Northwest Philadelphia

Neighborhoods

East Falls: Located in the Northwest section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. East Falls is located adjacent to Roxborough, Manayunk, and Germantown, and Fairmount Park. The neighborhood runs along a stretch of Ridge Avenue that is only a few miles long, along the banks of the Schuylkill River then extends northeast to Wissahickon Avenue. East Falls overlooks the multi-use recreational path of Fairmount Park along Kelly Drive, and is desirable for its central location, an easy commute to Center City, with easy access to several major roadways and public transportation. East Falls continues to develop, with new housing, retail space and recreation centers in production. It features three streets in proximity with the word “Queen” in them (Queen Lane, New Queen Street, and Indian Queen Lane), two train stations, a number of bars and restaurants, a small Korean grocer, illustrious mansions as well as some recently renovated housing that continues to increase in value

Manayunk:  Located on the banks of the Schuylkill River, it contains the first canal begun in the United States (although not the first completed due to budget problems). The area’s name comes from the language of the Lenape Indians (later called the Delaware Indians by Europeans). In 1686-dated papers between William Penn and the Lenape, the Lenape referred to the Schuylkill River as “Manaiung”, their word for “river”, which literally translates as “place to drink”; the word was later altered and adopted as the town’s name

Roxborough: Roxborough is a neighborhood in the Northwest Philadelphia section of the United States city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is bordered to the southwest, along the Schuylkill River, by the neighborhood of Manayunk, along the northeast by the Wissahickon Creek section of Fairmount Park, and to the southeast by the neighborhood of East Falls. Beyond Roxborough to the northwest is Montgomery County. Roxborough’s zip code is 19128. Most of Roxborough is in Philadelphia’s 21st Ward. The area is very popular with young professionals as medical schools and universities are nearby making Roxborough a popular place to live

Wissahickon: Wissahickon is the informal name given to the areas of Mt. Airy, and Germantown close to Fairmount Park in northwest Philadelphia. Many larger Georgian Revival homes sit in the area.

Andorra: Andorra is a part of Roxborough, being within the borders of the original Roxborough Township and having the same zip code (19128). At some point during the 19th or 20th century, Andorra developed a cultural identity as a neighborhood within Roxborough. Named “Andorra” after a fancied resemblance to the small country of the same name which sits astride the Pyrenees between France and Spain. Andorra borders Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Although within Philadelphia city limits, Andorra resembles suburban Montgomery County more than Philadelphia city neighborhoods. Andorra was established and developed in 1950 and therefore has stereotypically suburban characteristics, such as a strip mall, many single or double-family dwellings set back from the street, and apartment buildings on large lots with ample off-street parking. The most well-known apartment complexes are Summit Park and Henry on the Park. On Cathedral Parkway in Andorra, a small portion of what was to have been a large Gothic-style cathedral for the Episcopal diocese of Philadelphia may still be seen.

Schools

Universities

Drexel University College of Medicine
Philadelphia University

Libraries:

Free Library of Philadelphia

Houses of Worship: