List of Philadelphia neighborhoods
The following is a list of neighborhoods, districts, and other places located in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The list is organized by broad geographical sections within the city. While there is no official list of neighborhoods, districts, and places, this list was compiled from the sources listed in the [|References] and [|External links] sections, as well as from published information from secondary sources.
Common usage for Philadelphia's neighborhood names does not respect "official" borders used by the city's police, planning commission or other entities. Therefore, some of the places listed here may overlap geographically, and residents do not always agree where one neighborhood ends and another begins. Philadelphia has 41 ZIP codes, which are often used for neighborhood analysis.
Historically, many neighborhoods were defined by incorporated townships, districts, or boroughs before being incorporated into the city with the Act of Consolidation of 1854. Adding further complication is the fact that in some parts of Philadelphia, especially the central areas of North, West, and South Philadelphia, residents have long been more likely to identify with the name of their section of the city than with any specific neighborhood name. Today, community development corporations, neighborhood watches, and other civic organizations are influential in shaping the use of neighborhood names and approximate boundaries.
For planning purposes, the city is divided into 12 Planning Analysis Sections, which are Center City; South Philadelphia; Southwest Philadelphia; West Philadelphia; Lower North Philadelphia; Upper North Philadelphia; Bridesburg-Kensington-Port Richmond; Roxborough-Manayunk; Germantown-Chestnut Hill; Olney-Oak Lane; Near Northeast Philadelphia; and Far Northeast Philadelphia.
Center City
The Center City Planning Analysis Section extends from South Street on the south to Vine Street on the north, and from the Delaware River on the east to the Schuylkill River on the west.South Philadelphia
The South Philadelphia Planning Analysis Section is bounded by South Street on the north and the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers to their confluence.Southwest Philadelphia
Southwest Philadelphia is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that can be described as extending from the western side of the Schuylkill River to the city line, with the northern border defined by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission as east from the city line along Baltimore Avenue moving south along 51st Street to Springfield Ave. It follows the train tracks until 49th Street. From 49th and Kingsessing Ave the line moves east along Kingsessing Ave. The line then moves south along 46th St to Paschall Ave where it jogs to join Grays Ferry where the line runs to the Schuylkill River.West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of Philadelphia. Though there is no official definition of its boundaries, it is generally considered to reach from the western shore of the Schuylkill River, to City Line Avenue to the northwest, Cobbs Creek to the southwest, and the SEPTA Media/Elwyn Line to the south.Lower North Philadelphia
Lower North Philadelphia is a section of Philadelphia that is immediately north of Center City and below Upper North Philadelphia and can be described as a section of Philadelphia that was designated as a "Model City" target, in hopes of overcoming poverty and blight through a federal funding program since 1966. Bounded by Spring Garden Street to the south, Front Street to the east, York Street to the north, and Fairmount Park to the west.Upper North Philadelphia
The area is bounded by York Street to the south, Front Street to the east, Lincoln Highway/Roosevelt Expressway to the north, and Ridge Avenue/Fairmount Park to the west. Upper North Philadelphia, is a section of Philadelphia that is immediately north of Lower North Philadelphia, and can be described as an area that has a "...large and rapidly growing Puerto Rican population". The list of communities in this section is as follows:Bridesburg-Kensington-Port Richmond
The Bridesburg-Kensington-Port Richmond section of Philadelphia is the area north of Center City. This area "... consists of the neighborhoods including: Bridesburg, Fishtown, Olde Richmond, Juniata Park, New Kensington, North West Kensington, Port Richmond..." and "... was once predominantly industrial. However, most heavy industry has now left."Roxborough-Manayunk
The Roxborough-Manyunk section of Philadelphia is an official planning district of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, consisting of the namesake boroughs of Roxborough and Manayunk. Geographically, the area is northwest of Center City.Germantown-Chestnut Hill
The Germantown-Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia is about 7–8 miles northwest from the center of the city. The neighborhood of Germantown is rich in historic sites and buildings from the colonial era, a few of which are open to the public. Its namesake also comes from the village of Chestnut Hill was part of the German Township laid out by Francis Daniel Pastorius and came to include the settlements originally known as Sommerhausen and Crefeld, as well as part of Cresheim. The area generally served as a gateway between Philadelphia and the nearby farmlands. During the American Revolutionary War era, the area was one of many summer vacation spots due to its higher elevation, 400–500 feet above sea level, and cooler temperatures than the historic Center City. Chestnut Hill is still stereotypically known as one of the more affluent sections of Philadelphia.Olney-Oak Lane
The Olney-Oak Lane Planning Analysis Section is an official section of Philadelphia. It is a section of Philadelphia that is immediately north of Upper North Philadelphia and south of Cheltenham. It is an area that consists of the now defunct township that was called "Bristol Township, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania". The section is often included as part of North Philadelphia by city government agencies, though locally it is often referred to as "Uptown," along with the Germantown-Chestnut Hill section.The section includes neighborhoods in the center-north of the city:
Near Northeast Philadelphia
Near Northeast Philadelphia, is a section of the city of Philadelphia.When combined with the Far Northeast, to be "Northeast Philadelphia", the 2000 Census shows that the combined area has a sizable percentage of the city's 1.547 million people — a population of between 300,000 and 450,000, depending on how the area is defined. Beginning in the 1980s, many of the Northeast's middle class children graduated from college and settled in suburbs, especially nearby Bucks County. Whites were once predominant in northeastern Philadelphia. However, with the emigration of older populations and white flight a new influx of Hispanics have settled in the Northeast, while African Americans and Asian immigrants have purchased homes in northeast Philadelphia. The Northeast is now both racially and ethnically diverse and has a large immigrant population.