Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania
Lower Merion Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Philadelphia Main Line. The township's name originates with the county of Merioneth in north Wales. Merioneth is an English-language transcription of the Welsh Meirionnydd.
A number of Main Line suburbs are located in Lower Merion, west of Philadelphia, the sixth largest city in the United States as of 2020. With a population of 63,633, Lower Merion Township is the ninth-most populous municipality in Pennsylvania as of the 2020 U.S. census.
The center of Lower Merion Township is located northwest of central Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's largest city-county, and parts of Lower Merion border this section of the city.
History
Lower Merion Township was first settled in 1682 by Welsh Quakers, who were granted a tract of land, the Welsh Tract, by William Penn. In 1713, Lower Merion was established as an independent Township with about 52 landholders and tenants. In 1900, the Township was incorporated as a Township of the First Class. Lower Merion is home to the oldest continuously used place of worship in the United States, the Merion Friends Meeting House, used continuously since 1695.On April 4, 1991, U.S. Senator John Heinz died while as a passenger in a Piper Aerostar propeller aircraft when it collided with a Bell 412 helicopter over the Merion Elementary School in the Merion air disaster. The other four people in both aircraft also died, and the falling debris from the aircraft also caused the death of two elementary students and injured five others.
The Mill Creek Historic District, and Seville Theatre are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Green Hill Farms was added in 2011.
In 2010, the township received national media attention when a student filed a lawsuit, Robbins v. Lower Merion School District, after a school administrator used the webcam of a school-issued laptop to spy on the student while the student was in his home. The Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union filed an amicus brief in support of the student.
In 2012, the Federal Highway Administration modified the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices in a way that would have required the replacement of Lower Merion Township's historic street signs, some of which date back to the early 1910s. After some campaigning by local residents and by Senator Pat Toomey, the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners declared, via an ordinance, the entire Lower Merion as a historic district and received a waiver from Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 23.9 square miles, of which 23.7 square miles is land and 0.2 square mile is water.The township is bounded by Wynnefield Heights, Belmont Village, Wynnefield, and Overbrook in the city/county of Philadelphia; the boroughs of Conshohocken and West Conshohocken; the townships of Upper Merion; Whitemarsh; Haverford; and Radnor. The borough of Narberth, a separate political entity of one-half square mile, is completely surrounded by the township.
Forming the township's southern border is City Avenue, known to many locals as "City Line", a very busy major artery in this part of the metro area that also separates Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. City Avenue begins at the Schuylkill Expressway, where it also becomes U.S. Route 1, and between this area south to Bala Cynwyd is sometimes referred to as the Golden Mile. Many buildings, including the radio and television studios of Philadelphia's NBC and ABC affiliates, PCOM, and the Fox and Germantown Savings Bank towers, line the avenue beside newer office complexes, shopping centers, and restaurants. Situated behind a lot of these spaces are condos and townhomes; several well-known residences are 191 Presidential, Corinthian Condominium and Sutton Terrace. The township's eastern border is along the Schuylkill River.
Before European settlement, Lower Merion's dense forest was home to bears, cougars, wolves, rattlesnakes, otters, beavers, weasels, turkeys, grouses, woodland bison, trout, and bald eagles. When Europeans arrived, they began cutting down the forests, chasing away much of the wildlife. After World War II, Lower Merion transformed from a farming township to a suburban area, and wildlife changed accordingly. Today, red foxes, white-footed mice, horned owls, skunks, raccoons, crayfish, songbirds, butterflies, and white-tailed deer populate the township.
Unincorporated communities
- Ardmore
- Bala Cynwyd
- Belmont Hills
- Bryn Mawr
- Gladwyne
- Haverford
- Haverford College
- Merion Station
- Overbrook Hills
- Pencoyd
- Penn Valley
- Penn Wynne
- Roseglen
- Rosemont
- Villanova
- Wynnewood
Climate
Demographics
As of the 2010 census, the township was 85.7% White, 5.6% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 6.0% Asian, and 1.9% were two or more races. 3.0% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.As of the 2020 census, there were 63,633 people, 22,868 households, and 15,024 families residing in the township. The population density was. The racial makeup of the township was 76.11% White, 9.03% Asian, 6.54% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.61% from other races and 6.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.70% of the population.
