Philadelphia

Philadelphia is the 6th most populous city in the United States and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The city is sometimes called Philly.
The population of the city was 1,517,550 people in 2000. In 2010 census, it was up to 1,526.006 people. Philadelphia was the capital of the United States from 1790 to 1800. It was replaced by Washington, D.C. in 1800 after the White House was built.
Philadelphia has many tourist attractions. These include the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and Christ Church.
History
Before Europeans came to the area, Philadelphia was home to the Lenape people. The first Europeans to come were the Dutch. They built towns and a fort in the area. The English took over the city in 1664. In 1681, Charles II of England gave a large piece of land to William Penn. It was given to him to pay back some money that was owed to Penn's father. Penn had a dream of a land where people would be free to live and work no matter what religion they believed. He built a city in the new land called Philadelphia.
Soon Philadelphia was the largest city in North America. The first library and hospital in the country were built in Philadelphia. Many ships sailed in and out of the port of the city. People came to the city to buy and sell many types of things.
One of the most famous people in Philadelphia was Benjamin Franklin. He started a newspaper and invented many things, such as bifocal glasses. Franklin started a library that was free for everyone to use. He also started a free hospital. He helped to write the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.
In 1774, the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to talk about their disputes with the United Kingdom. The British were not happy about this and soon the American Revolutionary War began. In 1776, the Americans again met in Philadelphia to sign the Declaration of Independence.
In 1777, George Washington lost the Battle of Germantown and Philadelphia was occupied by British troops. They left in 1778. After the war was won, a Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia in 1787 to write the United States Constitution. It lists the most important laws of the United States.
Geography
Philadelphia is in the state of Pennsylvania. It is on the west bank of the Delaware River. New Jersey is on the other side of the river. Another large river, the Schuylkill, flows into the Delaware River at Philadelphia. The city has only a few small hills. Most of it is flat. Philadelphia normally has hot summers and cold winters.
City Landscape
William Penn planned the city in the 17th century. The roads of the city are formed in a grid between the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. The roads run north-south and west-east. Streets were spread out to prevent fires.
Parks were a part of the original plan. There were five parks in the center city. They are Centre Square (Penn Square),Northeast Square (Franklin Square), Southeast Square (Washington Square), Southwest Square (Rittenhouse Square), and Northwest Square (Logan Circle/Square).
Sections/Neighborhoods
The city includes six major sections surrounding Center City. They are North, Northeast, Northwest, South, Southwest, and West. The City Planning Commission is in charge of growth and development. The largest landlord is the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA). Some boundaries between regions, boroughs and districts are not clear. There are 18 districts in the city.
Center City
This is where the skyscrapers are located. Center City is the second most densely populated downtown area in the United States, after Manhattan, New York. It includes the historic part of town, museums, a theatre district, retailers, office buildings and tourist attractions. Parts of Center City, include Penn's Landing, Old City, Society Hill, South Street, Washington Square West, Market East, Chinatown, Logan Square, the Museum District, Rittenhouse Square, Fitler Square, Jewelers' Row and Avenue of the Arts. Old City is near the Delaware River and includes historic sites like Independence Hall. There were 193,000 inhabitants in 2018.
South Philadelphia
The region holds a diverse working-class population. It is between the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers. The large sports stadiums are located here. They are Citizens Bank Park, Lincoln Financial Field and Wells Fargo Center. They form the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. The famous Geno's Steaks and Pat's King of Steaks is here. The FDR Park is just north of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. There is also a vibrant Italian community with an Italian Market. South Philadelphia is also where the movie Rocky (1976) was filmed. The Walt Whitman Bridge connects to New Jersey in the east. The population was 168,782 in 2010.
Southwest Philadelphia
This area is south of West Philadelphia and north of the Delaware River. The Philadelphia International Airport and residential areas are located here. There are various industries and oil refineries here and in South Philadelphia. Iconic places are Bartram's Garden, John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, the National Historic Landmark Fort Mifflin and Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum. The population was 123,829 in 2010.
