Somerton, Philadelphia | |
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Coordinates: 40°07′26″N75°00′29″W / 40.124°N 75.008°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Pennsylvania |
County | Philadelphia |
City | Philadelphia |
Zip code | 19116 |
Area code(s) | 215, 267 |
Somerton is a neighborhood in the Far Northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The neighborhood is bounded by Red Lion Road on the south, Roosevelt Boulevard on the east, East County Line Road and Poquessing Creek on the north, and the Philadelphia County / Montgomery County line on the west. Somerton is adjacent to the Philadelphia neighborhoods of Bustleton, Normandy, and Byberry, the townships of Bensalem and Lower Southampton in Bucks County, and Lower Moreland Township in Montgomery County. The area is home to a large and fast-growing foreign-born population, most notably of Russian, Ukrainian, Indian, and Central Asian immigrants.
The United States Postal Service operates the Somerton Finance Station at 665 Hendrix Street; however, all mail for the 19116 ZIP code is delivered by the Bustleton Post Office, located at 9925 Bustleton Avenue in Bustleton.
Somerton was originally called Smithfield, [1] a village in Moreland Township, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania. Somerton was named for Jacob Sommer, whose family lived in the area for four generations.
The Somerton name appeared as the name of the local post office in 1830, [2] though some maps in the 1840s continued to show the place name as "Smithfield or Somerton". [3] [4] By the 1850s, maps showed the area solely as Somerton. [5]
Old Somerton, generally north of Byberry Road consists of many larger pre-1900 as well as newer mid-sized homes.
Londontown is a small section of Somerton between the Short Line train tracks on Southampton Road and Carter Road.
Tudor Village consists of the area west of Southampton Road, west of the train tracks, and east of Worthington Road. Most of the houses were constructed by an Estonian man named Uno Kallaste, who left a street bearing his surname. Streets in Tudor Village bear the names of his family members, notably Ina (pronounced EE-na) Drive, named after Uno's wife.
Lumar Park is an area one mile south of Somerton, west of Bustleton Ave, north of Tomlinson Rd, south of the line of the proposed Woodhaven Road, built in 1950-1951. Somerton Terrace, is just south of Lumar Park, built in 1952-1954.The ground for these homes was owned by the Roberts family. The upper end blocks of the 500 blocks of Selma and Burgess Streets, near Bustleton Pike, had several homes built in the 1920s.
Brentwood, built in 1958 (up to 1960 for Barlow Street and Stevens Road), lies east of Bustleton Avenue, south of the line of Woodhaven Road, and north of Lorraine Gardens.
Lorraine Gardens, built in 1950-1951 is south of Brentwood, north of Tomlinson Road and east of Bustleton Avenue.
Westwood, built in 1966-1967, is an area south and west of the intersection of Bustleton and Byberry Roads.
Philmont Heights, built in 1970-1972, is generally south and west of Lumar Park. Isidore Strittmuller's farm, as well as the land of George Snyder, was developed into this area.
Camelot is a subdivision north and west of Red Lion Road and Haldeman Ave.
Georgetown is on the north side of Tomlinson Road, west of the Somerton Tank farm. Georgetown twins were much larger than the twins or many duplexes of Philmont Heights. Original sample homes built by Korman, in 1967; the remainder were built in 1969. The area is Tomlinson Road, Greiner Road, Rennard Street, Larkspur Street, Gardner Street, Regina St, Marita Street, amongst others.
Timberwalk, built in 1986, located east of George Washington high school.
Somerton is home to Philadelphia's Somerton Tank Farms (tanks built 1954-1955), an experiment in Urban Farming.
The Budd Company's Airstrip was located south and west of the Somerton Tank Farm. One runway ran southwest from the present intersection of Kevin Ct. and Tomlinson Rd. to near Red Lion Road; the other ran northwest from behind the Budd Plant to beyond the Philadelphia city limits into Lower Moreland Township, Montgomery County. The runways were built around 1942-1945 and were decommissioned by the early 1960s. Trenches were dug across the runways every 1000 feet to eliminate the activities of drag-racing enthusiasts and to stop the practice of racing and then abandoning stolen cars.
