Olde Richmond is a

neighborhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neigh ...

in the River Wards section of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. It is notable for its historically large Polish immigrant, Polish American community, and

Irish American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...

community. The U.S. ZIP Code for Olde Richmond is 19125 and its post office is located at 1602 Frankford Avenue (in Fishtown).

Geography

The neighborhood is bounded by East Lehigh Avenue to the northeast, the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

to the east, Trenton Avenue to the northwest and York Street to the southwest. The boundary between the neighborhood and East Kensington roughly aligns with the boundaries of the Kensington District and the Richmond District before Philadelphia's Act of Consolidation. Some consider Frankford Avenue to be the western boundary of the neighborhood (as it was before the Act of Consolidation). However, both Olde Richmond's and East Kensington's official community organizations today consider Trenton Avenue to be the boundary between East Kensington and Olde Richmond. Some area residents refer to a small section or portion of Olde Richmond as "Cione", which refers to the Cione Playground and Recreation Center, which is located at 2600 Aramingo Avenue. Other sections of the neighborhood have been referred to as “Flatiron”, the section west of Aramingo Ave. named after a triangular or flatiron-shaped lot formed by the intersections of Cumberland Ave, Almond St, and Moyer St, and “ Richmond”, the section east of Aramingo Ave. extending to the

. The neighborhood has also been known to Catholic residents as “Saint Anne’s”, referencing St. Anne Catholic Church and the Catholic Parish system. Adjacent neighborhoods are Port Richmond to the northeast,

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around 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 by Kensingt ...

to the northwest, and Fishtown to the south/southwest. Philadelphia pre 1854 consolidation

Transportation

Mass transit

SEPTA offers regular bus routes that easily connect Olde Richmond to Center City, West Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, and the Northeast. SEPTA bus routes 15, 25, 39, 43, and 89 service the community. SEPTA Route 15, a surface line trolley running along Girard Avenue and Richmond Street, services the community; however Route 15 from the intersection of Frankford and Girard Avenues to the Westmoreland Loop is temporarily serviced by bus as portions of Richmond Street and Girard Avenue are affected by the construction at the Girard Avenue Interchange of U.S. Interstate 95.

Rapid transit

Nearby rapid transit stops of the Market–Frankford Line, commonly referred to as the "EL" or the "Blue Line", include Spring Garden Station (connection to Route 25 and Route 43), Girard Station (connection to Route 15), Berks Station (connection to Route 3), and York–Dauphin Station (connection to Route 39 and Route 89).

Roads and highways

Automobile continues to be a popular method of transportation for area residents. By highway, Olde Richmond is conveniently accessible to Center City (just one exit off the Vine Street Expressway/ Interstate 676), South Philadelphia, and Northeast Philadelphia and nearby large city streets and avenues include Aramingo Avenue, Richmond Street, York Street, Lehigh Avenue, and Frankford Avenue.

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...

is easily accessed by the Girard Avenue exit of the highway. Interstate 95 South on-ramp is accessible by way of Aramingo Avenue-south, and while under construction, the 95 North on-ramp is accessible by following Richmond Street-north to Castor Avenue (the Allegheny/Castor Exit of Interstate 95). The neighborhood is also located just north of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and south of the Betsy Ross Bridge, making parts of south

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, such as Camden County also easily accessible.

Bicycle lanes

In recent years, Olde Richmond has experienced an increase in bike lanes on neighborhood roadways including portions of York Street, Lehigh Avenue, Aramingo Avenue, and Richmond Street. Bicycle lanes easily connect Olde Richmond to nearby neighborhoods, such as Fishtown and Port Richmond, as well as connect to major roadways, such as Delaware Avenue and Frankford Avenue. Additional bicycle lanes and walking paths are to be constructed with the completion of the Girard Avenue Interchange Improvement Project.

External links

Olde Richmond Civic Association

References

{{Reflist Neighborhoods in Philadelphia Irish-American neighborhoods Irish-American culture in Pennsylvania Irish-American culture in Philadelphia Polish communities in the United States Kensington, Philadelphia