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Media is a borough in and the county seat of Delaware County, Pennsylvania , United States. It is located about 13 miles (21 km) west of Philadelphia . It is part of the Delaware Valley , also known as the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

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60-609: The Media Theatre is a 440-seat theater in Media, Pennsylvania , built in 1927 as a vaudeville house and cinema. It is the largest regional professional theater that hires equity actors in Delaware County. The Media Theatre opened its doors on August 29, 1927, as a cinema decorated in the English Renaissance style. Real estate entrepreneur Walter Strine Sr. purchased the building in the 1970s and leased it to

120-476: A company that operated it as a movie theater. He closed the theatre in 1990, and began repair work in 1992 to transform it into a performing arts center. The theatre opened on February 8, 1994, with My Fair Lady as its first production. For the building's 70th anniversary in 1997, the Media Theatre hosted Roaring Twenties and 1930s jazz music and productions. SEPTA ran a decorated trolley car to honor

180-545: A descendant of Thomas Minshall, suggested the name "Media", but do not agree on the reason. The name most likely comes from the borough's median location in the direct center of Delaware County. In 1940, the Pennsylvania guide described Media by noting that "[t]he majority of its houses, almost all built since the American Civil War , sit far back on shaded lawns and seem somewhat gloomy. The borough has

240-472: A female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.17. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

300-541: A large and prosperous business section and a few small industrial plants; many townspeople work in Philadelphia or Chester ." The John J. Tyler Arboretum occupies part of Thomas Minshall's original 625 acres (253 ha). This farm and a nearby Village of Lima was used by the Underground Railroad . The land was donated to a public trust in 1944 by an eighth-generation descendant. The arboretum

360-448: A majority. The county has gone Democratic in every Presidential election since then by 10 points or more by progressively-increasing margins. In the 2004 election Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry won the county by 14 points. Barack Obama won it by large 21-point margins in each of his bids for president. Hillary Clinton carried it by an equally substantial 22 points in 2016. Joe Biden carried it in 2020 with 62 percent of

420-545: A portion of the county's eastern boundary with Philadelphia). Crum Creek was dammed in 1931 near Pennsylvania Route 252 to fill Springton Lake (also known as Geist Reservoir), an approximately 391-acre (1.58 km ) drinking water reservoir maintained by Aqua America , the county's largest lake. The Trainer Refinery and the Port of Chester are located along the shores of the Delaware River. With its location in

480-460: A range of fair-trade products were available in local restaurants and businesses, raised popular support and provided media coverage for the fair-trade campaign, and convened a fair-trade steering committee to ensure continued commitment. Three locally recognized historic districts were designated by the borough in 1975. These districts are: There are several parks located within the borough of Media and shared with surrounding communities. Media

540-571: A row on a typical ballot. As of July 23, 2021 : As of July 23, 2021 : As of March 2, 2022 : The George W. Hill Correctional Facility (Delaware County Prison) is located in Thornbury Township . The jail houses pre-trial inmates and convicted persons who are serving sentences of no longer than two years less one day. It is operated by Delaware County. School districts include: Note that Delaware County Technical High School takes students from all of

600-463: A south-flowing tributary of the Delaware River . Media has a humid subtropical climate ( Cfa ) and the hardiness zone is 7a. As of the 2020 census, the racial makeup of the borough was 82.9% White , 3.5% African American , 0.4% Native American , 5.7% Asian , 2.6% from Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 3.9% from two or more races, and 2.5% from Hispanic or Latino of any race. At

660-489: A tailor shop, blacksmith shop, wheelwright shop, barn and other buildings. Minshall bought 625 acres (253 ha) from William Penn and arrived in 1682. The Providence Friends Meetinghouse was established at his house in February 1688. The original Friends Meetinghouse was built out of logs in 1699 or 1700, and the current building was completed in 1814. A house on Minshall's property, built around 1750, still stands and

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720-492: A term unique to Pennsylvania, are a conglomeration of elected officials defined by Article IX, Section 4 of the Pennsylvania Constitution . This unit of officers includes the position of controller, District Attorney, treasurer, sheriff, register of wills, recorder of deeds, prothonotaries , clerks of the court, and the coroner. It is thought that this term originated because these positions were arranged in

780-661: Is Friends School Haverford . Delaware County is bisected north to south by Blue Route Interstate 476, which connects I-76 just north of the extreme northern corner of the county to I-95 , which parallels the Delaware River along the southeastern edge of the county. Delaware County is home to SEPTA 's 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby , and is served by the Norristown High Speed Line (P&W), two Red Arrow trolley lines, Media–Sharon Hill Line , four Regional Rail Lines , including

