Moving to the burbs: Conservative vs. liberal towns on the main line west of Bryn Mawr? (Philadelphia: home, transfer)

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Parts of Ardmore*, Haverford and Bryn Mawr lie in Haverford Township, Delaware County, where most of the college of that name also lies. Most of Haverford is more middle-class than the Main Line portion of the township, and its school district is also highly regarded. I'm not sure what that township's politics are, though; however, you might want to school yourself on it too.

All of Ardmore, Haverford and Bryn Mawr are on the Main Line no matter whether parts of them are in Haverford Twp/DelCo or not.

What make Haverford Twp "middle class" per se is Havertown which is not on the Main Line.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by kyb01

All of Ardmore, Haverford and Bryn Mawr are on the Main Line no matter whether parts of them are in Haverford Twp/DelCo or not.

What make Haverford Twp "middle class" per se is Havertown which is not on the Main Line.

This is where it gets confusing to outsiders.

Haverford is one of two Main Line communities centered on railroad stations that is also the name of a municipality that includes territory not part of the Main Line (the other is Radnor; the area around the station of that name is largely given over to office parks, and the community at the heart of Radnor Township is Wayne).

Most of Haverford Township lies outside the Main Line. Besides Havertown, the communities found in the township include Oakmont, Llanerch, Brookline and a couple of others whose names escape me now.

The one township on the Main Line all of whose territory lies within its generally understood boundaries is Lower Merion. (Narberth Borough, the only municipality of that type on the Main Line, is completely surrounded by Lower Merion Township, whose school district Narberth shares.) Radnor comes close, but I'm not sure its more working-class Garrett Hill section qualifies.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

This is where it gets confusing to outsiders.

Haverford is one of two Main Line communities centered on railroad stations that is also the name of a municipality that includes territory not part of the Main Line (the other is Radnor; the area around the station of that name is largely given over to office parks, and the community at the heart of Radnor Township is Wayne).

Most of Haverford Township lies outside the Main Line. Besides Havertown, the communities found in the township include Oakmont, Llanerch, Brookline and a couple of others whose names escape me now.

The one township on the Main Line all of whose territory lies within its generally understood boundaries is Lower Merion. (Narberth Borough, the only municipality of that type on the Main Line, is completely surrounded by Lower Merion Township, whose school district Narberth shares.) Radnor comes close, but I'm not sure its more working-class Garrett Hill section qualifies.

Why wouldn't Garrett Hill qualify? It's completely surrounded by communities commonly accepted as part of the Main Line. While the Main Line strongly correlates with affluence, at the end of the day it's a geographic area and not an income bracket. Besides, Garrett Hill is no more working class (really, of "working class heritage," with median home prices north of $300,000) than Belmont Hills, or parts of Narberth, Ardmore, and Bryn Mawr, for that matter.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

This is where it gets confusing to outsiders.

Haverford is one of two Main Line communities centered on railroad stations that is also the name of a municipality that includes territory not part of the Main Line (the other is Radnor; the area around the station of that name is largely given over to office parks, and the community at the heart of Radnor Township is Wayne).

Most of Haverford Township lies outside the Main Line. Besides Havertown, the communities found in the township include Oakmont, Llanerch, Brookline and a couple of others whose names escape me now.

The one township on the Main Line all of whose territory lies within its generally understood boundaries is Lower Merion. (Narberth Borough, the only municipality of that type on the Main Line, is completely surrounded by Lower Merion Township, whose school district Narberth shares.) Radnor comes close, but I'm not sure its more working-class Garrett Hill section qualifies.

Are you remembering that I actually lived in Haverford(19041) for all of my childhood and part of my young adulthood? I'm thinking you aren't remembering it. My mother spent 70 years living in Haverford; she arrived there when she was an infant in 1916. I have a cousin who lives there. Decades of history there. It is a bit disengenous of you to infer(which you are) that I do not know what I'm talking about.

The Havertown neigborhood you are missing is Manoa. And sometimes Brookline is refered to as Penfield-Brookline.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by ElijahAstin

Why wouldn't Garrett Hill qualify? It's completely surrounded by communities commonly accepted as part of the Main Line. While the Main Line strongly correlates with affluence, at the end of the day it's a geographic area and not an income bracket. Besides, Garrett Hill is no more working class (really, of "working class heritage," with median home prices north of $300,000) than Belmont Hills, or parts of Narberth, Ardmore, and Bryn Mawr, for that matter.

Thank you!

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by kyb01

Are you remembering that I actually lived in Haverford(19041) for all of my childhood and part of my young adulthood? I'm thinking you aren't remembering it. My mother spent 70 years living in Haverford; she arrived there when she was an infant in 1916. I have a cousin who lives there. Decades of history there. It is a bit disengenous of you to infer(which you are) that I do not know what I'm talking about.

The Havertown neigborhood you are missing is Manoa. And sometimes Brookline is refered to as Penfield-Brookline.

