Northwest Philadelphia

Not to be confused with North Philadelphia West.

Neighborhood of Philadelphia in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Northwest Philadelphia

Neighborhood of Philadelphia

Manayunk skyline in the Roxborough-Manayunk district in Northwest Philadelphia

Map of Philadelphia County with Northwest highlighted neighborhood. Click for larger image.

Country|  United States of America
State|  Pennsylvania
County|  Philadelphia
City|  Philadelphia
Population

(2010)

• Total

| ~170,000~
ZIP codes|

19118, 19119, 19127, 19128, 19129, 19138, 19144, 19150

Northwest Philadelphia is a section of the city of Philadelphia. The official boundary is Stenton Avenue to the north, the Schuylkill River to the southwest, Northwestern Avenue to the northwest, Roosevelt Boulevard to the south, and Wister Street and Stenton Avenue to the east. Conventionally, the area east of Wissahickon Creek, which comprises Germantown, Mount Airy, Chestnut Hill, and Cedarbrook, is termed the 'Upper Northwest', and the area west of the creek, which comprises Roxborough, Wissahickon, East Falls, and Manayunk, is termed the 'Lower Northwest'. The area of Philadelphia west of the Schuylkill River is known as West Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Police Department patrols two districts located within Northwest Philadelphia. The two patrol districts serving Northwest Philadelphia are the 5th and 14th districts.[1]

## Demographics and culture

[edit]

Northwest Philadelphia has substantial African American, Irish-American, Jewish-American, German-American, Italian-American, and British American (English American/Scottish American) populations, but its culture is varied, and only smaller neighborhoods within it can be said to be known for one ethnicity predominating. In 2011, Northwest Philadelphia lost 8.6 percent of its population. In 1990, African Americans account for "slightly more than 50 percent of the population".[2]

Compared with other sections of Philadelphia, a substantial portion of the Northwest retains a more suburban feel. In East Falls there are large Tudor homes and big modern ranch homes on sizable properties only blocks from more humble townhouses and rowhouses. Upper Roxborough has post-World War II suburban housing developments, while Lower Roxborough consists mostly of rowhouses and urban twin houses and apartments over storefronts. There are also blocks of large Victorian homes peppered among the rowhouses. In some places the buildings and street grid have existed for three centuries, other spots nearby were farmland until after World War II, and have infrastructure that is very recently developed, 18th-century farmhouses to 19th-century rowhouses to 20th-century shopping centers. From an enclave of working-class Germantown rowhouses and small single mansions to the wealthy estates of Chestnut Hill, both may have been built in the period of 1880-1920.

## Terrain and geography

[edit]

Northwest Philadelphia is known for its hilly terrain, especially in the western half between the Wissahickon and the Schuylkill River. This hilly terrain is a distinct characteristic of Manayunk and Roxborough, making them popular for any recreation that can use a good hill (such as sledding and soapbox derbies, or especially challenging sessions of running and biking). Upper Roxborough, because it is one of the highest elevations in Philadelphia, is the site of a reservoir and many of the city's broadcast transmission towers. Ridge Avenue follows the ridge that divides the Wissahickon valley from the Schuylkill valley. Wissahickon Valley Park is located in Northwest Philadelphia.[3]

Northwest Philadelphia's street grid is oriented along axes of northeast-southwest and northwest-southeast. These axes are skewed almost exactly 45° from the true north-south and east-west axes of Philadelphia's main street grid. The Wissahickon gorge divides the "halves" of Northwest Philadelphia because of the relative scarcity of road crossings. The rail lines tend to rather thoroughly divide adjacent neighborhoods, for the same reason. Manayunk's street grid evolved completely independently from Germantown's.

## References

[edit]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Northwest Philadelphia.

