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For other uses, see Mount Airy . Mount Airy is a Neighborhood of Northwest Philadelphia in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania . GEOGRAPHY Boundaries Mount Airy is bounded as follows:
ZIP codes The ZIP Code for most of Mount Airy is 19119, but small areas of the neighborhood lie in the 19138, 19144 and 19150 ZIP codes. Relationship to Germantown There is no "official" boundary between Mount Airy and Germantown. The most common consensus is that Johnson Street is the de facto boundary; however, Washington Lane could also be viewed as a boundary. The question is moot, however, as the two neighborhoods blend together very gradually. Historically the entire area was part of the German Township . Many buildings in Mount Airy carry the identity and even the name of Germantown in one way or another. For example, the Unitarian Church of Germantown, the Germantown Jewish Center, the Germantown Christian Assembly, and the Germantown Montessori School are all in Mount Airy, yet belong culturally to Germantown as well. Parts of the Battle Of Germantown in 1777 occurred throughout Mount Airy and Germantown. The special relationship linking the two has its roots in the time before the Act Of Consolidation , when Germantown was a borough separate from the City of Philadelphia, and its rural environs were what is now Mount Airy. HISTORY William Allen , prominent Philadelphia merchant and Chief Justice of the Province Of Pennsylvania , built his mansion and estate on Germantown Avenue in 1750 , and the area eventually took the building's name, Mount Airy, as its own.1 Before this, the area was known as Beggarstown (also Beggars-town or Beggar Town), a corruption of Bebberstown, an area of Germantown Avenue between Gorgas Lane and Cliveden Street that had been named for Rev. Mathias van Bebber.2 3 Much of Mount Airy was developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, spreading out from Germantown Avenue and two railroad lines. Large three-story, gray-stone Victorian, colonial revival, and Norman and Cotswold-style houses and mansions, with stained glass windows and slate roofs are situated on many of the area's tree-lined streets, and dominate districts like West Mount Airy's Pelham section and East Mount Airy's Gowen Avenue and Sedgwick Farms areas. DEMOGRAPHICS Racial integration The area is recognized by many Civil Rights groups as one of the first successfully Integrated neighborhoods in America . Leonard Franklin Heumann: The Definition and Analysis of Stable Racial Integration Racially and Ethnically Diverse Urban Neighborhoods, ''Cityscape'', Volume 4, Number 2, 1998. Chapter 3, by Barbara Ferman, Theresa Singleton, and Don DeMarco {Link without Title} Mount Airy continues to be the most well-blended neighborhood in Philadelphia, and was recently cited in Oprah Winfrey 's O Magazine for its racial diversity and neighborhood appeal. The community has also been recognized by US News & World Report for racial harmony and balance. The overall proportion of blacks and whites is similar to the overall Demographics Of Philadelphia . There is a large Jewish community in Mount Airy, and the Germantown Jewish Centre is located in West Mount Airy. Mount Airy has long been the neighborhood of choice for the city's elite African Americans. Mount Airy is also known for being gay-friendly, and two-mother or two-father families are not uncommon in parts of the neighborhood. Other demographic facets In addition to racial integration, Mount Airy is sometimes noted for the presence of many of its residents having Advanced Degrees . This could explain why Mount Airy's residents tend to be more engaged in Philadelphia City Politics , which may give Mount Airy a leg-up when it comes to resources and city services. The political tone of the neighborhood is predominantly liberal. Mount Airy is favored as a neighborhood of choice for city politicians, judges, and others who are required to reside within the city's limits. One prominent Mount Airy politician is former Republican mayoral candidate Sam Katz . West Mount Airy has a reputation for being affluent, similar to Chestnut Hill, and the East more working class, although counter-examples abound. In general, the affluence of the neighborhood increases with proximity to Fairmount Park and Chestnut Hill. West Mount Airy has a small commercial district of its own centered around Greene Street and Carpenter Lane; East Mount Airy has a more diffuse distribution of corner stores, and commercial corridors along Chew and Stenton Avenues. In 2005, the median home sale price in the 19119 zip code was $188,409. This was an increase of 18% over the median sale price in 2004. EDUCATION Public schools in the neighborhood include C. W. Henry, Henry H. Houston Elementary School , Eleanor Cope Emlen, J. E. Hill, Leeds Middle School, and the Academy of the Middle Years (AMY) Northwest. Most of these schools are much less ethnically diverse than the neighborhood as a whole, Henry being a notable exception. Mount Airy's neighborhood public high school is Martin Luther King High which is located in East Germantown. Private schools include the Waldorf School of Philadelphia, Project Learn School (a K-8 Parent/Teacher cooperative), and Holy Cross Catholic School. Many children living in Mount Airy go to school outside the neighborhood. Some of Philadelphia's most highly regarded Magnet School s, such as Girls' High , CAPA , Central and Masterman traditionally have a disproportionate number of students from Mount Airy, as do private schools including Germantown Friends School , Greene Street Friends School, Quaker schools in nearby Germantown and Akiba Hebrew Academy in nearby Merion Station. TRANSPORTATION Most residents drive and the commute to Center City takes no more than 20 minutes without heavy traffic. The large suburban shopping and office districts around King of Prussia, Plymouth Meeting, and Conshohocken are also within about twenty minutes drive of Mount Airy. Mount Airy is particularly well-served by public transportation. The SEPTA Regional Rail lines are very popular for getting into Center City . The R8 runs through West Mount Airy, and the R7 through East Mount Airy. The neighborhood is also served by bus routes 18, 23 (formerly a trolley line), 53 (formerly a trolley line), H, XH and L. SHOPPING Mount Airy's main commercial district lies along cobblestoned Germantown Avenue , which also serves as the boundary between East and West Mount Airy, with a smaller commercial center at the intersection of Carpenter and Greene Streets. Like Chestnut Hill, Mount Airy has a large array of mom-and-pop-style boutiques and eateries. The style of this shopping district along "The Avenue" gives it a small-town feel, although there are also a few chain stores, including an Acme Supermarket and a Wawa . Mount Airy is also home to Weavers Way Co-Op, a long-running Co-op Grocery Store and two local, tented Farmers' Market s. Laura Bruch, "Weavers Way Thriving," Philadelphia Inquirer, 16 October 1998, http://www.farmtocity.org/FarmersMarkets.asp Booklovers enjoy Big Blue Marble Bookstore, an independent bookstore catering to neighbors' interests, and Walk a Crooked Mile Books, a large used-book store housed in the Mount Airy R7 train station. Many commercial properties have received economic development grants and façade rehabilitation assistance from Mount Airy USA , the neighborhood's non-profit community economic development organization. NOTABLE RESIDENTS Well-known people who have resided in Mount Airy:
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