This situation was counterpoised by the rise of University City, which was quickly becoming a rival for Center City in term of jobs and investment. To accommodate the bourgeoning population, in 1844 Hamiltonville, Mantua, and Powelton joined together to incorporate as the borough of West Philadelphia, before being brought into the city proper with the consolidation of 1854. In the mid-1980s, crack cocaine reached West Philadelphia and wreaked havoc in many neighborhoods, resulting in a crime wave that scared off many middle-class African Americans and some of the remaining white families as well. In later decades, many of these large row houses were subdivided into apartments and were joined by larger multiunit buildings as the neighborhoods continued to boom. West Philadelphia's streets are laid out in a modified grid. Starting at $1,140 USD /mo. For eight remarkable decades, local Philadelphia fans consistently supported a series of Black baseball clubs whose successes generated racial pride and represented a triumph of African American institution-building. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2007. The map below highlights areas of . The community has a fair number of Afro-Caribbean/Caribbean American residents, from the Jamaica, Haiti, Barbados, and other areas of the West Indies, as well as a growing number of African immigrants. In the twenty-first century, portions near the University of Pennsylvania, in particular, enjoyed a resurgence. 927 Spruce Street. The upgrades to campus were impressive. From radios earliest days, Philadelphia-area college and high school students have tested its boundaries. But over the course of the twentieth century, as the area became majority African American, it was hobbled by racist lending and employment practices. Immigration Surged The immigrant population spiked 59% in 17 years Shoppers at the Hung Vuong Supermarket on Washington Avenue in South Philadelphia. The setback of these houses was 25 feet, allowing generous front yards. The Orlons, who recorded the hit song 'South Street,' formed at Overbrook High School in West Philadelphia in the 1950s. Per capita is the best measure of the average spending power of each person in the city. Man, 44, shot in the head and killed on a Germantown street, police say The land also houses over 750 historic plants and trees, some grown from seeds brought to Philadelphia by the 1804 Lewis and Clark expedition. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2011. The street grid ends at Cobbs Creek Park along with the western political boundary of Philadelphia, but many of the street names and a roughly similar street grid (it begins to degrade outside the city) continue beyond the city limits into Upper Darby Township, into which Market Street runs uninterrupted to 69th street at the El terminal, where it turns into West Chester Pike and runs through Delaware County and into Chester County. The Demographic Statistical Atlas of the United States - Statistical Atlas A series of wooden and iron bridges were constructed to replace it until the modern-era span was completed in 1932. Demographic data shown in this section was gathered from the latest U.S. Census Bureau release, the 2020 . 1 Beds Bds; . After a slow start, the Science Center eventually prospered. Select your ideal criteria and let Scout do the rest. Please note: Unemployment data updated November 2022. 1970 Census Tracts | West Philadelphia Community History Center Total Population by Neighborhood#5 The home, a Federal-style mansion with a two-story columned portico, sat on a 250-acre parcel of land when it was constructed in 1770. Rural cemeteries were promoted in the mid-nineteenth century as a solution to crowded city churchyard and municipal cemeteries that also provided residents of the citys crowded center with green space for recreation and fresh air. By this standard, about 231,000 Philadelphia householdsor about 529,000 peoplewere cost-burdened in 2018, the last year for which data was available. West Philadelphia, PA Household Income, Population & Demographics | Point2 It was the first covered bridge in the United States. Although this part of the region witnessed small settlements of Lenape and Swedes who established Lutheran churches and log cabins on the west side of the Schuylkill, it was not included in the original plan of Philadelphia. As of early 2017, large proposed developments in West Philadelphia include the 30th Street Station District and Schuylkill Yards. Of this, 45.85% are males and 54.15% are females. In 1900 West Philadelphia had 148,548 residents, in 1910 the number grew to 247,928, and by 1920 there were 359,601. The decision tarnished Penns community relations for many years to follow, especially as the University City Science Center failed to promptly live up to the universitys lofty goals. Then on the far bank of the Schuylkill, port and mercantile infrastructure began to build up at this westward point of entry to the city. The Route 10 trolley runs along Lancaster Avenue from 63rd and Malvern Avenue through to 36th and Ludlow Streets where a portal allows access to the subway tunnel into Center City. Read more about Scout's Demographic Data. Community groups have called on SEPTA to reopen closed Regional Rail stations in areas further away from the Market-Frankford Line and the Broad Street Line. Unveiled at the University of Pennsylvanias Moore School of Electrical Engineering in 1946, the world's first nontechnical computer, the ENIAC, consisted of 40 nine-foot-high cabinets containing 18,000 vacuum tubes, 10,000 capacitors, 6,000 switches, and 1,500 relays. Penn took full advantage of postwar federal largesse, competing successfully with its counterparts