Paoli, Pennsylvania facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Paoli
Census-designated place
Battle of Paoli monument site
Location in Chester County and the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.
Paoli Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Chester
Township	Tredyffrin
Area
• Total	2.0 sq mi (5 km2)
• Land	2.0 sq mi (5 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation	509 ft (155 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	5,575
• Density	2,790/sq mi (1,076/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	19301
Area codes	610 and 484

Paoli (pronounced "pay-OH-lee") is a community in Chester County, Pennsylvania. It is located near the big city of Philadelphia. Paoli is a "census-designated place," which means it's an area that the government counts as a town for statistics. It is part of two larger townships: Tredyffrin and Willistown. In 2010, about 5,575 people lived in Paoli.

History of Paoli

The town of Paoli started around an inn in 1769. This inn was run by Joshua Evans. His father had bought 500 acres of land from William Penn in 1719. The inn was named after General Pasquale Paoli, a hero from Corsica. Joshua Evans named it after the general during a Saint Patrick's Day party.

The inn was located on the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike. This road was about 20 miles from Philadelphia. This was a day's travel for a wagon pulled by horses. Being on this busy road helped the inn and the town grow.

The Battle of Paoli

On the night of September 20, 1777, a surprise attack happened near Paoli. This event is known as the Paoli Massacre. General Charles Grey led nearly 5,000 British soldiers. They attacked a smaller group of American Patriot troops. These American soldiers were led by General Anthony Wayne.

To keep their attack a secret, General Grey told his soldiers not to use their guns. Instead, they used only bayonets and swords. A Loyalist spy helped the British. This spy gave them a secret password and led them to the American camp in the dark. The British attacked the sleeping Americans. Many Americans were killed or wounded. It was also said that the British soldiers did not take any prisoners.

Almost 200 Americans were killed or hurt in this battle. The Paoli Massacre became a powerful rallying cry for the Americans. It reminded them of British cruelty during the rest of the American Revolutionary War. The actual battle site is now in the nearby town of Malvern, Pennsylvania.

The Philadelphia Main Line

Paoli grew even more when the Main Line of Public Works was built. This was a system of canals and railroads across Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad passed right through Paoli. This railroad later became the Pennsylvania Railroad.

In the late 1800s, the Pennsylvania Railroad built special commuter lines. These lines helped people travel from Philadelphia to its suburbs. The longest of these lines ended in Paoli. This area became known as the "Main Line." This helped the suburbs around Philadelphia grow a lot.

Geography of Paoli

Paoli covers about 2.0 square miles of land. It does not have any large bodies of water. Paoli is next to other towns like Berwyn and Malvern. Children living in Paoli go to schools in either the Tredyffrin/Easttown or the Great Valley school districts.

Population of Paoli

In 2019, about 5,651 people lived in Paoli. There were about 2,552 homes. Many different kinds of people live in Paoli. Most residents are White, but there are also African American and Asian residents. About 1 in 4 homes had children under 18 living there. The average age of people in Paoli was 41 years old.

Transportation in Paoli

Roads in Paoli

US 30 passes through Paoli along Lancaster Avenue

Paoli is served by major roads. These include U.S. Route 202 and U.S. Route 30. These roads connect Paoli to places like King of Prussia and Philadelphia.

Historically, Paoli was on the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike. This old road later became part of the Lincoln Highway. Today, it is known as US 30. Many local people still call this road "Lancaster Pike."

Public Transit in Paoli

Paoli Station

For many years, Paoli was the last stop for commuter trains from Philadelphia. These trains ran on the Main Line. The "Paoli Local" train was very famous in the western suburbs.

Today, Amtrak trains like the Keystone Service and Pennsylvanian stop at the Paoli station. However, these stops are less frequent now.

Many people in Southeastern Pennsylvania use the Paoli station for daily travel. Most local trains now end in Malvern, which is one stop west. The SEPTA Regional Rail's Paoli/Thorndale Line runs between Thorndale and Philadelphia. Trains run every 30 minutes during the week. Many college students and people who work in the city use this train. A trip from Paoli to Center City Philadelphia takes about 45 minutes. Some faster trains can make the trip in under 30 minutes during rush hour.

Paoli also has several SEPTA Suburban Bus routes. Buses travel along Route 30 and Paoli Pike. The Route 92 bus connects Paoli to West Chester and the King of Prussia mall. The Route 106 bus connects Paoli to other Main Line towns. Other buses, like Route 204 and Route 206, connect the Paoli station to business centers.

In 2016, most Paoli residents drove alone to work. Only a small number, about 8%, used public transportation.

Education in Paoli

Schools in Paoli

Conestoga High School serves portions of Paoli CDP within Tredyffrin Township

Children in Paoli go to different school districts depending on where they live. The Tredyffrin/Easttown School District serves parts of Paoli in Tredyffrin Township. The Great Valley School District serves the part of Paoli in Willistown Township.

Elementary schools in the Tredyffrin/Easttown area include Beaumont Elementary and Hillside Elementary. All students in this district go to Conestoga High School. Great Valley elementary schools include Charlestown, K.D. Markley, Sugartown, and General Wayne. These students then go to Great Valley Middle School and Great Valley High School.

Delaware Valley Friends School is also in Paoli. This school helps students with learning differences.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia runs Catholic schools. St. Norbert School is near Paoli and has a Paoli mailing address.

Public Libraries

The Tredyffrin Township Libraries operates the Paoli Library. It is located within the Paoli community.

Notable Residents

Many interesting people were born or lived in Paoli, including:

• Joe Butler (1866–1941), a boxer
• Chubby Checker (born 1941), a famous rock and roll singer and dancer
• Dan Chisena (born 1997), a professional football player
• Mary Pat Christie, who was the First Lady of New Jersey
• Wharton Esherick (1887–1970), a sculptor
• Kristin Luckenbill (born 1979), a professional soccer goalkeeper
• Max Patkin (1920–1999), a baseball player and clown
• Ron Silliman (born 1946), an American poet
• Anthony Wayne (1745–1796), a US Army officer and hero
• Isaac Wayne (1772–1852), a US representative

Images for kids

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  Location of Paoli in relation to Malvern and Chesterbrook

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  Cedar Hollow Railroad Station in Paoli.

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  Richard Nixon makes a campaign stop in Paoli in 1968.

• Paoli, Indiana, sister city

See also

In Spanish: Paoli (Pensilvania) para niños