1. ^ "Police Districts". Philadelphia Police Department. Retrieved May 4, 2012.
2. ^ "A City Transformed: The Racial and Ethnic Changes in Philadelphia Over the Last 20 Years" (PDF). pewtrusts.org. June 1, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
3. ^ "Community Health Assessment: Philadelphia Department of Public Health May 2014" (PDF). phila.gov. May 1, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2018.

* v
* t
* e

Communities of Philadelphia

Former municipalities are below.

Sections and
Neighborhoods|

| Center City|

* Avenue of the Arts
* Broad Street
* Chinatown
* Fitler Square
* Franklin Square
* Jewelers' Row
* Logan Square
* Old City
* Penn's Landing
* Rittenhouse Square
* Society Hill
* South Street
* Washington Square West

|

South|

* Bella Vista
* Central South Philadelphia
* Devil's Pocket
* Dickinson Square West
* East Passyunk Crossing
* Fabric Row
* FDR Park
* Girard Estate
* Grays Ferry
* Greenwich
* Hawthorne
* Italian Market
* Little Saigon
* Lower Moyamensing
* Marconi Plaza
* Moyamensing
* Newbold
* Packer Park
* Passyunk Square
* Pennsport
* Point Breeze
* Queen Village
* Southwark
* Southwest Center City
* Sports Complex
* West Passyunk
* Wharton
* Whitman
* Wilson Park

Southwest|

* Angora
* Bartram Village
* Clearview
* Eastwick
* Elmwood Park
* Hog Island
* Kingsessing
* Mount Moriah
* Paschall
* Southwest Schuylkill

West|

* Avenue of Technology
* Belmont Village
* Carroll Park
* Cathedral Park
* Centennial District
* Cedar Park
* Cobbs Creek
* Dunlap
* Garden Court
* Haddington
* Haverford North
* Mantua
* Mill Creek
* Overbrook
* Overbrook Farms
* Overbrook Park
* Parkside
* Powelton Village
* Saunders Park
* Spruce Hill
* Squirrel Hill
* 30th Street Station
* University City
* Walnut Hill
* Woodland Terrace
* Wynnefield
* Wynnefield Heights

North|

| Lower North|

* Badlands
* Belfield
* Brewerytown
* Callowhill
* Cecil B. Moore
* El Centro de Oro / Fairhill
* Fairmount
* Francisville
* Hartranft
* Ivy Hill
* Ludlow
* N3RD Street
* North Central
* Northern Liberties
* North Philadelphia East
* North Philadelphia West
* Poplar
* Sharswood
* South Lehigh
* Spring Garden
* Stanton
* Strawberry Mansion
* Yorktown

|

Upper North|

* Allegheny West
* Badlands
* Franklinville
* Glenwood
* Hunting Park
* Nicetown–Tioga
* Olde Kensington
* Swampoodle
* West Kensington

Olney-Oak Lane|

* East Oak Lane
* Feltonville
* Fern Rock
* Koreatown
* Logan
* Ogontz
* Olney
* West Oak Lane

Northwest|

| Lower Northwest|

* Andorra
* East Falls
* Manayunk
* Parkland
* Roxborough
* Wissahickon

|

Upper Northwest|

* Beggarstown
* Cedarbrook
* Chestnut Hill
* Germantown
* Morton
* Mount Airy
* Wister

Northeast|

| Near Northeast|

* Burholme
* Castor Gardens
* Crescentville
* Fox Chase
* Frankford
* Holme Circle
* Holmesburg
* Juniata
* Lawndale
* Lexington Park
* Mayfair
* Oxford Circle
* Rhawnhurst
* Ryers
* Tacony
* Wissinoming

|

Far Northeast|

* Academy Gardens
* Ashton-Woodenbridge
* Bustleton
* Byberry
* Crestmont Farms
* Millbrook
* Modena Park
* Morrell Park
* Normandy
* Parkwood
* Pennypack
* Somerton
* Torresdale
* Upper Holmesburg
* Winchester Park

