There are places in Delaware County that have no mayors, no governing body, and no legal standing, but are still familiar, writes Anthony R. Wood for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
There are about 330 municipalities in the Philadelphia region that govern and collect taxes, but often, within these municipalities are places with names that predate the local government.
Some are called U.S. Census Designated Places. Others are part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Board of Geographic Names, created in 1890.
The Board of Geographic Names was created to clean up inconsistencies and contradictions in naming places during 19th-century exploration and westward expansion.
Wayne is a naming board “place” located within the municipality of Radnor Township in Delaware County, but portions of towns in Chester and Montgomery Counties also have Wayne mailing addresses.
The Haverford Post Office on the Main Line is actually in Lower Merion, not Haverford Township.
Haverford is a naming board name and includes portions of Haverford and Lower Merion Townships.
“Havertown” is a place recognized by the naming board as a section of Haverford Township, while Haverford College is a Census Designated Place, with the campus shared by Haverford and Lower Merion.
Read more about places in the region that technically exist in name only in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
