Media, Pennsylvania facts for kids

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Media

Borough

State Street in Media

Seal

Nickname(s):

Everybody's Hometown

Location of Media in Delaware County (top) and of Delaware County the U.S. state of Pennsylvania (below)

Media

Location in Pennsylvania

Media

Location in the United States

Country

United States

Settled

1681

Area

• Total

0.77 sq mi (1.98 km²)

• Land

0.76 sq mi (1.98 km²)

• Water

0.00 sq mi (0.01 km²)

Population

(2020)

• Total

5,901

• Density

7,733.94/sq mi (2,987.11/km²)

Time zone

UTC−5 (EST)

• Summer (DST)

UTC−4 (EDT)

ZIP Codes

19063, 19065, 19091

Area codes

610 and 484

FIPS code

42-48480

GNIS feature ID

1180858

Delaware County Courthouse

Media is a small town, also called a borough, in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It's the main town, or county seat, of Delaware County. Media is located about 13 miles (21 km) west of Philadelphia. It is part of the larger Philadelphia area, known as the Delaware Valley.

Media became an official town in 1850. At the same time, it was chosen as the county seat. In 2020, about 5,991 people lived there. Media is known as "Everybody's Hometown."

History of Media

The land where Media is today has a long history. It was mostly farmland until the 1900s.

Early Days (1600s)

The land was first sold and settled after William Penn became the owner of Province of Pennsylvania in 1681. Peter and William Taylor bought the land directly from Penn. Back then, this area was part of Chester County.

Providence Township was created in 1684. It later split into Upper Providence and Nether Providence townships by 1690. The town of Media, formed in 1850, sits between these two townships.

In 1683, a road called "Providence Great Road" was approved. Today, it's Pennsylvania Route 252. This road runs north from Chester and forms the eastern edge of Media.

Thomas Minshall, a Quaker, was one of the first people to settle near what is now Media. He bought 625 acres (253 ha) from William Penn in 1682. The Providence Friends Meetinghouse was started at his home in 1688.

Growing Up (1700s)

The first Friends Meetinghouse was built from logs around 1700. The building you see today was finished in 1814. A house on Minshall's land, built around 1750, is still standing. It was given to the town in 1975.

In 1789, Chester County was divided. The eastern part became Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

Becoming a Town (1800s)

The area in the middle of the new Delaware County stayed rural until 1850. On March 11, 1850, Media officially became a borough. It was also made the county seat of Delaware County, moving from Chester. The borough was created from four farms, covering about 480 acres (190 ha). The town's borders haven't changed since then.

Streets were planned in a grid around the new courthouse. Land was sold, and houses began to be built. Minshall Painter, a relative of Thomas Minshall, suggested the name "Media." It likely comes from the town's central location in Delaware County.

Modern Times (1900s)

In 1940, Media was described as having many houses built after the American Civil War. It had a busy business area and some small factories. Many people living in Media worked in Philadelphia or Chester.

The John J. Tyler Arboretum is on part of Thomas Minshall's original land. This farm was also used by the Underground Railroad. The arboretum was started by brothers Jacob and Minshall Painter in 1825. They planted over 1,000 types of trees and shrubs. More than twenty of their original trees are still there, including a giant sequoia.

Minshall Painter also helped start the Delaware County Institute of Science in 1833. He gave the institute the land for its building, which was built in 1867.

In the late 1800s, Media was a summer vacation spot for wealthy people from Philadelphia. There were large hotels like the Idlewild Hotel and The Colonial.

The West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad came through Media in 1854. Electric train service started in 1928. SEPTA took over the trains in 1983. Even a president, Woodrow Wilson, spoke at the Media Station in 1912. Trolley lines also spread through Media in the late 1800s.

The Media Theatre for the Performing Arts

Thomas Minshall house

Keystone Marker from the 1920s gives one version of the origin of the town's name

The Media Theatre opened in 1927 for live shows. It later showed the first "talkie" film, The Jazz Singer. It was a popular movie theater for many years. In 1994, it was restored and reopened as the Media Theatre for the Performing Arts. It now hosts musicals and plays.

In 1971, a group of citizens got important documents from a government office in Media. These documents revealed how a government agency worked. They showed how the agency tried to "expose, disrupt, or neutralize" certain groups in the United States.

Today (2000s)

In 2006, Media became the first town in the United States to be certified as a Fair Trade Town. This means the town supports products that are made and sold fairly, helping workers and farmers get a good price for their goods.

Historic Places in Media

Media has three historic areas that were named in 1975:

Courthouse Square, from Olive to Orange Streets between 2nd and Jasper Streets.
Lemon Street, from Baker to Front Streets.
Providence Friends' Meeting House District, from Front to 2nd Street, including the meetinghouse to Haldeman.

Important Buildings and Landmarks

Homes

Minshall House (around 1750) on Route 252.
Cooper House (before 1870) on State Street, home of Thomas Valentine Cooper, a Pennsylvania State Senator.
Dr. Samuel D. Risley House (1877), 430 N. Monroe Street.
Gayley House (1855), which was once a school and later a convent.
Hillhurst (1890) on Orange Street, a summer home designed by Addison Hutton.
Jaisohn House (1925), 100 East Lincoln Street.

