Although Philly’s tech culture has a presence throughout the city, its knack for creating communities in certain spaces is evident. So whether it’s in a high-rise office building or amid a backdrop of historic military ships, these places are full of the city’s most innovative companies.
Navy Yard
This naval shipyard-turned industrial complex in South Philly is a sprawling park of more than 100 offices, tech companies and retailers. The site also serves as the headquarters for brands Free People, Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters.
University City
Packed with scientific and research hubs like the University of Pennsylvania, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of the Sciences and Drexel University, this West Philadelphia enclave is a vibrant part of Philadelphia’s tech culture. Also nestled among these institutions is the University City Science Center, which stretches across 17 acres of Market Street. Its 15 buildings house a mixture of tech companies, labs, research organizations and medical offices.
Center City
Some of the techie side of Philly’s commercial center can be spotted inside Benjamin’s Desk, a co-working space near Rittenhouse Square. The space includes desks and offices for both startup and established companies, such as indie game studio PHL Collective and Yelp.
N3rd Street
Pronounced “Nerd” Street, this longtime nickname for a section of North Third Street signifies the myriad tech companies that line the corridor, which spans from Girard Avenue in Northern Liberties to Market Street in Old City. N3rd Street became official – with the street signs to prove it – in April, after a city council resolution proposing the name was passed. Sharing the street are companies such as search engine optimization firm SEER Interactive, software company Jarvus Innovations and co-working space Indy Hall.
Fishtown
Just off of N3rd Street, the burgeoning tech scene in Fishtown is active with companies like Frankford Avenue web design agencies 03 World and Bluecadet, which opened in 2007.
– Text and images by Cheyenne Shaffer and Beth Boyle.
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