Marple Township municipal offices are located on 227 S. Sproul Road, Broomall, PA 19008; phone 610‑356‑4040.
Neighborhoods
Marple Township is located in the north-central part of eastern Delaware County. It is a comparatively mature suburban community exhibiting a wide range of land uses and development intensities. Historically, the community developed around the crossing of the West Chester Pike (Route 3) and Sproul Road in the northern half of the Township, in the area known as Broomall. [‡]
Marple, which was named after the village of Marpool, England, became an official governing body on June 5, 1864. There were 15 original owners who farmed plantations ranging in size from two to six hundred acres. Although the area was predominately a farm region, it was also home to gristmills, tanning, cotton factories, sawmills, chrome mines, and quarries. The Broomall Post Office, named after the Honorable John M. Broomall, a member of the Seventh Congressional District, was established in a general store at the intersection of Sproul Road and West Chester Pike on January 28, 1870. With the addition of a trolley line around the tum of the century, this area was the center of commerce for Marple Township and continued so into the 20th Century.
After World War II, Marple experienced substantial residential growth. A significant amount of land was ripe for residential development as the number of farms in the region was rapidly decreasing. Large residential developments, such as Lawrence Park, were constructed. By 1960, Marple was a bustling suburb of Philadelphia.
In 1991, the Blue Route (Interstate 476) was completed. This mid-county expressway extends from Chester to Plymouth Meeting and includes a five mile segment that hugs the southern and eastern boundary of the Township with full interchanges at West Chester Pike and Route One (Media Bypass). Over the past fifteen years, the Blue Route has become a vital artery providing access to major destinations in the Delaware Valley. As a result of Maple's proximity to the Blue Route, the Township has become a desirable location for homeowners and businesses.
‡ Marple Township Comprehensive Plan, 2006, www.marpletwp.com, accessed October, 2018.
Nearby Towns: Aldan Boro • Clifton Heights Boro • Collingdale Boro • Darby Twp • Easttown Twp • Folcroft Boro • Glenolden Boro • Haverford Twp • Lansdowne Boro • Lower Merion Twp • Media Boro • Middletown Twp • Morton Boro • Nether Providence Twp • Newtown Twp • Norwood Boro • Prospect Park Boro • Radnor Twp • Ridley Park Boro • Ridley Twp • Rose Valley Boro • Royersford Boro • Rutledge Boro • Sharon Hill Boro • Springfield Twp • Swarthmore Boro • Tinicum Twp • Tredyffrin Twp • Upper Darby Twp • Upper Providence Twp • West Conshohocken Boro •