in higher education for research and development grantsespecially after the flood of funding following the Soviet Unions Sputnik success in 1957. By the 1840s developers in Philadelphia, which was the second-largest city in the United States at the time, were already looking beyond the Schuylkill for fresh land. This postindustrial economic vise resulted in the kind of divestment and shadow economy dealings that blighted many other inner city neighborhoods. New Census figures on Philly neighborhoods show inequality, high - WHYY In that year, 40% of the city's households were cost-burdened, a figure that is in line with many other major cities. West Philadelphia Census Statistics | West Philadelphia Community Computer and Internet Use. The world view has basic facts, trade, and projections by country. The NeighborhoodScout search engine is covered under US Patents No. Language other than English spoken at home, percent of persons age 5 years+, 2017-2021. 1115 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19107 - Point2 2023 University of Pennsylvania University Archives and Records Center, The West Philadelphia Community History Center is sponsored by the, University of Pennsylvania University Archives and Records Center. Retail districts lined every street where there was a station as well as along Market Street. The most comprehensive, authoritative reference source ever created for the Philadelphia region. The main thoroughfare, Market Street, runs East and West, paralleled to the north and south by smaller streets named for tree species. Everything from printers and bakeries to slaughterhouses and mirror manufacturers dotted this slice of the landscape. The device ignited fuel in a generator on the roof, causing a fire that spread through the neighborhood. Professional, scientific, and technical services, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders. Since the mid-nineteenth century, West Philadelphia's fortunes have risen and fallen with shifts in transportation and demographics. The Black population swelled again during World War II, breaking West Philadelphia's racial boundaries by moving south of Market Street and west of Fifty-Ninth Street. The 36 trolley leaves the 40th Street transit tunnel running along Woodland Avenue until 49th Street where it turns south to continue along Lindbergh Boulevard turning at Elmwood Avenue starting at 55th Street. Data.census.gov, Census Data API, and Census Search will be unavailable due to scheduled maintenance from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Estimates are not comparable to other geographic levels due to methodology differences that may exist between different data sources. Total Population 1,576,251. City Center West, Pennsylvania Population & Demographics The Route 13 trolley runs along Chester Avenue from the transit tunnel at 40th Street and Baltimore Avenue to 67th Street where it turns off Chester Avenue and continues along PA Route 13 into Yeadon, Delaware County on to its terminus at Green Lane. Learn how and when to remove this template message, West Philadelphia Streetcar Suburb Historic District, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, National Register of Historic Places listings in West Philadelphia, "Studio 34's Eponymous Trolley, or, A Short History of Route 34", Mastery Charter Schools' big test in Philadelphia, "Commodore Theatre in Philadelphia, PA - Cinema Treasures", West Philadelphia Community History Center, Graduate Hospital / Southwest Center City. For more information, please visit the 2021 5-year ACS Comparison Guidance page. Airy, West Oak Lane, East Oak Lane, Rhawnhurst, Germantown, Mayfair, Tacony, Wynnefield and Olney. U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Philadelphia city, Pennsylvania The western portion of the neighborhood was once home to some of the most expensive real estate in the country (and much striking Victorian-era architecture remains). By the 1930s one of the more notable developments in West Philadelphia was the growing number of Black residents and the discriminatory pressures that boxed them into an intensely segregated area stretching south to Market Street, west to Fifty-Ninth Street, and bounded to the north and east by the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the river beyond it. These are the most common groups that city residents self-reported as their ancestry. Instead, it provided unarmed security services to patrol the area and exercised soft power to provide incentives to staff, from professors to janitors, to buy and repair homes in a catchment area around the university. An alternate definition includes all city land west of the Schuylkill; this would also include Southwest Philadelphia and its neighborhoods. Housing was at a premium, and due to the desirability of the area, the newspaper of record noted that more than any other section of the city, West Philadelphia encouraged the construction of apartment buildings and the subdivision of old mansions to accommodate the boom. As the student body swelled in the first half of the nineteenth century, the center city campus was expanded and new buildings were constructed to replace the Presidents House, but the school still needed more space. 