The River Wards is a 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 The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, located along 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 ...

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

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 ...

, Port Richmond and Olde Richmond. 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, Philadelphia, Center City. Though the full extent of the region is somewhat vague, "North Philadelphia" is regarded as ...

and

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 ...

, 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 interpr ...

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

gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...

, 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. A mostly working-class neighborhood, Bridgesburg is an historically German and Irish community, with ...

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

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