Whitman is a neighborhood in the South Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is bounded on the west by Sixth Street, on the east by Front Street, on the south by Bigler Street, and on the north by Snyder Avenue. The name "Whitman" was adopted when the nearby Walt Whitman Bridge

Walt Whitman Bridge

The Walt Whitman Bridge is a green-colored single-level suspension bridge spanning the Delaware River from Philadelphia to Gloucester City, New Jersey. Named after the poet Walt Whitman, who resided in nearby Camden toward the end of his life, the Walt Whitman Bridge is one of the larger bridges...

 was being constructed in the 1950s.

Demographics

According to the 2000 Census, Whitman has 26,300 inhabitants (combined with Queen Village and Southwark

Southwark

Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...

). The racial makeup of the community is White, 60 percent; Black, 27 percent; Asian, 8 percent; Latino, 5 percent. About 40 percent of the population is under 18. It has a large Catholic Italian American

Italian American

An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...

 population and very large Irish American

Irish American

Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...

 population as well.

Origin of the name

When the neighborhood was declared an urban-renewal area in the mid-1950s, the nearby Walt Whitman Bridge also was being constructed. It was only logical, then, to lend the poet's name to the neighborhood as well.

Famous residents

• Joey Coyle
  Joey Coyle
  Joseph "Joey" Coyle was an unemployed longshoreman in Philadelphia who, in February 1981, found $1.2 million in the middle of the street after it had fallen out of the back of an armored car...
  
  , who stole $1.2 million that fell from an armored truck. His story was developed into a 1993 movie, Money for Nothing
  Money for Nothing (film)
  Money for Nothing is a 1993 comedy/crime film directed by Ramón Menéndez. It is based on the life of Joey Coyle, an unemployed longshoreman in Philadelphia who, in February 1981, found $1.2 million in the middle of the street after it had fallen out of the back of an armored car. The screenplay,...
  
  , starring John Cusack
  John Cusack
  John Paul Cusack is an American film actor and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 50 films, including The Journey of Natty Gann, Say Anything..., Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Stand by Me, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Runaway Jury, The Ice Harvest,...
  
  .

Major landmarks

• Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, 2329 S. Third St., which is more than 100 years old.
• Mifflin Square, Fifth and Wolf Streets.
• Whitman Library, 200 Snyder Ave.
• Whitman Plaza shopping center, Fourth Street and Oregon Avenue.

Architecture

Mostly two-bedroom rowhomes that later were expanded to include extra rooms; most are constructed from brick.

Schools

• George Sharswood Elementary, 2300 S. Second St.
• John H. Taggart Elementary, 400 Porter St.
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 2329 S. Third St.