Living in Ardmore PA: What to Know Before Moving to Ardmore
Ask a Litemovers Ardmore crew where they were last week and there is a good chance the answer includes Ardmore. It is one of the busiest stops on the Main Line for us, and for good reason. Ardmore gives you a real, walkable downtown, a train that gets you to Center City in about 20 minutes, and a housing mix that ranges from brick twins to stone colonials to brand-new apartments. If you are thinking about moving to Ardmore, here is an honest look at the town from people who carry furniture through its doorways every week.
Where Ardmore Actually Is
Ardmore is an unincorporated community that straddles two municipalities: most of it sits in Lower Merion Township (Montgomery County), and a smaller southern slice falls in Haverford Township (Delaware County). That line matters more than newcomers expect. It determines your school district, your trash pickup rules, your parking permit process, and who you call about a street-closure question on move day.
Lancaster Avenue (Route 30) runs through the middle of town and is the spine of daily life. Montgomery Avenue, Ardmore Avenue, and Haverford Road handle much of the local traffic, and the Blue Route (I-476) and Schuylkill Expressway (I-76) are both a short drive away.
Housing Types You Will Find in Ardmore
Ardmore’s housing stock is more varied than most Main Line towns, which is part of the appeal.
Twins and Rowhomes Near Downtown
The blocks around Ardmore Avenue, Cricket Avenue, Rittenhouse Place, and the streets south of Lancaster Avenue are full of early 1900s twins and attached homes. They tend to have narrow staircases, tight turns at the landing, and front porches that sit a few feet from the sidewalk. They are charming and well built, and they require careful furniture handling.
Single-Family Colonials and Tudors
North of Montgomery Avenue and toward the Haverford and Wynnewood borders, you move into detached stone and brick homes on larger lots. Many have detached garages, older plaster walls, and original hardwood floors that homeowners rightly want protected.
Newer Apartments and Condos
Development near the train station and Suburban Square has added mid-rise apartment buildings with elevators, loading areas, and building management rules. These are efficient apartment moves when the elevator is reserved in advance and a headache when it is not.
Commuting from Ardmore
Ardmore Station is the town’s biggest selling point for commuters. SEPTA’s Paoli/Thorndale Line runs frequently to 30th Street, Suburban Station, and Jefferson Station, and Amtrak’s Keystone Service also stops here, which is unusual for a suburb this size. Plenty of residents commute to Center City without owning a second car.
Driving is manageable but not fast. Lancaster Avenue backs up in the late afternoon. If you work in King of Prussia or Conshohocken, expect 20 to 35 minutes depending on the Schuylkill.
Schools in Ardmore
The municipal line splits the schools too. Addresses in Lower Merion Township feed the Lower Merion School District, which consistently ranks among the strongest public districts in Pennsylvania. Addresses in the Haverford Township portion feed the Haverford Township School District, also well regarded and typically paired with somewhat lower home prices. Verify the exact district for any address before you make an offer, because two houses on the same street can fall in different districts.
Cost of Living
Ardmore is expensive by Pennsylvania standards and moderate by Main Line standards. Twins and smaller single-family homes generally cost less than comparable properties in Bryn Mawr or Haverford, while renovated colonials on the Lower Merion side reach well into seven figures. Rents in the newer buildings near the station are among the highest in the western suburbs. Property taxes in Lower Merion are substantial, so factor them into any budget.
Things to Do
The reason people choose Ardmore over a quieter Main Line town is that you can walk to almost everything.
- Suburban Square – One of the country’s earliest planned shopping centers, now home to national retailers, restaurants, and a year-round farmers market.
- Downtown Lancaster Avenue – Independent restaurants, a music venue, a brewery, and the kind of coffee shops that fill up with laptops by 9 a.m.
- Parks and trails – South Ardmore Park, Ardmore Avenue Community Center, and quick access to the Cynwyd Heritage Trail and the Haverford College Nature Trail.