According to the 2000 census, there were 22,868 households, 29.4% of which had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the township, the population was spread out, with 21.7% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64 and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.5 males. For every 100 women aged 18 and over, there were 78.7 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $86,373, and the median income for a family was $115,694. Men had a median income of $77,692 versus $43,793 for women. The per capita income for the township was $55,526. About 1.9% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.8% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.
Government and politics
Lower Merion is a first-class township with 14 commissioners elected by ward.- Daniel Bernheim, Ward 1
- Joshua Grimes, Ward 2
- Jeremiah Woodring, Ward 3
- Anthony C. Stevenson, Ward 4
- Ray A. Courtney, Ward 5
- Andrew S. Gavrin, Ward 6
- Sean P. Whalen, Ward 7
- Shawn Kraemer, Ward 8
- Louis E. Rossman, Ward 9
- V. Scott Zelov, Ward 10
- Maggie Harper Epstein, Ward 11
- Todd M. Sinai, Ward 12, President
- Gilda L. Kramer, Ward 13
- Rick Churchill, Ward 14
Transportation
Roads and highways
As of 2018, there were of public roads in Lower Merion Township, of which were maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and were maintained by the township.Several major highways traverse Lower Merion Township, including the Schuylkill Expressway, the "Blue Route", U.S. Route 1, U.S. Route 30, Pennsylvania Route 320, and Pennsylvania Route 23. I-76 follows a northwest-southeast route along the northeastern border of the township, adjacent to its namesake river, while I-476 and PA 320 both clip the far northwest corner of the township. US 1 follows City Avenue along the southeastern border of the township, while US 30 follows Lancaster Avenue across southern portions of the township. Finally, PA 23 follows Conshohocken State Road through the heart of Lower Merion Township.
Public transportation
Lower Merion Township is the heart of the affluent Philadelphia Main Line series of suburban communities, named after the "Main Line" of the former Pennsylvania Railroad that runs through the township. Now known as SEPTA Regional Rail's Paoli/Thorndale Line, the rail line has station stops in Lower Merion in the following communities within the township:- Merion Station in Merion
- Wynnewood Station in Wynnewood
- Ardmore Station in Ardmore
- Haverford Station in Haverford
- Bryn Mawr Station in Bryn Mawr
- Rosemont Station in Rosemont
SEPTA operates the Norristown High Speed Line between Norristown Transportation Center and 69th Street Transportation Center through the western part of Lower Merion Township with stops located at Matsonford and County Line, with additional stops located just outside the township in Delaware County. SEPTA provides bus service to Lower Merion Township along City Bus routes, and and Suburban Bus routes, and, serving points of interest in the township and offering connections to Philadelphia and other suburbs.
Economy
Top employers
According to a Lower Merion Township bond document, the top employers in 2018 were:| # | Employer | # of Employees | Community |
| 1 | Main Line Health | 4,168 | Wynnewood and Bryn Mawr |
| 2 | Lower Merion School District | 1,779 | Ardmore |
| 3 | Susquehanna International Group | 1,270 | Bala Cynwyd |
| 4 | Bryn Mawr College | 1,112 | Bryn Mawr |
| 5 | Maxim Healthcare Services | 723 | Bala Cynwyd |
| 6 | Saint Joseph's University | 603 | Merion |
| 7 | Great Valley Health | 584 | Bryn Mawr |
| 8 | Maguire Insurance Agency | 482 | Bala Cynwyd |
| 9 | Township of Lower Merion | 474 | Ardmore |
| 10 | 365 Health Services, LLC | 435 | Bala Cynwyd |