Small town charm, big-city proximity
Located about 30 miles from Philadelphia, Malvern is a small borough in Chester County — so small, in fact, that at only 1.3 square miles, it’s just about a mile’s walk from end to end. It’s no surprise then that the community affectionately calls themselves Mayberry, a nod to the town from The Andy Griffith Show. “It’s because we’re a small town. We’re not just a community. We’re a family,” says Zeyn Uzman, mayor of the borough and resident of nearly twenty years. “That’s the thing I love about this town. Everybody watches out for everybody.”
While homes in the surrounding zip code all have Malvern addresses, it’s the homes specifically in the borough that can boast the walkability. The area has its own main street, where residents can dine and shop locally. “Just to give you a feel for it, I didn’t know a soul here, and I was looking for a place to live. I drove through the downtown area, and I said,’ This is it,’” Uzman says. “There was just so much charm, with all those little shops, the post office, the trees.” The borough also boasts several city parks, a calendar of community events, and a highly-rated public school district. And for anything folks can’t get in a small town, Uzman says it’s anywhere between 40 to 50 minutes by train to Philly or about 45 minutes in the car.
Homes are flying off the shelves in Malvern
All homes in the borough, which includes a mix of single-family homes, townhouses, and a few condos, are walkable to the shops and businesses on King Street. With a median price of $700,000, homes are well over Chester County’s median home value of $512,500. It’s not detracting buyers, though. “I think one of the indications of how much people want to be here is when a house goes for sale, it may only last a day or two,” Uzman says. “And I know the housing market is nuts everywhere, and it’s not uncommon for houses to sell in a weekend now — but it’s been like that for 15 years. There are times that all you have to do is say that you’re putting your house up for sale, and there isn’t even a sign posted, and it sells.”
A walkable main street and plenty more nearby
King Street is where all of Malvern’s local mom-and-pop shops are concentrated, which include restaurants, boutiques, furniture stores, and a Wawa – it is Philadelphia, after all. Because there are still a number of vacant storefronts, the city just formed a non-profit organization to make some improvements to the area. “We are trying to revitalize it by analyzing what stores we do have and what stores the public wants,” Uzman says. For anything folks can’t find along King Street, they can head to Uptown Worthington Shopping Center, which has big-box stores like Target and Wegmans. Malvern is also between two major malls; Exton Square Mall is about 7 miles west of town, while the King of Prussia Mall is about 9 miles in the opposite direction.
Annual town traditions
Malvern boasts the longest continuously-running Memorial Day parade in the country, a tradition that goes back to the Civil War. “Even during Covid, people in town marched the route so we could say we were continuously doing it,” Uzman says. “If you picture a small-town Memorial Day parade, where you have all the high school bands, reenactors, tractors, antique cars, anything you can picture — ours has all of those things.” Another big one is the local fire department’s annual fundraiser, a week-long fair complete with rides, games, food, and fireworks. Smaller events throughout the year include the farmer’s market – weekly during the summer and twice monthly in the winter — plus movie nights in Burke Park.
City parks and sporting events
The borough has five city parks, one of which is Burke Park, a community hub for events like movie nights. Another, Randolph Woods, is a 40-acre forested preserve that was the subject of a 2020 study; the resulting master plan includes a list of action items the city is working through, like creating new trails and remediating invasive species. Malvern is also home to the Paoli Battlefield, the site of the “Paoli Massacre” during the Revolutionary War. The grounds offer walking and jogging trails and are a gathering spot for local events. Sports lovers can always head to the city to access Phillies, Eagles, and Flyers games. “When the Phillies are in the World Series, this town goes nuts,” Uzman says.
Highly-rated options for public and private education
Students attend schools in the Great Valley School District, which Niche awards an overall grade of A and the No. 5 spot in their Best School Districts in Chester County list. The district serves approximately 5,000 students from Malvern and the surrounding area. The district operates four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. A number of highly-rated prep schools are also located in Malvern. Malvern Preparatory School is an all-boys school rated A-plus by Niche and named No. 1 in Niche’s Best Catholic High Schools in Pennsylvania list and Best All-Boys High Schools in Pennsylvania list. Villa Maria Academy High School is graded A and ranked No. 13 in Niche’s Best Catholic High Schools in Pennsylvania list.
Getting around
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority, or SEPTA, operates a commuter rail line that stops at Malvern Station; residents can get to the city within an hour’s time. Buses also make several stops along King Street that run southwest to West Chester (the county seat) and northeast to King of Prussia. Vanguard, a major employer in the area, is less than ten minutes away by car.
Crime
According to the Crime in Pennsylvania Dashboard, a service provided by the Pennsylvania State Police, there were 17 Class A offenses in Malvern in 2023, which include 11 larcenies, three simple assaults, two motor vehicle thefts, and one aggravated assault. “I see most of the police reports, and we really don’t have crime here. We have the kids doing graffiti or rifling through cars. And many of the people going through cars aren't even residents; they come from Philly,” Uzman says. “To put things in perspective, we have our own police force with six excellent police officers. They check every door of every business at night, and if the door is unlocked, they go in and walk around to make sure everything is undisturbed and call the owners because they know them and all the residents.”