West Philadelphia
The region is mostly residential. It is between Cobbs Creek and the Schuylkill River. The eastern part is University City. This includes the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University and University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. Saint Joseph's University is in the northwest part of the region. Fairmount Park and the Philadelphia Museum of Art are located in West Philadelphia. The Please Touch Museum, Philadelphia Zoo, Memorial Hall and the Mann Center for the Performing Arts are in the Centennial District. The population in 2010 was 216,433.
Northwest Philadelphia
This region includes Germantown, Chestnut Hill, Roxborough and Manayunk. Germantown is an important historical neighborhood with the Colonial Germantown Historic District. It is the birthplace of the American antislavery movement and was an important site during the American Revolution. There are several colonial homes and battle re-enactments. The Wissahickon Valley Park is here. Other sites are the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, Woodmere Art Museum and Awbury Arboretum. In 2010, the population was about 170,000.
North Philadelphia
This region is between the Northwest and Northeast regions. It is south of Cheltenham Township and north of Center City. It is residential with scattered industries. It includes Lower North and Upper North Philadelphia and Olney, Oak Lane. Temple University is found here. A well-known street is Broad Street. It starts in and cuts across North Philadelphia and travels down to Center City. The Eastern State Penitentiary is to the west. There are many historic homes like the Edgar Allen Poe House. Museums are the Wagner Free Institute of Science and the Philadelphia Doll Museum. There are historic churches. Northern Liberties and Fishtown are growing communities and centers for artists. Northern Liberties is home to the annual 2nd Street Festival. The population in 2010 was 240,781.
The Northeast
The region is home to a large working-class population. It includes the Far and Near Northeast, and Kensington. There are several parks, such as Benjamin Rush State Park and Pennypack Park and large malls such as Philadelphia Mills. There are many diverse ethnic groups. There is the Northeast Philadelphia Airport. The Philadelphia Insectarium and Butterfly Pavilion is a science museum. The region is highly populated. There were about 528,810 residents in 2010.
Architecture
The architecture of the city is very diverse. It is both modern and historic. It includes Georgian architecture, Federal-style, Palladian structure, Victorian-style, Greek Revival, Gothic, Italianate Second-Empire Style and International Style. The diverse buildings show the rich history of the city. The Philadelphia Historical Commission was formed in 1955. It preserves historical buildings. The Philadelphia Register of Historic Places includes historic buildings. The tallest building is the Comcast Technology Center. For a long time, City Hall was the tallest building. Notable architects who built in Philadelphia include William Strickland, John Haviland, Thomas U. Walter, Frank Furness, Napoleon Leburn, Julian Abele, Rafael Vinoly, Cesar Pelli, Robert A. M. Stern, Louis Kahn and Robert Venturi.
Philadelphia was the first major city in North America to introduce row houses. A row house is made of homes connected with a shared sidewall. In other areas, similar buildings were originally called "Philadelphian rows". Many homes in Philadelphia are row houses.
Parks
There are about of parks in Philadelphia. Notable parks in the city center are Logan Square, Franklin Square, JFK Plaza, Washington Square and Rittenhouse Square. Surrounding parks are Fairmount Park, Wissahickon Valley Park, Pennypack Park and Cobbs Creek Park. Fairmount is the largest park. Wissahickon the second largest. Fairmount Park is along both sides of the Schuylkill River. It includes the Philadelphia Zoo, Fairmount Water Works, Boathouse Row, Please Touch Museum, Centennial Arboretum and the Shofuso Japanese House and Garden.
Climate
Under the Koppen climate classification, Philadelphia is in a humid subtropical climate zone. Summers are humid and hot. Fall and spring are mild. Winters can range from moderate to cold. Snowfall is very variable. Some years there is only a small amount of snow. In other years there are large snowstorms. The average yearly snowfall is . The annual average precipitation is . There is precipitation throughout the year. Temperatures can range from to .
