Like the other 300 plus communities that Kevin Smith Transportation Group services, University City Philadelphia, PA appreciates the engagement that only a local company can deliver, With operations based across southeastern PA including Berks, Bucks, University City Philadelphia, Delaware and Montgomery Counties and the entire Philadelphia, PA area, KSTG is the obvious choice for every person and business in University City Philadelphia, PA.
Leisure Services
For individuals and companies based in University City Philadelphia, PA who have a need for either Leisure or Corporate Transportation services, Kevin Smith Transportation Group is the only solution you need. KSTG’s Leisure division will often be seen sending out a Wedding Limo or Call on most weekends. Wedding Shuttles can be seen every weekend in University City Philadelphia, PA, moving everybody from Bridal Parties to Wedding Guests, making sure everybody can celebrate safely without the worry of figuring out how they will get back to the hotel safely. If a Party Bus rental is on your list, let KSTG arrange the perfect vehicle. Looking for something more elegant like a Stretch Limo and have KSTG send one of our Luxury Limos to University City Philadelphia, PA and pick you up. Ideas may arrange for that landmark birthday celebration to simply a bar crawl with a group of life-long friends. Whatever the need, if your night is starting or ending in University City Philadelphia, PA, let Kevin Smith Transportation Group deliver you in style.
Corporate Transportation
Almost every business in University City Philadelphia, PA will eventually have a need for professional Corporate Transportation services. It may be a one-time request for that VIP client to daily shuttle services moving employees back and forth from a regional rail station. Whatever the need, Kevin Smith Transportation Group’s fleet of Black Vehicles from Yukons to Cadillac’s are the perfect choice for those focused on Luxury and Quality. Airport Transportation is a common service request with Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) located so close to University City Philadelphia, PA. With more than a dozen International Airports in the Mid-Atlantic area, many companies will utilize KSTG’s services for Airport Transportation to places like Newark international (EWR), Kennedy Airport (JFK) and other airports north and south of the University City Philadelphia, PA area.
Other that Kevin Smith Transportation Group offers companies in University City Philadelphia, PA include Shuttle Services. What makes companies great in University City Philadelphia, PA is their ability to recruit the best talent. That often means recruiting in non-traditional markets. With KSTG’s Shuttle Services, many companies today have expanded their target markets to locations up and down SEPTA’s regional rail lines, providing employees with an easier commute. After a long day at work, getting a chance to relax in the back of a KSTG shuttle and being dropped off at the rail station for a traffic-free commute home is setting apart those companies in University City Philadelphia, PA who are leveraging this employee perk. In addition, many companies in University City Philadelphia, PA have employees or clients who will be traveling from outside the region. Whether it is Philadelphia International Airport or a local FBO like Wings Field, Northeast Regional Airport or Doylestown Airport, KSTG has a fleet of Luxury Cadillac XTS’s and Black Yukon’s to make sure your visitors are delivered on time and safely.
Black Car Service
Most companies in University City Philadelphia, PA have begun to institute strict Duty of Care requirements around ground transportation, not allowing their employees to use any unregulated apps. This means that a company like Kevin Smith Transportation Group, with a highly skilled, licensed and screened staff of chauffeurs, becomes the perfect option for any company in University City Philadelphia, PA who wants to offer their employees a safe and reliable transportation option. Black Car service is more than just a late model black vehicle. It is about providing a custom chauffeured experience where safety and luxury don’t have to be sacrificed.
Limo Service in University City Philadelphia, Pa
University City Philadelphia, PA has been a key contributor to the success of Kevin Smith Transportation Group. An award winning company since its inception, KSTG delivers daily to both individuals and companies across University City Philadelphia, PA. So whether it is that once in a lifetime event that needs to be perfect or just a routine trip to the airport, let KSTG be your total ground transportation solution. Today, KSTG is University City Philadelphia, PA’s #1 Transportation Company and as we continue to grow, the entire team at KSTG is excited to see where that success will take us. So for those who use us regularly or just once a year, thank you for making KSTG the company it is today.
Want to talk to someone to help book your transportation services? Call 610-222-6225 and speak to a Transportation Concierge who can arrange the perfect vehicle for all of your transportation needs.
History
University City is the easternmost part of West Philadelphia, situated directly across the Schuylkill River from Center City. The University of Pennsylvania has long been the dominant institution in the area and was instrumental in coining the name “University City” as part of a 1950s urban-renewal and gentrification effort. Today, Drexel University and the University of the Sciences also call University City home.
