Located adjacent to the neighborhoods of Roxborough and Wissahickon and also on the banks of the Schuylkill River, Manayunk contains the first canal begun in the United States (although not the first completed, due to budget problems).

[5] Manayunk Borough was originally a community in Roxborough Township, Philadelphia County, situated near the Schuylkill River, south of the Wissahickon Creek.

Soon, the younger Levering built the first house in Manayunk, on the north side of Green Lane, west of Silverwood Street.

[6] The settlement got its nineteenth-century identity from the construction of the dam, canal, and locks by the Schuylkill Navigation Company.

On one such occasion in 1824, Greek revivalists wanted to call it Udoravia ("place by the water"), but this was later overturned in favor of the Lenape word for river mëneyung or manaiung ("where we go to drink").

His count indicated 147 families; 550 males, 548 females; of which 244 were men, 306 women, 282 boys, and 266 girls, for a total of 1,098 inhabitants.

Although Manayunk was no longer a separate entity, the community maintained its identity as a self-contained neighborhood.

In the 1990s, Manayunk's revitalization began with the opening of several upscale restaurants on Main Street, which were backed by developers who promoted the neighborhood as a place to visit.

[citation needed] Manayunk retained its small-town charm with its small two- and three-story row homes, cobblestone paving, and hilly streets.

Increasing demand for housing in the area has led to the conversion of former mills into loft apartments, and replacement of empty storefronts and mom-and-pop stores with upscale shops.

The first was the monitor USS Manayunk (1864) which was constructed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for use in the American Civil War, but was commissioned too late to serve in that action.

She was later pulled out of reserve and renamed USS Ajax (1864) by the prominent Philadelphian Secretary of the Navy Adolph E. Borie and saw action in the Spanish–American War.

[11] Manayunk was populated by a mix of German, Irish and Polish immigrants, who established and maintained their own Catholic churches, including: St. John the Baptist (Irish), St. Lucy's (Italian), St. Mary's (German) and St. Josaphat's (Polish), giving rise to Manayunk's "church steeples in a hill town village" character.

By 1924, the African American population in Manayunk had grown and the Heard AME church was founded to serve those residents.

Taking Place in late June on Main Street, the festival attracts around 200,000 collectors, buyers, and designers.

[13][14] The Manayunk-Roxborough Art Center (MRAC) provides "a meeting place for the artistic community and to connect those engaged in creative endeavors with one another and the general public.

Free Library of Philadelphia operates the Roxborough Branch, serving Manayunk, at 6245 Ridge Avenue at Hermitage Street.

[17] A prior library, the Manayunk Branch, located at the corner of Fleming and Dupont Streets, opened in February 1909 and was built on land donated by John F. S. Morris, Esq.