University City District: Not just your average neighborhood

A college town and residential neighborhood blended together, University City is a unique hybrid situated just minutes from City Hall and the heart of Center City.

True to the district's name, University City serves as a hub for education and research in Philadelphia. The University of Pennsylvania - started by Philadelphia's favorite founding father, Benjamin Franklin, in 1740 - is the geographic heart for a community of higher education, surrounded by Drexel University, the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, and Lincoln University Plaza. Meanwhile, in the western part of the district, you'll find streets lined with residential Victorian homes built at the turn of the 20th century, as well as a series of parks.

With so many universities, as well as the University City Science Center and its 2 million square-feet of real estate, it is no surprise that the district claims some of the world's leading research facilities in a wide range of fields. University City is also home to two of our nation's best medical institutions - the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

University City has some of Philadelphia's most intriguing cultural attractions. The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (32nd and South) holds artifacts uncovered from around the world, including Egyptian mummies and a 12-ton sphinx. On the other side of Penn's campus is the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (36th and Walnut) and the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA, at 36th and Sansom). Penn's International House also provides a venue for cultural events all year-round, even holding its own movie theater to showcase films from around the world.

A district with diverse cultures, University City touts dining destinations with a wide range of flavors and atmospheres. By the Schuylkill River, World Café Live (30th and Walnut) provides a stage for live musical performances by emerging and established talent every evening, and two floors of food and drinks. Fine dining options fill the heart of University City with White Dog Café (34th and Sansom), Las Tarascas en Zocalo (36th and Lancaster), and Steven Starr's Pod (36th and Sansom) - an Asian fusion restaurant with a sushi bar conveyor belt and chic décor. For a lower price, try New Delhi for Indian food, Delilah's and Café 3801 for American comfort food, and plenty of spots for Ethiopian and other African cuisines.