840-591: Is 500 feet at two points southeast of Wyola in Newtown Township. Waterways in Delaware County generally flow in a southward direction and ultimately drain into the Delaware River. The waterways are, from west to east: the Brandywine River (forming a portion of the county's western boundary with Chester County), Naaman's Creek , Stoney Creek, Chester Creek , Ridley Creek , Crum Creek , Muckinipates Creek, Darby Creek and Cobbs Creek (forming

900-618: Is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania . With a population of 576,830 as of the 2020 census, it is the fifth-most populous county in Pennsylvania and the third-smallest in area . The county was created on September 26, 1789, from part of Chester County and named for the Delaware River . The county is part of the Southeast Pennsylvania region of the state. Delaware County borders Philadelphia ,

960-619: Is a harness racing track and casino (i.e., "racino") located on the Chester, Pennsylvania waterfront. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by Caesars Entertainment . Chester is home to the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer ; the team plays at Subaru Park , a venue located at the base of the Commodore Barry Bridge . Delaware County is the traditional home of women's professional soccer in

1020-560: Is located in central Delaware County at 39°55′8″N 75°23′17″W  /  39.91889°N 75.38806°W  / 39.91889; -75.38806 (39.918761, -75.388127). According to the United States Census Bureau , the borough has a total area of 0.77 square miles (2.0 km ), of which 0.004 square miles (0.01 km ), or 0.42%, is water. Media is situated on high ground (250 to 350 feet (76 to 107 m) above sea level) draining west to Ridley Creek ,

1080-1133: Is run by a mayor and an elected council. Mayor Bob McMahon was first elected in 1992. Mark Paikoff is the president of the Media Borough Council, and Elizabeth Romaine is the vice-president. As of April 2024, the other Council members are Kevin Boyer, Lisa Gelman, Jen Malkoun, Tray Herman, and Joi Washington. Media lies within the Rose Tree Media School District , created by a merger with the Rose Tree Union School District and Media Borough School District in 1966. Public school students living within borough boundaries attend Media Elementary School, located in Downtown Media, for grades K-5. Springton Lake Middle School serves students in grades 6–8, and Penncrest High School serves students in grades 9–12. The Media-Upper Providence Friends School

1140-448: Is the case with Republicans from most suburban Philadelphia counties. In the 2004 US Senate election, Republican Arlen Specter defeated Joe Hoeffel but Democrat Bob Casey, Jr. defeated Rick Santorum in the 2006 Senate election. All three Democratic state row office candidates carried it in 2008. In 2016, Delaware County elected all Democrats in national office elections except Republican Patrick Meehan (U.S. Representative). After

1200-676: Is the only private school in the borough. Mother of Providence Regional Catholic School in Wallingford is the area Catholic school of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia . It formed in 2012 from a merger of Nativity BVM School, which was Media's only pariochal school and St. John Chrysostom in Wallingford. Nativity BVM school opened in 1912, with its last building occupied in 1949. The Nativity BVM school administration chose not to file an appeal against

1260-525: The 2020 census , the county was 63% White non-Hispanic, 22% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American or Alaskan Native, 6.3% Asian, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 0.1% Native Hawaiian, and 3.5% were two or more races. As of the 2000 census , there were 550,864 people, 206,320 households, and 139,472 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,990 inhabitants per square mile (1,150/km ). There were 216,978 housing units at an average density of 1,178 per square mile (455/km ). The racial makeup of

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1320-567: The Airport Line , Wilmington/Newark Line , Media/Wawa Line , and Paoli/Thorndale Line ), and a host of bus routes. The western portion of Philadelphia International Airport is located in Delaware County, and the county hosts some airport-related commerce such as Philadelphia's UPS terminal and airport hotels. There is one Pennsylvania state park in Delaware County: County parks include: Harrah's Philadelphia

1380-455: The Civil War . This was the first time in history that the county had an all-Democratic Council. As of 2020, all of Delaware County is located in the state's 5th congressional district , represented by Democrat Mary Gay Scanlon . Prior to 2019, most of Delaware County had been in the 7th congressional district . The district had been held for 20 years by Republican Curt Weldon until he

