Homes of Russian-Born Residents West Philadelphia 1940
Russians were one of the largest immigrant groups in West Philadelphia in 1940. They accounted for about 7% of adults. We know from the 1930 Census that almost all individuals in West Philadelphia who were born in Russia were Jews who spoke Yiddish. Not all Jews in West Philadelphia were born in Russia. For example, 64% of immigrants from Poland reported speaking Yiddish.
The Jewish population of West Philadelphia increased rapidly after the turn of the century. In 1900, there were only 241 Immigrants from Russia. By 1920, this had increased to about 12,000 and in 1930 it was over 18,000. Most of this increase probably occurred before 1924 when Congress limited immigration from Eastern Europe. Despite the concentration of Jews in parts of West Philadelphia, more than three quarters of Yiddish-speakers in Philadelphia lived in other parts of the city.
The largest concentration of Yiddish-speakers in West Philadelphia was in Cobbs Creek – about 6,500 in 1930. The other prominent concentrations were in Wynnefield and Wynnefield Heights (4,750) and East Parkside and northern Belmont (3,936).
Note #1: The 1930 census asked the main language spoken by all foreign-born individuals. This was important for identifying ethnic groups because of the large number of border changes after WWI. The 1940 census only asked this question of a sample of about 6% individuals. The data from the 1940 sample on the language spoken by Russian-born individuals is consistent with the 1930 data.
1940
Attribution/Credit
The base maps for the current properties are from the City of Philadelphia. J. M. Duffin mapped the properties absorbed by the University City Science Center. The other historic properties were mapped by Douglas Ewbank.