Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 03-31-2014, 08:37 AM
 
Location: Darien, CT
32 posts, read 58,719 times
Reputation: 48

Advertisements

I was just curious as to how gay friendly the Main Line communities are (gay family friendly, that is).

I was specifically curious about Gladwyne and Villanova? Thanks
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 03-31-2014, 08:58 AM
 
4,404 posts, read 9,086,385 times
Reputation: 4294
While the city of Philadelphia is a very Liberal Gay City some of these suburban main line communities with huge Republican leanings may be cause for concern. Villanova for sure.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-31-2014, 10:55 AM
 
Location: North by Northwest
9,309 posts, read 12,897,127 times
Reputation: 6161
Quote:
Originally Posted by loose cannon View Post
While the city of Philadelphia is a very Liberal Gay City some of these suburban main line communities with huge Republican leanings may be cause for concern. Villanova for sure.


The Eastern half of LM is almost all solidly latte liberal these days. The western half, while more prone to vote Republican for fiscal reasons, is not the least bit socially conservative.

Gladwyne and Villanova (along with Nearby Rosemont) are perfectly fine, especially Villanova on the LM side. You might like Penn Valley, Wynnewood, Merion, Penn Wynne, and Bala-Cynwyd a bit more, along with Narberth (anywhere but the Northeast quadrant/"working class Narberth"). I'd argue that these areas are among the PA suburbs' most socially liberal. Ardmore is fine above Montgomery Avenue. The rest may be a bit more hit and miss. Just steer clear of Belmont Hills.

Since you did start by asking about Gladwyne/Villanova (I assume you're after a big, charming, custom-constructed house on a big lot) then you'd probably like Rosemont and Haverford, along with part of Penn Valley and Wynnewood best, as far as potential alternatives go.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-31-2014, 10:56 AM
 
Location: Bella Vista
2,471 posts, read 3,996,563 times
Reputation: 2212
Villanova is right leaning in a fiscal sense, not in a bible thumping Christian right sense. Although pretty staid and conservative in general, the main line is also a highly educated area that is for the most part more progressive on social issues. I highly doubt you'd run into any overt discrimination, but you may not be welcomed with open arms by everyone in your community. Certainly not the paradise that Philly is on this matter, but all things considered you could definitely do a whole lot worse.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-31-2014, 11:00 AM
 
Location: North by Northwest
9,309 posts, read 12,897,127 times
Reputation: 6161
Quote:
Originally Posted by phillies2011 View Post
Villanova is right leaning in a fiscal sense, not in a bible thumping Christian right sense. Although pretty staid and conservative in general, the main line is also a highly educated area that is for the most part more progressive on social issues. I highly doubt you'd run into any overt discrimination, but you may not be welcomed with open arms by everyone in your community. Certainly not the paradise that Philly is on this matter, but all things considered you could definitely do a whole lot worse.
A distinction needs to be made between Lower Merion residential Villanova >> Radnor residential Villanova >>>>> and Villanova University. I'd definitely say LM Villanova is more than just alright. But neighbors there are more likely to be apathetic on gay rights issues than Eastern Half LM residents, who may very well be outspoken in favor.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-31-2014, 12:16 PM
 
Location: Phila & NYC
4,751 posts, read 3,252,582 times
Reputation: 1925
I see no problem with gays living in any upper middle class neighborhoods anywhere around the city. In fact a few years back I knew some college students that were being paid to canvas neighborhoods to raise money for HRC (Human Rights Campaign). They mostly canvassed the Main Line and West Chester and raised thousands of dollars.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-31-2014, 05:40 PM
 
Location: University City, Philadelphia
22,633 posts, read 14,855,142 times
Reputation: 15932
Lower Merion instituted an anti-discrimination ordinance in order to protect LGBT people about two or three years ago I think.

From my experience it seems there are a lot of gay and lesbian people and families moving to Swarthmore - which is not the Main Line, but a verdant upscale affluent area nonetheless.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-31-2014, 06:36 PM
 
126 posts, read 201,452 times
Reputation: 47
Quote:
Originally Posted by HeavenWood View Post


The Eastern half of LM is almost all solidly latte liberal these days. The western half, while more prone to vote Republican for fiscal reasons, is not the least bit socially conservative.

Gladwyne and Villanova (along with Nearby Rosemont) are perfectly fine, especially Villanova on the LM side. You might like Penn Valley, Wynnewood, Merion, Penn Wynne, and Bala-Cynwyd a bit more, along with Narberth (anywhere but the Northeast quadrant/"working class Narberth"). I'd argue that these areas are among the PA suburbs' most socially liberal. Ardmore is fine above Montgomery Avenue. The rest may be a bit more hit and miss. Just steer clear of Belmont Hills.

Since you did start by asking about Gladwyne/Villanova (I assume you're after a big, charming, custom-constructed house on a big lot) then you'd probably like Rosemont and Haverford, along with part of Penn Valley and Wynnewood best, as far as potential alternatives go.
What is wrong with Belmont Hills?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-31-2014, 06:44 PM
 
Location: North by Northwest
9,309 posts, read 12,897,127 times
Reputation: 6161
Quote:
Originally Posted by mls128 View Post
What is wrong with Belmont Hills?
Belmont Hills is a small, predominantly white ethnic/Catholic, extremely tight-knit (and in many cases, multi-generational) community with strong blue collar traditions. Narberth still has this to some extent in its Northeastern "working class" quadrant, although the Borough as a whole is becoming more transient, as non-autocentric communities have steadily risen in cachet.

Anyway, BH is a fine choice for some, but IMO a gay family would be better served elsewhere. BH is one of the few places on the Eastern Main Line where I've heard openly homophobic/racist/anti-Semitic remarks (and on multiple occasions, at that). FWIW, I wouldn't recommend it for a Jewish, black, or Asian family either. In any case, BH's dense feel with small houses on small lots probably wouldn't appeal to someone looking for a Gladwyne or Villanova-esque home in the first place.

BH is an interesting little microcosm within the Township. There are other historically blue collar/working class communities (parts of Ardmore and Bryn Mawr, along with a couple fringes of Bala-Cynwyd, Merion, and Penn Wynne toward City Avenue) but these are significantly larger and more diverse.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-31-2014, 07:56 PM
 
Location: Boston Metrowest (via the Philly area)
7,246 posts, read 10,480,726 times
Reputation: 8758
It's pretty well-documented that affluent, educated areas tend to be socially liberal. The Main Line is no exception.

The Philly suburbs overall have become much more liberal in recent years -- particularly on social issues. Rick Santorum or Daryl Metcalfe types would have it pretty hard finding like-minded company.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top