Editing Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

{{short description|Borough in Pennsylvania, US}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox settlement
 | name                     = Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
 | official_name            = 
 | native_name              = 
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 | other_name               = 
 | settlement_type          = [[List of towns and boroughs in Pennsylvania#Boroughs|Borough]]
 | image_skyline            = Parrish Hall.jpg
 | imagesize                = 
 | image_alt                = 
 | image_caption            = Parrish Hall at [[Swarthmore College]]
 | image_flag               = 
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 | etymology                = 
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 | motto                    = 
 | image_map                = Delaware County Pennsylvania incorporated and unincorporated areas Swarthmore highlighted.svg
 | mapsize                  = 260px
 | map_caption              = Location of Swarthmore in [[Delaware County, Pennsylvania|Delaware County]] (top) and of Delaware County in [[Pennsylvania]] (bottom)
 | coordinates              = {{coord|39|54|06|N|75|20|49|W|display=inline,title}}
 | coor_pinpoint            = 
 | coordinates_footnotes    = 
 | grid_name                = 
 | grid_position            = 
 | subdivision_type         = Country
 | subdivision_name         = United States
 | subdivision_type1        = State
 | subdivision_name1        = Pennsylvania
 | subdivision_type2        = County
 | subdivision_name2        = [[Delaware County, Pennsylvania|Delaware]]
 | subdivision_type3        = 
 | subdivision_name3        = 
 | subdivision_type4        = 
 | subdivision_name4        = 
 | established_title        = Founded
 | established_date         = 
 | established_title1       = 
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 | extinct_title            = 
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 | founder                  = 
 | named_for                = 
 | seat_type                = 
 | seat                     = 
 | seat1_type               = 
 | seat1                    = 
 | government_footnotes     = 
 | government_type          = 
 | governing_body           = 
 | leader_party             = 
 | leader_title             = Mayor
 | leader_name              = Marty Spiegel
 | leader_title1            = 
 | leader_name1             = 
 | total_type               = 
 | unit_pref                = Imperial
 | area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_42.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=July 28, 2020}}</ref>
 | area_total_km2           = 3.63
 | area_total_sq_mi         = 1.40
 | area_land_km2            = 3.63
 | area_land_sq_mi          = 1.40
 | area_water_km2           = 0.00
 | area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00
 | area_water_percent       = 
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 | area_metro_km2           = 
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 | elevation_footnotes      = 
 | elevation_m              = 
 | elevation_ft             = 125
 | elevation_point          = 
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 | population_as_of         = [[2010 United States census|2010]]
 | population_footnotes     = 
 | population_total         = 6194
 | pop_est_as_of            = 2019
 | pop_est_footnotes        = <ref name="USCensusEst2019CenPopScriptOnlyDirtyFixDoNotUse">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2019.html|date=May 24, 2020|title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=May 27, 2020}}</ref>
 | population_est           = 6346
 | population_rank          = 
 | population_density_km2   = 1750.28
 | population_density_sq_mi = 4532.86
 | population_metro_footnotes = 
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 | timezone1                = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|EST]]
 | utc_offset1              = -5
 | timezone1_DST            = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
 | utc_offset1_DST          = -4
 | timezone2                = 
 | utc_offset2              = 
 | timezone2_DST            = 
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 | postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
 | postal_code              = 19081
 | postal2_code_type        = 
 | postal2_code             = 
 | area_code_type           = 
 | area_code                = [[Area codes 610 and 484|610 and 484]]
 | geocode                  = 
 | iso_code                 = 
 | blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
 | blank_info               = 42-045-75648
 | blank1_name              = 
 | blank1_info              = 
 | blank2_name              = 
 | blank2_info              = 
 | blank_name_sec2          = [[FIPS code]]
 | blank_info_sec2          = 42-75648
 | blank1_name_sec2         = [[GNIS]] feature ID
 | blank1_info_sec2         = 1189142
 | blank2_name_sec2         = Wikimedia Commons
 | blank2_info_sec2         = 
 | website                  = {{URL|www.swarthmorepa.org}}
 | footnotes                = 
}}

