West Oak Lane, Philadelphia

West Oak Lane is a neighborhood in the Uptown section of Philadelphia. The neighborhood was developed primarily between the early 1920s and late 1930s, with the areas near to Cedarbrook constructed after World War II. At the northeast corner of Limekiln Pike and Washington Lane was the site of the Cedar Park Inn,[1] a historic tavern built in the early 19th century, which was torn down sometime after 1931 as the neighborhood was being fully developed.

West Oak Lane
Neighborhood of Philadelphia
Building 21 High School, September 2017
West Oak Lane
Coordinates:
Country United States
StatePennsylvania
CountyPhiladelphia County
CityPhiladelphia
Area code(s)215, 267 and 445

Although it was predominately Caucasian from its inception until the mid-1960s, West Oak Lane is now one of Philadelphia's middle-class African American communities.

The neighborhood is known throughout the city for its jazz festival. The West Oak Lane Jazz Festival has been held in mid-June since 2003.[2] Artists such as Chaka Khan, Teena Marie, Jeffrey Osbourne and Chrisette Michele have performed at the West Oak Lane Jazz Festival. However, since March 2012, the West Oak Lane Jazz Festival has been cancelled. “The festival was never supposed to be something that was going to last forever,” the Ogontz Avenue Revitilization Corporation (OARC) director of marketing and public relations Naja Killebrew stated. "We accomplished everything we wanted to do with it."

The neighborhood has distinct architecture that separates it from surrounding neighborhoods. Along with larger and sometimes detached houses, West Oak Lane also has many tree-lined streets and small yards. In 2005, the 19126 and 19138 ZIP codes, which contain West Oak Lane, had a median home sale price of $113,200. This was a 34-percent increase over the median price in 2004. The median home sale price as of April 2015 was $122,941, which was a 1.2% percent increase from the previous year.[3]

Boundaries

Bounded by Cheltenham Avenue (Beyond lay Cheltenham Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania)

Bounded by Broad Street (Beyond lay East Oak Lane, Philadelphia)

Bounded by Washington Lane (Beyond lay Cedarbrook, Philadelphia/Stenton)

Bounded by Stenton Avenue; portion west of Wister Street (beyond lay East Germantown, Philadelphia)

Bounded by Stenton Avenue; portion east of Wister Street (beyond lay Ogontz, Philadelphia/Belfield)

West Oak Lane shares the 19138 zipcode with Ogontz, Philadelphia/Belfield and the eastern portion of Germantown, Philadelphia (between Chew & Stenton Avenues). The 19126 zipcode is shared with East Oak Lane, Philadelphia.

Education

School District of Philadelphia operates public schools.

The Samuel W. Pennypacker School, William Rowen School and Gen. Louis Wagner Junior High School are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[4] Hope Charter School, Prince Hall Elementary School and West Oak Lane Charter School are also located in the area.

The district closed John L. Kinsey School, also on the historic register, in 2013.[5]

Students zoned to Wagner are zoned to Martin Luther King High School.[6]

La Salle University's campus extends on the border of West Oak Lane, Ogontz, and Germantown. on Olney and Wister.

Other sites

Philadelphia National Cemetery and Ogontz Hall are on the NRHP. Erny Field is a baseball field that has hosted the Temple University baseball team, the Arcadia University baseball team, and the city's high school Public League and Catholic League baseball championships.

Transportation

SEPTA's Route 6, once known as the Ogontz Avenue Line, is a former streetcar line and current bus route operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). This was once a popular trolley line to Willow Grove Amusement Park (current location of the Willow Grove Park Mall). Buses replaced trolleys north of Cheltenham Avenue to Willow Grove on June 8, 1958. SEPTA voted to close the Route 6 trolley line on October 23, 1985. Route 6 was converted to bus operations on January 12, 1986. It currently serves the Olney Transportation Center to the south and the Cheltenham and Ogontz Loop (across from the Cheltenham Square Mall) to the north along Cheltenham Avenue. Routes 16 (once the Cheltenham portion of SEPTA's Route C), 22, 80 Express, H, and XH also serve the loop and the area. To the southernmost tip of the neighborhood, Routes K and 55 converge at the intersection of Old York Road, Broad Street, and 66th Avenue.

Shopping

Many stores are on Stenton and Ogontz Avenues. Ogontz Avenue runs generally north, then northwest, as the spine of the neighborhood and the main business strip. Cheltenham Mall is at the end of Ogontz Avenue; the Cedarbrook Plaza mall is only five minutes away by car or bus.

Demographics

According to Citydata.com, in 2013 there were 42,390 people living in the area, with a population density of 24,517 people per square mile.[7] The average household income was $41,275, and the average amount of rent paid per month was $708. There were 18,298 males and 24,626 females. The median age for males was 36.6 years, and the median age for females was 43.0 years. The average household had 2.8 people, and 27.1% of households were married couple families. 24.7% of households were single mother households. 26.9% of residents 15 and older had never been married at all. 6.2% of people living in the area were born in a foreign country.

The neighborhood has a lower income than 62.8% of neighborhoods in the US. 11.5% of children living in the area live in poverty, which is lower than 62.8% of neighborhoods in the country.[8] In addition, 31.4% of the population works in executive, management, and professional occupations; 28.2% work service jobs, 22.9% have clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations, and 17.9% have jobs in manufacturing and laborer occupations.

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  • "Philadelphia's Music and Culture Festival". The West Oak Lane Jazz and Arts Festival.
  • City Planning Commission (2005). "West Oak Lane Redevelopment Area Plan" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 7, 2012.
  • Thor Equities, LLC. "Mall Information, Rediscover Cheltenham Mall".

References
  1. "Looking West Along North Side of Washington Lane from Limekiln Turnpike (showing Cedar Park Inn, 1933)" (photograph). Phillyhistory.org. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  2. "About the Festival". West Oak Lane Jazz and Arts Festival. 2011. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  3. http://www.zillow.com/west-oak-lane-philadelphia-pa/home-values/
  4. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  5. "4 Philadelphia schools saved, 23 closing after SRC vote". 6 ABC. 2013-03-07. Retrieved 2016-11-16.
  6. "High School Directory Fall 2017 Admissions" (Archive). School District of Philadelphia. p. 39/70. Retrieved on November 16, 2016.
  7. http://www.city-data.com/neighborhood/West-Oak-Lane-Philadelphia-PA.html
  8. http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/pa/philadelphia/cheltenham-andrews/
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