Sure, there are problems, and we'll get to some of them later, but even the problems are far outweighed by the accomplishments. Welcome to the surprising environs of Spruce Hill and Cedar Park. The Spruce Hill section of West Philadelphia extends west from the University of Pennsylvania over to 46th, and from Market Street south to Woodland Avenue. West of 46th, they like to call it Cedar Park, but the neighbors, and the neighborhood, meld together seamlessly. The area is full of huge old Victorian houses, many sporting the original oak woodwork, stained glass and big stone fireplaces.
Trees line the streets, and kids play stickball and jump rope as soon as the weather gets warm.
But what makes this neighborhood interesting isn't the houses or the trees, it's the neighbors. Spruce Hill is an almost thoroughly integrated community, a fact weird enough in itself. And not just racially integrated, but nationally, culturally and economically integrated. Here, diversity is more than just a word, it's a way of life. Some of just about everybody lives here.