'''Swarthmore''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|w|ɔːr|θ|m|ɔːr}} {{respell|SWORTH|mor}}, {{IPAc-en|local|ˈ|s|w|ɑː|θ|m|ɔːr}} {{respell|SWAHRTH|mor}})<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kenyon|first1=John Samuel|author1-link=John Samuel Kenyon|last2=Knott|first2=Thomas Albert|year=1949|title=A Pronouncing Dictionary of American English|title-link=A Pronouncing Dictionary of American English|location=Springfield, Massachusetts|publisher=Merriam|page=[https://archive.org/details/pronouncingdicti00unse/page/418/mode/1up 418]}}</ref> is a [[Borough (Pennsylvania)|borough]] in [[Delaware County, Pennsylvania]], United States. Swarthmore was originally named Westdale in honor of [[Painting|painter]] [[Benjamin West]], who was one of the early residents of the town. The name was changed to Swarthmore after the establishment of [[Swarthmore College]]. The borough population was 6,194 as of the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]].<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US4275648| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Swarthmore borough, Pennsylvania| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=December 28, 2015| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200210201237/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US4275648| archive-date=February 10, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Presby Church in Swarthmore.jpg|thumb|left|Presbyterian Church, designed by [[William Lightfoot Price]], about 1897]]
Originally, the area belonged to the [[Lenape]] people. It was settled in the late 1600s by [[Quakers]] after [[William Penn]] granted them the land. By the early 1800s, it was still mainly farmland, and was known as Westdale in honor of local artist [[Benjamin West]]. It was part of [[Springfield Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania|Springfield Township]], but the area began to become a distinct town after [[Swarthmore College]] was founded in 1864. The advent of passenger rail service from [[Philadelphia]] in the 1880s greatly enhanced the desirability of the borough as a [[commuter suburb]], and the borough was incorporated in 1893. <ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.swarthmorepa.org/913/History | title=History &#124; Swarthmore Borough, PA - Official Website }}</ref>

About one third of the borough's land area consists of the Swarthmore College campus. Many of the streets in the southern half of town are named for eastern colleges, and much of the borough's housing stock dates from the Victorian period through the 1920s.
The [[Ogden House (Swarthmore, Pennsylvania)|Ogden House]] and [[Benjamin West Birthplace]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

==Geography==
Swarthmore is located in east-central Delaware County at {{Coord|39|54|6|N|75|20|49|W|type:city}} (39.901788, −75.347083).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref> It is bordered to the north, east, and southwest by [[Springfield Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania|Springfield Township]], to the southeast by [[Ridley Township, Pennsylvania|Ridley Township]], and to the west by [[Nether Providence Township, Pennsylvania|Nether Providence Township]]. [[Crum Creek]], a southward-flowing tributary of the [[Delaware River]], forms the western boundary of the borough.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]], Swarthmore borough has a total area of {{convert|3.63|km2|order=flip}}, all land.<ref name="Census 2010"/> It has a [[humid subtropical climate]] (''Cfa'') and average monthly temperatures range from 33.1&nbsp;°F in January to 78.0&nbsp;°F in July.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://prism.oregonstate.edu/explorer/|title=PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State U}}</ref> The local [[hardiness zone]] is 7a.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/InteractiveMap.aspx |title=Interactive Map {{!}} USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map |website=planthardiness.ars.usda.gov |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128011725/http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/InteractiveMap.aspx |archive-date=2012-01-28}}</ref>

==Government==
Swarthmore is represented in the [[Pennsylvania General Assembly]] as the [[Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 165|PA 165th Legislative District]] and the [[Pennsylvania Senate, District 26|PA 26th Senate District]]. The former position is held by Rep. Jennifer O'Mara and the latter by former Swarthmore mayor [[Tim Kearney (politician)|Sen. Tim Kearney]], both [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]].<ref>{{cite news|title=McGarrigle edges out Kane in 26th District|url=http://www.delcotimes.com/government-and-politics/20141105/mcgarrigle-edges-out-kane-in-26th-district|access-date=22 December 2014|agency=Delaware County Times|date=5 November 2014}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{stack|{{US Census population
|1900= 903
|1910= 1899
|1920= 2350
|1930= 3405
|1940= 4061
|1950= 4825
|1960= 5753
|1970= 6156
|1980= 5950
|1990= 6157
|2000= 6170
|2010= 6194
|2020= 6543
|footnote=Sources:<ref name="USDecennialCensus">{{cite web|title=Census of Population and Housing|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=11 December 2013}}</ref><ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref><ref name=CensusPopEst>{{cite web|title=Incorporated Places and Minor Civil Divisions Datasets: Subcounty Resident Population Estimates: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html|work=Population Estimates|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=11 December 2013|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130611010502/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2012/SUB-EST2012.html|archive-date=11 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Census 2020 |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/swarthmoreboroughpennsylvania/PST045219}}</ref>
}}}}
As of the 2010 census,<ref name="GR2" /> there were 6,194 people, 1,963 households, and 1,327 families residing in the borough. The [[population density]] was {{convert|4,460.4|PD/sqmi}}. There were 2,081 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1,492.1|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}. The racial makeup of the borough was 82.5% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 7.7% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 5.0% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.3% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.1% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], .7% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 3.8% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 4.9% of the population.

