bclintonk
Fri, 25 Feb 2011 14:47:19 +0000

Haverford is in a “Main Line” suburb (on the “main line” of the old Pennsylvania Railroad) immediately west of the City of Philadelphia. So it’s definitely a suburban location. But it’s closer both in miles and travel time to the center of the city than many neighborhoods in the City of Philadelphia itself, because of the way Philadelphia is configured—roughly 8 miles from Haverford College to the Philadelphia City Hall at Broad and Market, 20 minutes by train or (except in rush hour traffic) by car.

I say “suburban” but it doesn’t at all have the feel of late 20th century suburban tract/strip mall development. The Main Line suburbs are a string of older towns lined up along the route of the railroad, each with its own walkable downtown and generally older (but for the most part upscale) housing stock. I find them quite charming, and I’m someone who usually hates suburbs. But it’s definitely not Philadelphia proper.