Neighborhood Profile: NEWBOLD
History: Real estate developer John Longacre, known to residents as “the original founder of Newbold,” saw potential in the undeveloped area, so he started purchasing properties that turned into residential and commercial spaces in the early 2000s. Later, he developed the nonprofit, Newbold Community Development Corp., which later shared its boundaries — Tasker to Wolf, […]
Neighborhood Profile: PORT RICHMOND
History: Port Richmond is a neighborhood in the River Wards section of Philadelphia. It is notable for its extremely large Polish immigrant and Polish American community. The neighborhood is also home to sizable Irish, German and Italian communities as represented in the various churches and organizations. In more recent years, a sizable Albanian community has moved in. Adjacent neighborhoods are Bridesburg […]
Neighborhood Profile: ELKINS PARK
History: Elkins Park is in Montgomery County, Pa and is split between Abington and Cheltenham Townships. Cheltenham Township, as it exists today, is the product of over 300 years of history. The interactions of numerous generations have created a tapestry of events and people that have shaped both the physical and cultural development of the […]
Neighborhood Profile: PENNSPORT
History: According to the Genealogy of Philadelphia County Subdivisions, Pennsport was originally part of Moyamensing Township. Most of the area north of present-day Mifflin Street was included in the Southwark District from 1794 until the consolidation of Philadelphia in 1854. At that point, it was mostly contained in the First Ward. The First and Second Wards ran […]
Neighborhood Profile: EAST OAK LANE
History: Settled in 1683, East Oak Lane, located at “The Northern Gates of Philadelphia”, is William Penn’s first neighborhood- his first “Green Country Town.” Rich with history, gorgeous architecture, green space and cultural diversity, this neighborhood is truly a jewel in the crown of Philadelphia. Convenient to the newly restored Melrose Park Train station, Fernrock […]
Neighborhood Profile: PASSYUNK SQUARE
History: Passyunk Square traces its roots to Colonial times, when Gen. George Washington housed many of his soldiers on the 800 and 900 blocks of Federal. Passyunk Avenue from Tasker to Broad got its start as an upscale shopping mecca. Restaurants, specialty food stores, pharmacies, furniture shops, clothing and shoe and jewelry stores dotted the avenue, […]
Neighborhood Profile: LAFAYETTE HILL
History: Lafayette Hill is a small unincorporated community in Whitemarsh Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Lafayette Hill draws its name from the French General Marquis de Lafayette, who stayed there during the American Revolution. Prior to general decampment from Valley Forge in the spring of 1778, George Washington dispatched an estimated 2200 troops under the command of Marquis de Lafayette to act as […]
Neighborhood Profile: GIRARD ESTATE
History: Girard Estate is named after Stephen Girard, whose South Philadelphia property was developed in the 1920s by the City of Philadelphia. Girard’s country home was on a plot of land he named Gentilhommiere in what was formerly called Passyunk Township of Philadelphia County. He was likely the richest man in the United States when he died in 1831, […]
Neighborhood Profile: EAST FALLS
History: East Falls is a neighborhood in Northwest Philadelphia. The neighborhood runs along a stretch of Ridge Avenue that is only a few miles long, along the banks of the Schuylkill River then extends northeast to Wissahickon Avenue. East Falls overlooks the multi-use recreational path of Fairmount Park along Kelly Drive, and is desirable for its central location, an easy commute […]
Neighborhood Profile: NORTHERN LIBERTIES
History: In 1682, William Penn referred to the area north of Philadelphia as the “Liberties” because it consisted “Liberty Land or Free Lots”– additional land that was given away for free with a land purchase. The subsequent Northern Liberties township, which once contained the areas of Northern Liberties, Spring Garden, Kensington, Bridesburg, Penn, Richmond, and […]
