west philadelphia demographics

Mapping Progress in 55 Philadelphia Neighborhoods - Next City Local children's programming in the Philadelphia area flourished during the "Golden Age of Television," from the rise of commercial broadcasting after World War II to the early 1970s. miles) 13.6 : Sex : Total Population: 275,579 : Male: 128,893: 46.8% number of members in ethno-racial group. The earliest developments began in 1850 and the final period of mass construction ended in 1930. ofGreaterPhiladelphia. West Philadelphia's streets are laid out in a modified grid. The Philadelphia College of Pharmacy (now USciences) was the nation's first pharmacy college. Check out how our partner Point2 can help you generate more leads by making your listings and profile stand out. West Philadelphia contains many places of worship. A map showing West Philadelphia in relation to the rest of the city. Living in same house 1 year ago, percent of persons age 1 year+, 2017-2021. A major wagon route, Lancaster Pike, ran through the area, and in 1805 the first permanent bridge was built over the Schuylkill at Market Street. 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. The consolidation was one of the many factors in West Philadelphias nineteenth-century population boom. The majority race in Philadelphia overall is white at 62.2% of residents. A reinforced, bunkerlike structure built on the roof supported this belief. 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. 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. 1 non-Hispanic 2 excluding black and Asian Hispanics. The construction of the University City Science Center required the demolition of the residential Black Bottom neighborhood in the 1960s. Select your ideal criteria and let Scout do the rest. Similar homes for rent in Washington Square West, Philadelphia. 1944), who was born and raised in West Philadelphia, Penn promised to not repeat the aggressive steps taken in the 1950s and 1960s. Finally the decision was made by Philadelphia Police Commissioner Gregore Sambor to drop an incendiary device on the bunkerlike structure to weaken MOVEs position. The Cynwyd Line is a limited-service express line from Center City to the Bala Cynwyd neighborhood of Lower Merion Township. The introduction of electric streetcars in the 1890s further altered the area, as those with more resources moved farther out, leaving behind a more broadly based middle class. 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. A plethora of recreational bike trails and a bike sharing program provide cyclists with new options in the twenty first century. Asian and Hispanic residents may identify with one of the more specific subcategories. Philly's forgotten middle: Places like West Oak Lane, Tacony endangered One of West Philadelphia's most prominent features is the "El", or SEPTA's Market-Frankford Line or Blue Line. [citation needed] Harrity Elementary School is a district-owned school operated by Mastery Charter Schools.[6]. American Bandstand (1952-89) was a massively popular music television program with strong Philadelphia roots, storied national success, and the power to shape the music industry and society. The cemetery is open daily to visitors and still allows up to one hundred burials per year; the mansion is open seasonally for tours. . 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. Count. On the morning of August 8, 1978, Mayor Frank Rizzo ordered police to enter the property by force. The NBC drama American Dreams is set in West Philadelphia in the mid-1960s. The property was cut off from all city services, though sympathetic Philadelphians sometimes delivered food and other necessities. The student body continued to grow into the twentieth century and by 1900 the campus had expanded to thirty buildings including dormitories, laboratories, and the Frank Furness-designed library shown at left in this postcard. Miller, Rogerand Joseph Siry. Philadelphia's love affair with the bicycle began with its public debut at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, held in Fairmount Park. (For example, 84th Street becomes Hook Road when it crosses into Sharon Hill.) Professional basketball has a long history in the Philadelphia region, from the first professional league, formedin 1898,to the NBA. ET on Saturday, 3/4/2023. Alhough there are no officially defined boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Avenue to the northwest, Cobbs Creek to the southwest, and the SEPTA Media/Wawa Line to the south. At the same time, new development moved beyond Forty-Fifth Street out to Cobbs Creek, the border with Delaware County. West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of the city of Philadelphia. Population : 275,579 : Population Density (per sq. (Author information current at time of publication.). U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Philadelphia city, Pennsylvania QuickFacts Table (a) Includes persons reporting only one race (c) Economic Census - Puerto Rico data are not comparable to U.S. Economic Census data (b) Hispanics may be of any race, so also are included in applicable race categories Under the guidance of university president Judith Rodin (b. 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. 