Olde Kensington, also known as South Kensington, is a neighborhood located in

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 ...

section of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

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, ...

. Olde Kensington is north of

Northern Liberties Northern Liberties is a neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Prior to its incorporation into Philadelphia in 1854, it was among the top 10 largest cities in the U.S. in every census from 1790 to 1850. Boundaries Northern Liberties is loc ...

, south of Hartranft, east of

Ludlow Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The ...

, and west of Fishtown. The boundaries of the neighborhood are roughly between Cecil B Moore Ave (north), Girard Ave (south), Front St (east) and 5th St. (west). After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, many neighborhoods in Philadelphia experienced a long period of decline, deindustrialization, and residential abandonment. In recent years, however, Olde Kensington has been increasingly

gentrified Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ec ...

, following a similar pattern observed in adjacent

and Fishtown. Although some industrial activity has continued along the American Street Corridor, a historic location for

heavy industry Heavy industry is an industry that involves one or more characteristics such as large and heavy products; large and heavy equipment and facilities (such as heavy equipment, large machine tools, huge buildings and large-scale infrastructure); o ...

, a growing number of formerly vacant factories are being turned into lofts, condos, and artistic workspaces. The zip code for the area is 19122. Also, there are two associations that serve the neighborhood: the Kensington South Neighborhood Advisory Council (KSNAC) and Olde Kensington Neighbors Association (OKNA). KSNAC's community meeting is on every 1st Monday of each month.

Population

As of 2010, Olde Kensington was 45.4% non Hispanic white, 30% Hispanic, 18.4% non Hispanic black, 4.5% Asian, and 1.6% other.

Public Transportation

SEPTA The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five c ...

provides various options of public transportation for the neighborhood, and Center City is about 2 miles or 10 minutes away. The neighborhood is served by:

Buses 57, 5 Elevated Train (the EL) at Girard Station Trolley 15 through Girard Ave

Also, buses 3 and 47 pass nearby the neighborhood, and the EL Berks Station and SEPTA rail at Temple University Station are within reasonable walking distance. Additionally, many residents ride their bicycles as their preferred mode of transportation. Indego Philly has a bike share station at 3rd & Girard and multiple peripheral stations: 2nd & Germantown Ave, 1176 Leopard Ave. (Girard Station, MFL), 1424 Frankford Ave. (City Fitness), 1902 N. Front St. (Berks Station, MFL), and 527 W. Berks St.

PhillyCarShare PhillyCarShare was a non-profit car-sharing organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania established in 2002. The service was acquired by Enterprise in 2011, and was renamed Enterprise CarShare in 2014. PhillyCarShare has cars available for use 24 h ...

(now known as Enterprise CarShare) vehicles are available at 6th & Girard Ave, 100 W. Oxford St. and Frankford & Thompson St. Zipcars are located at Front & Master, Frankford & Master, Frankford & Palmer, and 6th & Girard.

References

Neighborhoods in Philadelphia Irish-American neighborhoods Upper North Philadelphia Kensington, Philadelphia {{PhiladelphiaPA-geo-stub