A 2017-2019 report showed that Philadelphia is among the top 25 cities with the most air pollution. Philadelphia has significant particulate matter and ozone. This is due to the burning of fossil fuels. Another cause is high concentration of automobiles along I-95.
Demographics
The population of Philadelphia was about 560,000 in 1860 and 1,000,000 in 1890. The highest population in Philadelphia was in 1950, with about 2,071,605 people recorded. The population decreased from 1950 to 2000. The population has been gradually increasing since 2010. Between 2006 and 2017, there were 92,153 new residents. In 2022, the city had the following racial composition: 41.3% Black (non-Hispanic), 39.33% White (non-Hispanic), 14.1% Hispanic or Latino, 7.1% Asian, 0.4% Native American, 0.05% Pacific Islander, and 2.8% multiracial. The largest European ancestry groups were Irish (13.6%), Italian (9.2%), German (8.1%), Polish (4.3%) and English (2.9%) in 2010.
Education
Primary and Secondary
There are public and private schools in Philadelphia. The School District of Philadelphia is for public schools. There were 218 public schools and 86 charter schools in 2014. More students are going to charter schools. Several public schools have closed. Graduation rates were 65% in 2014. They have been increasing but below average. The city spends about $12, 000 per student.
Higher Education
There are many colleges and students in Philadelphia. It is a city with a high concentration of students. There are more than 80 colleges, universities, and trade schools. There are about over 420,000 students in total.
The top schools are The University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, Drexel University, and Thomas Jefferson University. The University of Pennsylvania is an Ivy League school and one of the oldest universities. The University City District is west of the Schuylkill River and includes the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University. Notable schools around the Philadelphia area are Swarthmore College, Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College and Villanova University. In center city, the Curtis Institute of Music is one of the top music schools in the country.
There are five schools of Medicine: Drexel University College of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Temple University School of Medicine, and Thomas Jefferson University's Sidney Kimmel Medical College. Other institutions in Philadelphia include: University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia University, Holy Family University, Moore College of Art and Design, Peirce College, Chestnut Hill College, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, The University of the Arts and La Salle University.
Culture
Philadelphia's cultural history goes back to the Lenape Native Americans and later the Quakers and Mennonites. The city is culturally important for its rich history but is notable for many other things. The city has been influential in music, art, television, architecture, and food.
There are many large annual events. The famous Mummers Parade celebrates the New Year. Made in America Festival is a large music festival with dozens of artists on Labour Day weekend. It is along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The week of Independence Day is called the Wawa Welcome America Festival. There are many festivities, concerts, and discounts. It includes Wawa Hoagie Day, POPS on Independence, Party on the Parkway, and Free Museums Day. 6abc Dunkin' Thanksgiving Day Parade is another famous parade. It is the oldest Thanksgiving Parade in the U.S. Other events are the Philadelphia Flower Show, Philadelphia Auto Show, Philly Home Show, The Philadelphia Show, Roots Picnic at the Mann Center, Green Screen: Philadelphia Environmental Film Festival, Longwood Gardens Festival of Fountains, Philly Beer Week, Fringe Festival, DesignPhiladelphia Festival, Philadelphia Film Festival, Army-Navy Game and others.
Philadelphia has diverse people groups that make up the city's communities and many immigrants. Many specific events reflect the rich diversity of the people of the city. These include the Lunar New Year Parade and Celebrations in Chinatown, Philadelphia St. Patrick's Day Parade, Shofuso Cherry Blossom Festival, The South 9th Street Italian Market Festival, Philadelphia Latino Film Festival, Prideday, Odunde Festival, Philadelphia Juneteenth Parade & Festival, OutFest, Ciao Philadelphia and others.
