Swarthmore is a borough in
Delaware CountyDelaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 558,979, making it Pennsylvania's fifth most populous county, behind Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, and Bucks counties....
,
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Swarthmore was originally named
Westdale in honor of noted
painterPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
Benjamin WestBenjamin West, RA was an Anglo-American painter of historical scenes around and after the time of the American War of Independence...
, who was one of the early residents of the town. The name was changed to
Swarthmore after the establishment of
Swarthmore CollegeSwarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
. "Swarthmore" can be pronounced with the first "r" either vocalized or dropped due to differences in
rhotic and non-rhotic accentsEnglish pronunciation can be divided into two main accent groups: a rhotic speaker pronounces a rhotic consonant in words like hard; a non-rhotic speaker does not...
.
Geography
Swarthmore is located at 39°54′6"N 75°20′49"W (39.901788, -75.347083).
According to the
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the borough has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the
censusA census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 6,170 people, 1,993 households, and 1,347 families residing in the borough. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 4,460.4 people per square mile (1,726.3/km²). There were 2,064 housing units at an average density of 1,492.1 per square mile (577.5/km²). The racial makeup of the borough was 85.87% White, 5.49% Asian, 4.72% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.07% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.37% of the population.
There were 1,993 households out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.1% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the borough the population was spread out with 20.5% under the age of 18, 24.4% from 18 to 24, 18.9% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $138,653, and the median income for a family was $187,874. Males had a median income of $71,750 versus $51,117 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the borough was $40,482. About 0.5% of families and 2.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 1.7% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Swarthmore lies within the
Wallingford-Swarthmore School DistrictWallingford-Swarthmore School District is a midsized, suburban public school district in south-eastern Delaware County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It serves the boroughs of Swarthmore, Rose Valley and Rutledge, and the township of Nether Providence...
. According to
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
state policy, Swarthmore is considered too small a town to have its own secondary schools. Hence, in 1984
Swarthmore High SchoolSwarthmore High School was a four-year public high school in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania serving the Boroughs of Swarthmore and Rutledge.Swarthmore established its own independent school district when Swarthmore Borough incorporated in 1893. The Swarthmore and Rutledge School Districts merged in 1955...
merged with adjacent
Nether Providence High SchoolNether Providence High School was a four-year public high school in Wallingford, Pennsylvania serving the Township of Nether Providence and the Boroughs of Rose Valley, South Media, Garden City, and sections of Morton. The school became Strath Haven High School when it merged with Swarthmore High...
to form
Strath Haven High SchoolStrath Haven High School is a four-year public high school in Wallingford, Pennsylvania serving the Township of Nether Providence and the Boroughs of Rose Valley, Rutledge, and Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, as well as the communities of South Media, Garden City, Pennsylvania, and sections of Morton,...
.
Public schools
| Grades |
School |
KindergartenA kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
|
Kids' Place |
| 1-5 |
Nether Providence Elementary School
Swarthmore-Rutledge Elementary School
Wallingford Elementary School |
| 6-8 |
Strath Haven Middle School |
| 9-12 |
Strath Haven High SchoolStrath Haven High School is a four-year public high school in Wallingford, Pennsylvania serving the Township of Nether Providence and the Boroughs of Rose Valley, Rutledge, and Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, as well as the communities of South Media, Garden City, Pennsylvania, and sections of Morton,...
|
Swarthmore is also home to the
Swarthmore CollegeSwarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
, on whose campus is the Benjamin West House (the home of
Benjamin WestBenjamin West, RA was an Anglo-American painter of historical scenes around and after the time of the American War of Independence...
), a painter who lived in what is currently known as Swarthmore, but was
SpringfieldSpringfield Township, or simply Springfield, is a township and a Census Designated Place in Delaware County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The population was 23,677 at the 2000 census...
at the time.
Cultural Institutions
Scott ArboretumScott Arboretum is an arboretum located across the campus of Swarthmore College, 500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. It is open to the public daily without charge....
is located on the campus of
Swarthmore CollegeSwarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
.
The Players Club of Swarthmore Theater is located at 614 Fairview Road.
http://pcstheater.org/
Transportation
Swarthmore StationSwarthmore is a station along the SEPTA Media/Elwyn Line, the former Pennsylvania Railroad West Chester Line. It is located on Chester Road between downtown Swarthmore and the edge of the Swarthmore College campus . Dollar-a-day parking and permit parking are available...
, a
SEPTA Regional RailThe SEPTA Regional Rail system consists of commuter rail service on thirteen branches to over 150 active stations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States and its suburbs. Service on most lines runs from 5:30 AM to midnight...
train station on the
Media/Elwyn LineThe Media/Elwyn Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line running from Center City Philadelphia west to Elwyn in Delaware County.Originally known as the Media/West Chester Branch, service was truncated on September 19, 1986 from West Chester to its current terminus at Elwyn. Service expansion beyond Elwyn...
, sits between the college and the town's center.
SEPTA Route 109 bus connecting
Chester, PennsylvaniaChester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a population of 33,972 at the 2010 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.- History :...
with Upper Darby, PA stops along Chester Road.
External links