River Wards|

* Bridesburg
* Fishtown
* Harrowgate
* Kensington
* Olde Richmond
* Port Richmond

Former
Municipalities|

| Cities|

* Philadelphia (Center City)

|

Boroughs|

* Aramingo
* Bridesburg
* Frankford
* Germantown
* Manayunk
* West Philadelphia
* Whitehall

Districts|

* Belmont
* Kensington
* Moyamensing
* Northern Liberties
* Penn
* Richmond
* Southwark
* Spring Garden

Townships|

* Blockley
* Bristol
* Byberry
* Delaware
* Germantown
* Kingsessing
* Lower Dublin
* Moreland
* Northern Liberties
* Oxford
* Passyunk
* Penn
* Roxborough

Footnotes|

As a consolidated city-county Philadelphia is its own county seat.

* v
* t
* e

City of Philadelphia

Topics|

* History
* Timeline
* Architecture
* Bibliography
* Companies
* Cuisine
* Culture
* Demographics
* Dialect
* Economy
* Education
* Media
* Music
* Notable people
* Riots
* Sites of interest
* Historic Landmarks
* Skyscrapers
* Transportation

Government|

* City Hall
* Mayor
* City Council
* District Attorney
* Airports
* Philadelphia International Airport
* Northeast Philadelphia Airport
* Fire Department
* Free Library
* Police Department
* School district

Neighborhoods|

* Center City
* North Philadelphia
* Lower North
* Upper North
* Olney-Oak Lane
* Northeast Philadelphia
* River Wards
* Northwest Philadelphia
* South Philadelphia
* Southwest Philadelphia
* West Philadelphia

Museums|

* Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
* African American Museum in Philadelphia
* American Philosophical Society
* American Swedish Historical Museum
* Athenaeum of Philadelphia
* Barnes Foundation
* Bartram's Garden
* Belmont Mansion
* Betsy Ross House
* Civil War Museum
* Cliveden
* Eastern State Penitentiary
* Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion
* Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site
* Elfreth's Alley
* Fabric Workshop and Museum
* Fairmount Water Works
* Fort Mifflin
* Franklin Institute
* Germantown White House
* Glen Foerd on the Delaware
* Grand Army of the Republic Civil War Museum and Library
* Grumblethorpe
* Hill–Physick–Keith House
* Historic Strawberry Mansion
* Historical Society of Frankford
* Historical Society of Pennsylvania
* Independence National Historical Park
* Independence Hall
* Independence Seaport Museum
* Insectarium
* Institute of Contemporary Art
* John Johnson House
* John Ruan House
* La Salle University Art Museum
* Lemon Hill
* Marian Anderson Residence Museum
* Masonic Temple, Library, and Museum
* Museum of the American Revolution
* Mütter Museum
* National Constitution Center
* National Liberty Museum
* National Museum of American Jewish History
* Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
* Philadelphia History Museum
* Philadelphia Museum of Art
* Philadelphia's Magic Gardens
* Please Touch Museum
* Powel House
* RittenhouseTown
* Rodin Museum
* Rosenbach Museum and Library
* Ryerss Museum and Library
* Science History Institute
* Shofuso Japanese House and Garden
* Stenton
* Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial
* Penn Museum
* Wagner Free Institute of Science
* Woodmere Art Museum
* Wyck House

Sports|

* 76ers
* Eagles
* Flyers
* Freedoms
* Phillies
* Union
* WNBA team

Squares|

* Centre
* Franklin
* Logan
* Rittenhouse
* Washington

Related|

* Delaware Valley
* Carpenters' Hall
* Independence Hall
* Congress Hall
* Liberty Bell
* Syng inkstand
* SS United States
* 2016 Democratic National Convention
* Philadelphia Mint
* United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

* Category
* Portal

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States
* Israel

39°59′00″N 75°11′21″W﻿ / ﻿39.98343°N 75.18905°W﻿ / 39.98343; -75.18905
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