Boundaries: Broad to 20th streets, Packer to Pattison avenues
Population: 2,600
Demographics: Equal parts young families and retired longtime residents. The neighborhood and its two offspring, Brinton Estates and The Reserve at Packer Park (see sidebars), are almost exclusively white, with a couple of Asian households.
Origin of name: "Packer" comes from the avenue; "Park" because, when the neighborhood was being developed in the late 1950s, much of the area was green and untouched.
Brief history: The area used to be swampy and undeveloped, says Frank Salandri, who was among the first wave of residents to move into Packer Park in 1960. Packer Avenue had railroad tracks; there were no stadiums. "It was quiet; there wasn't anything down here," Salandri recalls.
Stores and a bank eventually opened at 15th and Packer, and a SuperFresh market once stood on the property that is now Chickie's and Pete's. "Eventually, this became a great place to be for sports nuts," Salandri says, nodding south toward the stadium complex.
Famous residents: Lisa Peluso, former soap star who made her major film debut as character Tony Manero's little sister in Saturday Night Fever; and Tina DeFeliciantonio, a documentary filmmaker whose locally based Girls Like Us put her on the map after winning a jury award at the Sundance Film Festival.
Major landmarks: The NovaCare Complex, the Eagles' practice facility, Broad and Pattison; and the 21.5-acre property's former occupant, the 15-story Naval Hospital, which opened in 1935 and was imploded in June 2001. Smaller landmarks include the Penrose Diner and, once upon a time, the Packer Park Swim Club.
Architecture: Rowhomes in the original neighborhood; townhouses in the newer developments
Median home sale price: $300,000
State Senate district: First, Vincent Fumo
State House district: 185th, Robert Donatucci
City Council district: Second, Council President Anna Verna
Ward: 26th
Police district: First
Civic groups and townwatches: Packer Park Civic Association, Stadium Complex Special Services District
Schools: Holy Spirit, 1845 Hartranft St.
Rec centers: The nearby FDR Park, Broad and Pattison
Highlights of living there: "It's a very quiet area with a close-knit community that does a lot for kids," says Anna Laimo, who lives near the corner of 17th and Forrestal streets. "You get a little taste of the suburbs, but you're still close to everything you need."
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