Fishtown

Fishtown, named for once being the center of the fishing industry on the Delaware River, is a mostly working class neighborhood. Directly northeast of Center City, Fishtown is gradually becoming home to the more artistically professioned. The neighborhood is also trying to rid itself of the rumor that minorities were not welcomed.

There are three public, a private and a charter school in the area. Two of the schools are listed on the National Register of Historical Places.

The area also includes Penn Treaty Park. Here, families can play in an open space, with a jungle gym and swings on the premises. There is also a few cool spots to sit and look onto the Delaware River, skip rocks, or just watch the different size boats float by.

Fishtown's architecture include cottages and colonial townhouses. The exteriors feature red brick and wood-frame.

Fishtown is close the expressway and offers nice parking. Public Transportation is not a problem with the Market-Frankford Line in the neighborhood. There are also a couple of buses and a trolley.

When in Fishtown, you are close to all types of shops, galleries, bars and restaurants. The neighborhood offers all these things, but because of its closeness to Center City, its double the amount of things to do.

Recently, Fishtown became the sight of the SugarHouse Casino. While the structure is quite beautiful, views are split in the region. Some feel the casino brings jobs and acceptable business. Others believe that crime and addiction will rise because of it. Thus far, the casino seems to prove the pros and cons on the issue.

Fishtown used to be a part of the city that seemed "off limits". However, in recent years the neighborhood seems to be softening up and welcoming other races and lifestyles. With a growing artistic feel to the area it will allow for the section to become even more diverse.

One of Philadelphia’s notorious river wards, Fishtown has been a part of Kensington but now stands on its own. Frankford Avenue and York Street serve as street borders to this parcel along with the Delaware River by its side. Traditionally, it has been populated by Irish Catholics but German and Polish Catholics were also in the mix. It has a rough and tumble political history that is fabled Philadelphia politics and not to welcoming to African Americans.

Work in the manufacturing plants of North Philadelphia and along the river was a basis for survival until industry moved elsewhere. The Germans bought the fishing rights for shad along the Delaware River upwards to central Jersey. Urban legend has it that the largest shad in the world was caught here.

In 2011, artists have flocked to the area of quaint homes and friendly corner bars. Fishtown is a cheaper buy and therefore is benefiting from the skyrocketing prices in Northern Liberties and Old City. Arts festivals, book signings, open studio tours and gallery openings are a part of the new mix of culture and community.

A number of community groups have begun to stabilize the area and seek to promote its burgeoning arts community. These include: the Fishtown Neighbors Association, Old Richmond Civic Association, and the East Kensington Neighbors Association.

Fishtown is a neighborhood located in Northeast Philadelphia. It is situated in the triangle created by the Delaware River, York Street and Frankford Avenue. The area is named after the neighborhood’s former role as the center of the shad fishing industry on the Delaware River.
The neighborhood is made up of mostly working class families of Irish, German and Polish decent. In recent years, Fishtown has undergone moderate gentrification characterized by soaring housing prices and newly built restaurants and retail shops. Many young professionals and artists now call this area of Philadelphia home.
Housing prices have gone up in the last five years and a median house sale price in Fishtown now can reach into the $200,000. This is because the neighborhood is a very desirable location to live because it gives residents instant access to Center City.
Fishtown features many great restaurants, bars and nightclubs. One bar that is well known in this neighborhood is The Barbary, which is located at the intersection of Frankford Avenue and Columbus Boulevard. Fishtown is also now the home to Sugar House, which is the first gambling casino built in Philadelphia.
Fishtown is one of the safer places to live in Philadelphia and offers a dynamic and fun environment for people of any age.