William Penn to secure a grant of land in which they could conduct their affairs in their own language. The parties agreed on a tract covering 40,000 acres (160 km2), to be constituted as a separate county whose people and government could conduct their affairs in Welsh. William Penn, an English Quaker, laid out the township in an elongated rectangle located parallel to the Schuylkill River, and the borders of the township have remained unchanged since its founding in 1682.[7]
In 1717, the Welsh Friends built a meeting house on a trail made by the Susquehannock in Radnor Township. Radnor Township grew around the meeting house and remained the center of population of the township for 200 years. The new township was named Radnor after the county in Wales called Radnorshire. The influence of the Welsh, some of whom were forced by heavy taxation to sell their land, waned in the latter half of the 18th century. A hint of Radnor's beginnings remain in the names of streets and places evident throughout the community, such as the St. Davids neighborhood, named for Saint David, the patron saint of Wales.[7]
In 1681, Richard Davies purchased 5,000 acres from William Penn. These lands were sold to various purchasers and were mainly in the location of current Radnor Township.[9] The township was part of the Welsh Tract and was named for Radnorshire in Wales.[10] In 1717, the Welsh Friends erected a Quaker meetinghouse (Radnor Friends Meetinghouse) near what is now the intersection of Conestoga Road and Sproul Road at the geographic center of the township. The new town, "Radnorville", later known as the community of "Ithan" after nearby Ithan Creek, grew around the meetinghouse. The Welsh influence waned in the late 18th century as many left the area due to high taxation. Stone monuments were erected in various locations throughout the township in the late 20th century to commemorate the township's Welsh heritage.
18th century
In 1794, the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike was built through Radnor Township, making it the first toll road in the United States, and connecting the cities of Philadelphia and Lancaster, Pennsylvania.[11] The turnpike was populated by businesses over time and forms the modern Lancaster Avenue. Lancaster Avenue is the largest and busiest roadway in Radnor Township that is not an interstate, and along it lies many notable places, including Villanova University and Downtown Wayne.
The Columbia Railroad, later part of the Pennsylvania Railroad also passed through the township in 1832. As a result, Radnor Township is today recognized among the collection of Philadelphia suburbs known as the Main Line. The Main Line railroad facilities are still used by SEPTA (the Philadelphia area's transit authority) for its Paoli/Thorndale Line and Amtrak.
Radnor Township has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) and the hardiness zone is 7a. Average monthly temperatures in St. Davids range from 30.7 °F in January to 75.4 °F in July.[12]
As of the 2000 census,[15] there were 30,878 people, 10,347 households, and 6,373 families residing in the township. The population density was 2,244.3 inhabitants per square mile (866.5/km2). There were 10,731 housing units at an average density of 779.9 units per square mile (301.1 units/km2). 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.
Familial size
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.
Age and poverty
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.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the township was $86,812, and the median income for a family was $113,601. 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.
The population of Radnor Township in 2010 was 31,531. Of these, about 20,337 (64.5%) were estimated to belong to some form of organized religion. Pennsylvania was unique in its guarantee of religious freedoms, one result of this uncommon freedom was a wide religious diversity, which continues to the present.
