Mt. Airy was incorporated into the city of Philadelphia in 1854. And like many other neighborhoods, it has held on to its separate sense of identity ever since. Unlike Germantown (with its connections to Colonial and Revolutionary history, for instance) or Chestnut Hill (with its history as a railroad suburb), Mt. Airy has a separate sense of history for different reasons, namely for all hard work that has gone to make it a diverse and integrated community that it is today.
Mt. Airy’s main thoroughfare is Germantown Avenue, which SEPTA's Route 23 runs up and down. Often referred to as just “The Avenue”, Germantown Avenue is the hub of the community and commercial activity in the neighborhood.
