Torresdale, Philadelphia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Torresdale
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The Frankford Avenue bridge over the Poquessing Creek bordering Torresdale
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| Country |  United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Philadelphia County |
| City | Philadelphia |
| ZIP |
19114
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| Area code(s) | 215, 267 and 445 |
Torresdale, also formerly known as Torrisdale, is a neighborhood in the Far Northeast section of Philadelphia. Torresdale is located along the Delaware River between Holmesburg and Bensalem Township in neighboring Bucks County.
The adjacent confluence of the Poquessing Creek with the Delaware River had been favored by William Penn's surveyor, Thomas Holme, as the site for the city that Penn planned to found. Although a more southerly site was finally selected, Holme and others acquired property there, where he is buried.
History
Torresdale, originally Torrisdale, was named by Charles Macalester, Jr. for his family's ancestral Scotland home.
Before the Act of Consolidation, 1854, Torresdale had been part of Delaware Township of Philadelphia County, and before 1853, part of Lower Dublin Township of the same county.
In 1894, Torresdale was the site of the regatta of the Rowing Association of American Colleges.
Long before there was what is referred to today as the Pennsylvania Main Line, Torresdale, along with Holmesburg to its south and Andalusia to its north, had been Philadelphia's posh suburban neighborhood, as evidenced by Glen Foerd on the Delaware, a luxurious riverside estate.
Notable people
- Gia Carangi (1960-1986), model
- Boake Carter (1903-1944), national news commentator
- Francis Anthony Drexel (1824-1885), banker and philanthropist
- Katharine Drexel (1858-1955), Roman Catholic saint
- Edwin Henry Fitler (1825-1896), businessman and 75th mayor of Philadelphia
- Robert H. Foerderer (1860-1903), U.S. Congressman and businessman
- Virginia Knauer (1915-2011), politician
- William J. Green, III (born 1938), politician
- William J. Green Jr. (1910-1963), U.S. Congressman
Education
Residents are zoned to schools in the School District of Philadelphia, including Thomas Holme Elementary School, Austin Meehan Middle School, and Abraham Lincoln High School.