1440-683: The November 2021 election , Democrats enjoyed a voter registration advantage of 50,000. Propelling and compounding the voter registration shift has been a change in demographics in the county. Since the 2000 Census , the White population of the county has decreased from 80.3% to 68.5% as of the 2020 Census , while, the Black population has risen from 14.5% to 22.7%, driven by the gentrification of Philadelphia and University City neighborhood and rapid demographic shift in Upper Darby . Further increasing

1500-581: The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and 14.89 miles (23.96 km) were maintained by the borough. Route 252 , Providence Road, is the only numbered highway presently traversing the borough. It follows a north-south alignment along the eastern border of Media. U.S. 1 formerly ran through the borough until the "Media bypass" was completed in 1960. The bypass has an unusual "volleyball" or three-level diamond interchange with Interstate 476. The former Route 1 through

1560-403: The nation's sixth-most populous city , to its northeast. It also is adjacent to the city-county of Philadelphia County and is included in the Philadelphia – Camden – Wilmington , PA– NJ – DE – MD metropolitan statistical area . Its county seat is Media . Delaware County lies in the river and bay drainage area named "Delaware" in honor of Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr , Governor of

1620-490: The " Twelve-Mile Circle ") to the southwest, the Delaware River , forming the border with the state of New Jersey ) to the southeast, and the city of Philadelphia and Montgomery County to the east and northeast. The lowest point in the state of Pennsylvania is located on the Delaware River in Marcus Hook in Delaware County, where it flows out of Pennsylvania and into Delaware . The highest point in Delaware County

1680-631: The 2012 order to merge. Some parents had lobbied for the continued operation of the school. The archdiocese had originally planned to make Nativity BVM the regional campus, but changed when St. John Chrystosom had appealed the decision. After the closure, Media Elementary School occupied the campus while renovations of the permanent Media Elementary occurred. The following are in townships around Media, and have Media mailing addresses: As of 2018, there were 18.29 miles (29.43 km) of public roads in Media, of which 3.40 miles (5.47 km) were maintained by

1740-519: The Media Station in 1912 during his first election campaign . Trolley transportation lines spread to and through Media in the 1890s and early 1900s. The Media Theatre opened as a vaudeville house in 1927. The first talkie film, The Jazz Singer , was shown there. It remained a popular cinema through the 1970s and 1980s. In 1994, the theater underwent a $ 1 million (~$ 1.87 million in 2023) restoration by Walter Strine Sr. and re-opened as

1800-606: The Media Theatre for the Performing Arts. Shows produced there have included The Full Monty , Carousel and Miss Saigon . On March 8, 1971, the Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI raided an FBI "resident agency" in Media. They later released thousands of documents to major newspapers around the country. These documents revealed FBI tactics, like the recruitment of Boy Scouts as informants, and confirmed for

1860-724: The Media ZIP Code 19063 covers 23.08 sq mi (59.8 km ) and a population of 35,704. According to the United States Postal Service , the following addresses are included in the 19063 ZIP Code: Elwyn , Garden City , Glen Riddle , and Rose Valley . Other areas at least partially included in the 19063 zip code are Upper Providence Township ; Nether Providence Township , the neighborhoods of South Media , Bowling Green, Pine Ridge and Ridgewood; and most of Middletown Township , including, Bortondale, Riddlewood , and Lima . The borough of Media

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1920-527: The Philadelphia area. The former Philadelphia Charge of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association played at Villanova Stadium , which is located on the campus of Villanova University . The Philadelphia Independence of Women's Professional Soccer succeeded the Charge and played at Widener University's Leslie Quick Stadium in 2011. Delaware County is the home of one of oldest baseball leagues in

1980-465: The Republican candidate all but once from 1860 through 1988, with the exception being Lyndon Johnson 's national landslide of 1964 . In 1992, however, the county swung from a 21-point win for George H. W. Bush to a narrow one-point win for Bill Clinton , who became only the second Democrat to win the county in the 20th century. Clinton won it just under 10 points in 1996, coming up just short of

2040-488: The center of Media is known by its older name, Baltimore Avenue, changing to " Baltimore Pike " outside the borough limits. Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), the 21st-busiest airport in the nation in 2022, is 11 miles' driving distance (about a 15-minute drive) from downtown Media, following Baltimore Pike east, then Interstate 476 south and Interstate 95 northeast. Delaware County, Pennsylvania Delaware County , colloquially referred to as Delco ,

2100-404: The colony which came to be named Pennsylvania . Penn divided his colony into three counties: Bucks, Philadelphia, and Chester. The riverfront land south of Philadelphia, being the most accessible, was quickly granted and settled. In 1789, the southeastern portion of Chester County was divided from the rest and named Delaware County for the Delaware River . According to the U.S. Census Bureau ,