The eastern side of University City is home to the Penn and Drexel campuses, several medical institutions, independent centers of scientific research, 30th Street Station, Cira Centre, and Cira Centre South. The western side contains Victorian and early 20th-century housing stock and is primarily residential.
University City’s boundaries, as defined by the non-profit University City District organization and the City of Philadelphia, are the Schuylkill River to the east; Spring Garden Street, Powelton Avenue, and Market Street to the north; 52nd Street to the west; and Woodland Avenue, University Avenue, and Civic Center Boulevard to the south. Within these boundaries are the local neighborhoods of Cedar Park, Garden Court, Spruce Hill, Squirrel Hill, Powelton Village, Walnut Hill, and Woodland Terrace. The boundaries also encompass several historic districts, including the West Philadelphia Streetcar Suburb Historic District, and the ZIP codes 19104, 19139, and 19143.
In 1677, William Warner purchased 1,500 acres from the local Indian tribe and named it Blockley after his native parish in England. Blockley Township had a poor reputation in the 19th century. “It was an ideal hideout for shadowy characters and evil-doers who crossed the river in skiffs after a thieving or smuggling job south of the city. As late as 1850 it was considered hazardous to be abroad alone in this area.” The Blockley Almshouse, later known as Philadelphia General Hospital, was there. Though Blockley was founded five years before Philadelphia, people soon referred to it as “West Philadelphia”. Later, parts of Blockley were carved out to form the District of West Philadelphia.
In 1735, Andrew Hamilton, a “Philadelphia Lawyer”, purchased 300 acres in Blockley Township. The area came to be known as Hamilton Village and The Woodlands, a sprawling botanical garden and mansion, was built there. The gardens is now the Woodlands Cemetery, while much of the rest of Hamilton Village is covered by the 40th Street retail corridor.
A small section on the northern side of this area was once known as Greenville. Situated near Lancaster Ave., Powelton Ave., and Market St., Greenville served as a waypoint for travelers and cattle drivers, and many taverns and inns were established. Later, the area expanded in all directions with many German immigrants and offered much more than simple taverns. By the mid-20th century, the Greenville area had changed again, to a neighborhood that was colloquially referred to as the Black Bottom, signifying the neighborhood’s racial and economic status. Much of this neighborhood was destroyed as part of a gentrification plan in the 1960s.
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw enormous growth. The arrival of electrified streetcars in the 1890s kick-started development to the west of 43rd Street, and bridges and a tunnel in the first decade of the 20th century allowed people to easily commute into Center City. This led to rapid development within the borders of University City and far beyond. It was around this time that the “local” neighborhood names like Spruce Hill and Cedar Park were established.
In the mid-1950s, two realtors and Penn graduates coined the name “University City” in an attempt to attract Penn faculty back to the neighborhoods near Penn. The boundaries were defined as extending from the “Schuylkill River to 52nd Street, and from Haverford Avenue to the Media-line railroad tracks south of Kingsessing Avenue — though over the years many have viewed it as a smaller domain”. This has led to some community tension; some saw it as an attempt to secede from West Philadelphia.
University City has a history of strained town and gown relations, particularly with the University of Pennsylvania (“Penn” for short), the city’s largest private employer and the second-largest private employer in Pennsylvania. During the 1960s, Penn led a series of gentrification and redevelopment programs that have changed the character of the area. Some locals call this “Penntrification” names meant to suggest that the efforts benefit only those with a relationship to Penn. Some, including local anarchists, believe Penn’s actions divide the community. Since Penn’s massive[ investment in community relations over the last 25 years it is now considered a model by institutions worldwide, on how a university can better relate to its surrounding residents, businesses, and contribute to quality of life and economic development.
Opened in 2001, the Penn Alexander a neighborhood public elementary school, which Penn helped to build and subsidizes, is open to students inside a wide “catchment” defined by the School District of Philadelphia and Philadelphia City Council. The Penn Mortgage program is a grant made by Penn to any of its staff towards the purchase of a home in West Philadelphia or to be used for the improvement of any staff that currently owns a home in West Philadelphia. The university is also an active participant in branding the area as “University City”, with its logo showing up next to the name on signs and bridges (not including street signs directing to University City, which are erected by the city, state, and federal governments).
For decades, 40th Street was generally considered the “invisible campus boundary” between the residential neighborhoods to the west and the Penn campus to the east. In recent years, the “Penn bubble” is said to have expanded further west.