The Philadelphia State Hospital was located at the northwestern corner of Roosevelt Blvd. and Southampton Road from the early 1900s until it was decommissioned in the late 1980s through the 1990s.
The historic Watson Comly School, built 1892-1893, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. [6]
Calvary Christian Academy, 13500 Philmont Ave.
The Free Library of Philadelphia operates the Bustleton Branch at 10199 Bustleton Avenue at Verree Road, near George Washington High School. [7]
Lower Southampton Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 20,599 at the 2020 census.
Northeast Philadelphia, nicknamed Northeast Philly, the Northeast and the Great Northeast, is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to the 2000 census, Northeast Philadelphia has a population of between 300,000 and 450,000, depending on how the area is defined. Beginning in the 1980s, many of the Northeast's working class children graduated from college and settled in suburbs, especially nearby Bucks County. The Northeast is known as being home to a large working class Irish American population, but it is also home to Polish, German, Jewish, Italian, African American, Portuguese, Brazilian, Russian, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Ukrainian, Indian, Chinese, and Vietnamese neighborhoods.
Roosevelt Boulevard, officially named the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Boulevard and often referred to, chiefly by local Philadelphians, simply as "the Boulevard," is a major traffic artery through North and Northeast Philadelphia. The road begins at Interstate 76 in Fairmount Park, running as a freeway also known as the Roosevelt Boulevard Extension or the Roosevelt Expressway through North Philadelphia, then transitioning into a twelve-lane divided highway that forms the spine of Northeast Philadelphia to its end at the city line.
Byberry is a neighborhood in the far northeast section of Philadelphia, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Originally it was incorporated as the Township of Byberry and was the northeasternmost municipality of Philadelphia County before the City and County were consolidated in 1854. Its approximate boundaries are the Poquessing Creek to the north, Woodhaven Road to the south, the Roosevelt Boulevard to the west, and Thornton Road to the east.
The Bustleton section of Northeast Philadelphia, United States is located in the Far Northeast, north of Rhawnhurst and Fox Chase and south of Somerton; sitting between Roosevelt Boulevard to the east, the city boundary to the west, Red Lion Road to the north, and Pennypack Park to the south, it is centered at the intersection of Grant Avenue and Bustleton Avenue (PA-532) and is completely included in the 19115 postal ZIP code.
Poquessing Creek is a 10.3-mile-long (16.6 km) creek, a right tributary of the Delaware River, that forms the boundary between Philadelphia and Bensalem Township, which borders it to the northeast along the Delaware. It has defined this boundary between Bucks and Philadelphia counties since 1682.
Moreland Township was a township that was located in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States.
Lower Dublin Township, also known as Dublin Township, was a township that was located in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States. The township ceased to exist and was incorporated into the City of Philadelphia following the passage of the Act of Consolidation, 1854.
Philmont station is a station along the SEPTA West Trenton Line to Ewing, New Jersey. It is located at Tomlinson Road & Philmont Avenue in Lower Moreland Township, Pennsylvania. In FY 2013, Philmont station had a weekday average of 633 boardings and 574 alightings. The station has off-street parking and a ticket office. Philmont station was built in 1913 by the Reading Railroad after the previous depot caught fire on March 17 of that year.
Somerton station is a station along the SEPTA West Trenton Line to Ewing, New Jersey. It is located at Bustleton and Philmont Avenues in the Somerton neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In FY 2013, Somerton station had a weekday average of 676 boardings and 714 alightings. The station has off-street parking and a ticket office. There is also a handicapped-accessible platform.
Upper Moreland School District is located in Upper Moreland Township, Montgomery County in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Township has a general population of 25,000 residents who are served by the post offices of Willow Grove, Hatboro, and Huntingdon Valley, although due to postal and municipal boundaries, many students served by the Hatboro post office attend Hatboro-Horsham School District, while others served by the Huntingdon Valley post office attend Lower Moreland schools.
Oxford Circle is a neighborhood in the lower Northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Its namesake is the much used traffic circle at Roosevelt Boulevard and Oxford Avenue. The Oxford Circle neighborhood has traditionally included the areas up to Rhawnhurst and Mayfair but does not really have a fixed boundary, other than in publications about Philadelphia which are of a public relations or informational nature.
