Welcome to Wayne, PA
Did you ever want to live in a small home town in America? A place where 4th of July parades down Main Street, fire company breakfasts, and a real town center (complete with movie theater and ice cream shop) still exists? The village of Wayne is that and MORE--and only 14 miles from Philadelphia! Read on to see why Wayne has, for more than 100 years, been considered one of the best places to live and raise a family in Philadelphia's western suburbs.
Town History
Wayne, located in Radnor Township, was founded by Quakers from Radnorshire Wales in the early 1600's on land purchased from William Penn. In the early 1800's, J. Henry Askin bought a large section of this farmland along “The Main Line of the Public Works of the State of Pennsylvania,”--the main railroad line connecting Harrisburg and Philadelphia--to develop into a Victorian village. Mr. Askin named this “Main Line” village, “Louella,” after his daughters Louisa and Ella. But the name would soon change--financial troubles led the property to be sold to George W. Childs and Anthony Drexel. They purchased additional acreage and renamed the village “Wayne Estate” after
General Anthony Wayne, a famous Revolutionary War hero buried in nearby
St. David's church cemetery.
With its broad streets and good drainage, and new civic improvements such as public heat and town sidewalks, the
North Wayne (and later South Wayne) neighborhoods grew, becoming some of the earliest suburban developments in this country.
Schools
Radnor Township School District provides an excellent public education to over 3500 students with a student-teacher ratio greater than 15:1 in all its schools.
Recreation
No matter what your activity level, there is something for you in Wayne. Numerous golf courses, swim/tennis clubs, health clubs, public parks, adult & child sports leagues (soccer, lacrosse, baseball, and more), and the 2.3-mile
Radnor Trail bike/jogging path provide an outlet for any sports enthusiast. Want more?
Valley Forge National Park is only minutes away, as well as the Schuylkill River and Philadelphia parks.
Business/Shopping:
Wayne boasts a robust and charming
business district. From the local farmer's market to its many retail shops and restaurants, both visitors and locals alike can enjoy a walk through Wayne.
Location
There are many wonderful destinations in this country--the mountains, the ocean, perhaps a big city; Wayne is close to all of these - 60 minutes to the Atlantic Ocean, 45 minutes to the Pocono Mountains, 30 minutes to Philadelphia, 90 minutes to New York, and 120 minutes to Washington, D.C.