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. The city was later ordered to pay a settlement to MOVE, which continue to have a presence in Philadelphia and to fight for the release of the MOVE Nine arrested in the 1978 gunfight. Professional, scientific, and technical services, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders. Its western majority African American neighborhoods were declining in population and median income. By the end of the 1920s, 220,000 African Americans lived in Philadelphia, and they desperately needed housing beyond the older Black ghetto in North Philadelphia. Elementary schools include Morton McMichael Elementary School and Lea Elementary School. [3] One of the major retail strips in West Philadelphia, it is lined with shops and restaurants through to 64th Street in the Wynnefield neighborhood. The houses in this grouping are primarily three-story Italianate buildings, linked by material, decorative detail, and form. The eastern side of West Philadelphia is also known as University City. The highest numbered street to run any considerable distance contiguously is 58th Street, which runs from the northern frontier of West Philadelphia at City Avenue south to the Schuylkill River. Please note: Unemployment data updated November 2022. 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. Residents complained of a bullhorn broadcasting political messages all day and accused the group of stockpiling weapons. Then in the 1870s the University of Pennsylvania left its cramped center city location for West Philadelphia, a move with enormous effect on the development of surrounding neighborhoods, especially during the second half of the twentieth century. These are the types of employers who city residents work for. In 1923 the Philadelphia Bulletin estimated that at least half the population of the district commuted in to center city every day. Demographic data shown in this section was gathered from the latest U.S. Census Bureau release, the 2020 American Community Survey. 302 South 12th Street. The topography of West Philadelphia is composed of rolling hills rising slowly from the Schuylkill River toward Cobbs Creek in the west and toward Belmont Plateau in the northwest. New routes into the city aided this movement too, like the Chestnut Street bridge completed in 1866. The Black residents of West Philadelphia were forced to contend with redlining and other discriminatory practices that limited access to capital and higher-paid employment for many residents. 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. 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. In 1924, the president of Drovers and Merchants National Bank argued that West Philadelphia should have its own seat on the local Federal Reserve Board. The educational institutions and city planners wanted to establish a research park like Stanford Universitys Industrial Park to revitalize the community. A gunfight ensued and in the end, police officer James Ramp was dead and nine MOVE members, including Delbert Africa, shown here, were arrested. Other settlements followed, including Mantua Village, carved from the holdings of a local landowner, Judge Richard Peters (1743-1828), and laid out in 1809. West Philadelphia's population expanded in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, thanks in large part to horsecars, then streetcars, and Schuylkill River bridges that allowed middle-class breadwinners to commute into the Central Business District a few miles to the east. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015. The second story, projecting, semi-hexagonal bay is incorporated into this design, an element which defines the later rowhouses. The students of "West" were the children of middle-class black people, as well as of Irish, Jewish, Polish and other immigrant groups. Photo: Lexey Swall/GRAIN for The Pew Charitable Trusts West Philadelphia | LISC Philadelphia It is situated directly across the Schuylkill River from Center City . 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. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Neighborhood Map Area: 0.192 square miles Population: 2,019 Population density: 1,660 71.5% Black 231 9.9% White 173 7.4% Hispanic or Latino 147 6.3% Asian 64 2.8% American Indian 48 2.1% Two or more races Median household income in 2019: Distribution of median household income 198 Less than $10,000 169 $10,000 to $19,999 Other major thoroughfares include Chestnut and Walnut Streets, which together form Pennsylvania Route 3. 30 Years Later, I'm Still Trying To Make Sense Of The MOVE Bombing (National Public Radio), PhilaPlace: Association of Islamic Charitable Projects (AICP) An Interview with Linda Hauber (Historical Society of Pennsylvania). One of the aggravating factors in this change has been the recent reconstruction of the EL which, due to detours of the "number streets" or numbered northsouth thoroughfares and closure of large portions of Market Street, have led to many remaining businesses failing. The vintage year (e.g., V2022) refers to the final year of the series (2020 thru 2022). This is how city residents have self-reported their race and ethnicity to the US Census. Police bombarded the home with water cannons and teargas, and the sides exchanged gunfire. Only two MOVE members, Ramona Africa and a child, Birdie Africa, survived the blaze. These neighborhoods were subjected to redlining, a discriminatory practice that prevented residents of undesirable neighborhoods from procuring mortgages or loans and exacerbated the poverty. Race and Ethnicity in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 77th and 86th Streets run just a few blocks before they leave the city for surrounding jurisdictions. In the 1980s some