In some neighborhoods, you can be sure to find a mom and pop store on just about every corner, or a little Hispanic, Spanish or Latin mini-mart- something like a 7-11, but usually smaller, and commonly referred to as a "papi" store or “bodega.” In other areas, maybe it’s a WaWa, or McDonalds. Well, whatever the staple of your locality is, you can bet your bottom dollar that what you’ll see a lot of in West Philadelphia, are churches.
West Philadelphia is a little over 14 square miles and is a residential area home to over two-hundred thousand people and just about as many churches. Upon its establishment, Philadelphia’s founding father William Penn learned that, as well as institutions, schools, universities, and hospitals, churches had a tremendous affect on the physical and social characterization of the area.
What’s more, since 1707, (when some of the very first churches were built) hundreds more [churches] can be found within any ten block radii in West Philadelphia. So, in this streetcar suburb in the city, because churches can be found on just about every corner, passersby aren’t too surprised when they see signs like these all over.
By: Candice Walker and Nicole Finkbiner, West Philadelphia, Group 23
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