The Best of Montco
Montgomery County offers residents everything they need to flourish.
There are oodles of reasons to love Montgomery County, enough to inspire families to make it their home for generations.
Montgomery County’s 487 square miles are home to more than 876,000 residents, making it the third-most populous county in Pennsylvania. It boasts a strong Quaker heritage and abolitionist connections to Lucretia Mott, Hiram Corson, and the Underground Railroad. Today, it not only enjoys a diverse population of people of all backgrounds, but is also the second-wealthiest county in Pennsylvania, behind Chester.
The county’s many major employers includes award-winning school districts such as Abington, Hatboro-Horsham, Lower Merion, Norristown, North Penn, Souderton and Spring-Ford. Its leaders in health care and higher education—Aetna, Arcadia University, GlaxoSmithKline, Holy Redeemer Health System, Janssen, Jefferson Abington Hospital, Main Line Health, McNeil Consumer Healthcare, Merck, Montgomery County Community College (MCCC), Pfizer, and Quaker Chemical Corp.—are growing precipitously. The county also has the third-largest mall in the nation (King of Prussia), and is home to the global defense and security leader Lockheed Martin, as well as the 130-year-old food powerhouse Hatfield, among other commercial entities.
Montgomery County has always excelled as a culinary destination, with every area of the county having high-quality restaurants. Familiar favorites include the William Penn Inn (Gwynedd), TRESINI and Bridgets Steakhouse (Ambler), The Butcher and Barkeep (Harleysville), Versante and Lederach Corner Store Piano Bar (Schwenksville), Eddie V’s Prime Seafood and Davio’s (King of Prussia), Parc Bistro (Skippack), Il Boscaiolo (Lansdale), DePaul’s Table (Ardmore), il Fiore and The Pullman (Bryn Mawr), Agua Bistro (Eagleville), and Lark (Bala Cynwyd), to name just a few.
Culture and entertainment are alive and well in the county, with a plethora of live acts as well as beautiful movie houses. From performing-arts attractions such as Act II Playhouse, DCP Theatre, Keswick Theatre, Methacton Community Theater, Montgomery Theater, Playcrafters, and Theatre Horizon, to independent arthouse theaters such as Bryn Mawr’s Film Institute, Souderton’s Broad Theater, Jenkintown’s Hiway Theater, and Ambler Theater, residents have boundless entertainment options.
There are other integral aspects of the county that should not be ignored. This is an inclusive community that supports its LGBTQ+ and multi-race citizens, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, or culture. The county’s towns and boroughs offer comprehensive resources that fight discrimination and bias in health and social interactions, and provide programs and services that support safety and well-being.
The county’s phenomenal library system offers free lectures and other programming, employs well-trained staff, and serves some of the most at-risk communities. The county’s YMCAs offer affordable afterschool and summer camp programs in beautiful, well-funded branches. College life is another rising area for the county, bringing in more than 30,000 students annually. Two- and four-year establishments include Arcadia, Bryn Mawr, Gratz, Harcum, Haverford, Manor, MCCC, Penn State Abington, Salus, Temple Ambler, and Ursinus, among others.
Something else that should be fêted and celebrated is the way the county government functions. The county commissioners work as a smart, engaged, affable team that gets things done. Chair Neil K. Makhija, Vice Chair Jamila H. Winder, and Commissioner Thomas DiBello are a well-oiled machine, putting the county’s needs first—and it shows. The county’s leaders don’t always agree, but they respect each other, and are supported by a roster of strong and committed row officers.
Montco has also become a magnet for high-quality health care, from sprawling health systems to private practices. Penn Medicine recently broke ground on a 162,000-square-foot multispecialty outpatient facility in Montgomeryville that will provide comprehensive cancer care, including radiation oncology services and chemotherapy provided by the Abramson Cancer Center; the facility is scheduled to open in 2027. On the other end of the spectrum, Innovative Oral Surgery & Dental Implants, whose roots were planted in Bucks County soil nearly 50 years ago, recently opened a modern outpatient surgical center in Abington.
For more “better living” attributes, look no further than Montgomery County’s Division of Parks, Trails & Historic Sites: nine county parks, 60-plus miles of regional trails, five county historic sites, and the magnificent Valley Forge National Historical Park in King of Prussia. Many Montco towns are eminently walkable, including Ambler, Glenside, Jenkintown, Lansdale, Narberth, and Skippack.
There is plenty happening to sustain the county’s future. Besides new medical centers, Montco has massive multi-use complexes redefining the landscape and new apartments coming online all across the area. Valley Forge Casino Resort is undergoing a multimillion-dollar refresh, Melrose Country Club and St. Basil Academy are being transformed into housing, and King of Prussia is gaining more retail. People want to live here, and that means jobs—lots of them.
Montgomery County is a prime example of what working together can do for its population. While imperfect, the county addresses areas of concern through innovation, open-mindedness, and communication. It’s a great place to live, a place where people can flourish and be who they want to be.
Photo by M. Edlow for GPTMC/Visit Philadelphia
Published (and copyrighted) in Suburban Life, June 2025.
