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Districts in Philadelphia


Districts in Philadelphia

As a result of Philadelphia's size, there are very large residential districts most visitors will never see. On the other hand, you could roam for miles, see distinct changes in atmosphere, architecture, and demographics, and still be within the city. For most tourists, the landing point will be in Center City, the "downtown" section of Philadelphia. It is bounded by South St. to the south, the Delaware River to the east, the Schuylkill River to the west, and Vine St. to the north. The 2005 Center City population, at nearly 100,000, makes it one of the most populated central business districts in the U.S, just behind New York City. Other popular districts to visit are Old City, West Philly, and South Philly. In the recent years, Northern Liberties (in the North region) has been gaining traction as a hip, trendy place.
Center City East
Philadelphia's beautiful City Hall, the Convention Center, Chinatown, Washington Square West, the gay-friendly Gayborhood, and the Broad Street Arts Corridor.
Center City West
West of Broad Street and City Hall, includes the art museum district, Rittenhouse Square, shopping resembling an outdoor mall with dining on Chestnut and Walnut Streets, and a good portion of the central business district with Philadelphia's tallest skyscrapers.
Old City
Philadelphia's oldest historic quarter, where the roots of the American Independence began. Located between 6th Street and the Delaware River, it features Independence Mall and historical landmarks like the Liberty Bell, Constitution Hall, and Independence Hall. Also of significance are the art, design and fashion businesses and galleries, making Old City a vibrant and culturally diverse neighborhood with an 'old world' european aesthetic. Evening hours bring added excitement with great restaurants, bars and clubs.
South Philly
South Street, the Italian Market, the Sports Complex, endless cheap dive bars, and Philly cheesesteaks.
North Philly
Working class neighborhoods, some of which are struggling with crime problems, but also the home of Temple University and Northern Liberties.
West Philly
West of the Schuylkill River, includes University City comprising of University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University and its surrounding neighborhoods.
Northwest
The off-the-beaten-path northwestern reaches of the city, most notable for its middle-to-upper class residential neighborhoods of Manayunk, Chestnut Hill, East Falls and Mt. Airy.
Northeast
The far northeastern part of town, mostly residential.


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Philadelphia Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.

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