The River Wards is a section of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

located along the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock (village), New York, Hancock, New York, the river flows for along the borders of N ...

to the northeast of Center City Philadelphia. 'River Wards' is the commonly used name for an area including several neighborhoods, such as Fishtown,

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

, Port Richmond and Olde Richmond.https://www.dvrpc.org/mapping/maps/pdf/Philadelphia_Planning_Districts.pdf The River Wards are located at the border of

North Philadelphia North Philadelphia, nicknamed North Philly, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is immediately north of Center City. Though the full extent of the region is somewhat vague, "North Philadelphia" is regarded as everything north of either ...

and

Northeast Philadelphia Northeast Philadelphia, nicknamed Northeast Philly, the Northeast and the Great Northeast, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to the 2000 census, Northeast Philadelphia has a population of between 300,000 and 450,000, depending ...

, and may be considered part of one or the other, or as a separate entity. The area is sometimes also known as 'Kensington-Richmond'. The area is defined by its industrial past, having suffered the effects of

deindustrialization Deindustrialization is a process of social and economic change caused by the removal or reduction of industrial capacity or activity in a country or region, especially of heavy industry or manufacturing industry. There are different interpre ...

in the 20th century. Today, the River Wards are known both for

gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and urban planning, planning. Gentrification ...

, which has brought an arts, culture, and dining scene to the area (particularly in Fishtown), and for

disinvestment Disinvestment refers to the use of a concerted economic boycott to pressure a government, industry, or company towards a change in policy, or in the case of governments, even regime change. The term was first used in the 1980s, most commonly in ...

, with outer Kensington hosting an infamous open-air drug market.

Included neighborhoods

* Fishtown *

* Port Richmond * Olde Richmond * Harrowgate *

Bridesburg Bridesburg is the northernmost neighborhood in the River Wards, Philadelphia, River Wards section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Bridesburg is an historically German and Irish community, with a significant community of Poles, Polish ...

The River Wards includes all or part of the following pre- Act of Consolidation municipalities: * Kensington District * Richmond District * Aramingo Borough * Bridesburg Borough *

Northern Liberties Township Northern Liberties Township is a defunct Township (Pennsylvania), township that was located in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. The township ceased to exist and was incorporated into the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, City of Philadelphia after th ...

Demographics

As defined by the Philadelphia Urban Planning Commission, the River Wards had a population of 68,749 as of 2010.

Racial and ethnic demographics, 2010

* White: 71% * Black: 11% * Asian: 2.5% * Other: 11.2% * Hispanic or Latino of any race: 20%

References

{{coord, 39.983, -75.093, type:adm3rd_globe:earth_region:US-PA, display=title Neighborhoods in Philadelphia