Aldan calls itself Delaware County's "Community of Homes," and the nickname is literal: roughly 97 percent of the borough's 0.6 square miles is zoned residential. Yet this quiet, close-knit borough sits just 6 miles west of Center City Philadelphia, close enough that the city skyline peeks over the rooftops at the end of the block. Brick row homes and twins line tree-shaded streets, the SEPTA Route 102 trolley runs right through town, and the Clifton-Aldan Regional Rail station is a short walk from central Aldan. This guide covers what daily life in Aldan is really like, from its college-ready commute to a trolley museum most towns cannot match.
If you have been house-hunting around Upper Chichester and Boothwyn and love the idea of a safe, walkable small town that still puts you in the city in about 15 minutes, Aldan belongs on your Saturday drive list. For the full breakdown of the housing market, the school programs, every park, and all the frequently asked questions, skip to my complete Aldan community guide after this read.
A Borough Built Almost Entirely for Homes
Aldan was incorporated on September 22, 1893, carved out of Darby and Upper Darby Townships and named after the town of Aldan in Siberia. Roughly 4,200 people call the borough home today, and it developed the way its nickname suggests: as a streetcar suburb where early 20th-century houses clustered along the north-south streets that connected residents to the trolley lines heading into the city, many piped for gas before the borough was even fully electrified.
That heritage is still visible on streets like Woodlawn Avenue, Providence Road, and Aldan Road, where brick row homes with stone foundations, twins with shared driveways and covered porches, and modest detached bungalows sit under mature shade trees. With so little commercial land, Aldan keeps a genuinely quiet, neighborly feel that is increasingly rare six miles from a major city. The honest comparisons to Boothwyn, Upper Chichester, and the other Delco towns on your shortlist are in my Aldan community guide.
How Do Aldan Commuters Get to Center City?
Transit is where Aldan quietly shines. The Clifton-Aldan SEPTA station, on the Media/Wawa Line just across the borough's northern border, offers Regional Rail service that reaches Center City Philadelphia in about 20 to 25 minutes. Even more distinctive, the SEPTA Route 102 trolley, now part of the D2 Metro line, runs right through town on Woodlawn Avenue, connecting residents to the 69th Street Transportation Center and, from there, the Market-Frankford El and the Norristown High Speed Line.
Drivers have it just as easy. Center City is about 6 miles east, roughly 12 to 15 minutes in normal traffic via Baltimore Pike or MacDade Boulevard, and Philadelphia International Airport is about 7 miles away, around 12 minutes. Wilmington, DE is about 18 miles southwest down I-95. For anyone who wants city access without the city's wage tax, that combination is hard to beat. The full route-by-route commute breakdown is waiting in the complete Aldan guide.
What Does Housing Cost in Aldan?
Aldan is one of the more affordable close-in suburbs anywhere west of the city. The typical home value sits around $315,000, with recent sales trending between roughly $280,000 and $345,000 depending on size and condition. The housing stock is mostly row homes and twins from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, most around 1,200 to 1,800 square feet, and about 73.5 percent of residents own their homes, a sign of how stable and rooted the community is.
And because Aldan is outside Philadelphia city limits, residents keep more of every paycheck as well. For buyers priced out of Media, Swarthmore, or even Lansdowne, Aldan offers a genuine entry point into Delaware County with a commute downtown that will not eat your morning. For current listings, price points by street, and what the tax picture really looks like, use my Aldan community guide as your starting point.
Aldan Schools: What District Serves the Borough?
Aldan is served by the William Penn School District, which covers about 5,000 students across the boroughs of Aldan, Colwyn, Darby, East Lansdowne, Lansdowne, and Yeadon. Right inside the borough, Aldan Elementary School at 700 Woodlawn Avenue serves students through sixth grade and is walkable from most Aldan homes. From there, students move on to Penn Wood Middle School, the Penn Wood 9th Grade Academy, and Penn Wood High School.
School fit is personal, so I always walk families through the specific buildings, bus stops, and programs that match their kids. For the deeper district rundown, the nearby private and parochial options, and how William Penn compares to the Chichester School District serving Boothwyn and Upper Chichester, the complete Aldan guide lays it all out.
Parks in a Borough of Just 0.6 Square Miles
For a borough its size, Aldan is strikingly park-rich, with six public green spaces within walking distance of almost every home. Aldan Veterans Memorial Park, beside Aldan Elementary on Woodlawn Avenue, is the centerpiece with its playground and memorial. Carr Field adds two baseball fields and a basketball court for youth sports and pick-up games, and pathways connect out to Ridley Creek State Park in Media, about 15 minutes north, and the Crum Woods natural preserve near Swarthmore.
It is the kind of town where kids walk to the ball field and neighbors wave from their porches, all within view of the city. The park-by-park rundown is in the Aldan community guide.
The Aldan Trolley Stop Museum Is a One-of-a-Kind Landmark
Few towns anywhere can point to a museum built inside their old trolley stop. The Aldan Trolley Stop Museum sits in the historic Clifton-Aldan station building, a Victorian-era structure that once served as a stop on the Philadelphia and West Chester Traction Company line. It preserves the story of the trolley and rail network that first built Aldan as a commuter town, a living piece of transit history right beside the modern SEPTA station.
Aldan United Methodist and the borough's other longtime institutions anchor a community with deep roots, and the anniversary of the borough's 1893 incorporation still gets celebrated around town. For the full history, the landmarks worth a walk-by, and the details on visiting the museum, skip over to my complete Aldan community guide.
Who Is Aldan a Good Fit For?
Aldan suits first-time buyers who want an affordable home close to the city, young professionals who ride the trolley and the train to work, families who value a safe, walkable borough with neighborhood ball fields, and anyone who flies often and likes a 12-minute airport run. It welcomes longtime locals and newcomers alike, with deep roots and an active borough council that keeps the community talking through Nextdoor and around the parks.
If you are weighing Aldan against towns you have already toured around Upper Chichester, the combination of a real transit commute, suburban quiet, and affordability is hard to match anywhere else in Delco.
Downtown in 15 Minutes, Home on a Quiet Street
Aldan delivers a lot in a very small footprint: a genuinely quiet residential borough, brick row homes and twins on tree-lined streets, a trolley and Regional Rail stop at its doorstep, a one-of-a-kind trolley museum, and a commute that gets you into Center City in a quarter of an hour. It is friendly, genuine, and closer to the city skyline than its price tag suggests.
When you are ready to look seriously at Delaware County homes, I would love to help. As a Realtor licensed in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, I guide buyers across Delco, from 115 Louise Dr in Upper Chichester to the small boroughs like Aldan that ring the city. Call me at 267-977-0304, or book a quick chat, and let me show you around. You can find more buyer and seller reads at AndreRichardson.com.
Andre Richardson
Realtor · HomeSmart Realty Advisors · PA RS349905 · NJ 1969348