Villanova, Pennsylvania

Villanova
Settlement
Country United States
State Pennsylvania
Counties Delaware, Montgomery
Townships Radnor, Lower Merion
Elevation 394 ft (120.1 m)
Coordinates
Timezone EST (UTC-5)
 - summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Area code 610
Location of Villanova in Pennsylvania
Location of Pennsylvania in the United States

Villanova is a community in the United States Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It straddles Lower Merion Township of Montgomery County and Radnor Township of Delaware County. It is located at the center of the Pennsylvania Main Line, a series of highly affluent Philadelphia suburban towns located along the original east-west railroad tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad. It is served by the SEPTA Paoli/Thorndale Line regional rail train and Norristown High Speed Line.

The center of the village straddles Lancaster Pike where it intersects Spring Mill. This village center contains the area's post office for zip code 19085, an office building, the Wilmington Trust Company's Pennsylvania headquarters, and several smaller shops. The Royal Bank of Pennsylvania also maintains an office at this site.

Contents

Schools and colleges

The most notable feature of Villanova is Villanova University, from which the community gains its name. The university campus extends from County Line Road along Spring Mill Road south to Lancaster Pike, US Route 30, and then east to just beyond Wildcat Stadium, home of the Villanova University football team. In addition to the undergraduate college Villanova University includes a well-recognized graduate school, a nursing school, a school of continuing studies, numerous certificate programs, and Villanova University Law School.[1]

Public school children in Villanova attend Gladwyne Elementary School in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, Welsh Valley Middle School in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania, and Harriton High School in Rosemont, Pennsylvania, all part of the Lower Merion School District.[2] Although the Agnes Irwin School borders Villanova University, and many Villanova residents attend it, it is located in the Rosemont community in Radnor Township.

Other schools in the area include all-boys Haverford School, located in Bryn Mawr in Haverford Township all-boys. Episcopal Academy called among locals as "EA" in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, all-girls Baldwin School and the Country Day School of the Sacred Heart in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and the coeducational Shipley School in Bryn Mawr. Rosemont School of the Holy Child on Montgomery Avenue is a nearby Catholic elementary school.[3]

Sports

In Villanova Bill Gibson invented the sport called Kronum.

Hospitals

The Bryn Mawr Hospital, at South Bryn Mawr Avenue and Haverford Road, is one of the three nationally-ranked community teaching hospitals that serve the Main Line; it is located less than one mile (1.6 km) from the Villanova district line. The hospital has historically been associated with Philadelphia's Jefferson Medical College for many years. The Bryn Mawr Hospital is the chief beneficiary of the area's preeminent social and sporting event, the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, which is held annually during the last week of May at the fairgrounds in Devon, Pennsylvania.[4]

Demographics

Villanova is neither an incorporated area nor a census-designated place, all the data is for the ZIP code 19085. As of the census of 2000, there were 9,189 people and 1,932 households residing in the community. The population density was 1,565 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the community was 92.5% White, 3.4% Asian, 1.9% African American, 1.40% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 2.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The median income for a household in the community was $159,538, and the median income for a family was $174,511. The per capita income for the community was $50,204. About 1.5% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line. The estimated median house/condo value in 2009 is $1,435,844.[5]

In 2009, the eastern section of Villanova was ranked the 39th wealthiest neighborhood in America with a median household income of $366,904.[6]

Notable residents

Points of interest

References

  1. ^ "Villanova University website". Villanova.edu. http://www.villanova.edu. Retrieved September 24, 2011. 
  2. ^ "Lower Merion School District website". Lmsd.org. http://www.lmsd.org. Retrieved September 24, 2011. 
  3. ^ Jones, Dick, ed. The First Three Hundred: the Amazing and Rich History of Lower Merion. Ardmore: Lower Merion Historical Society, 2001.
  4. ^ "Main Line Health website". Mainlinehealth.com. http://www.mainlinehealth.com. Retrieved September 24, 2011. 
  5. ^ "Forbes Magazine zipcode rankings". Forbes.com. August 14, 2009. http://www.forbes.com/zipcodes/2009/zipspage.html?zip=19085&city=villanova. Retrieved September 24, 2011. 
  6. ^ Stephen R. Higley (January 7, 2009). "The Elite 100: America’s Highest Income Neighborhoods". higley1000.com. http://higley1000.com/archives/44. Retrieved August 30, 2011.