West Philly印象

很难用一句话形容西费，费城的文教区？费城的Harlem? 那赫赫有名的Philly Zoo和Fairmount Park又代表什么？一天老板问我我住哪，我说住西费，她露出一幅似乎我身在加沙天天被以色列炮弹轰炸似的同情神态，我耸耸肩说道：i have a lot of fun to live here 对西费的感觉是复杂的，这种复杂似乎就刻在西费每一栋斑驳的老房子生锈的窗栏上或是那杂乱无章排布的电线上......

以下引自wiki的West Philly条目:

West Philadelphia's population expanded in the late 1800s and early 1900s, with many middle-class breadwinners commuting into the Central Business District a few miles to the east. The western portion of the neighborhood was once home to some of the most expensive real estate in the country, but over the last 50 years has declined in prominence. This is due to increasing crime, which led much of the city's middle and upper classes to migrate to the suburbs and other sections of the city. Striking Victorian architecture remains, recalling the area's past.

West Philadelphia drew national attention in 1978 and 1985 for violent clashes between police and an Afro-centric, back-to-nature group called MOVE. During the latter confrontation, police firebombed the group's headquarters, killing 11 and destroying an entire block of Osage Avenue and Pine Street.

In recent years, parts of West Philadelphia have undergone "Penntrification," a term that reflects the University of Pennsylvania's role in gentrification of the neighborhood; including a marketing campaign to rename part of the area University City. Many young professionals and families have moved into the area. Today, West Philadelphia is a predominantly African-American area with a population of 193,334 that is roughly 85% Black.