University City's boundaries, 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 University City's boundaries are neighborhoods: Cedar Park, Garden Court, Spruce Hill, Squirrel Hill, Powelton Village, Walnut Hill, and Woodland Terrace. As part the 1950’s urban-renewal effort, University of Pennsylvania was instrumental and the dominant institution in the area followed by Drexel University, University of the Sciences, HUP (Hospital of the University of Penn), CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia), VA Medical Center and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. In addition, the National Board of Examiners, 30th Street Station, Philadanco, Cira Centre (a 29-story silver glass state-of-the-art skyscraper that includes retail and restaurant space, a conference room, a 9-story parking garage and a pedestrian bridge linking it to 30th Street Station) as well as The Restaurant School of Walnut Hill College call University City home.

Cedar Park is located north to Larchwood Ave., south to Kingsessing Ave., east to 46th Street, and west to 52nd Street. Originally outlying farmland, Cedar Park was built between 1850 and 1910 as a streetcar suburb of Center City. Its development as a suburb accelerated with the installation of horsecars in the 1850s and again with the arrival of electric trolley lines in 1892. It is ethnically diverse, and much of the historic Queen Anne-style architecture still stands. Cedar Park has undergone gentrification stimulated by the University of Pennsylvania's redevelopment plan for West Philadelphia since 2000.

Garden Court is located west of Spruce Hill, north of Cedar Park, east of Cobbs Creek, and south of Walnut Hill. Garden Court was considered "the most exclusive location in West Philadelphia" in the 1920s by The Philadelphia Inquirer and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 5, 1984. The neighborhood contains a diverse mix of housing types, including the 116-unit Garden Court Condominiums. The neighborhood is mostly residential, but contains small rows of shops around the intersections of 48th & Spruce, and 47th & Pine.

Spruce Hill is between 40th - 46th streets, and stretches from Market Street south to Woodland Avenue. It was built as a streetcar suburb for Center City between 1850 - 1910, where much historic architecture is preserved. A statue of Charles Dickens, cast in 1890 by Francis Edwin Elwell, stands in the neighborhood's Clark Park, home to Shakespeare in Clark Park Theatre Company, as well as home to Philadelphia's largest year-round farmers' market, which runs once or twice a week, depending on the season.

Squirrel Hill lies south of Baltimore Ave and west of Clark Park. It shares a border with the Spruce Hill and Cedar Park neighborhoods. Squirrel Hill has the distinction of operating its own Police substation staffed entirely by volunteers.

Powelton Village extends north from Market Street to Spring Garden Street, east to 32nd Street, west to 40th and Spring Garden Streets, and to 44th and Market Streets. The neighborhood offers a variety of Victorian properties, mostly twin homes. There are detached houses, row houses, and apartment buildings with an abundance of trees, many of which are historic, along with gardens maintained by many community residents, giving the neighborhood a distinct feel. Powelton Village is a national historic district.

Walnut Hill is located between 45th - 52nd Street, bounded by Market Street and Spruce Street. Most of the neighborhood is in the northwestern part of the University City District and is northeast of Cedar Park and northwest of Spruce Hill. The neighborhood was largely built from the turn of the century through the 1940s, with a large growth spurt immediately following the construction of the SEPTA Market-Frankford Line and offers mostly 2 & 3-story rowhouses.

Woodland Terrace is a small neighborhood of Italianate twin mansions located from Baltimore Pike to Woodland Avenue between 40th - 41st streets and was listed as a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places on March 16, 1972. It includes a magnificent Federal style mansion, matching carriage house and stable, and a landscaped garden that was transformed in 1840 into a Victorian rural cemetery with an arboretum of over 1,000 trees.

Dining options are as diverse as the residents and visitors of University City! Some great places not to miss include: POD, Marigold Kitchen BYOB, RX restaurant, White Dog Café, Cavanaugh’s, Savory on Spruce, Taglio, Green Line Café, Kabobeesh, Sabrina’s Café @ Powelton, Slainte Pub & Grille, JG Domestic (Iron Chef Jose Garces), Tria Wine Room, and lets not forget Bobby Flay’s – Bobby’s Burger Palace!

A special partnership was established in 2001 between the University of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Public School System. The Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander School, located at 4209 Spruce Street, is a tuition-free public school with open enrollment for any student living within the boundaries of the special catchment zone. Penn provides an annual subsidy keeping the student to teacher ratio low. There is no tuition requirement or testing/application process and limited enrollment. All students must reside within the Catchment boundaries. The school is a multiple awards recipient and is highly regarded by neighbors and parents. This area is one of the most sought after neighborhoods in Philadelphia for families with children in Kindergarten through 8th grades. (215) 823-5465.

St. Mary's Nursery School, located at 3916 Locust Walk, is a non-profit cooperative day care center for children 18 months to 5 years, founded in 1964. St. Mary’s core belief is “ family and community involvement in our program fosters a caring, trusting, healthy environment for our children”. They offer unique parent help program, workdays, and diverse board of directors who exemplify a cooperative approach. While they share St. Mary's Church building, they are not associated with the Church and are a separate non-denominational entity. 215-386-0321.

Elementary age children are offered a diverse menu of Schools: Public: Alexander Wilson School (K-5) @ 46th & Woodland Ave; Charles R. Drew School (PreK-8) @ 38th & Powelton Ave; Henry C. Lea School (K-8) @ 47th & Locust St; Middle Years Alternative & Parkway School (6-12) @ 49th & Chestnut St; Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander University of Pennsylvania Partnership School (K-8) @ 42nd & Spruce St; Samuel Powel School (K-4) @ 36th & Powelton Ave; Private: Christ Memorial Day School (K-6) @ 43rd & Chestnut St; HMS School for Children with Cerebral Palsy (ages 2–21) @ 4400 Baltimore Ave; Jubilee School (pre-K-6) @ 42nd & Chester Ave; Spruce Hill Christian School (K-8) @ 42nd & Baltimore Ave; and Parochial St. Francis de Sales School (1-8) @ 912 S. 47th St. High School age children’s options: Public include: Middle Years Alternative & Parkway School (6-12) @ 49th & Chestnut St; University City High School (9-12) @ 36th & Filbert St; and West Philadelphia High School (9-12) @ 48th & Walnut St. Private West Philadelphia Catholic High School (9-12) @ 45th & Chestnut St.