Southwest Philadelphia
Encyclopedia
Southwest Philadelphia is a section of Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The section can be described as extending from the western side of the Schuylkill River
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...
to the city line, with the SEPTA Media/Elwyn Line
Media/Elwyn Line
The Media/Elwyn Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line running from Center City Philadelphia west to Elwyn in Delaware County.Originally known as the Media/West Chester Branch, service was truncated on September 19, 1986 from West Chester to its current terminus at Elwyn. Service expansion beyond Elwyn...
serving as the northern border. The northern border is also 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
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...
.
Southwest Philadelphia is also described by the city as being the area south of Baltimore Avenue; this definition has historical merit as Baltimore Avenue between 49th and 52nd Streets was known as "The Hub of Southwest Philadelphia" at the turn of the century. Today however the Media/Elwyn tracks are the more common reference dividing Southwest from West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia
West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 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 Philadelphia Police Department
Philadelphia Police Department
The Philadelphia Police Department is the police agency responsible for law enforcement and investigations within the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
patrols two districts located within Southwest Philadelphia. The two patrol districts serving Southwest Philadelphia are the 12th and 77th districts.
Population
More than 80,000 people live in Southwest Philadelphia. It is approximately 36% white and 60% black.Philadelphia's African immigrant population is most concentrated in Southwest Philadelphia, as of 2008.
Transportation
A number of SEPTA Subway-Surface Trolley LinesSEPTA Subway-Surface Trolley Lines
The Subway–Surface Trolley Lines or Green Lines are five SEPTA trolley lines that operate on street-level tracks in West Philadelphia and Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and in a shared subway with rapid transit trains in Philadelphia's Center City....
traverse the area along Chester, Woodland, and Elmwood Avenues, providing easy access to Center City through the 40th Street Portal. These also extend to Darby
Darby, Pennsylvania
Darby is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, along Darby Creek southwest of downtown Philadelphia. It has a public library founded in 1743 and a cemetery more than 300 years old. The Quakers lived there early in the colonial era. Darby was settled about 1660 and was...
and Yeadon
Yeadon, Pennsylvania
Yeadon is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It borders the City of Philadelphia. The population was 11,762 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Yeadon is located at ....
.
Southwest Philly is served by 4 of the 5 Subway-Surface Lines (Trolleys) 11, 13, 34, and 36.
It is also served by bus routes 12, 37, 52, 64, 108, G, and also with the Airport and Media/Elwyn Regional Rail lines.
- Airport Line-Eastwick Station & Terminus at the Airport
- Media/Elwyn LineMedia/Elwyn LineThe Media/Elwyn Line is a SEPTA Regional Rail line running from Center City Philadelphia west to Elwyn in Delaware County.Originally known as the Media/West Chester Branch, service was truncated on September 19, 1986 from West Chester to its current terminus at Elwyn. Service expansion beyond Elwyn...
-49th St , and Angora Station.
- Route 11 runs along Woodland Avenue to Darby
- Route 13 runs along Chester Avenue to Yeadon and with some scheduled trips to Darby with route 11.
- Route 34 runs along Baltimore Avenue to Angora
- Route 36 runs along Elmwood Avenue to Eastwick near the Philadelphia Int'l Airport.
Philadelphia International Airport
Philadelphia International Airport
Philadelphia International Airport is a major airport in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, and is the largest airport in the Delaware Valley region and in Pennsylvania...
, a number of oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
refineries
Refinery
A refinery is a production facility composed of a group of chemical engineering unit processes and unit operations refining certain materials or converting raw material into products of value.-Types of refineries:Different types of refineries are as follows:...
, and many heavy industrial uses are located in the Southwest section. The housing stock is diverse with ornate Queen Anne style
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
twin
Duplex (building)
The term duplex can be used to describe several different dwelling unit configurations:A duplex house is defined as a dwelling having apartments with separate entrances for two families. This includes two-story houses having a complete apartment on each floor and also side-by-side apartments on a...
mansions in the neighborhoods bordering Cedar Park
Cedar Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cedar Park is a neighborhood located in the West Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built as a streetcar suburb for Center City between 1850 and 1910. It is a racially and ethnically diverse part of the city, with much of the historic architecture preserved...
, plainer and simpler styles of twins predominating closer to the airport, and newer rowhouses, many with porches, filling in many neighborhoods. The sports complex is very close to Southwest Philadelphia
Less than 1% of Southwest is covered by trees, giving it one of the lowest ratios of shade tree cover in the city.