2160-453: The construction of "Providence Great Road", now Pennsylvania Route 252 . The road, which runs north from Chester to within a few blocks of today's downtown, is shown on a 1687 map along with the names of local landowners. It forms the eastern border of the borough. Thomas Minshall, a Quaker , was an early Media resident, settling just outside the small village then known as "Providence", along Providence Great Road. The village then included

2220-473: The county has a total area of 191 square miles (490 km ), of which 184 square miles (480 km ) is land and 6.8 square miles (18 km ) (3.5%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in Pennsylvania by area. Delaware County is roughly diamond- or kite-shaped, with the four sides formed by the Chester County boundary to the northwest, the boundary with the state of Delaware , a portion of

2280-467: The county was 80.3% White, 14.5% African American, 0.1% Native American , 3.3% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. 1.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.6% were of Irish, 17.5% Italian, 10.1% German and 6.7% English ancestry. There were 206,320 households, out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 12.9% had

2340-424: The county. In 1963 the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia had 48 Catholic K-8/elementary schools in Delaware County with a total of 39,695 students, which was the highest ever enrollment. From 1971 to 2012, 20 of these schools closed, with ten of them closing from 2003 to 2012. By 2012 there were 28 Catholic K-8/elementary schools in Delaware County with a total of 8,291 students. One notable private school

2400-478: The election of Donald Trump in 2016 , the county rapidly shifted blue as a result of increased Democratic turnout and less enthusiasm from often less conservative suburban Republicans. In the 2019 elections for the Delaware County Council, Democrats swept the board and elected Monica Taylor, Elaine P. Schaefer, and Christine Reuther, gaining control of the county Council for the first time since

2460-615: The first time the existence of COINTELPRO , an FBI program to "expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize" dissident groups in the United States. In June 2006, Media became the first town in the United States to follow over 300 towns in Europe in attaining fair trade certification . To meet the criteria for certification, Media passed a council resolution in support of fair trade , served fair-trade coffee and tea in local government meetings and offices, ensured that

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2520-439: The following table is based on the 2020 census of Delaware County. † county seat The county has operated under a home-rule charter with five at-large council-members since 1972. Until the 1990s, Delaware County was regarded as a classic suburban Republican county. The Delaware County Republican political machine was controlled by William McClure and his son John J. McClure from 1875 to 1965. Delaware County voted for

2580-472: The land where Media is now located, directly from Penn. At the time, the land was located in Chester County . Providence Township was organized in 1684, and later divided into Upper Providence and Nether Providence townships by 1690, even though they only had 40 taxable properties at the time. The current borough, formed in 1850, sits between the two townships. In 1683, the Court of Chester County approved

2640-693: The nearby English colony of Virginia . The land was explored by Henry Hudson in 1609, and over the next several decades it was variously claimed and settled by the Swedes , the Dutch , and the English . Its original human inhabitants were the Lenape tribe of American Indians. Once the Dutch were defeated and the extent of New York was determined, King Charles II of England made his grant to William Penn to found

2700-671: The poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over. Under Pennsylvania law, there are four types of incorporated municipalities: cities , boroughs , townships , and exactly one town . There are 49 municipalities in Delaware County: Census-designated places are geographical areas designated by the U.S. Census Bureau for the purposes of compiling demographic data. They are not actual jurisdictions under Pennsylvania law. Other unincorporated communities, such as villages, may be listed here as well. The population ranking of

2760-542: The run of the theatre. Strine sold the theatre to the Borough of Media in 2000. The entire enterprise was renamed “Media Music Theatre Company” in 2005. Media Theatre celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2019 with a gala and benefit. In December 2019, the Media Theatre hosted a memorial for Broadway actress and singer Ann Crumb , who frequently performed at the theatre and considered it a "second home". Since its first performance of My Fair Lady , many musicals have performed at

2820-447: The same time, the county seat of Delaware County was moved to Media from Chester. The borough was formed from four farms purchased by the county, totaling only 480 acres (190 ha). The borders of the borough have not changed since that time. Streets were plotted in a rectangular grid around the location of the new courthouse, lots were sold at public auctions, and the construction of houses began. Sources agree that Minshall Painter,

2880-442: The shift has been the change in education level demographics in the county, as voters have become more college educated and white collar (and, in turn, less blue collar) over the past few decades. While the longstanding Republican registration edge has been erased, Republicans still remain competitive with Democrats at the state and local level. Most Republicans from the county tend to be fiscally conservative and socially moderate, as

