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Renting an Apartment in Ardmore
Ardmore is an unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The
United States Census Bureau has also defined a census-designated place (CDP)
around the community for statistical purposes. The community has no legal
existence as a municipality.
The community of Ardmore is a suburb in the west side of Philadelphia, primarily
within Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County and is the seat of Lower
Merion Township. However, the CDP also includes the area of Ardmore Park in
adjacent Haverford Township in Delaware County. The population was 12,616 at the
2000 census. Originally named Athensville in 1853, the community was renamed
Ardmore in 1873 by the Pennsylvania Railroad on which it is a station (MP 8.5)
on the Main Line.
Since 2004, Ardmore's business district has been the subject of a hotly
contested eminent domain battle. A grassroots organization, the Save Ardmore
Coalition, opposed an eminent domain/redevelopment program that would likely
have involved the demolition of certain historic buildings, and favored
preserving those buildings for other commercial use. In March 2006 the 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 the use of eminent domain for private
projects.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 4.9
km˛ (1.9 mi˛).
Ardmore is adjacent to Wynnewood and Haverford. Residents from South Ardmore and
Wynnewood cooperate as the ArdWood Civic Association. The North Ardmore Civic
Association represents residents of North Ardmore and Wynnewood north of
Montgomery Avenue.
Ardmore's train station is served by SEPTA and Amtrak passenger trains.
Residents and visitors enjoy several parks including South Ardmore Park, which
is partly in Ardmore and partly in Wynnewood. Suburban Square, the second oldest
shopping mall in the U.S., is located adjacent to the Ardmore train station.
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 12,616 people, 5,529 households, and
3,129 families residing in Ardmore. The population density was 2,550.3/km˛
(6,588.5/mi˛). There were 5,711 housing units at an average density of
1,154.5/km˛ (2,982.5/mi˛). The ethnic makeup of the CDP was 83.51% Caucasian,
11.47% African American, 0.12% Native American, 2.58% Asian, 0.13% Pacific
Islander, 0.59% from other ethnic groups, and 1.60% from two or more ethnic
groups. 2.05% of the population were Hispanic or Latino or of other cultural
backgrounds.
There were 5,529 households out of which 23.9% included children under the age
of 18, 43.0% were married couples living together, 10.7% have a female head of
household, and 43.4% are other types of families or singles. 34.7% 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 2.27 and the
average family size was 2.98.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 7.5%
from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65
years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there
were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $60,966, and the median income
for a family was $75,828. Males had a median income of $46,920 versus $40,802
for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $36,111. About 2.4% of
families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1%
of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Pupils living in the Lower Merion Township portion attend schools in the Lower
Merion School District, while pupils living in the Haverford Township portion
attend schools in the School District of Haverford Township.
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 B. Bryant (1996), a professional NBA basketball player.