[7] Land in the area was sold and settled soon after William Penn was named proprietor of the colonial-era Province of Pennsylvania in 1681 by King Charles II of England.

Peter and William Taylor bought the land where Media is now located, directly from Penn.

In 1683, the Court of Chester County approved the construction of "Providence Great Road", now Pennsylvania Route 252.

The road, which runs north from Chester to within a few blocks of today's downtown, is shown on a 1687 map along with the names of local landowners.

On March 11, 1850, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by Special Act of Assembly incorporated the Borough of Media, and made the sale of malt and spirituous liquors unlawful within its borders.

[14] Streets were plotted in a rectangular grid around the location of the new courthouse, lots were sold at public auctions, and the construction of houses began.

The name most likely comes from the borough's median location in the direct center of Delaware County.

[15] In 1940, the Pennsylvania guide described Media by noting that "[t]he majority of its houses, almost all built since the American Civil War, sit far back on shaded lawns and seem somewhat gloomy.

The borough has a large and prosperous business section and a few small industrial plants; many townspeople work in Philadelphia or Chester.

"[16] The John J. Tyler Arboretum occupies part of Thomas Minshall's original 625 acres (253 ha).

The Chestnut Grove was used for a year by nearby Swarthmore College due to a fire on its campus.

These documents revealed FBI tactics, like the recruitment of Boy Scouts as informants, and confirmed for the first time the existence of COINTELPRO, an FBI program to "expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize" dissident groups in the United States.

[6] Media is situated on high ground (250 to 350 feet (76 to 107 m) above sea level) draining west to Ridley Creek, a south-flowing tributary of the Delaware River.

[50] According to the United States Postal Service, the following addresses are included in the 19063 ZIP Code: Elwyn, Garden City, Glen Riddle, and Rose Valley.

Mark Paikoff is the president of the Media Borough Council, and Elizabeth Romaine is the vice-president.

As of April 2024, the other Council members are Kevin Boyer, Lisa Gelman, Jen Malkoun, Tray Herman, and Joi Washington.

[56] The Nativity BVM school administration chose not to file an appeal against the 2012 order to merge.

The archdiocese had originally planned to make Nativity BVM the regional campus, but changed when St. John Chrystosom had appealed the decision.

[66] Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), the 21st-busiest airport in the nation in 2022, is 11 miles' driving distance (about a 15-minute drive) from downtown Media, following Baltimore Pike east, then Interstate 476 south and Interstate 95 northeast.