There were 1,963 households, out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.4% were non-families. 27.6% 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 2.48 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the borough, the population was spread out, with 20.7% under the age of 18, 15.8% from 20 to 24, 15.3% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.<ref name=":0"/>

As of 2015, median income for a household in the borough was $101,686, and the median income for a family was $144,570.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|title=U.S. Census website|publisher=United States Census Bureau|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|language=en|access-date=2017-07-27}}</ref> Males had a median income of $71,750 versus $51,117 for females.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}} The [[per capita income]] for the borough was $40,482. {{citation needed|date=July 2017}} About 0.0% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the [[poverty line]].<ref name=":0" />

==Education==
Swarthmore lies within the [[Wallingford-Swarthmore School District]]. In 1971, the district was formed via a merger with the Nether Providence School District and Swarthmore-Rutledge School District. Public school students attend Swarthmore-Rutledge School, at 100 College Avenue in Swarthmore, for grades K-5. Public school students attend Strath Haven Middle School for grades 6–8 and [[Strath Haven High School]] for grades 9–12. Both of these schools are located in Wallingford.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wssd.org/domain/30 |title=About the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District |publisher=Wallingford-Swarthmore School District}}</ref>

The borough's only private school is the George Crothers Memorial School, housed in the old Rutgers Avenue School. Notre Dame de Lourdes Catholic School is located adjacent to the borough in Ridley Township.

The borough is home to [[Swarthmore College]], a private liberal arts college founded in 1864.

==Transportation==
{{stack|[[File:2022-10-08 11 58 22 View south along Pennsylvania State Route 320 (Chester Road) from the overpass for the rail line just north of Park Avenue in Swarthmore, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.jpg|right|thumb|PA 320 southbound in Swarthmore]]}}
As of 2016 there were {{convert|18.88|mi}} of public roads in Swarthmore, of which {{convert|3.02|mi}} were maintained by the [[Pennsylvania Department of Transportation]] (PennDOT) and {{convert|15.86|mi}} were maintained by the borough.<ref name=PennDOTmap>{{cite web|url=https://gis.penndot.gov/BPR_pdf_files/Maps/Type5/23424.pdf|title=Swarthmore Borough map|publisher=PennDOT|access-date=March 12, 2023}}</ref>

[[Pennsylvania Route 320]] ⁸is the only numbered highway serving Swarthmore. It follows a north–south alignment through the center of the borough via Chester Road, Swarthmore Avenue and Cedar Lane.

[[Swarthmore (SEPTA station)|Swarthmore Station]], a [[SEPTA Regional Rail]] train station on the [[Media/Wawa Line]], sits between the college and the town's center. [[SEPTA]] Route 109 bus connecting [[Chester, Pennsylvania|Chester]] with [[Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania|Upper Darby]] stops along [[Pennsylvania Route 320]].

==Cultural institutions==
[[File:OgdenHouseSwarthmore2.JPG|thumb|The Ogden House]]

[[Scott Arboretum]] is located on the campus of [[Swarthmore College]].

The Swarthmore Public Library is at 121 Park Avenue in the center of the borough.

The Park Avenue Community Center is adjacent to Swarthmore Borough Hall and hosts a range of cultural activities, theater and music.

==Notable people==
*[[Valerie Hollister]] (born 1939), artist and painter<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Donohoe|first=Victoria|date=14 March 2004|title=Artist Merges Creativity With Computers|url=http://www.newspapers.com/image/200893184/|url-access=subscription|access-date=2021-09-08|website=Newspapers.com|publisher=The Philadelphia Inquirer|page=L03|language=en}}</ref>
*[[John Honnold]] (1915–2011), law professor, [[University of Pennsylvania Law School]]
*[[Edmund Jones]], Swarthmore Mayor from 1966&ndash;1971 and Pennsylvania State Representative 1971&ndash;1974
*[[Mary Gay Scanlon]] (born 1959), [[United States House of Representatives|United States Representative]]
*[[Rogers Stevens]] (born 1970), guitarist of band [[Blind Melon]]
*[[Benjamin West]] (1738–1820), British-American painter
*[[John Caspar Wister]] (1887-1982), horticulturalist

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Sister project auto}}
* [http://www.swarthmorepa.org/ Borough of Swarthmore official website]
* [http://www.swarthmorepubliclibrary.org/ Swarthmore Public Library]

{{Delaware County, Pennsylvania}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Swarthmore, Pennsylvania| ]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1893]]
[[Category:Boroughs in Delaware County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:1893 establishments in Pennsylvania]]