West Philly Is Going to Get Extra-Special Attention from President Obama

NBC 10 reports on Thursday that President Obama will designate West Philly a “Promise Zone,” singled out for government economic intervention.

Promise Zones are areas where the federal government provides tax incentives and grants to help communities tackle poverty. Obama first announced the initiative during last year’s State of the Union speech.

Philadelphia’s Promise Zone will be focused around the Mantua neighborhood of West Philadelphia, an Obama Administration official confirmed to NBC10. That area is north of Drexel University, bounded by the Schuylkill River to the east and the Philadelphia Zoo to the north.

San Antonio, Texas, Los Angeles, southeastern Kentucky and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma have also been selected for the program.