Pennsylvania Main Line

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the historic canal, see Main Line of Public Works.

For the New Jersey Transit (formerly Erie Railroad) Main Line, see Main Line (NJ Transit).

For the Long Island Rail Road Main Line, see Main Line (Long Island Rail Road).

The Main Line is a collection of affluent towns in the western suburbs of Philadelphia as well as the city neighborhoods of Wynnefield Heights, Wynnefield, Overbrook Farms, and Overbrook Park named after the Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad (currently Amtrak's Keystone Corridor and SEPTA's R5 line).

1 History
2 Noted residents
3 The Main Line Today
4 Main Line in Books, Movies, and Television
5 Communities on the Main Line
6 Colleges and universities
7 External links

[edit] History

The Main Line was settled in the 1600s, when William Penn sold land to a group of Welsh Quakers for ten cents an acre. The Main Line Railroad was constructed during the nineteenth century and traveled through the area from Philadelphia to Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. The railroad is still in service. At the time, the Railroad owned much of the land surrounding the tracks and encouraged the development of this picturesque environment. The construction of sprawling estates attracted Philadelphia elite, many of whom had one house in the city and another larger "country home" on the Main Line.

The Main Line was once home to the Lenni Lenape Indians.

[edit] Noted residents

Walter H. Annenberg - Creator of TV Guide & Seventeen, American billionaire publisher, philanthropist, diplomat, and alumni of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Roberts Family - Founders of Comcast Corporation
M. Night Shyamalan - Film director (films include "The Sixth Sense," "Lady in the Water," and others)
Patti LaBelle - Pop/R&B singer
Teddy Pendergrass - R&B singer
Allen Iverson - Current NBA player and former Philadelphia 76er, current player for the Denver Nuggets.
Kyle Korver - Current NBA player for the Philadelphia 76ers
Josh Kopelman - Technology Entrepreneur
Andy Reid - Current NFL head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles.
John Spagnola- Former NFL player.
Dikembe Mutumbo - Current NBA player and former Philadelphia 76er.
Julius "Dr. J" Irving - Former NBA player for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Dale McDermott - former NASCAR driver.
Henry H. Arnold - First General of the Air Force.
Fran Dunphy - Temple University men's basketball coach.
Maurice Cheeks - Current NBA head coach and former Philadelphia 76er.
Michael Smerconish - Radio talk show host, noted attorney, author and Daily News contributor.

[edit] The Main Line Today

Today the Main Line is another name for the western suburbs of Philadelphia along Lancaster Avenue (U.S. Route 30) and the former Pennsylvania Railroad Main Line, extending from the city limits to approximately Malvern, Pennsylvania comprising an area of approximately 200 square miles. The upper/upper middle class enclave outside of Philadelphia is often believed to be the setting for the classic Hepburn/Grant/Stewart film "The Philadelphia Story". The principal municipalities comprising the Main Line are (from east to west) Lower Merion Township, Haverford Township, Radnor Township, Tredyffrin Township, Easttown Township, Malvern Borough, East Whiteland Township, and Charlestown Township. With diverse topography, steep cliffs along the Schuylkill River, rolling hills, and open meadows, the Main Line has benefited from the early planning of William Penn. The Main Line is known for its multimillion-dollar Stone Colonial homes, exclusivity, and upscale shopping. The Main Line is also home to some of the best public and private schools in the state, and many small private colleges.

[edit] Main Line in Books, Movies, and Television

Official Preppy Handbook, by Lisa Birnbach
The Philadelphia Story
Bobos in Paradise, by David Brooks
Trading Places
Stealing Home
Philadelphia (Andrew Beckett visits his family during Thanksgiving in a suburb in the area.)
My Super Sweet 16
Wide Awake
The It Girl, by Ceicily von Zeigezar
Pretty Little Liars, by Sara Shephard
Thirtysomething
Sixth Sense (The wake scene was set in Ardmore)

[edit] Communities on the Main Line

The Main Line proper is a line of communities extending northwest from the City of Philadelphia. From Philadelphia, the stations on what is now referred to as the R5 train line are: Overbrook,^[1] Merion, Narberth, Wynnewood, Ardmore, Haverford and Bryn Mawr, which inspired the mnemonic "Old Maids Never Wed And Have Babies". The other rail line communities extending past Bryn Mawr are Rosemont, Villanova, Radnor, St. Davids, Wayne, Strafford, Devon, Berwyn, Daylesford, Paoli, and Malvern.

In recent years, the R5 train service has extended to the west of Malvern.

Other communities, most notably Bala Cynwyd, Gladwyne and Penn Valley are included in what is commonly accepted as the Main Line, as they both are typical Main Line communities and are adjacent to Main Line towns. Neither, however, is located on the rail line for which the area is named and therefore they may be considered culturally rather than geographically on the Main Line.

A list of communities on the Main Line follows: