South
Philadelphia, nicknamed "South Philly," is the section
of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the
Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River
to the west. In 2000, the area's population was 162,683. It
is home to many Italian-American and Irish-American families
who settled in the area, beginning in the late 19th century.
Many residents have lived in the neighborhood for decades.
Many family-owned businesses are found in South Philadelphia.
History
South
Philadelphia began as a satellite town of Philadelphia, with
small townships such as Moyamensing and Southwark. During
the Industrial Revolution, the area saw rapid growth, in part
due to mass immigration from Ireland, and eventually saw its
urbanization border that of Philadelphia. This led to its
incorporation into Philadelphia in 1854. The area continued
to grow, becoming a vital part of Philadelphia's large industrial
base and attracting immigrants from Italy, Ireland, Poland,
and many others countries during the late 19th and early 20th
centuries. These immigrants became the basis of South Philadelphia's
unique and vibrant culture that would develop over the next
several decades. Even with this dramatic growth in population,
the low funding of education by the city resulted in the first
high school not being formed in South Philadelphia until 1934.
Recently,
South Philadelphia has gone through a period of rapid change.
An increase in immigration has given South Philadelphia significant
populations from Vietnam, Cambodia, Italy, Thailand, China,
Puerto Rico, India, Russia, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic,
as well as smaller populations from dozens of nations across
the world. The recent revitalization of Center City Philadelphia
has led to gentrification in Fitler Square, Graduate Hospital/Southwest
Center City , which led to skyrocketing prices of housing
in Queen Village, and Bella Vista, and some other parts of
South Philadelphia. Also, previously, for various reasons,
many second and third generation South Philadelphians began
moving en masse to South Jersey when the Walt Whitman Bridge
was opened in the mid 20th century. These events have resulted
in perhaps the largest change in South Philadelphia's culture
in nearly a hundred years. Many of the clubs that make up
the annual Mummers Parade every New Year's Day are from South
Philadelphia. Many are located on 2nd street (Two Street).
Government
South
Philadelphia is represented in Philadelphia City Council by
Council President Anna C. Verna and Councilman Frank DiCicco.
At-Large Councilman Jim Kenney is a South Philadelphia resident.
South
Philadelphia is traditionally working-class and highly unionized.
This has resulted in a heavily Democratic populace.
Geography
South
Philadelphia is located at 39° 55' 23 North, 75° 10'
31 West. (39.9231° N 75.1753° W)
According
to the United States Census Bureau, South Philadelphia has
an area of 9.7 sq. miles, of which none is water.
Demographics
As of
the 2000 Census, there are 162,683 people in 78,440 housing
units. The population density is 16,771 people per square
mile. 46.6% of the population is male, and 53.4% is female.
South
Philadelphia's Italian and Italian-American population is
large, and it is the ethnic group most often associated with
the area. There are also sizeable populations of Irish, Vietnamese,
Dominican, Mexican, West Indian, Trinidadian, Ghanaian and
Nigerian ancestry.
Transportation
I-95
runs north and south through South Philadelphia and, in this
area, provides commuters with access to Philadelphia International
Airport, I-76, the sports complex, and the Walt Whitman Bridge.
The Girard Point Bridge section of I-95 crosses over the mouth
of the Schuylkill River, where it merges with the Delaware
River.
I-76
becomes the Schuylkill Expressway at Passyunk Avenue in South
Philadelphia and allows access between this section of the
city and University City, Center City Philadelphia, 30th Street
Station, and the western suburbs.
In addition,
PA Route 291 serves as a major artery between the area and
Delaware County, crossing the Schuylkill River via the Platt
Bridge (named for Medal of Honor recipient George C. Platt).
Broad Street (Philadelphia's equivalent of 14th St.) is also
known as PA Route 611.
A number
of SEPTA bus routes serve South Philadelphia, ferrying commuters
to and from Center City Philadelphia and its immediate suburbs,
mostly those in Delaware County. In addition, the transit
system's Broad Street Line gives subway riders quick access
to downtown and North Philadelphia destinations.
