Surrounding neighborhoods include Bala Cynwyd to the north, Wynnefield Heights and Belmont Village to the east, Parkside to the south, and Overbrook to the west.

Like the nearby suburban community of Wynnewood, Wynnefield takes its name from William Penn's physician, Thomas Wynne, who built his home Wynnestay at 52nd Street and Woodbine Avenue in 1690.

[2] Before Wynnefield's expansion in the early twentieth century, it was largely a rural and undeveloped area of farms dating back to the late 1600s.

German-Catholics moved into the neighborhood, prompting the founding of Saint Barbara's Roman Catholic Church in January 1921 on Georges Lane and Lebanon Ave near 54th Street.

Suburbanites would bring their families to spend the day shopping and to enjoy a meal at local haunts such as Pub Tiki and Williamson's Restaurant.

Women from areas such as nearby Bucks County would ride into Bala Cynwyd on SEPTA buses, donning their best garb and wearing their white gloves.

Har Zion Synagogue, built at 54th & Wynnefield Ave in 1924, was a longtime resident of the area before moving to larger facilities in Penn Valley, PA in 1976.

[4] According the U.S. Census from the 2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the total population of 19131, which include Overbrook, Wynnfield, Belmont Village, and Wynnefield Heights, was 44,723[5] where 44.5% is male and 55.5% is female.