| Lower Merion | |
| Other Name: | Lower Merion Township |
| Settlement Type: | Township |
| Motto: | "A First-Class Township" |
| Pushpin Map: | Pennsylvania |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Lower Merion Township in Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates: | 39.9833°N -75.2664°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Montgomery |
| Established Title: | Settled |
| Established Date: | 1682 |
| Established Title2: | Incorporated |
| Established Date2: | 1713 |
| Seat Type: | Region government/seat |
| Leader Title2: | Board President |
| Leader Name2: | Todd Sinai (D) |
| Leader Title: | Township Manager |
| Leader Name: | Ernie McNeely |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 23.83 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 23.61 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.22 |
| Elevation Ft: | 200 |
| Population Total: | 63633 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 2695 |
| Timezone1: | EST |
| Utc Offset1: | -5 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | -4 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 610 and 484 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2021 |
| Pop Est Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Est: | 64148 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 42-091-44976 |
| Area Footnotes: | [2] |
| Area Total Km2: | 61.73 |
| Area Land Km2: | 61.16 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.57 |
| Population Density Km2: | 1040 |
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.
Lower Merion Township, along with Upper Darby, Haverford, and Cheltenham, are major suburbs of Philadelphia, the United States' sixth-most populous city 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.[3]
The center of Lower Merion Township is located 11.9miles northwest of the center Philadelphia, the state's largest city. Parts of the township border the northwestern section of the city.
See also: Pennsylvania in the American Revolution and Pennsylvania in the American Civil War. 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.[4]
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 (EFF) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) 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.[5] [6] [7]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 23.9 square miles (61.8 km2), of which 23.7 square miles (61.4 km2) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.4 km2) (0.67%) is water.
The township is bounded by the Wynnefield Heights, Belmont Village, Wynnefield, and Overbrook communities in the city of Philadelphia; the Boroughs of Conshohocken and West Conshohocken, and the townships of Upper Merion and Whitemarsh in Montgomery County and by the townships of Haverford and Radnor in Delaware County. 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 separating it from Philadelphia. Along City Avenue, starting with the Schuylkill Expressway and continuing on to the Bala Cynwyd on City Avenue shopping center is what is sometimes referred to as the "Golden Mile"[8] [9] which also includes the radio and television studios of WCAU, the Exxon Building, the Fox Building and the Germantown Savings Bank Building. Behind those buildings are the One-Ninety-One Condominiums and the Bala Cynwyd Plazas.
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.[10]
Lower Merion straddles the boundary between a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) and a humid subtropical climate (Cfa). The hardiness zone is 7b. Average monthly temperatures in Gladwyne range from 31.7 °F in January to 76.5 °F in July, in Bryn Mawr they range from 31.4 °F in January to 76.4 °F in July, and at the former location of NBC 10 studios in Bala Cynwyd they range from 32.6 °F in January to 77.4 °F in July.[11]
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.[12]
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 2670.29sp=usNaNsp=us. 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.[13]
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 (these figures had risen to $114,608 and $148,123 respectively as of a 2007 estimate[14]). 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.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 20.7% 8,662 | 78.6% 32,838 | |
| 2016 | 21.2% 7,841 | 75.5% 27,906 | |
| 2012 | 33.4% 11,945 | 65.7% 23,516 | |
| 2008 | 29.1% 10,747 | 70.4% 26,006 | |
| 2004 | 33.0% 11,990 | 66.7% 24,262 | |
| 2000 | 32.0% 10,657 | 65.9% 21,946 | |
| 1996 | 35.1% 10,774 | 59.1% 18,178 | |
| 1992 | 35.6% 12,249 | 54.7% 18,814 |
Lower Merion is a first-class township with 14 commissioners elected by ward.[15]
The township is part of the Fourth Congressional District (represented by Rep. Madeleine Dean), the Fifth Congressional District (represented by Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon), the 149th State House District (represented by Rep. Tim Briggs), the 148th State House District (represented by Rep. Mary Jo Daley), and the 17th State Senate District (represented by Sen. Amanda Cappelletti).
As of 2018, there were of public roads in Lower Merion Township, of which were maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and were maintained by the township.[31]
Several major highways traverse Lower Merion Township, including the Schuylkill Expressway (Interstate 76), "Blue Route" (Interstate 476), U.S. Route 1, U.S. Route 30, Pennsylvania Route 320, and Pennsylvania Route 23. The Schuylkill Expressway 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.
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:
SEPTA Regional Rail's Cynwyd Line, with weekday service, has stops at:
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.[32]
According to a Lower Merion Township bond document, the top employers in 2018 were:[33]
| Employer |
| Community | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Main Line Health (Lankenau Medical Center and Bryn Mawr Hospital) | 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 |
Pupils living in the Lower Merion Township attend schools in the Lower Merion School District unless they go to a private school. The educational roots of the township stretch back to the Lower Merion Academy, one of the first public schools in the country.
There are six elementary schools, three middle schools, and two high schools, Lower Merion and Harriton High School. Students are split between schools depending on location of residence.
Rosemont School of the Holy Child, located in Rosemont and in Lower Merion Township, is affiliated with but not governed by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The school is adjacent to Rosemont College.
Other private schools in the township include The Shipley School, The Baldwin School, Waldron Mercy Academy, The Haverford School, Friends Central School, French International School of Philadelphia, Kohelet Yeshiva High School, The Mesivta High School, and Caskey Torah Academy.
Bryn Mawr College, Harcum College, Rosemont College, and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary are located in Lower Merion Township. The campus of Saint Joseph's University straddles the city line between Lower Merion and Philadelphia,[34] while Haverford College straddles the lines between Lower Merion and Haverford Townships.[35] [36]
The Japanese Language School of Philadelphia, a supplementary Japanese school, holds its classes at the Friends Central School (FCS) in Wynnewood and in Lower Merion Township.[37] [38] Residents are also serviced by the Lower Merion Library System.