Whitman is a neighborhood in the

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south and the Schuylkill River to the west.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. Since ...

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 Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. It is bounded on the west by Sixth Street, on the east by Front Street, on the south by Bigler Street, and on the north by Snyder Avenue. The name "Whitman" was adopted when the nearby

Walt Whitman Bridge The Walt Whitman Bridge is a single-level suspension bridge spanning the Delaware River from Philadelphia in the west to Gloucester City in Camden County, New Jersey in the east. The bridge is named after the poet Walt Whitman, who resided ...

was being constructed in the 1950s. In 2015, Whitman and nearby South Philadelphia neighborhoods were named by Philadelphia Magazine as one of the safest and most family-friendly neighborhoods in Philadelphia.

Demographics

According to the 2000 Census, Whitman, combined with

Queen Village Queen Village is a residential neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that lies along the eastern edge of the city in South Philadelphia. It shares boundaries with Society Hill to the north, Bella Vista to the west and Pennsport to the south ...

and

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

, has 26,300 inhabitants. The racial makeup of the community is White, 60 percent; Black, 27 percent; Asian, 8 percent; Latino, 5 percent. About 40 percent of the population is under 18. Whitman has a very large population of Irish Catholics. The 2010 Census showed progressive changes in demographics, including an increase in total inhabitants, with a marked increase in Asian American and young professional population.

Major landmarks

* Whitman Plaza shopping center, Fourth Street and Oregon Avenue. * YPC Shari-Eli synagogue, 728 W Moyamensing Avenue *

Preah Buddha Rangsey Temple Preah Buddha Rangsey Temple, also spelled Phra Buddha Ransi Temple, is a Cambodian Theravada Buddhist temple located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 2004, the Khmer Buddhist Humanitarian Association relocated the temple to the dilapidated St. ...

on the southeast corner of Mifflin Square The

George Sharswood School George W. Sharswood School is a K-8 school located in the Whitman, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Whitman neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is a part of the School District of Philadelphia. History The school building was designed by He ...

and

SS United States SS ''United States'' is a retired ocean liner built between 1950 and 1951 for the United States Lines at a cost of (equivalent to $ million in ). The ship is the largest ocean liner constructed entirely in the United States and the fast ...

are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Playgrounds

Lawrence E. Murphy Recreation Center, 300 W. Shunk St. This 4.9-acre park has playground equipment, a pool, a basketball court, and sports fields. The five-room building has a gymnasium and multi-purpose rooms. The site was renamed in honor of Lawrence E. Murphy in 1964. He was an employee of the recreation department for 37 years. He worked at this site when it was known as "Greenwich Recreation Center." Mifflin Square, 500 Wolf St. This 4.2-acre park in South Philadelphia has large trees, walkways, playground equipment and a basketball court. Reverend Edward P. Burke Playground, 200 Snyder Ave. A 1.7-acre site with playground equipment, a basketball court and hockey court. Located adjacent to the Whitman branch of the Free Library. The site was named in honor of Reverend Edward P. Burke in 1963. Burke was pastor at Our Lady of Mount Carmel church from 1950 until his death in 1960. He was a vocal opponent of housing and expressway construction projects that threatened to destroy homes in the area. He was ordained in 1922 and served as a U.S. Army chaplain in WWII, retiring with the rank of major.

Education

Schools

The

School District of Philadelphia The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) is the school district that includes all school district-operated public schools in Philadelphia. Established in 1818, it is the 8th largest school district in the nation, by enrollment, serving over 200 ...

operates public schools in the Whitman neighborhood. * George Sharswood Elementary, 2300 S. Second St. *John H. Taggart Elementary, 400 Porter St. Neighborhoods assigned to Sharswood are also assigned to Furness High School.A Directory of High Schools for 2009 Admissions

Archive
.

. p. 15 (PDF p/ 17/40). Accessed November 6, 2008.Horace Furness High School Geographic Boundaries

Archive
.

. Retrieved on October 4, 2011.

Public libraries

The

Free Library of Philadelphia The Free Library of Philadelphia is the public library system that serves Philadelphia. It is the 13th-largest public library system in the United States. The Free Library of Philadelphia is a non-Mayoral agency of the City of Philadelphia gover ...

Whitman Branch serves the community.

Notable residents

Joey Coyle Joseph William Coyle (February 26, 1953 – August 15, 1993) was an unemployed longshoreman in Philadelphia who, in February 1981, found $1.2 million in the street, after it had fallen out of the back of an armored car, and kept it. His story was ...

, who stole $1.2 million that fell from an armored truck. His story was developed into a 1993 movie, '' Money for Nothing'', starring

John Cusack John Paul Cusack (; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and political activist. He is a son of filmmaker Dick Cusack, and his ol ...

. *

Jim Kenney James Francis Kenney (born August 7, 1958) is an American politician who is the 99th Mayor of Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., ...

, the 99th mayor of Philadelphia, grew up in the Whitman neighborhood and once served as a board member of Whitman Council Civic Association. *

Mark Squilla Mark F. Squilla is a Democratic politician and member of the City Council of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Political career Squilla is active in Philadelphia Democratic politics, having held a variety of positions. In the 2004 Democratic primary, h ...

, city councilman.

District and local organization

State Senate district

* First,

Nikil Saval Nikil Saval (born December 27, 1982) is an Indian-American magazine editor, writer, organizer, activist, and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he represents the 1st district in the Pennsylvania State Senate. Early life and education ...

(D)

State House district

* 184th,

Elizabeth Fiedler Elizabeth A. Fiedler (born July 18, 1980) is an American politician who serves as a Democratic representative for the 184th district of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Early life and career Fiedler was born on July 18, 1980, in Bl ...

(D)

City Council district

* First,

(D)

Ward

* 39th

Police district

* Third

Civic groups and town watches

* Whitman Plaza Community * Pennsport/Whitman Town Watch *Mifflin Square Patrol * Whitman Council, which holds monthly meetings and distributes bimonthly newsletters.

References

{{Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania Neighborhoods in Philadelphia Irish-American neighborhoods Little Italys in the United States South Philadelphia