NETHER PROVIDENCE TOWNSHIP, PENNSYLVANIA

'Nether Providence Township' is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Many residents refer to the township by the name of its largest community, Wallingford.
The population was 13,456 at the 2000 census.

Contents

Geography

History

Demographics

Education System

Government

Garden City

South Media

External links

Geography

Nether Providence Township is located at (39.894612, -75.373705).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 12.2 km² (4.7 mi²). 12.2 km² (4.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.21% is water.
Major boundaries include Crum Creek and Ridley Creek.

History

The first recorded inhabitants of Nether Providence Township were Native Americans of the Lenape tribe, who lived in the area for about five hundred years. By 1740 few Lenape remained in the area. On August 14, 1682, two months prior to William Penn’s landing in Chester, John Sharpless came to the area. Penn had given Sharpless a thousand acre (4 km²) tract and he settled on near Ridley Creek.
By the time William Penn arrived in Chester, there were several small settlements in the area, which became known as Providence Township. Providence Township comprised today’s Nether Providence, Rose Valley, Media, and Upper Providence. On October 17, 1683, the residents of Providence Township petitioned the Court of Chester County, of which they were then a part, to establish a road from Providence to Chester. The court approved the creation of Providence Great Road (now Route 252).
Nether Providence went through four distinct phases from farming, to manufacturing, to resort, and finally, to residential community. By 1729, the area was producing sufficient crops to allow exporting to New England, Canada, and Europe.
Fourteen major mill complexes were built in Nether Providence -- six on Crum Creek and eight on Ridley Creek. The first, a cotton mill along Crum Creek, was started by Thomas Allen in 1763. He named his mill for his hometown, Wallingford, England The mills played an essential part in the growth of Nether Providence. Millhands lived in the self-contained villages that grew up around the mills.
After the Civil War, wealthy Philadelphians built summer residences and vacation resorts in the area.
The first train came through in 1854. It used a single track with a
sidetrack at Wallingford. The first post office in Nether Providence was
established at Hinkson’s Corner in 1873. Trolleys also contributed to the
area’s development. The first independent trolley was the Chester and Media
Electric Railway, chartered in 1892. The last trolley through the township closed in 1938.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,456 people, 5,007 households, and 3,755 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,103.1/km² (2,857.7/mi²). There were 5,125 housing units at an average density of 420.1/km² (1,088.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the township was 90.08% White, 6.12% African American, 0.10% Native American, 2.34% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races. 1.13% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 5,007 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.3% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the township the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $68,059, and the median income for a family was $78,491. Males had a median income of $62,370 versus $39,048 for females. The per capita income for the township was $32,946. About 3.1% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education System

The first area school started in 1810. Nether Providence School District was formed in 1856; it merged with the Swarthmore School District in 1984, creating the Wallingford Swarthmore School District. Furness Library was founded in 1902.
School-age children within the public education system attend the Kids' Place for kindergarten, Wallingford Elementary School (WES), Nether Providence Elementary School (NPE), or Swarthmore Rutledge Elementary School (SRS) for grades 1-5, Strath Haven Middle School (SHMS), housed in the the old Nether Providence High School, for grades 6-8, and Strath Haven High School (SHHS), directly across Providence Road from the Middle School, for grades 9-12. Students from the neighboring boroughs of Rose Valley, Swarthmore, and Rutledge also attend district schools.

Government

Major communities in addition to Wallingford include South Media and Garden City.
The South Media Fire Company was organized in 1922 and Garden City Fire
Company in 1944. Ambulance service is providen by the Media Fire Co. The Nether Providence Police Department was established in 1935 and automobile parking was regulated in 1947 and speed in 1949.

Garden City

The small unincorporated community of Garden City is a more working class community in the southernmost part of Nether Providence. It borders Chester city to the south, where it is cut off by Ridley Creek. It lies southwest of the intersection where Route 252 (South Providence Road) and Route 320 (Chester Road) meet, and it is cut off by Route 252 at the east. The north and west borders of the community are disputed. Moore Road or Georgetown Road are commonly used as northern borders for Garden City, while W. Brookhaven Road or Putnam Village are often used as western borders. Within Garden City lies the Waterville, Lapidea, and Crum Creek Manor sections. Putnam Village is sometimes considered within the Garden City community.
Garden City has a reputation as a blue collar to lower middle class community. It is home to the Garden City Fire Co. and the Garden City Chapel. Usually, Nether Providence Elementary School is also considered within Garden City.

South Media

South Media is an unincorporated community in the southmost part of Media, Pennsylvania. Though it is located in Media, the community is part of Nether Providence Township. It lies north of Wallingford and Rose Valley, west of N. Providence Road, and south of E. Baltimore Pike. It is a diverse working class to lower middle class community, and it is mostly known as having an African American majority. It is home to the South Media Fire Co., the oldest fire company in Nether Providence.

External links

★ Nether Providence Township

★ Nether Providence Historical Society