What is “The Main Line” of Philadelphia?

If you’re thinking about moving to the greater Philadelphia area, there’s a solid chance you’ve heard someone tell you to check out “the Main Line.”

But what exactly is the Main Line? The annoying answer is: it depends on who you ask.

Here’s what you need to know:

The Main Line is a collection of suburban towns to the west of Philadelphia. These communities span three counties: Montgomery, Delaware, and Chester.

The Main Line is named for the historic train line that runs west from Philadelphia, roughly parallel to Lancaster Avenue (US Route 30 on the map above). Communities grew around the train stations along this corridor and ultimately became some of Philadelphia’s best-known suburbs. Today, SEPTA’s Paoli/Thorndale Line follows this corridor much farther west to Thorndale in Chester County.

The Main Line is home to a rather impressive concentration of colleges and universities. Villanova University, Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College, Saint Joseph’s University, Rosemont College, and Eastern University are all located in or around the Main Line.

Which towns are on the Main Line?

Ask in a Main Line Facebook group, and you’ll get 100 different answers.

Personally, I think of the Main Line as consisting of roughly five school districts: Lower Merion, Haverford, Radnor, Tredyffrin-Easttown, and Great Valley. Many folks will take issue with my rough definition because some towns within these school districts do not have train stations. Bala Cynwyd, Gladwyne, Newtown Square, and Havertown are four such examples.

If you’re considering moving to the Main Line, I wouldn’t get too hung up on traditional and non-traditional definitions. Understanding where these communities are in relation to one another, and how they differ, is probably much more useful.

Beware ... Main Line town names don't tell you everything.

This is one of the more confusing things about moving to the Main Line: town names, municipalities, counties, ZIP codes, and school districts don't always line up perfectly.

For example, an Ardmore address can be in either Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County or Haverford Township in Delaware County. A Bryn Mawr address can fall within Lower Merion, Haverford, or Radnor Township and in either Montgomery or Delaware County.

That means two homes with the same town in their mailing address can be in different municipalities, counties, and school districts.

When you’re looking at homes on the Main Line, the town name is a useful starting point, but you want to look deeper at the school district, municipality, county, and property taxes because these can vary in important ways.

Thinking about moving to the Main Line?

Download my free Main Line Relocation Guide for a deeper introduction to the towns, the housing market, and everyday life here.

Ready to talk through your move? Schedule a Buyer Consultation, and we can talk about what you're looking for, where you might want to focus, and what homebuying on the Main Line looks like right now.

Explore Main Line towns

Learn more about the communities, real estate, and daily living in:

Ardmore (19003)
Bala Cynwyd & Belmont Hills (19004)
Berwyn (19312)
Bryn Mawr & Rosemont (19010)
Devon (19333)
Gladwyne (19035)
Haverford (19041)
Merion Station (19066)
Narberth & Penn Valley (19072)
Villanova (19085)
Wayne (19087)
Wynnewood (19096)