Town and Civic Buildings

Delaware County Institute of Science (1867) on Veterans Square. This science institute was founded in 1833.
Delaware County Courthouse (1871) on Front Street, where county legal matters are handled.
First National Bank of Media (1900) on State Street, designed by Albert Dilks.
Media Armory (1908) on State Street, designed by William Lightfoot Price. It's now home to the Media Armory and a Trader Joe's grocery store.
Media Theatre (1927, restored 1994) on State Street, a beautiful theater for performances.
Old Rose Tree Tavern (1809), a historic building.

Churches

Media Vineyard Church
Campbell A.M.E (African Methodist Episcopal) Church
Christ Church (Episcopalian)
Congregation Beth Israel, an old Jewish congregation.
Faith Reformed Baptist Church
First Baptist Church of Media
First United Methodist
Honeycomb Union AME Church
Media Presbyterian Church (1855) on Baltimore Ave.
Nativity BVM Church (1882) 30 E. Franklin St.
The Brick Church (1862), Nativity BVM's original church.
Quaker meetinghouses: Media Friends Meeting and Providence Friends Meetinghouse.
Media Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (1875) and Media-Providence Friends School (1876).
St. George (Greek Orthodox)
Second Baptist Church of Media
Trinity U.A.M.E. (Union American Methodist Episcopal) Church
Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County

Parks for Fun

Media has several parks for people to enjoy:

Rose Tree Park
Glen Providence Park
Houtman Park
Cherry Street Field
Scott Park

Geography and Weather

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1850	285	—
1860	2,397	741.1%
1870	1,045	−56.4%
1880	1,919	83.6%
1890	2,736	42.6%
1900	3,075	12.4%
1910	3,562	15.8%
1920	4,109	15.4%
1930	5,372	30.7%
1940	5,351	−0.4%
1950	5,726	7.0%
1960	5,803	1.3%
1970	6,444	11.0%
1980	6,119	−5.0%
1990	5,957	−2.6%
2000	5,533	−7.1%
2010	5,327	−3.7%
2020	5,901	10.8%
Sources:

Weather chart for Media, Pennsylvania

2.9

2.8

3.6

3.3

4.2

3.2

3.3

4.2

2.8

3.2

3.1

temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches
source: The Weather Channel

Metric conversion

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
74 4 -2	70 6 -1	92 11 3	83 17 8	106 23 13	81 28 18	102 31 21	84 29 20	107 25 16	72 18 10	82 12 5	79 7 1
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm

Media is located in the middle of Delaware County. It sits on high ground, between 250 and 350 feet (76 to 107 m) above sea level. The town has a humid subtropical climate, which means it has hot, humid summers and mild winters.

People of Media

As of the 2020 census, most people in Media were White (82.9%). Other groups included African American (3.5%), Asian (5.7%), and people of two or more races (3.9%). About 2.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

Education in Media

Schools for Kids

Media is part of the Rose Tree Media School District. Students in kindergarten through 5th grade go to Media Elementary School. For grades 6-8, students attend Springton Lake Middle School. High school students (grades 9-12) go to Penncrest High School.

The Media-Upper Providence Friends School is the only private school in the borough.

Mother of Providence Regional Catholic School in Wallingford is the Catholic school for the area. It was formed in 2012 by combining Nativity BVM School and St. John Chrysostom.

Colleges and Universities

Several colleges are located near Media and use a Media mailing address:

Delaware County Community College, a two-year college.
Pennsylvania Institute of Technology, another two-year college.
Penn State Brandywine, a campus of Penn State University.
Williamson College of the Trades, a three-year technical college.

Getting Around Media

Roads and Highways

PA Route 252 northbound in Media

Media has about 18 miles (29 km) of public roads. Route 252 runs north-south along the eastern edge of Media.

U.S. Route 1 used to go through Media. But a bypass was built in 1960 to help traffic flow better. The old Route 1 through Media is now called Baltimore Avenue.

Airports

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is about 11 miles (18 km) from downtown Media. It takes about 15 minutes to drive there.

Trains and Trolleys

Media station is a SEPTA train station on the Media/Wawa Line.
The Media–Sharon Hill Line is a light rail line, or trolley, that runs through Media. It connects Media to the 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby. The trolley line ends in Media at the Media-Orange Street station.

Notable People from Media

Many interesting people have lived in or are from Media:

Business Leaders

Jonathan Bixby, a costume designer.
Samuel D. Riddle, who owned textile mills and famous racehorses.

Sports Stars

Mark Donohue, a racing driver who won the 1972 Indianapolis 500.
Harry Kalas, a famous broadcaster for the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team.
Lew Krausse Jr., a former baseball pitcher.
Lew Krausse Sr., also a former baseball pitcher.
Phil Martelli, a former college basketball coach.
Tug McGraw, a former baseball pitcher for the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies.
Ted Meredith, an Olympic gold medalist in running.
Auston Trusty, a soccer player.
Jonah Jackson, a professional football player for the Los Angeles Rams.