Elmwood Park, Philadelphia

{{Other places|Elmwood Park (disambiguation)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox settlement | background_color=    |image_skyline=TB Read School Philly.JPG |imagesize= |image_caption=Motivation High School in Elmwood Park, June 2010 |image_flag= |name=Elmwood Park |settlement_type = [[List of Philadelphia neighborhoods|Neighborhood of Philadelphia]]   |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = {{USA}} |subdivision_type1 = State |subdivision_name1 = [[Pennsylvania]] |subdivision_type2 = County |subdivision_name2 = [[Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]] |subdivision_type3 = City |subdivision_name3 = [[Philadelphia]]  | mapsize = 300px | map_caption = | pushpin_map = Philadelphia | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_caption = | pushpin_mapsize = | coordinates = {{Coord|39.9140|-75.2373|format=dms|display=title}}  |postal_code_type= |postal_code= |area_codes=[[Area codes 215, 267, and 445|215, 267, and 445]] }} '''Elmwood Park''', also known simply as '''Elmwood''', is a neighborhood in the [[Southwest Philadelphia|Southwest]] section of [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], United States. It borders the city line with [[Delaware County, Pennsylvania|Delaware County]] at [[Cobbs Creek]], and extends to the [[Schuylkill River]]. The [[Eastwick, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Eastwick]] neighborhood borders it to the southwest, and [[Kingsessing, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Kingsessing]] borders it on the northeast.

Poles and Irish Americans had long been the majority in the neighborhood, organized around [[Catholicism|Catholic]] parishes established throughout the early to mid 20th century.

In 1985, Mayor [[Wilson Goode]] declared a [[state of emergency]] as white rioters demonstrated outside two houses in Elmwood, creating an "imminent danger of civil disturbance." One home had been sold to an African-American family and the other to an [[Miscegenation|interracial]] couple. Between 1990 and 2000, the white population decreased by 57.39% while the African American population increased by 55.40%. [[Vietnamese American]] [[refugee]]s and [[West Africa]]n immigrants have joined African Americans in making today's Elmwood a more racially diverse neighborhood as the white population decreases.

The [[SEPTA Route 36|Route 36]] [[SEPTA Subway-Surface Lines|trolley]] runs along Elmwood Avenue through the heart of the neighborhood. A [[Elmwood Carhouse (SEPTA station)|storage facility that is also used as an alternate terminus]] is also located there.

The [[Thomas Buchanan Read School]] and [[William J. Tilden Junior High School]] were added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1986.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>

Elmwood Park's ''[http://associationforpublicart.org/interactive-art-map/the-labor-monument-philadelphias-tribute-to-the-american-worker The Labor Monument: Philadelphia's Tribute to the American Worker]'' (2010) by artist [[John Kindness]] is one of the first monuments in the United States commemorating the contributions of organized labor nationwide. The monument was commissioned by the [[Association for Public Art]] (formerly the Fairmount Park Art Association) and installed in 2010 at 71st Street and Buist Avenue.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://associationforpublicart.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Labor_Monument_Installation_Press_Release_12-2010.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-01-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914201106/http://associationforpublicart.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Labor_Monument_Installation_Press_Release_12-2010.pdf |archive-date=2015-09-14 }}</ref>

==Demographics== {{more citations needed section|date=March 2020}} As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, there were 27,329 people living in the neighborhood. The racial makeup was 31.15% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 55.40% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 10.33% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], and 0.75% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]]. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.25% of the population. The median income for a household in the neighborhood was $24,817.{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}}

==Education== [[Free Library of Philadelphia]] operates the Paschalville Branch, which serves Elmwood and other subdivisions, at 6942 Woodland Avenue.<ref>"[http://libwww.freelibrary.org/branches/branch.cfm?loc=PAC Paschalville Branch]." ''[[Free Library of Philadelphia]]''. Retrieved on January 3, 2008.</ref> The system also operates the Eastwick Branch, which serves Elmwood Park and other subdivisions, at 2581 Island Avenue.<ref>"[http://libwww.freelibrary.org/branches/branch.cfm?loc=ESW Eastwick Branch]." ''[[Free Library of Philadelphia]]''. Retrieved on January 3, 2008.</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E00E0D61138F937A15752C1A963948260 Philadelphia Imposes a State of Emergency], ''New York Times'', November 24, 1985 *[https://web.archive.org/web/20060903010450/http://www.fels.upenn.edu/FGRS/FelsDCEDPhiladelphiaImmigrationReport.pdf Recent Trends in Immigration to Philadelphia], Johnny Ceffalio, University of Pennsylvania

[[Category:Neighborhoods in Philadelphia]] [[Category:Irish-American neighborhoods]] [[Category:Southwest Philadelphia]]