Educational and health care institutions are defining features of West Philadelphia. Institutions account for most of the area's jobs and much of the non-residential land.
West Philadelphia's retail sector faces a continued erosion of neighborhood buying power, aging and often obsolete buildings, and stiff competition from popular shopping facilities located just outside the district.
Private investment in housing, including new construction and rehabilitation, has had an immensely positive impact on West Philadelphia's neighborhoods. Since 1980, 3,177 dwelling units have been produced through both private initiative and public incentives programs.
The public sector's commitment to West Philadelphia's neighborhoods is demonstrated by ongoing investment in housing, community development, redevelopment, commercial revitalization and economic development.
General Characteristics
West Philadelphia is located between the Schuylkill River and Cobbs Creek. Its northwestern boundary is City Avenue. On the south, West Philadelphia is separated from Southwest Philadelphia by the route of the Media-West Chester railroad, near Baltimore Avenue. The district encompasses 14.2 square miles and has a population of 219,713 according to the 1990 census.
The district's overall land use pattern shows residential to be the predominant land use, with two large areas that contain very little housing: University City's institutional and commercial core, and Fairmount Park. University City is situated across the Schuylkill River from Center City. Its one-square-mile core area is intensely developed with universities, hospitals, research and transportation uses. Fairmount Park covers three square miles of land in West Philadelphia, and most of that land is in "West Park" on the west side of the Schuylkill River north of Girard Avenue.
| West Philadelphia 1990 Census data | |
|---|---|
| Population: | 219,713 |
| Median Family Income: | $26,020 |
| Homeownership: | 51.8% of occupied housing units |
| Homeownership by Blacks: | 57.4% of units occupied by Black householders |
A closer look at West Philadelphia's land use reveals more non-residential areas: City Avenue's commercial strips, St. Joseph's University at 5600 City Avenue, the Parkside industrial area just west of Belmont Avenue, and the predominantly institutional zone bounded by Market, Haverford, 42nd and 49th Streets. Land use is mapped on page 16.
The vast majority of the housing was built between 1890 and 1930. Today, 52% of West Philadelphia's housing units are owner-occupied. Owner-occupancy rates are extremely high in the two-story rowhouse neighborhoods west of 52nd Street, and in some of the City Avenue neighborhoods. Conversely, rental occupancy of residential structures is the norm in and around University City (the location of much student housing) and in the Wynnefield Heights neighborhood (containing a large concentration of housing for senior citizens). West Philadelphia is known for its many large historic apartment buildings; a significant concentration of these buildings is located in the area south of Market Street between 38th and 52nd Streets.
West Philadelphia is also known for its architecture. Many areas contain historic houses, apartment buildings, churches and schools which stand as stellar examples of the various architectural styles of the 1800's and the early 1900's. Preservation of this magnificent architecture is the goal of several of West Philadelphia's community groups, who have researched and sponsored "historic district" designation for their respective areas. Garden Court, Powelton Village, Overbrook Farms, East Parkside and a portion of Haddington are National Register Historic Districts; and large portions of the area south of Chestnut Street (from 40th to 50th Streets) comprise the proposed National Register historic district called "Victorian University City." The campus of the University of Pennsylvania, established in West Philadelphia in 1875, is also a National Register Historic District.
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