The Ardmore West Shopping Center
Montgomery Ave, which runs parallel to
Lancaster Ave, is mostly residential in nature.
Ardmore is a census-designated place (CDP) in
Delaware
and Montgomery
counties in the U.S.
state of Pennsylvania
. The community of Ardmore is a suburb in the
west side of Philadelphia
, primarily within Lower Merion
Township
in Montgomery County; a smaller portion of the
community is the area of Ardmore Park in adjacent
Haverford
Township
in Delaware County. The population was
12,616 at the
2000 census.
Originally named
Athensville in 1853, the
community was renamed Ardmore in 1873 by the
Pennsylvania Railroad on which it is a
station (MP 8.5) on the
Main
Line.
[23278]
Eminent Domain Controversy
Since 2004, Ardmore's business district has been the subject of a
hotly contested
eminent domain
battle. A grassroots organization, the
Save Ardmore Coalition, along with
local businesses and other civic groups , opposed an eminent
domain/redevelopment program that would likely have involved the
demolition of certain historic buildings, and favored preserving
those buildings for other commercial use. In March 2006 the Lower
Merion Township Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution
disavowing the use of eminent domain for the benefit of private
redevelopment projects. The Ardmore battle was also instrumental in
prompting the
Pennsylvania
General Assembly to enact legislation in 2006 *
restricting the use of eminent domain for
private projects.
Geography
Ardmore is located at (40.001411, -75.295180) .
According to the
United
States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of
1.9 square miles (4.9 km²).
Ardmore is adjacent to
Wynnewood
and Haverford
. Residents from South East Ardmore and
Wynnewood cooperate as the
ArdWood Civic Association. The
Ardmore Progressive Civic Association serves the historically Black
section of Ardmore bordered by ArdWood Civic Association, Haverford
College, Montgomery Avenue, and the Montgomery/Delaware County
line. The
North Ardmore Civic Association represents
residents of North Ardmore and Wynnewood north of Montgomery
Avenue.
Ardmore's train
station
is served by SEPTA and
Amtrak passenger trains.
Residents and visitors enjoy several parks including
South
Ardmore Park, which is partly in Ardmore and partly in
Wynnewood. Suburban Square, the second oldest shopping mall in the
U.S., is located adjacent to the Ardmore train station. Landmarks
within the Ardmore Progressive Civic Association borders include
the Ardmore Post Office, Ice Skating Club, public swimming pool,
lighted tennis/basketball courts, community center known as "The
Shack", 2 senior housing projects, Zagat rated restaurants,
multiple 24 hr pharmacies, 2 libraries (including the Ludington
library which has the highest lending volume in the county),
laundry center, small shops, national chains, and a top all boys
prep school.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 12,616
people, 5,529 households, and 3,129 families residing in Ardmore.
The
population density was
6,588.5 people per square mile (2,550.3/km²). There were 5,711
housing units at an average density of 2,982.5/sq mi
(1,154.5/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 83.51%
White, 11.47%
African American, 0.12%
Native American, 2.58%
Asian, 0.13%
Pacific Islander, 0.59% from
other races, and 1.60%
from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 2.05% of the
population.
There were 5,529 households out of which 23.9% included children
under the age of 18, 43.0% were
married
couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no
husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 34.7% of all
households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living
alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size
was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.98.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age
of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to
64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was
38 years. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males. For every
100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $60,966, and the
median income for a family was $75,828. Males had a median income
of $46,920 versus $40,802 for females. The
per capita income for the CDP was $36,111.
About 2.4% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 3.1% of those
under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Pupils living in the Lower Merion Township portion attend schools
in the
Lower Merion School
District, while pupils living in the Haverford Township portion
attend schools in the
School District of
Haverford Township.
Among the
many notable graduates of Lower Merion High School
in Ardmore are General Henry H. "Hap" Arnold (1903), Commanding General of
the
U.S. Army Air Forces in WWII; General
Alexander M. Haig, Jr. (1942), the 59th
United States Secretary of
State;
James H. Billington (1946), the Librarian of
Congress
, and; Kobe B.
Bryant (1996), a professional
NBA basketball player.
Notable residents
- Owen Jones, born in
Ardmore, United States
Congressman from Pennsylvania
- Mark Gerban, grew up in Ardmore, was
the first person in history to represent the State of Palestine at
the World Championships in the sport of rowing.
- A. Atwater Kent, prominent early radio
manufacturer
- John Christmas, professional
lacrosse player with the Philadelphia
Wings and the Boston Cannons
- J. Howard Pew, son of Joseph Newton Pew, the founder of
Sun Oil Company. His estate,
"Knollbrook," was at Grays Lane and Mill Creek Road (partially in
Haverford).
- Richie Ashburn, outfielder and
broadcaster for the Philadelphia
Phillies.
- Lieutenant Joe Cable, fictional character from the musical
South Pacific
References
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