The city includes important places that hold historical documents and records and further learning and research. The Library Company of Philadelphia was established by Benjamin Franklin. Franklin also founded the American Philosophical Society. It is "the oldest learned society in the United States." Parkway Central Library is one of the Free Library of Philadelphia libraries. It has a unique Rare Books Department. There are original items by Charles Dickens and Edgar Allen Poe. Athenaeum of Philadelphia holds American historical documents. It was founded in 1814. The Presbyterian Historical Society is the oldest church denomination historical society. The German Society of Pennsylvania is the oldest German-culture organization in the country. It has a special library collection. College of Physicians of Philadelphia's Historical Medical Library is from 1788. The Philosophical Society building, Athenaeum and College of Physicians are all National Historic Landmarks.
Arts
There are several art museums in Philadelphia. Philadelphia has a large art museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It is located at the end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at Eakins Oval. The Museum district is along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The city also has some smaller art museums, such as the Academy of Fine Arts and the Barnes Foundation. The Rodin Museum has a large collection of sculptures by Auguste Rodin.
The Avenue of the Arts is in Center City on Broad Street. It is a center for arts and culture and is a cultural district. The Kimmel Center for Performing Arts and Academy of Music are found there. There are several theaters. Examples include the Merriam Theater, Wilma Theater, Liacouras Center, and Suzanne Roberts Theatre. The Philadelphia Theater Company is at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre.
There are over dozens of other theatres in Philadelphia. The Walnut Street Theater is a National Historic Landmark. It is the oldest theater in the United States. The Lantern Theater Company is at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. Other notable theaters are the Arden Theatre Company, Forrest Theatre, EgoPo Classic Theater, Plays and Players Theater, The Sedgwick Theater, and Pearl Theatre.
Philadelphia is the city in America with the most public art. The Association for Public Art was founded in Philadelphia in 1872. There are many historical statues and monuments. There are also modern pieces of work. The LOVE Sculpture is at the JFK Plaza. The city also has the most murals in America. These are artworks on the walls of buildings. The city has a Mural Arts Program that supports mural artwork. The program hires professionals and educates young people in mural painting.
Music
Philadelphia is famous for classical music. The Philadelphia Orchestra is one of the top five orchestras in the country. The orchestra performs at the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts and in the summer at the Mann Center for Performing Arts. The Academy of Music is a historic concert hall and opera house. The academy is also home to the Philadelphia Ballet. It is one of the largest ballet companies in the country. The Curtis Institute of Music is a world-class music school. It has produced many notable musicians. Composer Samuel Barber and violinist Sarah Chang were born in Philadelphia.
The city is also known for R&B, jazz, and soul. Philadelphia is the hometown of notable Jazz musicians. They include Billie Holiday, John Coltrane, Dizzie Gillespie, and Ethel Waters. Philly soul music is from the 1960s and 1970s. It influenced disco and R&B. The Philly Pops perform popular jazz, blues, swing, and Broadway.
Philadelphia is influential in other popular music genres. American singers born in Philadelphia include Frankie Avalon, James Darren, Eddie Fisher, Fabian Forte, Bobby Rydell, and Chubby Checker. Notable rock and pop musicians from the Philadelphia area are Bill Haley & His Comets, Todd Rundgren and Nazz, Hall & Oates, The Hooters, Ween, Cinderella, and Pink. Dick Clark hosted the TV program American Bandstand in the 1950s. Hip hop artists include The Roots, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Lil Uzi Vert, Beanie Sigel. Rap artists are State Property, Schoolly D, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and Meek Mill.
Historic Sites
Philadelphia has a rich history with many historic sites. The city has a total of 67 National Historic Landmarks Many are located in Center City in the historic part of town. Independence National Historic Park is in the oldest part of Philadelphia. It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Most of the buildings from the time when American was fighting for its freedom are there. Independence Hall is where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States were written. Nearby is a building where the Liberty Bell is kept. In the same neighborhood, many houses are from the days of the American Revolution. Elfreth's Alley is one of the oldest streets in the United States. Christ Church is the church where many famous early Americans worshipped. Other two early government buildings are the First and the Second Bank of the United States.
