Ardmore

Ardmore is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) spanning the border between Delaware and Montgomery counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The population was 12,455 at the 2010 census and had risen to 13,566 in the 2020 census. Originally named "Athensville" in 1853, the community and its railroad station were renamed Ardmore in 1873 by the Pennsylvania Railroad, on whose Main Line, west out of Philadelphia, Ardmore sits at Milepost 8.5. Ardmore's downtown, primarily centered around Lancaster Ave, Rittenhouse Place, and Cricket Ave, is home to many shops, restaurants, and small businesses. The Merion Golf Manor neighborhood is roughly bounded by Ardmore Avenue to the north, Darby Road to the West, Hathaway Lane to the South, and the Norristown High Speed Line to the East. While originally developed and marketed as Ardmore Park, today it is more commonly referred to today as South Ardmore (not to be confused with a separate housing development of the same name located in nearby Havertown). Another neighborhood in the Haverford Township portion of Ardmore is Ard more Park, roughly bounded to the south, north, and west. The Ardmore Post Office and Ardmore Public Library (part of the Lower Merion Library System) are both found on Ardmore Ave. The former Suburban movie theater is now Not Your Average Joe's Restaurant; the newly relocated Ardmore Farmer's Market; an Apple Store, and other mall shops.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Ardmore has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.1 km²), all land. Ardmore is adjacent to Wynnewood (east), Haverford (west), Gladwyne (north), and Havertown (southwest) The Merion Golf Manor neighborhood is roughly bounded by Ardmore Avenue to the north, Darby Road to the West, Hathaway Lane to the South, and the Norristown High Speed Line to the East. The Ardmore Post Office and Ardmore Public Library (part of the Lower Merion Library System) are both found on Ardmore Ave. The former Suburban movie theater now Not Your Average Joe's Restaurant; an Apple Store; and the newly relocated Ardmore Farmer's Market are located in Ardmore's downtown area. Two sites, located in the Haverfords Township section of Ardmore, the Merion golf course East Course and Pont Reading are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The South Ardmore Betterment Alliance organizes various community activities. Residents and visitors enjoy several recreation areas, including Linwood Park, Normandy Park, the Ardmore Ice Skating Club, and Vernon V. Young Memorial Park (home to the Ardier Ave Pool and the community center known as "The Shack"). South Ard More Park is located in neighboring Wynnewoodle, and Merwood Park and Elwell Field are both adjacent to Ardmore. The Merions are known for their golf course, which was built in the 1930s.

Transit

Ardmore's train station is served by SEPTA Regional Rail's Paoli/Thorndale Line (commuter) and Amtrak (intercity) passenger trains. The Norristown High Speed Line runs through the Haverford Township portion of town. Ardmore Junction, Wynnewood Road, and Ardmore Avenue stations are all within or adjacent to the boundaries of Ardmore. A streetcar line built by the Ardmore and Llanerch Street Railway in 1902 once ran from the 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby to a two-track terminal in downtown Ardmore, now the site of Schauffele Plaza. A section of the line, running alongside Pont Reading Creek and Hathaway Lane, was paved over and is now used bySEPTA as a private busway. It was acquired by the agency in the 1960s, and converted to a bus route. It is now part of the South Philadelphia Busway, which runs from South Philadelphia to West Philadelphia. It runs along the route of the former Ardmore-Upper Darby streetcar line, which was built in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The line was paved in the 1930s and 1940s, but has since been abandoned. It once ran along the banks of the Reading Creek, which is now a popular tourist destination. It also ran along Hathaway Road, which has been converted into a private road. The Ardmore station is located at the intersection of Hathaway and Reading roads.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 12,616 people, 5,529 households, and 3,129 families residing in Ardmore. 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, 1.59% from other races, and 1.60% from two or more races. 4.0% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry. The median income for a household was $60,966, and the median income. for a family was $75,828. The per capita income was $36,111. About 2.4% of families and 4.9% of people were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 6.2% ofThose age 65 or over. The CDP has a population of 76.8% (as of the 2010 census) and a population density of 6,588.5 people per square mile (2,550.3/km²). It is located in the northern part of the town of Ardmore, which was once known as Ardmore Township. The town is home to the Ardmore High School, a public high school that was founded in 1876. The school was the first in the area to be built. It is also the only high school in the town, which opened in 1878.

Education

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 Bryant (1996), NBA Hall of Fame basketball player. Pupils living in the Lower Merions portion of Ardmore go to schools in theLower Merion School District, while pupils living in Haverford Township go to school in the School District of Haverfords Township.

Eminent domain controversy

Ardmore's business district was the subject of a hotly contested eminent domain battle. Save Ardmore Coalition opposed an eminent domain/redevelopment program that would have involved the demolition of historic buildings. 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 theUse of eminent Domain for private projects.

Ardmore Presbyterian Church

Ardmore Presbyterian Church is located at the corner of Montgomery Avenue and Mill Creek Road. The original church, now the chapel, was constructed in 1910 following the 1907 establishment of the congregation. The current sanctuary, designed by Thomas, Martin & Kirkpatrick, was dedicated in 1924. Subsequent additions were built in 1931 and the 1950s. The Gothic exterior of the church building is gray stone, with granite trim, and the interior is hardwood. J. Howard Pew was president of the board of trustees of the Presbyterian Church (USA) Foundation from 1936 to 1971. When Pew's burial service was held in the church in 1971, the Rev. Billy Graham assisted the pastor, theRev. William Faulds, with the service. The church is a member of the International Council of the Churches of Christ, which is a worldwide organization of more than 2,000 churches. The organization was founded in 1881. The U.S. Presbyterian Church was founded on November 14, 1881, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the oldest Presbyterian church in the United States. The congregation has more than 3,000 members. It was established in 1907 and has been in the same location ever since. The first service in the new building was held at the Masonic Hall in September 1910. The sanctuary was built in 1924 and the current sanctuary was dedicated on September 26, 1924. The building is located on Montgomery Avenue, near the intersection of Mill Creek Rd. and West Main Street. It has a capacity of about 50 people.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Ardmore, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania = 31.1. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 2. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 10. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Ardmore = 4.1 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 13,566 individuals with a median age of 41.4 age the population dropped by -4.08% in Ardmore, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 6,900.31 residents per square mile of area (2,664.01/km²). There are average 2.24 people per household in the 5,369 households with an average household income of $76,736 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 6.90% of the available work force and has dropped -4.83% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 23.44%. The number of physicians in Ardmore per 100,000 population = 500.9.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Ardmore = 43.8 inches and the annual snowfall = 19.8 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 119. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 202. 88 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 25.8 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 46, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Ardmore, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania which are owned by the occupant = 60.52%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 66 years with median home cost = $249,780 and home appreciation of -7.00%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $16.80 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $11,169 per student. There are 12.6 students for each teacher in the school, 698 students for each Librarian and 279 students for each Counselor. 5.43% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 25.87% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 27.94% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).