About Us:

Founded in 1683 and incorporated as a municipal government in 1900, Cheltenham Township, with a population of nearly 37,000, encompasses an area of 9.06 square miles and is conveniently located approximately 20 minutes from center city Philadelphia.

The community evolved from a quaint Quaker settlement in the late 1600s to an array of mill town industries in the 1700s and early Civil War settlements and railroad industries in the 1800s. In the 1900s, Cheltenham became home to the famous industrial barons Henry W. Breyer, Sr., Jay Cooke, Cyrus H.K. Curtis, William Lukins Elkins, William Welsh Harrison, John B. Stetson, John N. Wanamaker and P.A.B. Widener and a showcase for famous buildings by master architects Horace Trumbauer and Frank Lloyd Wright.

Cheltenham is proud of its beautiful tree-lined residential neighborhoods with historic and vintage architecture, first-class recreational facilities, comprehensive libraries, services, convenient shopping, and of the diversity of its residents who make neighborhood block parties popular events and who are dedicated to volunteering for community activities. Past and present have successfully blended in Cheltenham. It has been designated a Preserve America Community, a Tree City USA and one of the 25 “Best Places to Live” according to Philadelphia Magazine.

History:

Cheltenham Township, as it exists today, is the product of over 300 years of history. The interactions of numerous generations have created a tapestry of events and people that have shaped both the physical and cultural development of the Township. The story of Philadelphia’s first suburb is filled with names of local, regional, and national significance. The physical manifestation of this history is the unique building stock that lends Cheltenham its sense of place and character. It is the express desire of the Township to promote and preserve these historical artifacts through the expansion of regulatory tools and historic preservation efforts.