Pennsylvania Route 63 (PA 63) is a 37.4-mile-long (60.2 km) state highway located in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area. The western terminus of the route is at PA 29 in Green Lane, Montgomery County. The eastern terminus is at Interstate 95 (I-95) in Bensalem Township, Bucks County. PA 63 runs northwest to southeast for most of its length. The route heads through a mix of suburban and rural areas of northern Montgomery County as a two-lane road, passing through Harleysville, before coming to an interchange with I-476 in Kulpsville. From this point, PA 63 continues through predominantly suburban areas of eastern Montgomery County as a two- to four-lane road, passing through Lansdale, Maple Glen, Willow Grove, and Huntingdon Valley. Upon entering Northeast Philadelphia, the route follows Red Lion Road and U.S. Route 1 (US 1) before heading southeast on a freeway called Woodhaven Road to I-95.
Pennsylvania Route 232 (PA 232) is a 25.2-mile-long (40.6 km) state highway located in southeastern Pennsylvania. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 1 (US 1)/US 13 at the Oxford Circle in Philadelphia. The northern terminus is at PA 32 in the borough of New Hope, Bucks County, on the banks of the Delaware River. The route passes through the urban areas of Northeast Philadelphia as Oxford Avenue, serving the Lawncrest, Burholme, and Fox Chase neighborhoods. Upon entering Montgomery County, PA 232 becomes Huntingdon Pike and through suburban areas, serving the communities of Rockledge, Huntingdon Valley, and Bryn Athyn. The route passes through more suburban development in Bucks County as Second Street Pike, running through Southampton and Richboro. In Wrightstown Township, PA 232 enters rural areas and becomes Windy Bush Road as it heads north to New Hope.
Pennsylvania Route 532 is a 19.1-mile-long (30.7 km) state route located in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area. The route runs from an intersection with U.S. Route 1 in Northeast Philadelphia north to an intersection with PA 32 in Washington Crossing near the Washington Crossing Bridge over the Delaware River. The route passes through developed areas in Northeast Philadelphia before heading north through suburban Bucks County, serving Feasterville, Holland, and Newtown before coming to Washington Crossing.
Parkwood is a neighborhood located in the Far Northeast section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The neighborhood's boundaries include the Byberry East Industrial Park to the north and northwest, Poquessing Creek to the east, Knights Road to the southeast and Woodhaven Road to the southwest. The neighborhood was developed by Hyman Korman in the 1960-1962 as a planned residential community. The predominant housing type is the brick row house. The Parkwood Shopping Center is a local shopping destination, while the Philadelphia Mills mall is a regional shopping destination on Knights Road to the east of Parkwood's residential area.
U.S. Route 1 (US 1) is a major north–south U.S. Route, extending from Key West, Florida, in the south to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canada–United States border in the north. In the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, US 1 runs for 81 miles (130 km) from the Maryland state line near Nottingham northeast to the New Jersey state line at the Delaware River in Morrisville, through the southeastern portion of the state. The route runs southwest to northeast and serves as a major arterial road through the city of Philadelphia and for many of the suburbs in the Delaware Valley metropolitan area. South of Philadelphia, the road mostly follows the alignment of the Baltimore Pike. Within Philadelphia, it mostly follows Roosevelt Boulevard. North of Philadelphia, US 1 parallels the route of the Lincoln Highway. Several portions of US 1 in Pennsylvania are freeways, including from near the Maryland state line to Kennett Square, the bypass of Media, the concurrency with Interstate 76 and the Roosevelt Expressway in Philadelphia, and between Bensalem Township and the New Jersey state line.
Huntingdon Valley is a village, as well as a suburban mailing address located in Lower Moreland Township, Upper Moreland Township and Abington Township all in Montgomery County, and in small sections of Upper Southampton Township and Lower Southampton Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States, bordering the Fox Chase, Bustleton, and Somerton sections of Philadelphia.
Old York Road, originally York Road, with reference to New York, is a roadway that was built during the 18th century to connect Philadelphia with New York City.