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Mt Airy Information
Mount Airy is a neighborhood in the Northwest Philadelphia section of the
United States city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is bounded by Chestnut Hill
and Germantown. Across the Wissahickon creek to the west lies Roxborough. The
main zip code for Mount Airy is 19119, though some consider East Mount Airy to
extend into 19150, 19138 and 19144.
Mount Airy's main commercial district lies along cobble stoned Germantown
Avenue, which also divides the neighborhood between East and West Mount Airy.
West Mount Airy has a reputation for being more affluent, and more like Chestnut
Hill, and the East more working class, although counter examples abound. Much
like Chestnut Hill, Mount Airy has a large array of 'Mom and Pop' style
boutiques and eateries that cater to a baby boomer generation consumer -
especially those who live and work in Philadelphia, and seek alternatives to the
suburban malls. The style of this shopping district along The Avenue gives it a
small town feel, though there are also a few chain stores, such as the Wawa at
Germantown and Allens Lane that serves as an unofficial nexus for teenagers.
Much of Mount Airy was developed in the 19th and early 20th centuries,
spreading out from the Avenue and the two railroad lines. Large three-story,
grey stone Victorian houses, with stained glass windows and slate roofs are
situated on many of the area's tree lined streets, and dominate districts like
West Mount Airy's Pelham section.
In East Mount Airy, there is an abundance of corner stores, and a few public
schools, like Eleanor Cope Emlen, J. E. Hill, and Leeds Middle School. Parts of
East Mount Airy look like North Philadelphia, and are mostly populated by middle
class African Americans. Most of East Mount Airy right off of Germantown Avenue
is rowhouses, like Meehan Avenue, Clearview Street, and Chew Avenue.
The area is recognized by many civil rights groups as one of the first
successfully integrated neighborhoods in America. Mount Airy continues to be the
most well-blended neighborhood in Philadelphia, although recent census shows
that it is becoming more African-American, particularly in the East. The overall
proportion of blacks and whites is similar to the overall demographics of
Philadelphia. There are relatively small numbers of Hispanics, Asians, and other
ethnicities. Mount Airy is also known for being relatively gay-friendly, and
two-mother families are not uncommon in parts of the neighborhood.
Mount Airy's neighborhood high school is Martin Luther King High which is
located in East Germantown. Although there is a large number of students who
attend Germantown High, Roxborough High and Philadelphia's magnet schools, such
as Girl's High, CAPA, Central and Masterman, with the latter traditionally
having a disproportionate amount of its students from Mount Airy.
Most residents drive, but the SEPTA Regional Rail lines are very popular for
getting into Center City. The R8 runs through West Mount Airy, and the R7
through East Mount Airy. The neighborhood is also served by bus routes 18, 23
(formerly a trolley line), 53, H, XH and L.
In 2005, the median home sale price in the 19119 zip code was $188,409. This was
an increase of 18% over the median sale price in 2004. The 19150 zip code, which
includes parts of East Mount Airy (specifically the west side of Stenton Avenue)
and parts of the Cedarbrook neighborhood), had a median home sale price of
$122,150, a 2004-2005 increase of 22%. Mount Airy also lies in those portions of
19138 and 19144 in the area bound by Washington Lane, Germantown Avenue, Johnson
Street and Stenton Avenue.