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

Contents 1 Geography 2 History 3 Demographics 4 Education System 5 Other Information

Nether Providence Township is located at 39°53′40″N, 75°22′25″W (39.894612, -75.373705)^GR1.

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.

NETHER PROVIDENCE THROUGH THE YEARS

Compiled by J. Mervyn Harris, Founder of The Nether Providence Historical Society

Nether Providence enjoys a rich and fascinating history that spans more than

three centuries. The first recorded inhabitants of what was to become Nether

Providence Township were indigenous Native Americans of the Lenape tribe.

They had been living in the area for five hundred years.

With the coming of the Swedes in 1638, the Dutch in 1655, and finally the

English in 1664, the Lenape started to move west around 1674 to avoid the new

settlers. By 1740, there were very few Lenape remaining in the area.

On August 14, 1682, two months prior to William Penn’s landing, John

Sharpless came to our area. Penn had given Sharpless a thousand-acre tract.

Sharpless chose to settle on a section of that tract near Ridley Creek in

Nether Providence. Finding a large rock adjacent to the creek, he built a

log cabin around it, using it as the back wall of the fireplace. The cabin

is gone, but the rock with carved initials J. S. and the date of 1682 can

still be seen in its original location.

Sharpless’ house, which he named Wolley Stille, was completed in 1700. It is

the oldest occupied house in the township.

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).

Over the centuries, Nether Providence went through four distinct phases: from

farming, to manufacturing, to resort, and finally, to residential community.

Farming flourished in Nether Providence for decades. By 1729, the area was

producing sufficient crops to allow exporting to New England, Canada, and

Europe.

There were fourteen major mill complexes 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. Mr. Allen came from Wallingford,

England and named his mill for his hometown. Because of the mill’s

prominence, the locals began to call the entire area Wallingford.

The mills played an essential part in the growth of Nether Providence. In

addition to hundreds of employees (men, women, and children), hundreds more

were employed in occupations ancillary to the mills – as stable hands,

teamsters, smiths, tailors, and carpenters. They lived in the self-contained

villages that grew up around the mills.

After the Civil War, the landscape of the township began to change. As

wealthy Philadelphians discovered the lush scenery, delightful breezes, and

large open spaces, they descended on Nether Providence, building summer

residences and vacation resorts.

The first train came to our town 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 trolley began to disappear in the

1930s, and the last trolley passed into history in 1938.

Other notable events in the township’s history include:

   * The first 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
   * South Media Fire Company was organized in 1922 and Garden City Fire 

Company in 1944.

   * The Police Department was established in 1935.
   * Automobile parking was regulated in 1947 and speed in 1949.

More information on the history of the township is available through The

Nether Providence Historical Society at[ htp://www.delcohistory.org/nphs/.]

As of the census^GR2 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.

Nether Providence lies within the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District (W-SSD). School-age children within the public education system attend the Kids' Place for kindergarten, Wallingford Elementary School (WES) or Nether Providence Elementary (NPE) for grades 1-5, Strath Haven Middle School (SHMS), the old nether providence highschool, the bulldogs, for grades 6-8, and Strath Haven High School (SHHS) for grades 9-12. Students from the neighboring borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania also attend the Middle School and High School, as well as Swarthmore Elementary School (SRS).

Nether Providence lies within the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District (WSSD). 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.

Major communities in addition to Wallingford (which takes its name from Wallingford, England) include South Media, and Garden City.

South Media and Garden City are also the names of the township's two volunteer fire companies. South Media is the oldest (founded in 1922). Ambulance service is providen by the Media Fire Co.

Template:Mapit-US-cityscal==External links==e

	v • d • e Municipalities and Communities of Delaware County, Pennsylvania County Seat: Media
Cities	Chester
Boroughs	Aldan | Brookhaven | Chester Heights | Clifton Heights | Collingdale | Colwyn | Darby | East Lansdowne | Eddystone | Folcroft | Glenolden | Lansdowne | Marcus Hook | Media | Millbourne | Morton | Norwood | Parkside | Prospect Park | Ridley Park | Rose Valley | Rutledge | Sharon Hill | Swarthmore | Trainer | Upland | Yeadon
Townships	Aston | Bethel | Chadds Ford | Chester | Concord | Darby | Edgmont | Haverford | Lower Chichester | Marple | Middletown | Nether Providence | Newtown | Radnor | Ridley | Springfield | Thornbury | Tinicum | Upper Chichester | Upper Darby | Upper Providence
Communities and CDPs	Ardmore | Boothwyn | Broomall | Drexel Hill | Folsom | Garrett Hill | Glen Mills | Havertown | Lima | Linwood | Riddlewood | Rosemont | St. Davids | Village Green-Green Ridge | Villanova | Wallingford | Wayne | Woodlyn

Official Township Website

http://www.netherprovidence.org/