Overbrook Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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Overbrook Park is a neighborhood in the West Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded around the 1950s on the site of a former farm. For a long time, it had a large Jewish population. It still has two synagogues, one Orthodox and one Conservative, but most of the Jews have moved across City Line Avenue (US-1) into neighboring Penn Wynne in Lower Merion Township. The Jewish community of both sides of the border are considered to be one unit and are connected by an eruv, a wire attached to the telephone and electric poles which allows religious Jews to carry things on Shabbat. The Orthodox Congregation Beth Hamedrosh has purchased a new site in Penn Wynne. Following the sale of their property, they are now using the funds for the construction of a new building on the new site which is expected to be completed in March, 2007. In the mean time, they are renting the old building from the new owner. The Conservative Congregation Beth T'fillah is in the process of closing down and merging with another synagogue due to a lack of sufficient membership. Overbrook Park still boasts kosher stores and a kosher restaurant. The demographic transformation in Overbrook Park over the past few decades has been astounding. In 1990, figures showed the population to be over 90% caucasian. In the mid 1990s, the neighborhood started to become majority African-American. By 2000, the neighborhood's population had become nearly 60% black, with anecdotal accounts pointing towards an even greater and ever-increasing percentage of African-Americans inhabiting the area as of 2006.
Overbrook Park is bounded by Overbrook on one side, Penn Wynne on another side, Indian Creek (a tributary of Cobbs Creek) and park land on a third side, and a golf course on the fourth side. The main artery is Haverford Avenue which goes into Penn Wynne across City Line Avenue where it become Haverford Road. Haverford Avenue and 75th Street connect it to Lansdowne Avenue on the Overbrook side. Haverford Avenue, 76th Street, and 77th Street connect it to City Line Avenue on the Penn Wynne side. The neighborhood spans for apprximately four city blocks west to east along City Avenue, and approximately ten smaller blocks north to south on either side of 76th Street.
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| Neighborhoods of the West Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
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Belmont - Carroll Park - Cathedral Park - Cedar Park - Cobbs Creek - Dunlap - Garden Court - Haddington - Haverford North - Mantua - Mill Creek - Overbrook - Overbrook Park - Overbrook Farms - Parkside - Powelton Village - Saunders Park - Spruce Hill - University City - Walnut Hill - Woodland Terrace - Wynnefield - Wynnefield Heights |
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Center City - North Philadelphia - Northwest Philadelphia - The Northeast - South Philadelphia - Southwest Philadelphia - West Philadelphia |
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