There are many historic homes in North Philadelphia. John Coltrane House was the home of the jazz performer John Coltrane. The influential 19th-century realist painter Thomas Eakins lived in the Thomas Eakins House. James Logan Home is a colonial house. Charles Wilson Peale House was the home of the American painter, soldier, scientist, and inventor Charles Peale. Edgar Allen Poe House was the residence of the famous writer and poet Edgar Allen Poe. The African American artist Henry O. Tanner lived at the Henry O. Tanner Homesite. All of these sites are National Historic Landmarks.
Germantown in Northwest Philly has a rich history and notable sites. The Colonial Germantown Historic District is in Germantown and Mt. Airy along Germantown Avenue. There are many historical buildings from colonial times and the Revolutionary period. The Cliveden House was the site of the famous Battle of Germantown (1777) during the Revolutionary War. It is a National Historic Landmark along with the Wyck House. This house was used as a field hospital during the Battle of Germantown. Germantown was also important for the antislavery movement. The 1688 Germantown Quaker Petition Against Slavery was the first protest against the enslavement of Africans. The John Johnson House was part of the Underground Railroad to free slaves and is also a Naitonal Historic Landmark.
Museums
The majority of the museums are in Center City. The Franklin Institute is a science museum named after Benjamin Franklin. It contains the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial. The Academy of Natural Sciences has collections of life, rocks and minerals. The Mutter Museum is a medical museum. There is also the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in West Philadelphia . There are several history museums. They are the National Constitution Center, the Museum of the American Revolution, the Philadelphia History Museum, the National Museum of American Jewish History, the African American Museum in Philadelphia, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania in the Masonic Temple, and the Eastern State Penitentiary.
Food
There are foods particular to Philadelphia. They are cheesesteak, hoagies, stromboli, roast pork sandwich, scrapple, soft pretzels, water ice, Irish potato candy and tastykakes. The cheesesteak was founded in Philadelphia. Many places serve cheesesteaks. Two historical ones are Pat's King of Steaks and Geno's Steaks.
The city has historic eating places. McGillin's Olde Ale House is from 1860. The City Tavern serves historical food from the Revolutionary era. It is a replica of a tavern from the 18th century, where many of the Founding Fathers ate. The Reading Terminal Market is a food market from 1893.
Sports
Philadelphia is home to several professional sports teams. The main ones include the Philadelphia Phillies in baseball, the Philadelphia 76ers in basketball, the Philadelphia Eagles in football, the Philadelphia Flyers in ice hockey, and the Philadelphia Union in soccer. The oldest team are the Phillies. For several decades, many of the teams did not win a single championship. The Phillies won the World Series in 2008 and the Eagles only won the Super Bowl in the 2017 season. ESPN has ranked Philadelphia as a city with one of the most "tortured fans".
There are annnual running events in the city. Examples are the Penn Relays (track and field), the Philadelphia Marathon, and the Broad Street Run.
Rowing is important in Philadelphia. The Boathouse Row symbolizes rowing. There are many college and high school competitions on the Schuylkill River. The Philadelphia Big 5 participate in the rowing. They are University of Pennsylvania, La Salle University, Saint Joseph's University, Temple University, and Villanova University. The Dad Vail Regatta is each year in May, Independence Dragon Boat Regatta each year in June and Philadelphia International Dragon Boat Festival in October.
Along with other cities, Philadelphia will host the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
Transportation
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) serves Philadelphia. It includes buses, trains, subways, and trolleys. The two subway lines are Market-Frankford Line and Broad Street Line. Broad Street line heads north and south, and Market-Frankford Line heads mainly west and east. SEPTA Regional Rail connects the city to the suburbs. The main railway station is 30th Street Station. There were 4.4 million passengers in 2017. It is the third busiest station in the country. The station connects trains from SEPTA, Amtrack, and NJ Transit. The PATCO Speedline connects the city with parts of New Jersey.
Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is a busy airport with domestic and international flights. There are more than 30 million passengers on 25 different airlines each year. Airplanes go to over 120 destinations. The Airport Line of the SEPTA Regional Rail connects the city to the airport. Another airport is the Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE).