77th and 86th Streets run just a few blocks before they leave the city for surrounding jurisdictions. This activity resulted in the rejuvenation of the neighborhoods surrounding the university and the historically mixed-race neighborhood to its immediate west, which in 2010 became majority white for the first time since 1970. In the 1960s and 1970s, illuminated signs announced what speed to drive to travel 4.3 miles into Center City without stopping for a red light. ET on Saturday, 3/4/2023. Asian and Hispanic residents may identify with one of the more specific subcategories. Our nationally-comparable school ratings are covered under US Patent No. Later Tudor and Spanish Revival houses, and the Art Deco influenced apartment houses also filled in available lot spaces between developments and made it possible for more middle-class Philadelphians to move to the area. Follow Backgrounders on Twitter Mummies have captured the imagination and sparked the curiosity of Philadelphians since the Colonial Era. None of the households in Philadelphia, PA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. Many public sector unions became majority African American, or at least enjoyed large minorities of Black members, giving their neighborhoods larger political and economic anchors. Some estimates presented here come from sample data, and thus have sampling errors that may render some apparent differences between geographies statistically indistinguishable. The West Philadelphia Promise Zone - University of Pennsylvania Commuter trains have helped to shape and define Philadelphia and its region since their introduction in 1832. Methodology: . This photograph shows two clusters of houses on an otherwise vacant street, awaiting the relocation of residents before demolition. Arrivals from East Asia and Latin America, mainly Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, and Mexicans, have given the area small Hispanic and Asian American populations. This section compares the 50 most populous of those to each other. For the 1844-54 legal entity, see, Neighborhood of Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. West Philadelphia High School's student population of 372 students has declined by 22% over five school years. These neighborhoods were subjected to redlining, a discriminatory practice that prevented residents of undesirable neighborhoods from procuring mortgages or loans and exacerbated the poverty. The educational status of the citys residents who are 18 and older. [citation needed], The nation's oldest zoological garden, the Philadelphia Zoo, has exhibitions and educational programs. Some early residential developments along streetcar lines developed charters to preserve the residential character of the neighborhood by stipulating no undesirable industry could be established nearby. As African Americans began living in more neighborhoods, the white population began fleeing to the expanding suburbs. The Black population swelled again during World War II, breaking West Philadelphias racial boundaries by moving south of Market Street and west of Fifty-Ninth Street. A few large estates were built during this time as well, most notably the Hamilton familys Woodlands with its iconic Georgian mansion and that of John Bartram (1699-1777), the renowned botanist and Quaker who cultivated extensive gardens along the banks of the Schuylkill. The first building constructed, College Hall, was designed by the universitys professor of architecture, Thomas Webb Richards, and clad in green serpentine, giving it its distinctive color. The law profession in Philadelphia dates back to the days of William Penn. A History of West Philadelphia, PA : Historical to Modern Day All the trademarks displayed on this page are the property of Location, Inc. No representation, guarantee or warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information modified or aggregated for specific neighborhoods and/or zip codes. 1 Baths Ba; 320 S. 10th Street. They were also discouraged, by legal means or by violence, from immediately following the white population into the growing suburbs. 16.5%. The North Philadelphia neighborhood, which straddles Germantown Avenue just west of Broad Street and Erie Avenue, has seen its population rise 4 percent (above the city's 1 percent increase), its housing prices rose 11 percent again above the citywide average. Today, Penns influence can be felt throughout the University City neighborhood it inhabits, from displacement of working-class black neighborhoods in the mid-twentieth century to more recent campaigns to revitalize the neighborhood and provide services and better schools for its residents. Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries. By the 1940s, the new area of settlement stretched from the river out to Fifty-Ninth Street and housed about forty-four thousand African Americans, from poor and working class by the water to the Black elite in the northwestern neighborhoods closest to the Main Line. West Philadelphia High School (2023 Ranking) - Philadelphia, PA West Philadelphia is the home to several universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, and Saint Joseph's University. In West Philadelphia, this incorporated the West Philadelphia and Belmont districts as well as Blockley and Kingsessing Townships into the city. Immigration has become a major driver of population growth in Philadelphia in recent years, with long-term demographic and economic implications for the city and the region. Etienne, Harley F. Pushing Back the Gates: Neighborhood Perspectives on University-Driven Revitalization in West Philadelphia. Over twenty-five hundred residents were displaced and the neighborhood was razed. Race, Diversity, and Ethnicity in Philadelphia, PA In 1963, four stone eagles were added to the bridge approaches after being salvaged from New York Citys recently demolished Penn Station. After Hamiltons death, much of the land was sold for residential and commercial development. Every day, thousands of vehicles travel this route, which is one of the major commuter routes into and out of Philadelphia from Delaware and Chester Counties. The process began during World War I, as Black migrants arrived in the city in increasing numbers. Today several bridges span the river, connecting West Philadelphia neighborhoods to the citys commercial heart. Both College Hall and the library remain standing and are West Philadelphia landmarks. Median household income provides the best measure of the budget of the typical family or other non-family household. As West Philadelphias population climbed in the 1920s to the point that would have ranked it the nineteenth most-populous city in the United States, ambitions for the area soared. 