2940-509: The southeastern part of the state, Delaware County is the only county to border both Delaware and New Jersey. Delaware County is one of four counties in the United States to border a state with which it shares the same name (the other three are Nevada County, California , Texas County, Oklahoma , and Ohio County, West Virginia ). 2,600 acres (11 km ) of the county are occupied by the Ridley Creek State Park . As of

3000-423: The theatre, including Sunset Boulevard , The Wizard of Oz , Chicago , and Annie . The Molly Maguires had its world-premiere at the theatre, which ended up becoming one of its most popular shows. The theatre also offers classes, camps and productions for children and teens. Despite the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the children's camp was able to go on with safety precautions. Media, Pennsylvania Media

3060-562: The time of the 2010 Census, the racial makeup of the borough was 83.4% White , 10.6% African American , 0.1% Native American , 3.5% Asian , 0.5% from other races , and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.5% of the population. The term "Media" is often used to include not only the borough of Media, but other municipalities but that share the ZIP Code . The borough of Media covers only 0.8 square miles (2.1 square kilometres) and less than 6,000 residents, but

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3120-417: The vote, his second-strongest performance in Pennsylvania. Donald Trump turned in the worst showing for a Republican in the county in over 160 years. Driving the county's Democratic shift have been longstanding trends in voter registration advantage and demographics. In 1998, Republicans held a voter registration advantage of about 125,000, but by 2008 that advantage had shrunk to under 20,000 voters. As of

3180-407: Was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 50,092, and the median income for a family was $ 61,590. Males had a median income of $ 44,155 versus $ 31,831 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 25,040. About 5.8% of families and 8.0% of the population were below

3240-500: Was given to the citizens of the borough in 1975. In 1789, Chester County, Pennsylvania was divided, with the eastern portion becoming Delaware County, Pennsylvania . The area in the center of the new county remained rural through 1850. On March 11, 1850, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by Special Act of Assembly incorporated the Borough of Media, and made the sale of malt and spirituous liquors unlawful within its borders. At

3300-608: Was incorporated in 1836. About 1850, Painter gave the institute the land where its building currently stands at 11 Veterans Square, and the building was constructed in 1867. In the second half of the 19th century, Media was a summer resort for well-to-do Philadelphians. The borough's large vacation hotels included the Idlewild Hotel (1871) on Lincoln Street at Gayley Terrace, Chestnut Grove House or "The Colonial" (1860) on Orange Street, and Brooke Hall on Orange Street and Washington Avenue (now Baltimore Avenue). The Chestnut Grove

3360-464: Was incorporated in 1850 at the same time that it was named the county seat. As of the 2020 U.S. census , the population was 5,991. The history of the area goes back to William Penn , but the area remained predominantly rural until the 20th century. Land in the area was sold and settled soon after William Penn was named proprietor of the colonial-era Province of Pennsylvania in 1681 by King Charles II of England . Peter and William Taylor bought

3420-467: Was ousted by Joe Sestak , a retired admiral, in the 2006 U.S. House of Representatives election. Also in the 2006 election, Democrat Bryan Lentz unseated Republican incumbent State Representative Tom Gannon in the 161st House district . In 2010 Sestak ran for the senate seat vacated by Arlen Specter and was replaced by Republican Pat Meehan , who defeated Lentz, the Democratic candidate. Lentz

3480-550: Was replaced in the State House by Joe Hackett , a Republican. Meehan represented the 7th district until his resignation on April 27, 2018. Before it was thrown out by a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision in 2018, the 7th Congressional District had been regarded one of the most irregularly drawn districts in the nation. Chart of Voter Registration As of February 5, 2024, there are 406,799 registered voters in Delaware County. As of March 2, 2022 : Row officers,

3540-549: Was started as a private collection by brothers Jacob and Minshall Painter. In 1825, they began systematically planting over 1,000 varieties of trees and shrubs. Over twenty of their original trees survive, including a giant sequoia . Minshall Painter was also a leader of the Delaware County Institute of Science , which was formed on September 21, 1833, with just four other members: George Miller, John Miller, George Smith, M.D., and John Cassin . The institute

3600-506: Was used for a year by nearby Swarthmore College due to a fire on its campus. The West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad was built through Media on October 19, 1854. Electrified service was opened on December 2, 1928. Up to 50 trains passed through each day. The railroad became part of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad and eventually the Penn Central . SEPTA took over operations in 1983. Woodrow Wilson spoke at

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