Center City, Philadelphia facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Center City
Neighborhood
The Schuylkill River (foreground) and Center City Philadelphia (background) in July 2007
Center City within Philadelphia
Country	US
State	Pennsylvania
County	Philadelphia
City	Philadelphia
Area
• Total	7.7 sq mi (20 km²)
Population (2020)
• Total	69,433
• Density	32,151/sq mi (12,414/km²)
ZIP Codes	19102, 19103, 19106–19107, 19109, 19146–19147

Center City is the main downtown area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It's where you'll find many important businesses and central neighborhoods. This area used to be the entire city of Philadelphia before 1854.

Today, Center City is one of the most crowded downtown areas in the U.S. Only Midtown Manhattan in New York City has more people living in its downtown. In 2020, about 202,100 people lived here.

Exploring Center City's Location

What are Center City's Borders?

Schuylkill Expressway near Center City

Eastbound

Westbound

Views of the Schuylkill Expressway near Center City in 2022

Center City is surrounded by natural and man-made borders. To the south, you'll find South Street. The Delaware River is on its east side. The Schuylkill River forms its western border. To the north, it's bordered by Vine Street.

These boundaries match the original city limits of Philadelphia before 1854. That's when the city grew to cover all of Philadelphia County.

Famous Neighborhoods and Landmarks

Center City at night in May 2007

Logan Circle in 2011

Philadelphia City Hall at night in December 2012

Center City is home to many well-known neighborhoods and areas. Some of these include:

Penn's Landing
Old City
Society Hill
Chinatown
Rittenhouse Square
Logan Square
The Museum District along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Many of Philadelphia's tallest buildings are in Center City. This includes Philadelphia's City Hall. It was once the tallest building in the world for 14 years, from 1894 to 1908. It's also the second-tallest masonry (stone and brick) building in the world.

For a long time, there was an unwritten rule that no building should be taller than the statue of William Penn on top of City Hall. But in 1987, One Liberty Place broke this rule. After that, Philadelphia sports teams didn't win any major championships for two decades. People called this the "Curse of Billy Penn". To try and end the curse, a small statue of William Penn was placed on top of the Comcast Center when it was finished in 2007. The curse ended when the Philadelphia Phillies won the 2008 World Series in 2008!

Today, several other skyscrapers are taller than the Penn statue. The Comcast Technology Center opened in 2018. It is now the tallest building in Philadelphia. It is also the tallest building in the United States outside of Manhattan and Chicago.

Right across from City Hall is the Masonic Temple. This building is the main office for the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. Many of America's Founding Fathers, like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, were Freemasons.

Center City Neighborhoods List

Business and Jobs in Center City

The 58-story Comcast Center in Center City, the second-tallest building in Philadelphia and 23rd-tallest building in the nation

Reading Terminal Market in Center City in January 2011

Center City is a major hub for many large companies. For example, Sunoco has its main office in the BNY Mellon Center. Cigna and Aramark also have their headquarters here. Comcast, a big media and technology company, is headquartered in the Comcast Center.

You can also find the U.S. headquarters for Kogan Page, a publishing company, in Center City.

Learning in Center City

Public Schools in the Area

George W. Nebinger School in the Bella Vista neighborhood in May 2010

Albert M. Greenfield School on Chestnut Street in Center City in April 2019

Students living in Center City attend schools run by the School District of Philadelphia. In the past, there weren't many public schools in Center City. So, many families sent their kids to schools outside the area or to private schools.

To encourage families to stay, the school district and a local development group started a program in 2005. It highlighted the good public schools in Center City and nearby areas.

Here are some K-8 (Kindergarten to 8th grade) schools in or near Center City:

Albert M. Greenfield School
Andrew Jackson School
Bache-Martin
Chester A. Arthur
Edwin M. Stanton
General Philip Kearny
George A. McCall School
George W. Nebinger School
James R. Ludlow
Laura Wheeler Waring
Spring Garden School
William H. Harrison
William M. Meredith School

High schools for Center City students, located just outside the area, include:

Benjamin Franklin High School
Furness High School
South Philadelphia High School

Other high schools in the wider area are:

Bodine High School for International Affairs
Constitution High School for American Studies
Franklin Learning Center High School
Parkway Center City High School
Philadelphia High School for Business and Technology
Science Leadership Academy

One combined middle and high school is:

Julia R. Masterman School

Charter Schools

Charter schools are public schools that operate independently from the main school district. Some charter schools in the Center City area include:

Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School (Grades 1-12)
Mastery Charter Lenfest Campus (Grades 7-12)
Freire Charter Middle School (Grades 5-8)
World Communications Charter School (Grades 6-12)
Freire Charter High School (Grades 9-12)
Laboratory Charter School of Communication and Languages (Grades K-8)
Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures Charter School (Grades K-8)
Christopher Columbus Charter School (Grades K-7)
Independence Charter School (Grades K-8)
Russell Byers Charter School (Grades Pre-K-8)

Private Schools

Catholic Schools

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia runs several Catholic schools in the Center City area:

J. W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School (Grades 9-12)
Roman Catholic High School (Grades 9-12)
St. Francis Xavier School (Grades Pre-K-8)
St. Peter the Apostle School (Grades Pre-K-8)
St. Mary's Interparochial School (Grades K-8)
Holy Redeemer School (Grades 1-8)

Other Private Schools

Other private schools in the Center City area include:

Friends Select School (Grades Pre-K-12)
City Center Academy (Grades 9-12)
St. Peter's School (Grades Pre-K-8)
The Philadelphia School (Grades Pre-K-8)

Public Libraries

The Free Library of Philadelphia has several branches in Center City:

The Parkway Central Library at 1901 Vine Street
The Independence Branch at 18 South 7th Street
The Philadelphia City Institute at 1905 Locust Street
The Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped at 919 Walnut Street

Arts and Fun in Center City

Music and Theatre

Center City Philadelphia is a hub for arts and culture. The Avenue of the Arts is a special area for cultural activities. It includes the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where the famous Philadelphia Orchestra performs. The Academy of Music is also here, home to the Philadelphia Ballet and Opera Philadelphia.

Many theaters are on this avenue, like the Miller, Suzanne Roberts, and Wilma theatres. The Forrest Theatre is also in Center City.

Museums

The Mütter Museum, a unique medical museum, is located in Center City.

Fun Things to Do

Center City Philadelphia has many restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. McGillin's Olde Ale House, founded in 1860, is one of the oldest pubs in the country.

Getting Around Center City

Benjamin Franklin Bridge, a 2,917.86 meters (9,573.0 ft) bridge connecting Center City with Camden, New Jersey in March 2012

Main Roads

Major highways that pass through or near Center City include:

Interstate 76
Interstate 95
Interstate 676/Benjamin Franklin Bridge
U.S. Route 30
PA Route 3
PA Route 611

Important Streets and Bridges

The Benjamin Franklin Bridge connects Center City with Camden, New Jersey. The Benjamin Franklin Parkway is a one-mile long road that goes from Philadelphia City Hall to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Three other important Center City streets are Broad, Market, and South Streets.

Public Transportation

Center City has a great public transportation system, mostly run by SEPTA.

Center City Commuter Connection
SEPTA trains:
- Jefferson Station (Regional Rail)
- Suburban Station (Regional Rail)
- Market-Frankford Line (with several stations like 2nd, 5th, 8th, 11th, 13th, and 15th Street)
- Broad Street Line (with stations like Spring Garden, Race-Vine, City Hall, Walnut-Locust, and Lombard-South)
- Subway-surface trolley lines (with stations on Market Street)
- Many bus routes

PATCO Speedline (trains to New Jersey)
New Jersey Transit (bus routes to New Jersey)

There's also a huge underground walkway system. It connects many SEPTA stations to businesses and office buildings. This concourse runs mostly under Market Street and Broad Street.

Travel Between Cities

Interior of Philadelphia's 30th Street Station, one of the nation's busiest passenger train stations

For travel to other cities, you can use:

Greyhound buses (at two locations)
Peter Pan and Trailways buses
Megabus (at 30th Street Station)
Various Chinatown bus lines

Amtrak's main Philadelphia station, 30th Street Station, is just west of Center City. You can also catch SEPTA Regional Rail trains and New Jersey Transit trains there.

Center City Residents' Association

The Center City Residents' Association was started in 1947. Its first goal was to stop Rittenhouse Square from becoming a parking lot. Today, it works to improve the quality of life for people living in Center City. Other groups like this include the Logan Square Neighborhood Association and the Society Hill Civic Association.