2010 Census Tracts | West Philadelphia Community History Center A click on a specific census tract as found in either the list or the map for a given census year will present a detailed map with a link to the demographic statistics for that census tract. Philly's forgotten middle: Places like West Oak Lane, Tacony endangered Mapping Progress in 55 Philadelphia Neighborhoods - Next City 1 non-Hispanic 2 excluding black and Asian Hispanics. This process accelerated with the full extension of the Market-Frankford line in 1907, which boosted settlement, including that of immigrant and Black laborers living close to the line. Blocks away from "West" were the West Philadelphia Catholic High Schools for Girls at 46th Street and Boys at 48th Street, now consolidated into West Catholic Preparatory High School in the building at 46th Street. The numbering pattern is mixed; someone traveling along Market Street into Upper Darby would cross 62nd Street, then Cobbs Creek Parkway/63rd St, then several named streets until finally arriving at 69th Street, skipping 6468. The West Indian population is largely concentrated in West Philadelphia, with smaller numbers in the Southwest and Northeast sections. Developers found they could increase profits by catering to this emerging group, shrinking lot sizes, and building more compact, less ornate houses. The Wynnefield neighborhood is a location frequently used by photographers and organizers of civic events. 2020 (latest available). Miller, Rogerand Joseph Siry. Outbreaks of violence, like the 1844 Nativist Riots in Kensington and Southwark, exposed the Philadelphia police departments inability to police areas outside of center city, spurring calls for consolidation. In 2008, the area around the Please Touch Museum, Philadelphia Zoo, and the Mann Music Center was designated the Centennial District: an area to be revitalized by the country's 250th birthday in 2026. Often branded the 'Surekill Distressway,' the Schuylkill Expressway, connecting the Heart of Philadelphia to the northwestern suburbs, has been on of Pennsylvania's popular and congested highways. Thus, it is sometimes, but not always, possible to track changes over time. Today many parts of West Philadelphia retain the character of those early streetcar suburbs. West Philadelphia High School was one of the biggest and most diverse schools in state when it was opened in 1911. West Philadelphia - Wikipedia Rows of Queen Anne and Colonial Revival style houses were built much further from the city center in neighborhoods like Cedar Park and Kingsessing and commercial corridors developed down streets like Baltimore Avenue and Fifty-Second Street. Jake Blumgart is a reporter for WHYYs PlanPhilly. [4], The Philadelphia Police Department divides West Philadelphia into four patrol districts: the 16th, 18th, 19th, and 92nd.[5]. Some of the largest concerns included the metal workings at Job T. Pughs Auger Works, the Otto Gas Engine Manufacturing Company, and the Allison & Sons Car & Tube Works, one of the biggest wagon firms in the nation until its destruction by fire in 1872. Hospitals and academic medical centers have played a central role in the economies of many major U.S. cities, including Philadelphia. Lancaster Avenue begins at 34th street near Drexel University; runs westward to the city line at City Avenue; and continues on as U.S. Route 30 to Lancaster, York, Pittsburgh. Population by Neighborhood in Philadelphia There are 158 neighborhoods that are fully or partially contained within Philadelphia (144 fully and 14 partially). Additionally, 6.11% of the population is represented by non-citizens. West Philadelphia Eastern North Philadelphia Kensington Strawberry Mansion West Philadelphia West Philadelphia is a diverse, close-knit and vibrant community home to family-friendly parks and schools, celebrated eateries, and an active arts and culture scene. Originally, Philadelphia city extended only from the Delaware River west to the Schuylkill River and from Vine Street to South Street. High school sports programs began in the nineteenth century in Greater Philadelphia. The decline of the neighborhoods after World War II allowed many of these old homes to be preserved by neglect as they were not under the pressures of more central neighborhoods to develop during the urban renewal movement of the mid-twentieth century. Follow The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia on Instagram Abraham Browers innovative omnibus service, introduced to Philadelphia in 1831, allowed new settlers speedy access into the central city. The El once powered the economic engine of West Philadelphia. Zip codes included in this demographic data: 3600 CONSHOHOCKEN AVENUE, Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia's Immigrants | The Pew Charitable Trusts Some, like the University of Pennsylvania's School of Nursing, continue to educate men and women in the field. Beginning in the 1990s, the University of Pennsylvania began a process of community engagement to help rebuild the surrounding neighborhoods by providing an unarmed security force in University City and establishing the university-affiliated Sadie Alexander School.