$333,451Average Value$225Average Price per Sq Ft9Homes For Sale
Urban neighborhood just north of University City
Centrally located less than a mile north of University City’s prestigious universities and award-winning hospitals, West Powelton attracts a diverse community. “It’s a mixed bag. You’ve got college students, doctors and longtime residents all living in one place,” says Eric Dvotsky, a Realtor with Berkshire Hathway HomeServices Fox & Roach and a native Philadelphian. “It makes for a pretty unique experience.” The densely populated neighborhood embraces this spirit in everything from its eclectic, 20th-century rowhomes to its urban green spaces and vibrant storefronts. While West Powelton maintains a unique charm in its housing stock and its longstanding community organizations, its proximity to the city’s academic epicenter and a revitalizing commercial corridor along Lancaster Avenue is bringing in new developments. “It’s changing very fast. The West Powelton today will not be the same as the West Powelton of tomorrow,” says Kasey Etson, administrator for the local West Powelton Steppers & Drum Squad. While the neighborhood grows, its sense of community remains the same. “A lot of the people that live there have lived there most of their lives. It’s a very close community that doesn’t have a lot of turnover,” Etson says.
Traditional rowhomes with brick exteriors
Due to its proximity to University City, West Powelton is home to off-campus student apartment complexes such as UCity Flats and University City Apartments. About 75% of residents in the neighborhood are renters. Outside these apartment complexes, homebuyers will find blocks of rowhomes dating to the early 1900s. Philadelphia-style rowhouses with covered front porches and oriel windows sit down the street from Victorian-inspired rowhomes with steeply gabled roofs. Most homes have narrow, fenced-in backyards with room for a small patio. Street parking is the norm throughout the neighborhood. Prices range from around $250,000 to $450,000, depending on the size and condition of the property. West Powelton has a CAP Index Crime Score of 7 out of 10, compared to the national average of 4. This overall Crime Score is primarily driven by higher-than-average scores for violent crimes. Local organizations like the Holly Street Neighbors Community Garden work to combat gun violence in the neighborhood.
A row of Victorian-style rowhomes reminds visitors of West Powelton from long ago.
Onion domes adorn many West Powelton rowhomes and harken to the Ottoman Empire.
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Indoor and outdoor recreation at the Lee Cultural Center
The neighborhood’s Lee Cultural Center is a recreational hub for the community. The facility has a computer lab and offers various youth programs ranging from summer camps to acting lessons. The center also offers opportunities for outdoor recreation, with five basketball courts, a playground and an outdoor pool. Next door is the Vidas Athletic Complex, where the Drexel University Dragons compete in soccer, tennis and more. The West Powelton Steppers and Drum Squad is a point of pride for the community, winning countless local, state and national championships while performing as the official drumline for the Philadelphia 76ers. “We were founded in 1991 by Mrs. Elsie L. Wise, a local activist who started the group to give kids something to do after school,” Etson says. “The older generation comes back and helps the kids with their drumming and homework.” In addition to their high-profile performances, the group spreads holiday cheer at the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center’s annual Children’s Holiday Party. Vacant lots in West Powelton have been transformed into community spaces such as the Holly Street Neighbors Community Garden, a green oasis tucked between two rowhomes. The garden grows fresh produce and features a vibrant mural of its founder, Winnie Harris, who tragically passed away in 2017.
Lee Cultural Center Park is set next to Drexel's athletic fields close to Center City Philly.
Vidas Athletic Complex is home to public basketball courts and more in West Powelton.
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Annual jazz festival in Saunders Park Greene
Behind the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center is Saunders Park Greene, a popular spot for passive recreation with walking paths, benches and picnic tables. The green space is a destination for events like the Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival. The festival celebrates the sound of West Philly with over seven hours of live jazz performances ranging from swing to hard bop. While swaying to the beat, residents can peruse an open-air market featuring local vendors and food trucks.
Local businesses line Lancaster Avenue
West Powelton is tucked between Market Street and Lancaster Avenue, two active commercial corridors lined by restaurants. Over on Market Street, Virasat Haveli is known for its fusion of Indian and Pakistani flavors, while Stacy’s Pizza and Wings is a go-to spot for takeout. On the other side of the neighborhood, Lancaster Avenue hosts local favorites like Fresh Donuts and Bart’s Bagels, a West Philly staple serving up kettle-boiled bagels for breakfast and lunch. Quality Taste Jamaican Restaurant is a counter-serve spot specializing in Caribbean dishes like jerk chicken and oxtail. With more small businesses opening along Lancaster Avenue, the corridor has also become a destination for shopping. Redcap’s Corner sells a variety of tabletop games and invites residents to practice their skills at weekly game nights. Boutiques include The Silk Tent, known for its curated collection of jewelry and home décor. For groceries, there’s an Aldi in the southwestern corner of the neighborhood.
Start your morning in West Powelton with Fresh Donuts on Lancaster Ave.
One of the more popular dining spots in West Powelton is Bart's Bagels on Lancaster Ave.
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Low student-teacher ratio in the Philadelphia City School District
The Philadelphia City School District earns a C-plus from Niche and has an average student-teacher ratio of 15-to-1. Students to the east of North 40th Street can attend the B-minus-rated Samuel Powel School for kindergarten through fourth grade before moving on to the C-minus-rated Science Leadership Academy Middle School. The two schools share a campus in University City. Students west of North 40th Street may attend the Alain Locke School for kindergarten through eighth grade, which earns a C-minus grade. All teens in West Powelton can then attend the C-minus-rated West Philadelphia High School and have the option to apply to UPenn’s Young Scholars High School Program, which grants students tuition-free enrollment in one college-level course per semester.
The student-teacher ratio at Alain Locke School is 9-1.
West Philadelphia High School is located at 4901 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19139.
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The L provides service to Center City
West Powelton is just a 3-mile drive across the Schuylkill River from Center City, Philly’s lively business and entertainment district. SEPTA provides local bus service to the community, and 40th Street Station is served by SEPTA’s Market-Frankford Line. Locally known as the L, the subway connects residents to Center City in about 15 minutes. Interstate 76 is just 2 miles east and leads to Philadelphia International Airport, about a 10-mile drive south.
Septa buses are ubiquitous through West Powelton and surrounding areas.
Septa's Market Street line forms to southern boundary of West Powelton.
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Level I trauma center at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center
West Powelton is home to the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, an award-winning hospital in the University of Pennsylvania Health System. The hospital includes Penn Medicine’s Level I trauma center and boasts one of the first coronary care units in the country. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center are just 2 miles south in University City.
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The area seems to be in a weird pocket that avoids a majority of the crime ether happens in the area. Student alerts let students like myself know that a lot of the issues happen between 34th and 37th. We are also down the street from the local police precinct.
4.0Niche User
12/30/2015Niche Review
If you walk much further to girrard Avenue, you'll see what abandoned properties means There are quite a few.Its cheap and very close to Upenn and Drexel campuses.
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West Powelton Demographics and Home Trends
On average, homes in West Powelton, Philadelphia sell after 70 days on the market compared to the national average of 52 days. The median sale price for homes in West Powelton, Philadelphia over the last 12 months is $295,500, down 8% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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