- Neighboring towns – Bryn Mawr, Haverford, Wynnewood, and Narberth are each a few minutes away, so dining and shopping options multiply quickly.
What Moving Day Looks Like in Ardmore
This is the part most relocation guides skip. Ardmore is a great place to live and a moderately tricky place to move into. Here is what we plan for.
Street Width and Truck Access
Many residential streets near downtown were laid out before cars. A full-size moving truck cannot always park directly in front of a twin on Cricket Avenue or Simpson Road without blocking the street. We often stage the truck at the nearest legal spot and shuttle with dollies, or send a smaller truck when the survey tells us access is tight. This is one of the reasons we ask for photos or a video walkthrough before every Ardmore move.
Parking and Permits
Several downtown blocks fall under Lower Merion’s residential permit parking program, and metered spots on Lancaster Avenue and near Suburban Square are enforced. There is no simple “reserve the curb” process the way there is in Philadelphia, so we coordinate with homeowners ahead of time, arrive early, and use cones where appropriate. The Lower Merion Township website at lowermerion.org is the right place to confirm current parking regulations for your block. If you are on the Haverford Township side, the rules are different, so check there instead.
Apartment and Condo Rules
The newer buildings near the station typically require an elevator reservation, a certificate of insurance from the mover, and a specific move-in window. Some limit moves to weekdays. We handle the paperwork, but the reservation itself usually has to come from the resident, so start that conversation with your building as soon as you have a date.
Older Homes and Tight Staircases
Twins built in 1910 were not designed for a queen box spring or a three-seat sofa. Before move day, we measure the pieces that concern us and look at the stairwell and landing. Sometimes a sofa goes in through a second-floor window with straps; sometimes we recommend a split box spring. Either way, it is far better to know before the truck is loaded.
Protecting Floors, Doors, and Railings
Original hardwood, stone thresholds, and turned wood banisters are common here. Our crews lay floor runners, pad door frames, and wrap railings as standard practice on Ardmore homes, whether it is a move-in, move-out, or a short-term stay in our storage vaults while renovations wrap up.
A Quick Pre-Move Checklist for Ardmore
- Confirm which township and school district your new address falls in.
- Ask your building or HOA about elevator reservations, move-in fees, and insurance requirements.
- Check Lower Merion or Haverford Township parking rules for your block.
- Measure large furniture against stairwells and doorways.
- File your change of address with the U.S. Postal Service and update PECO and your water provider.
- Book your mover early. Late spring through early fall fills up quickly on the Main Line, and university move-in weeks add pressure to the calendar.
Is Moving to Ardmore Right for You?
If you want walkability, a strong train connection, good schools, and a housing mix that includes something under a million dollars, Ardmore is one of the best-balanced towns on the Main Line. The trade-offs are real: traffic on Lancaster Avenue, higher taxes on the Lower Merion side, and older homes that demand a little more care to move into. None of those are reasons to stay away. They are just reasons to plan.
Litemovers has helped families, retirees, and first-time buyers with moving to Ardmore for years, and we handle everything from local Main Line moves and full-service packing to senior downsizing, apartment and elevator moves, and secure storage when the timeline does not line up perfectly. We know which streets need a smaller truck and which buildings need paperwork three weeks out.
More Litemovers Resources for Ardmore and the Main Line
- Ardmore Moving & Storage – Our Ardmore service page, including buildings and communities we work in regularly.
- Lower Merion Movers – Township-wide moving help for Ardmore, Wynnewood, Bala Cynwyd, and Narberth.
- Moving to Philadelphia’s Main Line – How the Main Line towns compare for relocators.
- Wynnewood Storage – Vault storage minutes from Ardmore for renovation gaps and delayed closings.
- Haverford Moving & Storage – For addresses on the Haverford Township side of the line.
- Apartment & Community Moving Guides – Building-specific move-in rules for Main Line apartments.
Planning a move to Ardmore, the Main Line, or anywhere in the Philadelphia area? Contact Litemovers for a free quote and practical guidance before move day.
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