Bryn Mawr landed on a national list of the nine most beautiful college towns in the United States, according to a ranking by World Atlas.

The ranking praised Bryn Mawr College's Gothic stone buildings, its manicured lawns and old trees, and the on-campus arboretum where visitors can see indigenous plants. World Atlas also spotlighted Ashbridge Park's walking trails and picnic spots, Rolling Hill's hiking trails and views, and the Barnes Foundation's collection of works by Picasso and Renoir.

The list placed Bryn Mawr alongside San Luis Obispo, California; Wellesley, Massachusetts; Burlington, Vermont; Annapolis, Maryland; and four other towns stretching from North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains to the San Juan peaks of Colorado.

Downtown Bryn Mawr drew attention, too. World Atlas noted that independent films play at Bryn Mawr Film Institute (BMFI), located in the Seville Theatre, and cited year-round events like the Bryn Mawr Twilight Concerts. BMFI sits at 824 W. Lancaster Ave., where the original Seville Theatre opened on Oct. 1, 1926, according to a BMFI press release.

The mention comes during a milestone year for the nonprofit theater. BMFI marked its centennial with a Centennial Soiree on Oct. 1, an event planned for 300 patrons, donors and cultural leaders.

"A hundred years ago, a single movie theater opened its doors on Lancaster Avenue, and it's been part of this community's story ever since," BMFI Executive Director Scott Fisher said in a Sept. 14 press release announcing the gala.

The theater's survival was not guaranteed. In the early 2000s, the building faced conversion into a fitness franchise, according to BMFI's published history. Lower Merion resident Juliet Goodfriend rallied civic and academic leaders to save it, and the nonprofit purchased the property in December 2004.

BMFI now serves nearly 120,000 patrons a year across four screens.

The centennial has drawn formal proclamations from Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon in the U.S. House of Representatives, Sen. Amanda Cappelletti in the Pennsylvania State Senate and the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.

Avery Galleries, also cited in the World Atlas ranking, rounds out the arts offerings along the Main Line. Residents looking for more community events can find BMFI's full schedule at brynmawrfilm.org.