Wayne, Pennsylvania, United States

🇺🇸 Wayne is an unincorporated community centered in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, on the Main Line, a series of highly affluent Philadelphia suburbs located along the railroad tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad and one of the wealthiest areas in the nation. While the centre of Wayne is in Radnor Township, Wayne extends into both Tredyffrin Township in Chester County and Upper Merion Township in Montgomery County. The centre of Wayne is designated the Downtown Wayne Historic District. Considering the large area served by the Wayne post office, the community may extend slightly into Easttown Township, Chester County, as well.

The centre of the Wayne business district is the intersection of Lancaster Avenue and Wayne Avenue, its main street. The historic Wayne station is located one block north of this intersection. The Wayne business district also includes a post office, a cinema, a hotel, a library, the new Radnor Middle School, and several banks, stores, restaurants, cafes, bars and other commercial establishments. Other institutions and attractions in Wayne include the Wayne Hotel, Chanticleer Garden, and the Valley Forge Military Academy and College.

History Wayne's development began when a railroad stop called Cleaver's Landing was established. It was renamed Wayne Station after General Anthony Wayne. Parcels in the area totaling 293 acres (1.19 km²) were bought by banker J.H. Askin, where he built a mansion named "Louella" after his daughters Louisa and Ella. "Louella" was described as an 80-room stone building with a large porch overlooking manicured lawn. His and surrounding land were bought in 1880 by banker A.J. Drexel and newspaper editor G.W. Childs, to form a larger development they called Wayne Estate. More homes and a hotel were then built. In a brochure from 1887 about their development they noted they had provided Wayne with "water, light and drainage — the three great conveniences of a large city — by the most approved modern methods". They described Wayne Estate as follows: The suburban village known as Wayne, on the Pennsylvania Railroad, fourteen miles from Philadelphia, differs so much from the ordinary town allowed to grow up hap-hazard and to develop conveniences as population increases, that it is necessary, in describing it as it appears, to keep in mind some facts about its history. Wayne is not an accidental aggregation of cottages; it is a town built by design, and provided at the start with all the conveniences to which residents of cities are accustomed and which they are so apt to miss and long for when they go into the country or even into the suburbs of a great city. The scheme of the town was well thought out and planned before any of the new cottages were built, and, as it was undertaken by liberal gentlemen of abundant means, no expense was spared in the preliminary municipal work.

The Chanticleer Garden, Downtown Wayne Historic District, North Wayne Historic District, Pennsylvania Railroad Station at Wayne, South Wayne Historic District and Wayne Hotel are all located on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography Wayne is located on the Main Line (the Paoli/Thorndale Line on SEPTA Regional Rail). The central business district of Wayne is located at the intersection of Lancaster and Wayne Avenues in Radnor Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The area served by the Wayne ZIP code (19087) is large and encompasses areas both in Radnor Township, Delaware County and in the neighboring adjacent municipalities of Upper Merion in Montgomery County and Tredyffrin in Chester County, including the communities of Radnor, Strafford, St. Davids, and Chesterbrook.

Transport St. Davids station, Wayne station, and Strafford station on the Paoli/Thorndale SEPTA Line are in Wayne.

Demographics The median age was 40.8. The racial makeup of the community was 85.5% White, 7.9% Asian and 5.3% African American, while 3.7% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. The median income for a household in the community was $118,801, and 5.1% of the population was below the poverty line.

Economy Teleflex, Kenexa, and DLL Group (U.S.) are based in Wayne.

Post-secondary Nearby post-secondary institutions include Villanova University, Cabrini University and Eastern University. Valley Forge Military Academy is also a junior college.

YSC Academy The Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer opened its own private school called YSC Academy on September 3, 2013. The Wayne-based academy is designed for student-athletes the club aims to groom for professional soccer. The initial 32 pupils already had experience playing for one of the Union's academy and Juniors teams.

Points of interest • Chanticleer Garden • St. Davids Church • Wayne Hotel • Radnor Trail System • Anthony Wayne Theater - art deco-style movie theater • Eagle Village Shops • Farmer's Market • Downtown Wayne • Ardrossan Estate • Old Eagle School • Wayne Art Center, established in 1931 • The Finley House