Meet Our Community

The Allegheny West community’s location in upper North Philadelphia puts us at the geographic center of the Philadelphia region. Our borders are Ridge Avenue on the west, 17th Street on the east, Lehigh Avenue on the south, and the various railroad lines near Westmoreland Street on the north. We’re just five miles from City Hall and within close proximity to the Main Line, Conshohocken and the Philadelphia International Airport.

Home to over 19,000 residents and numerous businesses, civic groups and schools, Allegheny West is a vibrant community full of potential, which we are helping to nurture and grow. Our 400-square-block neighborhood is characterized by pedestrian-friendly neighborhood parks and green spaces, and blocks characterized by traditional Philadelphia row homes and small apartment buildings. (Click here to view census information about our community.)

Our community offers a cohesive residential network, and is home to a wide variety of civic groups and houses of worship with an old-style attachment to the area. Senior citizens frequently encourage family members to stay and buy a home, and there are many families who have lived in our community for generations. When polled, many current residents say they would rather live in Allegheny West than other parts of the city.

African Americans currently make up the largest percentage of our residents, but we have fast-growing Latino and Asian populations. The median household income in 2000 was $24,640, an increase from 1990. While about 17 percent of all Allegheny West’s households are headed by single women raising children under the age of 18, 30 percent of local households also contain at least one member 65 years of age or older.

While the loss of many industrial businesses left a large gap in the neighborhood’s employment and business network, there are several major anchor institutions that provide employment for residents and meet the basic health needs of community members. These institutions include Temple University Hospital, the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Clinic and the Fairmount Health Clinic.

We are home to the 22nd Street Commercial Corridor and Allegheny West Industrial Corridor, Temple University and Health Science Center, and several public schools, including Mercy Vocational High School and Dobbins/Randolph Area Vocational Technical School, which both offer active job training programs.

Several prominent Philadelphia companies continue to maintain their corporate headquarters in our community, including Tastykake, Penn Fishing Reels and Pep Boys. These companies and the growing list of residents that are calling Allegheny West home all understand the fundamental strengths of our community:

  • Central Location: Allegheny West is centrally located in the Philadelphia region with close proximity to markets and employees.

  • Transportation: Allegheny West has a substantial transportation infrastructure:

    • We are bordered by heavily-trafficked transportation routes, including Broad Street, and Roosevelt Boulevard that provides direct access to the Schuylkill Expressway.
    • Germantown, Hunting Park and Allegheny Avenues all provide major access to local retailers and many of the currently underused manufacturing sites.
    • Four regional rail lines, operated by SEPTA, pass through the region on the way to suburban areas such as Conshohocken, Chestnut Hill West and Trenton.
    • Existing Amtrak rail lines also cross the region on the way to New York and Washington, D.C., and could be used to create connecting points to reach these important destinations.
    • We are located along SEPTA bus routes 1, 2, 32, 33, 48, 54 and 60.
    • The Broad Street subway line is approximately a 10 minute walk east of Allegheny West.
  • Available Industrial Land: The University of Pennsylvania’s graduate city planning studio found that about one-fourth of Allegheny West’s 125-acre industrial area is open land without any permanent structures. Overbuilding in the suburbs and a growing opposition to suburban sprawl also increase the attraction of vacant, historically industrial urban land for businesses to expand.
  • Business Growth Opportunities: Local industrial businesses are dedicated to remaining in the community as long as the business environment continues to improve. In addition, Allegheny West has the viable retail community of the 22nd Street Commercial Corridor. Our proximity to Temple University and its commitment to the new Budd Commerce Center also promises continued growth.

We invite you to experience all that Allegheny West has to offer, from affordable living to retail shopping and a strong, diverse and growing economy. It’s been our home for over 35 years, and we will continue to grow for generations to come.