Introduction to West Philadelphia in Maps

West Philadelphia is a classic example of a "streetcar suburb."  It sits across the Schuylkill River from the center of Philadelphia. Its growth during the 19th and early 20th centuries followed the changes in transportation that facilitated travel from new residential neighborhoods to work places downtown. During the early 1800s, new bridges across the river and horse-drawn coaches allowed the development of the areas nearest the river. Later developments included horse-drawn trolleys on rails, electrification of trolleys, the building of the Market St. elevated line, the building of the Schuylkill Expressway and large highway bridges across the Delaware River to New Jersey. These fueled the expansion of the residential area of West Philadelphia to the western edge of the city and then the "White flight" that led many Whites to leave the city.

With a peak population of over 300,000, West Philadelphia is similar in size to many mid-size cities. Its growth was a result of the movement of  people from more densely populated neighborhoods, a flood of Blacks from southern states and immigrants from Europe.

This blog will present a wide variety of maps and related material documenting the social and economic history of West Philadelphia and its neighborhoods.

West Philadelphia covers the eleven wards west of the Schuylkill River above Baltimore Ave. 

Click to expand maps.

Like all big cities, Philadelphia is a city of neighborhoods. The Philadelphia Planning Commission defines 26 neighborhoods in West Philadelphia.

During the 19th century, the population of Philadelphia was largely concentrated near the center of the city.  In 1900, much of the western half of West Philadelphia was sparsely populated with numerous large tracts of farm land and grand estates. The population was 95% White and 23% of adults were born abroad, most commonly from Ireland but also from Germany and England.

The population grew rapidly during the early decades of the 20th century from about 130,00 in 1900 to just over 300,000 in 1930. Some of the increase was Blacks moving up from southern states or out of Black neighborhoods in Center City.  In 1930, 15% of the population were Black. The proportion of adults that were foreign-born was still 23%, but now the largest group was Jews born in the Ukraine and other parts of the Russian Empire.

By 1970, the population had declined by 9% to  276,000.  All of this decline was in the White population which dropped by 29%. The Black population doubled over this 40 year period.  Only about 7% of the population over age 18 was foreign-born.

The effect of this is seen in the data from the 1970 Census which are available by block. Blacks now lived in many more neighborhoods. This was made possible by the departure (or "flight") of many Whites and by the laws that invalidated deed covenants which prohibited the sale of many properties to Nonwhites. 

This blog will examine many of the social and economic characteristics that defined West Philadelphia during the 20th century. It will highlight the history of many of its neighborhoods. I will not attempt a detailed analysis or explanations for each social trend. Instead, I hope that by providing an overview, this material will stimulate viewers to explore these social trends.

References:  A good source for information about West Philadelphia History is the West Philadelphia Collaborative History project. Several of the articles deal with the issues of race and immigration.