Public
Libraries
Free
Library of Philadelphia operates six branches in South Philadelphia:
Charles Santore, Fumo Family, Queen Memorial, South Philadelphia,
Thomas F. Donatucci, Sr. and Whitman.
Places
of Note
Perhaps
the most famous landmark in South Philadelphia is the sports
complex at the corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue.
Here, the Philadelphia Eagles (professional football), Philadelphia
Phillies (professional baseball), Philadelphia 76ers (professional
basketball), Philadelphia Flyers (professional hockey), Philadelphia
Phantoms (minor league hockey), Philadelphia Kixx (indoor
soccer), Philadelphia Wings (lacrosse), and Philadelphia Soul
(arena football), and the annual Wing Bowl (an event sponsored
by the sports talk radio station, 610-WIP) make their home
in the massive state-of-the-art sports arenas surrounding
the well-known intersection: Citizens Bank Park, Lincoln Financial
Field, the Wachovia Spectrum, and the Wachovia Center.
The sports
complex was once home to Veterans Stadium (The Vet) which
stood from 1971 to 2004, and JFK Stadium which stood from
1925 to 1992. The NovaCare Complex, located on Pattison Avenue
just west of the stadium area, serves as the practice facility
of the Philadelphia Eagles. They now play at Lincoln Financial
Field.
The intersection
of 9th Street and Passyunk Avenue is home to the regionally
famous Geno's Steaks and Pat's King of Steaks cheesesteak
shops, fierce competitors in the local delicacy market for
decades. Also, nearby is the city's open-air Italian Market,
specializing in fresh produce, meats, and other foods, which
is known from several famous scenes from the film Rocky and
its sequels.
South
Street, serving as a border between South Philadelphia proper
and Center City Philadelphia, runs east and west (although
traffic is forced to travel east one-way) for several blocks.
Many bars, nightspots, shops, tattoo parlors, and restaurants
are located along this neon-lit hotspot, with occasional live
music venues (including the Filmore at the TLA) hidden along
the way.
The American
Swedish Historical Museum is located in Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Park.
The Philadelphia
Naval Shipyard, location of the alleged Philadelphia Experiment,
is located in this section of town along the Delaware River.
The Sunoco
oil corporation bases its headquarters along South Philadelphia's
Passyunk Avenue, located a short drive from the wide collection
of car dealerships known as the "Philadelphia Auto Mall".
A refurbished
area of South Philadelphia alongside Columbus Boulevard/Delaware
Avenue (near the Walt Whitman Bridge) provides shopping at
brand new Best Buy, and Ikea stores for thousands of shoppers.
There are also many new chain restaurants and fast food establishments
along this stretch including Longhorn Steakhouse, Famous Dave's
Bar-B-Que Pit, and Chick-Fil-A just to name a few. This new
shopping area goes by the name Columbus Commons.
Washington
Avenue, between 16th St. on the West and Front St. on the
east, is home to many Asian businesses, including Vietnamese,
Chinese and Korean. Among these are restaurants of all types,
two large Asian supermarkets, jewelers and a wide variety
of specialty shops. Shoppers of all ethnic backgrounds can
be seen patronizing these stores.
Passyunk
Avenue, running on a diagonal from Broad Street to South Street,
is a formerly thriving consumer district currently undergoing
revitalization efforts. Within the past few years, several
coffeeshops, restaurants and bars have opened appealing to
the young population begin in inhabit the area around 11th
and Passyunk.
Famous
Residents
Mario
Lanza, who has a museum devoted to him there
Ed Wynn
Larry
Fine
Man Ray
was born in South Philadelphia and lived there until his family
moved to Brooklyn, New York, when he was seven years old.
Sherman
Hemsley, actor who played 'George Jefferson' on The Jeffersons
and 'Deacon Ernest J. Frye on 'Amen'
Source
of Article:
Wikipedia.
(2008). South Philadelphia. Retrieved May 29, 2008
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Philadelphia |
