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Renting an Apartment in North Philadelphia
What You Should Know
North Philadelphia is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United
States. It is immediately north of Center City. Though the full extent of the
region is somewhat vague, "North Philadelphia" is generally regarded as
everything north of either Vine Street or Spring Garden Street, between
Northwest Philadelphia and Northeast Philadelphia. The city government views
this sprawling chunk of Philadelphia more precisely as three smaller districts,
drawn up by the Redevelopment Authority in 1964. These regions are (from north
to south) East & West Oak Lane/Olney, Upper North Philadelphia, and Lower North
Philadelphia.
In past decades, North Philadelphia was hit hard by white flight and economic
decline. The majority of North Philadelphia's residents are poor or
working-class, African American and Hispanic American. Despite its wealth of
history, schools, cultural sites, parkland, architecture, and other holdovers
from more prosperous times, high crime and unfettered poverty have earned North
Philadelphia a reputation as a slum. At the same time, some would counter that
it is far more diverse an area, and too large to stereotype. From the Puerto
Rican communities in Hunting Park, West Kensington, and Fairhill to the middle
class African American neighborhoods around the Oak Lanes to the poor ghettos
that typify much of its core to newly-gentrifying Brewerytown, a large portion
of Philadelphians call this section home. Recent developments have given North
Philadelphia a brighter future, as several neighborhoods begin to overcome some
of the aforementioned problems.