I guess I got a little rankled because I thought you thought I didn't know the difference between Haverford the Main Line community and Haverford the township. That was the impression I got from your earlier reply.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by ElijahAstin

Why wouldn't Garrett Hill qualify? It's completely surrounded by communities commonly accepted as part of the Main Line. While the Main Line strongly correlates with affluence, at the end of the day it's a geographic area and not an income bracket. Besides, Garrett Hill is no more working class (really, of "working class heritage," with median home prices north of $300,000) than Belmont Hills, or parts of Narberth, Ardmore, and Bryn Mawr, for that matter.

Forgive my confusion and characterization of Garrett Hill, which is probably close in origin and character to what was known as West Manayunk until its residents decided they wanted no association with the old blue-collar mill town across the river and had the community's name changed to Belmont Hills in the 1950s, I guess.

But I think there is a part of Radnor Township that is not considered part of the Main Line. Where is the Radnor Hunt located?

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Forgive my confusion and characterization of Garrett Hill, which is probably close in origin and character to what was known as West Manayunk until its residents decided they wanted no association with the old blue-collar mill town across the river and had the community's name changed to Belmont Hills in the 1950s, I guess.

But I think there is a part of Radnor Township that is not considered part of the Main Line. Where is the Radnor Hunt located?

Belmont Hills is also far more isolated from its neighbors. Garrett Hill flows seamlessly into surrounding Rosemont and Villanova. The former West Manayunk is a tiny, dense, hilltop neighborhood that had mini ethnic enclaves, including a little Italy/Albania, well into the 20th century.

Despite its name, the Radnor Hunt is off Providence Road in Willistown Township (across the street from the historically Jewish white Manor Country Club, no less). That section of Chester County has a Malvern mailing address and is on the periphery of the "New" Main Line.

The Radnor Hunt may have been in Radnor in the past. A lot of clubs kept their geographic-specific names when they moved from nearer suburbs to the then-rural hinterlands. Among other examples, Gladwyne's Philadelphia CC started life on the Belmont Plateau, Bryn Mawr's Overbrook Golf Club was formed where Lankenau Hospital now stands, and Cedarbrook straddled Cheltenham Avenue before relocating to Penllyn.

[Flyers Girl]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

This is where it gets confusing to outsiders.

Haverford is one of two Main Line communities centered on railroad stations that is also the name of a municipality that includes territory not part of the Main Line (the other is Radnor; the area around the station of that name is largely given over to office parks, and the community at the heart of Radnor Township is Wayne).

Most of Haverford Township lies outside the Main Line. Besides Havertown, the communities found in the township include Oakmont, Llanerch, Brookline and a couple of others whose names escape me now.

The one township on the Main Line all of whose territory lies within its generally understood boundaries is Lower Merion. (Narberth Borough, the only municipality of that type on the Main Line, is completely surrounded by Lower Merion Township, whose school district Narberth shares.) Radnor comes close, but I'm not sure its more working-class Garrett Hill section qualifies.

I want to clarify the bold above, although I hope we're not confusing the heck out of the OP. The "communities" you mention above are just areas within the unincorporated town of Havertown. I live in the Oakmont section of Havertown. They are: Oakmont, Llanerch, Brookline, Manoa, Paddock Farms, Lynnewood Park, Westgate Hills, Merion Golf Manor, Coopertown, Beechwood, Merwood, South Ardmore, and Penfield. None of these communities are towns unto themselves. They are all (with the obvious exception being South Ardmore) in Havertown.


This is how I look at it. None of those sections (neighborhoods, if you will) of Havertown have their own zip code. If someone is sending me mail, it's going to be addressed to Havertown, PA 19083. Just like if someone is sending mail to Manayunk, they are sending it to Philadelphia, PA 19127.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by Flyers Girl

I want to clarify the bold above, although I hope we're not confusing the heck out of the OP. The "communities" you mention above are just areas within the unincorporated town of Havertown. I live in the Oakmont section of Havertown. They are: Oakmont, Llanerch, Brookline, Manoa, Paddock Farms, Lynnewood Park, Westgate Hills, Merion Golf Manor, Coopertown, Beechwood, Merwood, South Ardmore, and Penfield. None of these communities are towns unto themselves. They are all (with the obvious exception being South Ardmore) in Havertown.


This is how I look at it. None of those sections (neighborhoods, if you will) of Havertown have their own zip code. If someone is sending me mail, it's going to be addressed to Havertown, PA 19083. Just like if someone is sending mail to Manayunk, they are sending it to Philadelphia, PA 19127.

Can you explain where you think Coopertown is? Just curious. I went to Coopertown Elementary from the time it opened in 1958 until 1961. Back then the residential area just north of it(which includes Lee and Rodney Circles) was in Bryn Mawr.

Also does Merion Golf Manor include the golf club? The golf club was, at least in part, in Ardmore.