immigrants began to move into the area, chiefly African and Cambodian, although the latter population would almost entirely decamp for other parts of the city by the beginning of the twenty-first century. Abraham Browers innovative omnibus service, introduced to Philadelphia in 1831, allowed new settlers speedy access into the central city. The Paoli/Thorndale Line serves Overbrook and Wynnefield, and continues to the Main Line communities and Paoli. City officials found these species much more tolerant of the urban environment and resistant to disease. In the period after World War II, many white residents and industrial jobs left the city for its suburbs, leaving in their wake overwhelmingly black communities with few employment opportunities. As the century wore on, the only corners of West Philadelphia that were not overwhelmingly Black were immediately around Drexel and Pennsylvania universities and in a band of neighborhoods to the west of the higher education cluster that remained racially mixed from the 1960s onward. 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. Small communities began to spring up to support these businesses, like Hamiltonville in 1804. In 1963, four stone eagles were added to the bridge approaches after being salvaged from New York Citys recently demolished Penn Station. On Chestnut Street, Drexel Universitys WKDU regularly welcomed local talent into its studio for live events, as did WPEN, which lent its studio to college broadcasters. Both College Hall and the library remain standing and are West Philadelphia landmarks. The western reaches of West Philadelphia included miles of two-story rowhouses with bay windows above classical columned front porches. It was not until 1805 that the first bridge was constructed spanning the Schuylkill River at what is now Market Street. 1960 Census 1970 Census 1980 Census 1990 Census 2000 Census 2010 Census 2010 Census Tracts The demographic statistics for this exhibit have been compiled from Social Explorer by the staff of the University Archives of the University of Pennsylvania. The upgrades to campus were impressive. After a slow start, the Science Center eventually prospered. 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. top Male population 45.52% Female population 54.48% Citizen US Born 88.53% Citizen not US Born 5.24% Not Citizen 6.24% Moved from Abroad 0.94% Moved from Same County 9.19% Moved from Same State 2.37% Moved from Different State 3.65% Same House as Last Year 83.85% View All Data Tools and Apps University City, Philadelphia - Wikipedia 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. In 1900 West Philadelphia had 148,548 residents, in 1910 the number grew to 247,928, and by 1920 there were 359,601. The Black neighborhoods closest to the river, and therefore closest to Penn, tended to be those with the lowest income and the least political power. The Woodlands Cemetery, which is located near the west bank of the Schuylkill River, was originally the estate of Andrew Hamilton who bought the property in 1735 from descendants of Blockley Township's founder, William Warner, who hailed from Brockley, England. Race, Diversity, and Ethnicity in Philadelphia, PA Philadelphia was at the forefront of the early nursing profession and its prestigious nursing schools set new standards for professionalism in the field. The setback of these houses was 25 feet, allowing generous front yards. In contrast, people younger than 25 and those older than 65 earn less, at $35,844 and $33,684, respectively. Streetcar suburbs blossomed throughout the Philadelphia area in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as streetcar lines radiating from the city's heart allowed people to move further into its fringes. Completed in 1907, this elevated subway line linked West Philadelphia, Millbourne and Upper Darby to Center City and then later to Frankford. 2 (April 1980), pp. In the early days of decline, the major universities reacted to changes in their surrounding areas aggressively, displacing residents and creating barrier zones between their campuses and city residents. By sending this Report you agree to NeighborhoodScout's, Real Estate in Popular Philadelphia Neighborhoods. The district still had fewer than a hundred thousand people in 1890, but every new census revealed meteoric growth. Foreign Born residents have immigrated to the United States from another country and may or may not be naturalized citizens. [citation needed], The nation's oldest zoological garden, the Philadelphia Zoo, has exhibitions and educational programs. Another major transit link in West Philadelphia are the five Subway Surface Lines, often called the Green Lines for their representation on SEPTA route maps. Nestled in the center of Fairmount Park, it is near Memorial Hall, the current home of the Please Touch Museum, Kelly Pool, The Carousel House, and the new Microsoft partner high school, the "School of the Future". The two 77th Streets (as well as all numbered streets after 58th) are miles apart. Starting at $1,020 USD /mo. It holds the graves of many famous Philadelphians. Updated annually. QuickFacts data are derived from: Population Estimates, American Community Survey, Census of Population and Housing, Current Population Survey, Small Area Health Insurance Estimates, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, State and County Housing Unit Estimates, County Business Patterns, Nonemployer Statistics, Economic Census, Survey of Business Owners, Building Permits. Age is classified into groups; each percentage listed is that group's percentage of the total population. 