South Philly Review

Boundaries: Grays Ferry Avenue to Morris Street, 25th Street to the Schuylkill River

Population: 12,400

Demographics: Black, 56 percent; white, 39 percent. More than 30 percent of the residents are under 18.

Origin of name: The area's official moniker is derived from one of the boundary avenues and dates to 1970.

Brief history: The economic development of South Philadelphia mills and factories started attracting master craftsmen to the neighborhood in the 1860s. Earlier in the 19th century, the Schuylkill Arsenal, which now has an historical marker at Washington and Grays Ferry avenues, is where Meriwether Lewis bought supplies in preparation for the Lewis and Clark expedition (1803-06). The factory also supplied military goods for the Civil War and World Wars I and II.

Famous residents: Jerry Rullo, who played pro basketball with the 1947 Philadelphia Warriors.

Major landmarks: Conrail Bridge (aka 25th Street Bridge); Audenried High, 33rd and Tasker streets; the former St. John Neumann High, 26th and Moore; Philadelphia branch of the Trigen Energy Corporation; Sunoco Refinery and a quirk: a tiny area called The Forgotten Bottom in the refinery's shadow on 34th Street

Architecture: Brick rowhomes; several blocks have elevated front lawns.

Median home sale price: $60,000

State Senate district: First, Vincent Fumo (D); Eighth, Anthony Williams (D)

State House district: 182nd, Babette Josephs (D)

City Council district: Second, Council President Anna Verna (D)

Ward: 30th

Police district: 17th

Civic groups and townwatches: Grays Ferry Community Council, Committee of Concerned Citizens, Martin Luther King Village, Rainbow Coalition, The Forgotten Bottom

Schools: Charles Y. Audenried High, with a new building under construction adjacent to the 33rd and Tasker property; James Alcorn Elementary, 32nd and Dickinson; Our Lady of Angels, 30th and Dickinson; Preparatory Charter School of Mathematics, Science, Technology and Careers, 1624 S. 26th St.

Rec centers: Vare Recreation Center, 26th and Morris streets; Lanier Playground, 30th and Tasker; Donald P. Finnegan Playground, 30th and Wharton; Stinger Square Playground, 32nd and Reed

Highlights of living there: Neumann-Goretti coach Steve Smith, originally of 32nd and Tasker, recalls a time when "the whole neighborhood raised you." His entire block served as his extended family, and playtime included pick-up basketball and football in the grassy field by the expressway. And while parts of the neighborhood remain tight-knit and still flourish with the innocence of youth, blighted blocks and crime have driven out many former residents and scared off potential new ones. But there's hope with the building of the Greater Grays Ferry Estates, a developing neighborhood within the neighborhood (see "The future" below). Another bright spot is the affordable housing.

Reputation: A racially divisive area that is part working-class, part low-income, with a dwindling number of pristine blocks among the blight