A small walkable borough adjacent to the largest mutual-fund company on the planet. Three blocks of King Street, a SEPTA station that's a four-minute walk from most of the borough, and one of the tightest single-family housing markets in southeastern Pennsylvania.
In September 1777, British troops surprised Anthony Wayne's Continental Army camp three miles east of present-day Malvern in what became known as the Paoli Massacre. The borough that grew up around the rail station forty years later was named for the Malvern Hills in England — but the original ground here is older than the country.
The Pennsylvania Railroad's "Main Line" ran through this farmland in the 1830s. A station opened, named for the Malvern Hills by a local hotelier with English roots. By 1889 a small borough had been chartered around the station — three blocks of commercial King Street, a few residential blocks of Tudor and Victorian-era singles, and a Quaker meeting that traced back to the 1720s.
The borough stayed small on purpose. Only 1.2 square miles, only 3,400 people, fully built out by 1930. What surrounded it — Willistown, Charlestown, East Whiteland Townships — filled in slowly through the 20th century with farms, then estates, then subdivisions. Vanguard's 1981 arrival in Malvern Borough's adjacent corporate park changed everything outside the borough lines without touching the borough itself.
Vanguard's 17,000-employee Malvern campus is two miles southwest of King Street. The corporate park around it has expanded to include AstraZeneca, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Cerdec, Siemens Healthineers, and a dozen smaller pharma and finance firms. The combined corporate footprint is one of the largest concentrations of high-paying employment in southeastern Pennsylvania — and Malvern Borough is the closest walkable downtown to all of it.
The math has been brutal for buyers. Three- and four-bedroom singles inside the borough that traded for $400k in 2010 trade for $900k now. Townhomes near the train station that were $300k are $625k. Inventory averages fewer than ten active listings most months. The borough has appreciated faster than almost any other small town in the state — and there's no reason to expect that to slow as long as Vanguard keeps adding seats.
Three walkable blocks. Christopher's Family Restaurant, Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza, the Thai Pad, Paramour, the General Warren Inn (1745). Small, but enough.
SEPTA Paoli/Thorndale Line stops at Malvern Station. 50 minutes to 30th Street, half-hour service most of the day. Most borough residents who commute to Center City don't drive.
Operating continuously since 1745. Pre-Revolutionary tavern, original wooden beams, allegedly a few original ghosts. The borough's living-room dining option for special occasions.
Vanguard's two-mile distance from King Street is the entire reason Malvern is what it is. A surprising number of borough residents work there. A surprising number of borough's restaurants are at lunchtime full of Vanguard ID badges.
The borough's 19355 zip splits between Great Valley School District (most of borough + Willistown) and Tredyffrin-Easttown (small slice of borough + Easttown). Both are top-tier; T/E is #1 in PA. Verify before buying.
Stroll King on a Saturday morning. People know each other. The post office still has a line. The Halloween parade still happens on Halloween. Despite the corporate weight nearby, the borough still feels like a borough.
Original turn-of-the-century singles inside the borough. Three- to five-bedroom on quarter-acre lots. The defining product. Renovations are common; teardowns are rare.
Original turn-of-the-century singles inside the borough. Three- to five-bedroom on quarter-acre lots. The defining product. Renovations are common; teardowns are rare.
Newer townhome and condo developments in and around the borough. Three-story builds with garages. Often within walking distance of the train.
Detached singles in adjacent Willistown, East Whiteland, and Charlestown. Larger lots, less walkable. Same school catchments depending on exact address.
Multi-acre originals in Willistown and Charlestown. Stone-and-stucco, often with carriage houses, paddocks, equestrian use. The corridor's high-end.
Malvern moves on weeks-not-months timing. Borough singles often go off-market entirely — the best ones never reach Zillow. Townhomes near the train sell within days.
Tell us what you're looking for — borough Tudor, townhome, township single, or trophy estate — and we'll route you to what's coming up before it lists.
— Prosperity Real Estate & Investment Services