Fairmount, Philadelphia

Fairmount
Neighborhood of Philadelphia
From the 11th floor deck of 2601 Pennsylvania Ave, Overlooking 26th and Aspen Streets intersection
Country	United States
State	Pennsylvania
County	Philadelphia County
City	Philadelphia
Area code(s)	Area code 215

Fairmount is a neighborhood within the Greater Center City District of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its boundaries are north of Spring Garden Street, west of Broad Street, south of Girard Avenue and east of The Schuylkill River.

While this may be the most common demarcation, the area's boundaries fluctuate depending on how you define the neighborhood and several subdivisions exist within these boundaries including: Spring Garden, Franklintown and Francisville. Also, Fairmount is sometimes referred to as the "Art Museum Area," for its proximity to and association with the Art Museum.

The name "Fairmount" derives from the prominent hill on which the Philadelphia Museum of Art now sits and where William Penn intended to build his manor house. Later, the name was applied to the street originally called Hickory Lane that runs from the foot of Fairmount hill through the heart of the neighborhood.

A handful of European settlers farmed the area in the 17th century, 18th century and early 19th century, when Fairmount was still outside Philadelphia's city limits. Prominent city families established countryseats there as well, including Bush Hill, White Hall, and Lemon Hill, the last of which still stands overlooking the Schuylkill. Fairmount was originally in Penn Township, which was subsequently divided, putting the future neighborhood in the newly created Spring Garden District until 1854 when it was incorporated into the City of Philadelphia.

During the American Revolution, British soldiers occupying Philadelphia built defensive works starting on the hill of Fairmount and continuing several miles along a line just south of present-day Fairmount Avenue to the Delaware River. Their purpose was to prevent American troops under George Washington from attacking them from the north - the only side of the city not protected by water.