Grays Ferry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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Grays Ferry is a neighborhood in South Philadelphia bounded by 25th Street on the east, the Schuylkill River on the west, Vare Avenue on the south, and Grays Ferry Avenue on the north. The neighborhood's name dates back to the 1970s.[1]
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[edit] History
The area developed because it was an important cross of the Schuylkill River. It is now spanned by seveal bridges,[2] including the Grays Ferry Avenue bridge and several rail bridges.
When George Washington travelled to New York City for his innauguration, triumphal arches were erected for his reception.[3]
It was the site of the Schuylkill Arsenal.[4][5]
[edit] Demographics
- Black - 56%; White - 39%; 5% - Other.
- More than 30 percent of the residents are under 18.
- Currently the neighborhood, which represents less than 1 percent of the city’s population, houses more than 10 percent of the city’s Section 8 residents.
[edit] Racial tension
Over the years the neighborhood has been the scene of numerous instances of racial violence. The Irish Catholics living in the neighborhood's modest row homes clashed with African Americans living in the deteriorating Tasker Housing Project. There have been riots and beatings and, sometimes, killings. Tensions peaked in 1997, when Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan joined marchers to protest racial violence. As the housing market has boomed in Philadelphia, the neighborhood has begun to see some resurgence.[citation needed]
[edit] External links
- Offical Tasker Housing Project Website - Information on the former Tasker Housing Project from the city of Philadelphia.
- South Philly Review
- Philadelphia City Paper
[edit] References
| Neighborhoods of the South Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | |
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Bella Vista - Devil's Pocket - Girard Estate - Greenwich - Grays Ferry - Hawthorne - Italian Market - Marconi Plaza - Moyamensing - Packer Park - Passyunk Square - Pennsport - Point Breeze - Newbold - Queen Village - Schuykill - Southwark - Southwest Center City - Tasker - Wharton - Whitman - Wilson Park - West Passyunk |
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Center City - North Philadelphia - Northwest Philadelphia - The Northeast - South Philadelphia - Southwest Philadelphia - West Philadelphia |
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