Recognizing Chestnut Hill for having been selected by The American Planning Association as one of the 2012 Top Ten Neighborhoods in the United States, and appreciates the honor this reflects on Philadelphia.

WHEREAS, The American Planning Association, a not-for-profit educational organization founded in 1978 with roots dating back to 1909 that provides leadership in the development of vital communities, annually selects the top ten neighborhoods in the United States as part of its “Great Places In America” program; and

WHEREAS, The American Planning Association has selected the Chestnut Hill Community in Philadelphia as one of the top ten neighborhoods in the United States, having been nominated by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission; and

WHEREAS, Chestnut Hill began about 1704 around the intersection of Germantown Avenue and Bethlehem Pike, and later experienced a boom in the 1800s with the arrival of the Reading Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad, resulting in houses designed by more than 85 architects, many of international renown, being constructed in a broad range of styles: Classical Revival, Georgian, Federal, Italianate, Second Empire, Shingle, Tudor, Cotswold, and Queen Anne; and

WHEREAS, In addition to the architecture, Chestnut Hill is known for its landscaping known as “The Wissahickon Style” which uses local trees, plants, stone and other materials to shape the neighborhood and which is widely emulated throughout the country; and

WHEREAS, Chestnut Hill has a quaint business district with cobblestoned streets, 225 stores, restaurants, and offices, a unique parking system, a weekly newspaper, and plentiful public transportation; and

WHEREAS, Chestnut Hill has created a plethora of organizations that successfully preserve and maintain its community legacy, quality of life, and prosperity; now therefore

BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, THAT IT HEREBY, Recognizes Chestnut Hill for having been selected by The American Planning Association as one of the top ten neighborhoods in the United States, and appreciates the honor this reflects on Philadelphia.

FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the Chestnut Hill Community Association, the Chestnut Hill Business Association, the Chestnut Hill Historical Society, the Friends of the Wissahickon, the Chestnut Hill Business Improvement District, the Chestnut Hill Garden District,

The Chestnut Hill Local,

and the Chestnut Hill Parking Foundation, further evidencing the sincere admiration and gratitude of this legislative body.

End