Eastwick, Philadelphia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eastwick
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The SEPTA employee bathroom at the center of the Eastwick Loop station
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| Country |  United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Philadelphia |
| City | Philadelphia |
| Area code(s) | 215, 267, and 445 |
Eastwick is a neighborhood located in the Southwest part of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It's the city's most southwestern neighborhood. It shares borders with the Philadelphia International Airport and the county line of Delaware County. This border is marked by Cobbs Creek and Darby Creek. To its northeast, you'll find the Elmwood Park neighborhood.
Contents
Eastwick's Past: A Look at Its History
Eastwick gets its name from Andrew M. Eastwick. He was an engineer and a supporter of Bartram's Garden, a famous botanical garden.
From Countryside to City Life
For a long time, Eastwick was mostly open countryside. But in the 1920s, people started to drain the swampy land. This made space for an airport and other big projects within Philadelphia. Many of the first homes built before the 1950s didn't have modern city services like sewers. Because of this, residents often called the area "The Meadows."
People living in "The Meadows" enjoyed a rural lifestyle right inside the city. Nearby creeks were great for swimming, bathing, and fishing. There was even a big home business based on catching crabs. Homes in Eastwick varied. Some were traditional single-family houses with yards and gardens. Others were classic Philadelphia-style row houses. Brick was the main material used for building. Homes were built from the early 1800s until World War II, when building materials became scarce.
Changes and New Plans
In the 1950s, Philadelphia's city government changed. New leaders wanted to improve communities. They saw Eastwick as a place where people from other parts of the city could move. Even though planners called Eastwick "open land," it was actually home to about 19,000 people. Most of these residents owned their homes, and it was a neighborhood where people of different backgrounds lived together. So, many residents were not happy with the city's plans.
Despite the opposition, the plans moved forward. In 1958, Eastwick became the largest urban renewal project in the United States. A company called Korman Company planned to replace older homes with newer, suburban-style houses in the 1960s and 70s. This new development changed the existing community. It was sad because it meant changing a unique neighborhood that was one of the few integrated areas in Philadelphia at the time.
A Greek city planner named Constantinos Apostolou Doxiadis designed the project. He was known for his work in other cities like Islamabad and Riyadh. Doxiadis tried to blend city and countryside in his designs. In Eastwick, he designed row houses on quiet streets called cul-de-sacs. Traffic was directed to main roads around the edges of the neighborhood. Eastwick was one of only three neighborhoods in Philadelphia that grew in population between 1970 and 1990.
Eastwick Today: Nature and Industry
The John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum stretches from Eastwick into Tinicum Township. Eastwick also has a large industrial area. Many businesses here, like factories and distribution centers, benefit from being close to the Airport, Interstate 95, and Center City Philadelphia. There are also gas tank farms, oil refineries, and a sewage treatment plant. This area offers affordable land for businesses, allowing companies to stay in the city where employees can use public transit.
Eastwick has faced some challenges. Some parts of the neighborhood are in a flood plain. This has led to homes getting flooded and then abandoned. These empty lots are sometimes used for illegal dumping. Also, cleaning up old industrial sites (called brownfields) has been an important issue in Eastwick's history. In 2006, Philadelphia's main post office moved to a larger building in Eastwick. This move was not popular with some neighborhood groups.
How People Live: Demographics
According to the census of 2000, about 14,424 people lived in Eastwick. The neighborhood is a mix of different backgrounds.
Getting Around: Transportation
Eastwick is served by SEPTA Subway-Surface Route 36. This trolley line runs through the neighborhood and ends at the 80th Street–Eastwick station. This station is very close to the Eastwick station on SEPTA Regional Rail's Airport Line. It's the only station on the Airport Line between the airport stops and Penn Medicine station.
Learning and Reading: Education
The Free Library of Philadelphia has a branch in Eastwick. It's called the Eastwick Branch and is located at 2851 Island Avenue. It serves Eastwick and nearby areas.
