Germantown is a charming neighborhood with a rich sense of history. Along cobbled Germantown Avenue, 18th-century homes and taverns mix with indie boutiques and cafes in traditional storefronts. Picturesque attractions include the country’s oldest rose garden, at Wyck House. Every summer, the Revolutionary Germantown Festival draws visitors to the Cliveden mansion, site of the 1777 Battle of Germantown.
Founded by German Quaker and Mennonite families in 1683 as an independent borough, it was absorbed into Philadelphia in 1854. The area, which is about six miles northwest from the city center, now consists of two neighborhoods: ‘Germantown’ and ‘East Germantown’.
Germantown stretches for about two miles along Germantown Avenue northwest from Windrim and Roberts Avenues. Germantown has been consistently bounded on the southwest by Wissahickon Avenue, on the southeast by Roberts Avenue, and on the east by Wister Street and Stenton Avenue, but its northwest border has expanded and contracted over the years. When first incorporated as a borough in 1689, Germantown was separated from the rural Germantown Township by Washington Lane; later, the border was expanded to Carpenter and East Gorgas Lanes; it was then rolled back to Washington Lane in 1846, and remained there until the borough was absorbed into Philadelphia.
We love VisitPhilly.com’s Germantown neighborhood guide. They describe the area as “Seamlessly blending yesterday and today.”
www.visitphilly.com/areas/philadelphia-neighborhoods/germantown
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