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Frankford is a neighborhood in the Northeast section of Philadelphia, situated about six miles northeast of Center City. Although its borders are ill-defined, the neighborhood is bounded roughly by the original bed of the Frankford Creek, Roosevelt Boulevard, and Cheltenham Avenue. Adjacent neighborhoods include Bridesburg, Port Richmond, Juniata, Oxford Circle, and Wissinoming. In 2005, the 19124 ZIP code, which roughly contains Frankford and Juniata, had a median home sale price of $81,075, an increase of 22% over 2004.
History Founded in the middle to late 1600s by German settlers, the village very likely took its name from the title of the Franckfort Company, which took up ground there, along what is now known as Frankford Creek, then known as Tacony Creek, in the lower part of Oxford Township. It was an early suburb of the town of Philadelphia. William Penn forged a trail through the village that would run from the original town (now Center City) to New York City, passing through Bucks County near the site of his home, Pennsbury Manor. That trail would come to be known as "Frankford Pike" (later Frankford Avenue) and was the town's main street. The village was incorporated into a borough March 2, 1800. By act of April 4, 1831, the boundaries of the borough were extended. In 1854, the borough was annexed by the city of Philadelphia through the Act of Consolidation, 1854. In 1922, the Frankford Elevated Line opened, which connected to the Market Street Elevated, offering rapid-transit access to Center City and West Philadelphia. The terminus of today's SEPTA Market-Frankford Line line, now known as the Frankford Transportation Center, became a major transit hub, with connections to bus and trolley routes extending into The Northeast. Residents of Frankford live within walking distance of the terminal. SEPTA's elevated train (the "El") runs through the neighborhood over Frankford Avenue. Frankford Avenue was formerly a major shopping destination of the region. Much of it became blighted throughout the 1980s and 1990s, but plans for revitalization have taken hold. Although many vacant storefronts remain, businesses catering to new customers have opened in recent years. Many business owners hope that gentrification of neighborhoods such as Fishtown and Kensington will spread north into Frankford. Others worry that previous attempts at improving Frankford have not been as effective as hoped, with some blocks to the east of the El still suffering from street crime and open-air drug sales. Northwood The northwestern part of Frankford, between Oxford and Adams Avenues and the Roosevelt Boulevard, is known as Northwood. It contains mostly single and twin homes, and its residents are more middle class. Demographics Frankford includes a wide variety of ethnic groups, including a large number of Italian Americans, Polish Americans, Irish Americans, African Americans, and Hispanics. As of the census of 2000, the racial makeup of Frankford is 56.58% White, 30.82% African American, 1.89% Asian, and 7.29% from other races. 12.85% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. The population of Frankford grew by 3% between the 1990 and 2000 censuses. Education Frankford, like all areas of Philadelphia, is served by the School District of Philadelphia. Frankford High School is in Frankford. Frankford Friends School, a private Kindergarten through 8th grade school, is in Frankford *. Trivia | ||||||||
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