PENNSYLVANIA MAIN LINE

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The 'Main Line' is a collection of towns in the western suburbs of Philadelphia named after the Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad (currently Amtrak's Keystone Corridor and SEPTA's R5 line).

Contents
History
The Main Line today
Main Line in Books, Movies, Music and Television
Communities on the Main Line
School districts
Colleges and universities
Notes
External links

History


The area comprising Main Line was once home to the Lenni Lenape Indians. The Main Line was settled by Europeans in the 1600s, when William Penn sold a tract of land (the Welsh Tract to a group of Welsh Quakers for ten cents an acre. The Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad was constructed during the nineteenth century and traveled through the area from Philadelphia to Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. The railroad, since taken over by Amtrak, is still in service. At the time, the Railroad owned much of the land surrounding the tracks and encouraged the development of this picturesque environment. The construction of sprawling estates attracted Philadelphia elite, many of whom had one house in the city and another larger "country home" on the Main Line.

The Main Line today


Today the Main Line is another name for the western suburbs of Philadelphia along Lancaster Avenue (U.S. Route 30) and the former Pennsylvania Railroad Main Line, extending from the city limits to approximately Paoli, Pennsylvania comprising an area of approximately 200 square miles. The upper/upper middle class enclave outside of Philadelphia is often believed to be the setting for the classic Hepburn/Grant/Stewart motion picture ''The Philadelphia Story''. The principal municipalities comprising the Main Line are (from east to west) Lower Merion Township, Narberth Borough, Radnor Township, Tredyffrin Township, Easttown Township, and Village of Paoli. With diverse topography, steep cliffs along the Schuylkill River, rolling hills, and open meadows, the Main Line has benefited from the early planning of William Penn. The Main Line is known for its multimillion-dollar stone Colonial homes, exclusivity, and upscale shopping. The Main Line is also home to some of the best public and private schools in the state, and many small private colleges.

Main Line in Books, Movies, Music and Television



★ ''Official Preppy Handbook'', by Lisa Birnbach

★ ''The Philadelphia Story''

★ ''Gloria (Laura Branigan song)'' - the Main Line is mentioned in this classic song.

★ ''Bobos in Paradise'', by David Brooks

★ ''Trading Places''

★ ''Stealing Home''

★ ''Philadelphia'' (Andrew Beckett visits his family during Thanksgiving in a suburb in the area.)

★ ''My Super Sweet 16''

★ ''Wide Awake''

★ ''The It Girl'', by Cecily von Ziegesar

★ ''Pretty Little Liars'', by Sara Shephard

★ ''Thirtysomething''

★ ''In Her Shoes'' (Toni Collette's character attends a Main Line wedding and jokes about what she should wear)

★ ''The Sixth Sense'' (The wake scene was set in Ardmore)
"To Wong Foo...." Patrick Swayze's character is from either Bala Cynwyd or Wynnewood, PA.... The gang makes a detour to see his family home, just in time to see his snobby-looking mother going into the house.

The Art of War
+''The Man of My Dreams'', by Curtis Sittenfeld
"Stella Dallas"- Stella' ex-husband and family are wealthy Philadelphia suburbanites.

Communities on the Main Line


The Main Line proper is a line of communities extending northwest from the City of Philadelphia. From Philadelphia, the stations on what is now referred to as the R5 train line are: Overbrook,[1] Merion, Narberth, Wynnewood, Ardmore, Haverford and Bryn Mawr, which inspired the mnemonic "Old Maids Never Wed And Have Babies". The other rail line communities extending past Bryn Mawr are Rosemont, Villanova, Radnor, St. Davids, Wayne, Strafford, Devon, Berwyn, Daylesford, and Paoli.
In recent years, the R5 train service has extended to the west of Paoli.
Other communities, most notably Bala Cynwyd, Gladwyne are included in what is commonly accepted as the Main Line, as they both are typical Main Line communities and are adjacent to Main Line towns. Neither, however, is located on the rail line for which the area is named and therefore they may be considered culturally rather than geographically on the Main Line.
A list of communities on the Main Line follows:


Ardmore

Bryn Mawr

Berwyn


Devon

Gladwyne

Haverford

Paoli

Merion


Narberth

Radnor

Rosemont


St. Davids

Strafford

Villanova

Wayne

Wynnewood

Lower Merion

Bala Cynwyd

School districts



Haverford

Lower Merion School District

Radnor

Tredyffrin/Easttown

Colleges and universities



Bryn Mawr College

Cabrini College

Eastern University

Harcum College

Haverford College

Rosemont College

Villanova University

Notes


1. The community of Overbrook is a neighborhood within the city limits of Philadelphia and so is generally not regarded as being part of the Main Line.

External links



MainLinePhilly

The Main Line Chamber of Commerce

Main Line Legislators (Federal & State)

Main Line Today

Main Line Times

Main Line Restaurant Guide

Best of Main Line

Historical Main Line Maps

Maps of the Pennsylvania Railroad

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