Quakerism was brought to Radnor after William Penn granted Welsh settlers land west of Philadelphia to establish the Welsh Tract. The Radnor Friends Meetinghouse was built in 1717. Beginning in the nineteenth century, an influx of Irish, Italian, and Polish immigrants to the Delaware Valley caused the growth of Catholic neighborhoods in Garrett Hill and Villanova.[17][18] The development of these Catholic communities expanded further with the foundation of Villanova University and Cabrini University.[19]
According to Sperling's BestPlaces, the largest religious group in Radnor Township is the Catholic Church, represented by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.[20] Almost half of Radnor residents identify as Catholics, and there are more Catholic parishes in Radnor than any other religious group.[21] According to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Radnorites are served by five parishes: St. Thomas of Villanova Parish, St. Katharine of Siena Parish, SS. Colman and John Neumann Parish, Our Mother of Good Counsel Parish, and St. Monica Parish.[22]
St. David's Episcopal Church is one of the oldest houses of worship in Radnor and one of the oldest in the United States. Its parish is divided between Radnor and Newtown Township in Delaware County, as well as Easttown Township in Chester County. St. David's Episcopal Parish is the largest in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania.[23]
Languages
As of 2000, 90.57% (26,115) of Radnor residents aged five and older spoke only English at home, while 9.43% (2,720) spoke any language besides English. Among the largest were Spanish (2.46%), French (0.99%) and Chinese (0.87%).[24]
St. Thomas of Villanova Church in Villanova is known for its Gothic revival architecture. The church, built between 1883 and 1887, is considered to have been the tallest man-made structure between the Delaware River and Lancaster at the time of its construction. Today, the church is nearly entirely whitewashed on the interior and lit by blue stained glass windows. Much of the original decoration has been preserved, although moved to different locations in the parish and campus. The windows enclosing the nave depict the life of St. Augustine.[25]
Other historic structures in Radnor Township include the Sorrel Horse, 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.[29]
Pupils in Radnor Township attend Radnor Township School District. Radnor High School and Radnor Middle School are the sole public high and middle schools of the district. There are three elementary schools in the RTSD: Radnor Elementary School, Ithan Elementary School, and Wayne Elementary School.
The Villanova Wildcats have a storied athletic program, the pinnacle of which being their men's basketball program. The Wildcats are consistently ranked among the AP Top 25, and won the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 1985, 2016, and 2018. Each of these championships featured celebrations by students at the intersection of Lancaster and Ithan Avenues.[36]
SEPTA Suburban BusRoute 106 runs through the center of Radnor Township via Lancaster Avenue, excluding a brief deviation along King of Prussia and Radnor-Chester Roads to service the Norristown High Speed Line's Radnor Station and Paoli/Thorndale Line's Radnor Station. The 106 serves the communities of Rosemont, Villanova, St. Davids, Radnor, and Wayne with westbound access to Paoli and eastbound access to the 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby.[38][39] The 105 bus formerly drove a route similar to that of the 106, but a 2016 schedule change moved the route's western terminus to Rosemont Station, on Montrose Avenue near the border of Radnor Township and Lower Merion Township. Since 2017, the route runs parallel to Radnor Township's border on Airedale Road, but never enters the township.
Roads and highways
I-476, also known as the "Blue Route", northbound in Radnor Township
As of 2018, there were 118.96 miles (191.45 km) of public roads in Radnor Township, of which 33.59 miles (54.06 km) were maintained by Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 85.37 miles (137.39 km) were maintained by the township.[40]
Highways serving Radnor Township include U.S. Route 30, which passes east–west through the township on Lancaster Avenue (part of the historical Lincoln Highway), Pennsylvania Route 320, which passes north–south through the township along Sproul Road and Spring Mill Road; and Interstate 476, which passes north–south through the township on the Blue Route and has an interchange with US 30.[41]
Healthcare
The corporate offices of Main Line Health and Thomas Jefferson University's Marcus Institute clinic are both located in the Radnor Financial Center. In 2020, Penn Medicine opened a hospital next to the Blue Route called Penn Medicine Radnor.
^"Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved September 2, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^"Municipal Statistics". Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
^Espenshade, A. Howry (1925). Pennsylvania place names. State College, PA: The Pennsylvania State College. p. 246. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
^"Delaware County (Pennsylvania)". The Association of Religion Data Archives. The Pennsylvania State University. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
^The Agnes Irwin School lower school now uses this building. Pilgrim’s Hill is located along the modern Conestoga Rd in Garret Hill and was a first test for many early pioneers traveling west. "Fight Over An Old-Time Inn"Archived October 22, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, New York Times, December 20, 1903
^Panosian, Sevana (July 4, 2019). "The Battle Cry for Armenian Schools in the Diaspora". Armenian Weekly. Archived from the original on September 1, 2019. Retrieved September 1, 2019. (Opinion article) – The article describes it as being in Radnor Township, but an analysis of maps shows that it is in Upper Merion.
This list is incomplete. ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent township or townships. Armenian Sisters Academy has a "Radnor, PA" postal address but is in Upper Merion Township
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