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Rhawnhurst is a residential
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 Northeast 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 ...
, United States, named for George and William Rhawn by area real estate developers. Roughly bordered by Cottman Avenue to the south, Pennway Street to the west, the Pennypack Creek to the north, and Roosevelt Boulevard to the east, Rhawnhurst encompasses ZIP codes 19152 and part of ZIP code 19111. The geographic center of Rhawnhurst is at the intersection of Castor Avenue and Rhawn Street.


History

By 1940, development in
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 ...
had almost reached Cottman Avenue, but large areas of the Northeast, including Rhawnhurst, were still farmland. Though much development had taken place in neighboring
Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...
, the area between Pennypack Park and Cottman Avenue west of the Roosevelt Boulevard had not been subdivided. The baby boom after World War II caused a demand for housing that continued into the 1960s. The new housing stock was built in the open areas of
Northeast Philadelphia Northeast Philadelphia, nicknamed Northeast Philly, the Great Northeast, and known colloquially as simply "the Northeast", is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to the 2000 census, Northeast Philadelphia has a population of betw ...
. Most homes in Rhawnhurst are twins, along with some ranchers and duplexes, largely built by local home builder A.P. Orleans.


Transportation

The two major modes of transportation in Rhawnhurst are private car and public transportation. Major roads include Cottman Avenue ( PA 73), Bustleton Avenue ( PA 532), Castor Avenue, Rhawn Street, and the Roosevelt Boulevard ( U.S. 1). The intersection of Cottman Avenue and the Roosevelt Boulevard is one of the most dangerous in the city; recently red light cameras were installed there to reduce traffic violations. (In a ranking done by
State Farm State Farm Insurance is a group of mutual insurance companies throughout the United States with corporate headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois. Founded in 1922, it is the largest property and casualty insurance, property, casualty and auto i ...
Insurance in 2001, 2 of the 10 most dangerous intersections in the U.S. were on the Roosevelt Boulevard.) Several
SEPTA SEPTA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly four million people througho ...
bus lines serve Rhawnhurst, with connections to the Market-Frankford Line elevated train (the ''"El"''), the Broad Street Line, and regional rail lines.


Infrastructure and government

The
United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
operates the Roosevelt Mall branch at 2311 Cottman Avenue. This post office serves the communities in 19152. Residents in the portion of Rhawnhurst in 19111 get mail from the Fox Chase post office, located on 7232 Rising Sun Ave.


Education

There are five primary and secondary schools in Rhawnhurst. The
School District of Philadelphia The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) is the school district that includes all school district-operated State schools, public schools in Philadelphia. Established in 1818, it is the largest school district in Pennsylvania and the eighth-lar ...
operates four schools in Rhawnhurst.
Farrell Elementary School , there are 151 elementary/K-8 schools, 16 middle schools, and 57 high schools in the School District of Philadelphia, excluding charter schools. Elementary/K-8 schools * Alexander Adaire School * Allen, Dr. Ethel School * Ethan Allen School ...
, a
K-8 school K8 or K-8 may refer to: * K-8 (Kansas highway), two highways in Kansas, one in northern Kansas, one in southern Kansas * K-8 school, a type of school that includes kindergarten and grades one through eight * K8 telephone box, designed by Bruce M ...
, opened 1959 during the buildup of the Bell's Corner section of Rhawnhurst. Rhawnhurst Elementary School, which serves another section of the area, opened in 1948 during a period of growth in the neighborhood. Castor Gardens Middle School, which predates the neighborhood and though on the south side of Cottman Avenue, is the middle school serving those zoned to Rhawnhurst Elementary. Northeast High School is the zoned high school.Northeast High School Geographic Boundaries
."
School District of Philadelphia The School District of Philadelphia (SDP) is the school district that includes all school district-operated State schools, public schools in Philadelphia. Established in 1818, it is the largest school district in Pennsylvania and the eighth-lar ...
. Retrieved on December 11, 2016. The current building is a replacement for the old Northeast High School building at 8th Street and Lehigh Avenue, opened in 1957. A parochial school
Resurrection of Our Lord Catholic School
opened in 1929 and is operated by the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia The Archdiocese of Philadelphia () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in southeastern Pennsylvania in the United States. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia originally included all of Pennsylvania and Dela ...
.


Houses of worship

Rhawnhurst is home to people of several faiths
Resurrection
and BVM are the only Roman Catholic churches in Rhawnhurst. Major Protestant churches include Redemption Lutheran Church (1929), the Rhawnhurst Baptist Church, All Saints Episcopal Church, the Rhawnhurst Presbyterian Church (1929), the Philadelphia First Church of the Nazarene and th
Philadelphia Boulevard Seventh-day Adventist Church
There are several synagogues and Jewish congregations in Rhawnhurst includin
Ahavas TorahB'nai Israel – Ohev Zedek
The Lubavitcher Center, Mesillat Yesharim an
Congregation Dibrot Eliyahu


Shopping

There is very little industry in Rhawnhurst. There is, however, commercial development. Major shopping centers include the Bell's Corner Shopping Center, the Cottman Bustleton Center, and the Roosevelt Mall, which opened in 1964 at Cottman Avenue and the Roosevelt Boulevard. Many smaller storefronts also line Castor Avenue, Bustleton Avenue, and Cottman Avenue.


Recreation

The major recreation attraction in Rhawnhurst is Pennypack Park, one of the largest urban parks in the U.S., and the northern border of the neighborhood. Bradford Park, a smaller park popular as a
dog park A dog park is a park for dogs to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment under the supervision of their owners. Description Dog parks have varying features, although they typically offer a fence, separate double-gated entry an ...
is located near the Roosevelt Mall. The Pelbano Recreation Center (colloquially called ''"Solly"'' because of its location on Solly Avenue), is a
playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people wi ...
operated by the City of Philadelphia. Other recreational destinations include the Northeast Regional Library.


Notable people

* Rubén Amaro Jr., MLB baseball player, general manager, and coach * Ralph Garman, impressionist and radio on-air personality * Duane Swierczynski, crime writer *Dennis Duffy, stunt double for
Timothée Chalamet Timothée Hal Chalamet ( ; born December 27, 1995) is an American and French actor. List of awards and nominations received by Timothée Chalamet, His accolades include a Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to ...
* Howard Eskin, radio and TV sports commentator.


References


External links


Historic Photographs of Rhawnhurst
''Philly''History.org {{Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania Jews and Judaism in Philadelphia Neighborhoods in Philadelphia Northeast Philadelphia