An important highway is Interstate-95. It travels along the eastern and southern edges of the cities and connects Philadelphia to Newark, NJ, New York City, Baltimore, and Washington D. C. Interstate 76 runs along the Schuylkill River and intersects with the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The Pennsylvania Turnpike goes west and connects to Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. Interstate 676 (the Vine Street Expressway) links I-76 and I-95 through Center City.
There are also regional roads. Roosevelt Boulevard is in North and Northeast Philadelphia and connects those regions with Center City. Broad Street is in North Philadelphia and connects to Center City. Fort Washington Expressway (Route 309) connects North Philadelphia to Montgomery and Bucks counties. U.S. Route 30 (Lancaster Avenue) connects West Philadelphia to Lancaster in the west. Interstate 476 (also known as the Blue Route) goes across Deleware County and is for the western suburbs and goes to the Poconos. Interstate 276 connects to New Jersey Turnkpike and New York City.
There are four major bridges from Phladelphia to New Jersey. They are runned by the Delaware River Port Authority. They include Walt Whitman Bridge (I-76), the Benjamin Franklin Bridge (I-676 and U.S. 30) the Betsy Ross Bridge(New Jersey Route 90), and the Commodore Barry Bridge (U.S. 322 in Delaware County).
Philadelphia has bus services for Greyhound Lines, Fullington Trailways, Martz Trailways, Peter Pan Bus Lines, NJ Transit buses. and Megabus.
In popular culture
The steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art are famous because the film Rocky (1976) was shot there. They are called the Rocky Steps. In the movie, Rocky runs up these steps. There is a statue of Rocky next to the museum. The two sites are popular tourist attractions. Rocky II (1979) and parts of Rocky III (1982), Rocky IV (1985) and Rocky V (1990) were also filmed in Philadelphia. The Sixth Sense (1999) by M. Night Shyamalan was filmed in Philadelphia at St. Augustine's Church and other locations. M. Night Shyamalan filmed all his movies in Philadelphia. The movie Silver Linings Playbook (2012) takes place in Philadelphia and stars Bradley Cooper from Philadelphia. High Society (1956) is a remake of The Philadelphia Story (1940) and stars the Philadelphian-born Grace Kelly.
Other films shot in Philadelphia include The Blob (1958), Invincible (1976), Blow Out (1981), Trading Places (1983), Mannequin (1987), The Age of Innocence (1993), Philadelphia (1993), Twelve Monkeys (1995), Unbreakable (2000), Signs (2002), National Treasure (2004), Lady in the Water (2006), In Her Shoes (2005), Baby Mama (2008), The Happening (2008), Marley and Me (2008), Law Abiding Citizen (2009), Transformer 2: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) Creed (2015), Split (2017), Glass (2019), Shazam! (2019), The Upside (2019), Concrete Cowboy (2021).
Several TV shows take place in Philadelphia. Examples are It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005-2013), How to Get Away With Murder (2014-2020), The Goldbergs (2013-2021), The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996), Cold Case (2003-2010) and others. American Bandstand (1952-1989) was a music-performance TV show that was filmed in West Philadelphia.
Several books take place in Philadelphia. A few include Third and Indiana by Steve Lopez, Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Andersen, Plum Bun: A Novel Without a Moral by Jesse Redmon Fauset, Birdy by William Wharton, and Philadelphia Fire by John Edgar Wideman, among others.
Well-known people from Philadelphia
Born in Philadelphia
Benjamin Rush ( 1813), Founding Father, signer of Declaration of Independence , physician, reformer, humanitarian, educator
George M. Dallas (d. 1864), 11th Vice President of the United States
Louisa May Alcott (d. 1888), novelist, poet
Joseph McKenna (d. 1926), associate justice, U. S. Supreme Court, U.S. Attorney General
Simon Guggenheim (d. 1941), businessman, politician, philanthropist.