West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of the city of Philadelphia.
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14 Facts About West Philadelphia
2.
Topography of West Philadelphia is composed of rolling hills rising slowly from the Schuylkill River toward Cobbs Creek in the west and toward Belmont Plateau in the northwest.
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3.
West Philadelphia's population expanded in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, thanks in large part to horsecars, then streetcars, and Schuylkill River bridges that allowed middle-class breadwinners to commute into the Central Business District a few miles to the east.
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4.
West Philadelphia was among the early streetcar suburbs, and a portion of it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the West Philadelphia Streetcar Suburb Historic District.
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5.
West Philadelphia drew national attention in 1978 and 1985 for violent clashes between police and an Afro-centric, back-to-nature group called MOVE.
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6.
In recent years, parts of West Philadelphia have undergone "Penntrification, " a term that reflects the University of Pennsylvania's role in gentrification of the neighborhood; including a campaign to rename part of the area University City .
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7.
Western reaches of West Philadelphia included miles of two-story rowhouses with bay windows above classical columned front porches.
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8.
West Philadelphia is served by five of SEPTA's thirteen Regional Rail Lines, which transport thousands of commuters daily to and from Center City and University City, and provide a quick and inexpensive link to the Philadelphia International Airport.
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9.
The main thoroughfare, Market Street, runs East and West Philadelphia, paralleled to the north and south by smaller streets named for tree species.
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10.
One of the major retail strips in West Philadelphia, it is lined with shops and restaurants through to 64th Street in the Wynnefield neighborhood.
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11.
Intersection of 52nd Street and Market Street in West Philadelphia was listed number eight in a 2007 list of the city's top ten recreational drug corners according to an article by Philadelphia Weekly reporter Steve Volk.
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12.
The students of "West Philadelphia" were the children of middle-class black people, as well as of Irish, Jewish, Polish and other immigrant groups.
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13.
West Philadelphia is the home to several universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, and Saint Joseph's University.
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14.
West Philadelphia has about 75 of Philadelphia's 196 blue historic markers, which note historically important birthplaces, homes, business and other places.
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