1 Beds Bds; . The streets were once lined with American Chestnut and walnut trees that touched across the five lanes of roadway, but many were removed due to Chestnut blight and replaced with a mix of sycamore and poplar trees. Like The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia on Facebook, Follow The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia on Instagram, Like The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia on Facebook, Philadelphia, the Place that Loves You Back, (Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries), International Peace Mission Movement and Father Divine, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Penn Museum), Community leaders to unveil plans for a new West Philadelphia bicycle track (WHYY, May 5, 2012), Taking refuge in West Philadelphia's Clark Park (WHYY, July 26, 2012), Store front church a safe haven for kids in West Philly neighborhood (WHYY, August 3, 2013), Why parts of West Philly not getting the boost from attracting artists (WHYY, August 29, 2014), Philly Love Note: The 'Love Letters' of West Philly's El riders (WHYY, September 4, 2014), HUD chief tours West Philly 'Promise Zone' (WHYY, September 5, 2014), University City Science Center plans expansion that will double its size (WHYY, June 2, 2015), Area near Drexel in West Philly wins big school grant (WHYY, December 22, 2016), Historical marker coming to site of MOVE debacle (WHYY, March 31, 2017), New mural to honor Philly native Ed Bradley of '60 Minutes' (WHYY, May 3, 2017), West Philadelphia Community History Center (University of Pennsylvania Archives and Records Center), West Philadelphia Italianate (PhillyHistory Blog), West Philadelphia: A Suburb in a City (PhillyHistory Blog), An Iron Baron's West Philadelphia Castle (PhillyHistory Blog), Decidedly Different West Philadelphia Twins (Hidden City Philadelphia), New Apartments, Old Glory in West Philadelphia (Hidden City Philadelphia), A Place for Enlightenment in Southwest Philadelphia (Hidden City Philadelphia), West Philly Home Still Sings the Praises of Paul Robeson (Hidden City Philadelphia), PhilaPlace: 4228 Walnut Street: Masjid al-Jamia (Historical Society of Philadelphia), I'm From Philly. An additional but smaller and less ornate 16 Italianate, brownstone, semi-detached houses, similar in form to the initial houses, were built around Chester Avenue. University City Science Center, the nation's first urban research park was conceived as an ambitious urban renewal project, but ignited racial tensions in a city marred by poverty. In May 1985, an attempt to evict MOVE again escalated to violence. The Callowhill Depot built by the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company to house their fleet of streetcars. The Airport Line serves University City at University City Station in the University of Pennsylvania, going on to southernmost Southwest Philadelphia and the airport. Multiple business corridors sprouted on Fifty-Second Street and Baltimore, Lancaster, Woodland, and Girard Avenues. Unlike standardly available Census demographics, NeighborhoodScout uses dozens of custom models to transform 8.5 million raw demographic data elements from government sources into proprietary indices and insights. All of this information was taken from the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau. It remained to be seen whether the ascendancy of the eastern section of West Philadelphia, where old industries and worker housing were giving way to new investment, would be enough to buoy the fortunes of the outlying, formerly middle class areas. Date(s) & Update Frequency: A series of wooden and iron bridges were constructed to replace it until the modern-era span was completed in 1932. For a complete list of the variables and breakdowns of data available, consult the professional version of Social Explorer available from the University of Pennsylvania Libraries and other institutional subscribers. The educational status of the citys residents who are 18 and older. In the twenty-first century, portions near the University of Pennsylvania, in particular, enjoyed a resurgence. During this period, the university adopted the moniker University City for the surrounding neighborhoods. The street was unified by front yards, and enclosed by decorative iron fences. Philadelphia, PA Demographics and Population Statistics - NeighborhoodScout 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. This section compares the 50 most populous of those to each other. In 1850, it was destroyed by fire. By 1950, West Philadelphia had lost a quarter of its Irish-American and 11 percent of its Italian-American population, while the African American population increased by 72 percent. This set the living pattern apart from its counterparts in North and South Philadelphia, where row houses were interspersed with factories and warehouses. Modeled after the Crystal Palace Great Exhibition in London, the Centennial Exhibition in 1876 exhibited national pride and belief in the importance of education and progress through industrial innovation. Hamiltonville as a continuation of Penns grid in Philadelphia proper. It stood divided, like much of the city and the country, between the haves and the have nots. Penn also competed with other parts of the city for urban renewal funds (much of the money allocated within West Philadelphia went to the universitys ends).