Living in Mount Airy: A Neighborhood Guide
Northwest Philly’s middle neighborhood offers something for just about everyone.
A Mount Airy home / Photography by Jeff Fusco
Is Mount Airy a working-class redoubt or a paradise for professors? Is it artsy or down-to-earth? It’s all of these, and more: This community in the middle of Northwest Philadelphia is one of the most — if not the most — eclectic enclaves in the city.
Lifelong Mount Airyite Larry West, a graphic designer and judge of elections in his division on the more workaday east side, says that eclecticism is one of the neighborhood’s great strengths, and how people understand the place depends on whether they’re rooted here or transplanted. To the lifers, he says, Mount Airy “is like a small town, and it’s their small town, and they say it works for them — it’s just ‘There’s Bob going down the street, to the store,’ like always.” And to the transplants? They welcome and embrace the area’s inclusivity, creativity, and diversity, much of which resides on its west side.
It seems everyone in Mount Airy meets neighbors over lunch, dinner, or a beer at McMenamin’s Tavern, an institution since 1936. Here you will run into all of Mount Airy: young, old, affluent, just getting by, men, women, queer, straight, Black, white, and otherwise. This mix gives it a vibe you’ll find at only a few other neighborhood pubs in the city.
Sour cream, green onion, and potato brioche from Downtime Bakery
Another contributor to the eclecticism is the arts scene. The Mt. Airy Art Garage focuses on the visual arts and serving area youth, while the Allens Lane Art Center offers visual and performing arts and is also one of the foundation stones of Mount Airy’s reputation for racial integration. It was started in 1953 by residents who wanted to create an intentionally integrated community.
Pax Flora Goods in Mount Airy
One of the enclave’s most beloved businesses is the Big Blue Marble Bookstore in Mount Airy Village — also the birthplace of the Weavers Way Co-op, which sells everything from food to furniture in its three stores here. On Germantown Avenue, Best of Philly winner Pax Flora Goods features vintage and ethically sourced fashions and home goods. And recently opened Downtime Bakery has a daily baking schedule, so locals can come get their bagels and pies fresh from the oven.
Published as “Living in Mount Airy” in the March 2025 issue of Philadelphia magazine.
