The Northwest

Why go

The Northwest earns time because it offers a broad region that rewards choosing one corridor rather than treating it as a single stop. Its central thread is Germantown Avenue neighborhoods, Wissahickon woods and former mill landscapes. Germantown layers colonial sites, stone houses and later commercial streets. Manayunk and East Falls show how the Schuylkill and canal shaped industry and housing.

What to look for

• Germantown layers colonial sites, stone houses and later commercial streets.
• Manayunk and East Falls show how the Schuylkill and canal shaped industry and housing.

The full story

The Northwest is best understood through Germantown Avenue neighborhoods, Wissahickon woods and former mill landscapes. Northwest Philadelphia is a section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The official boundary is Stenton Avenue to the north, the Schuylkill river to the southwest, Northwestern Avenue to the northwest, Roosevelt Boulevard to the south, and Wister Street and Stenton Avenue to the east. The area is divided by Wissahickon Creek into two subsections, Upper Northwest and Lower Northwest Philadelphia. Upper Northwest are Germantown, Mount Airy , and Chestnut Hill, and Lower Northwest are Roxborough, East Falls , and Manayunk. Some of them informally comprise smaller neighborhoods. The Philadelphia Police Department patrols two districts located within Northwest Philadelphia. The two patrol districts serving Northwest Philadelphia are the 5th and 14th districts. Northwest Philadelphia has substantial African American, Irish-American, German-American, Italian-American, and British American (English American/Scottish American) populations, but its culture is varied, and only smaller neighborhoods within it can be said to be known for one ethnicity predominating. Compared with other sections of Philadelphia, a substantial portion of the Northwest retains a more suburban feel, particularly Chestnut Hill, West Mount Airy, parts of East Falls, East Mount Airy and Germantown, and Upper Roxborough. For example, in East Falls one will find large Tudor homes and big modern ranch homes on sizable properties only blocks from more humble townhouses and rowhouses.

Useful to know

• Pick either Germantown and Chestnut Hill or the river corridor for one outing.
• Regional rail and buses help, but distances between sub-neighborhoods are substantial.

Your next visit

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