page_title: Culture of Philadelphia
section_title: Grassroots culture
hierarchical_section_title: Culture of Philadelphia / Grassroots culture
caption_attribution_description: Fire hydrant in Philadelphia
context_page_description: The culture of Philadelphia goes back to 1682 when Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn. Originally inhabited by the Lenape, Philadelphia was envisioned as a place where people could live without fear of persecution because of their religion. As a result, many Quakers, Mennonites, and others came to find refuge within the city. As Philadelphia grew into a major political and economic center of the United States, many different groups of religions and ethnicities flocked to the city. 19th and 20th century immigration and migration led to large concentrations of Irish, Italians, Germans, Asians, Puerto Ricans and African Americans. Philadelphia is still a major center of immigration, with large Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, East African, Middle Eastern, Indian and Mexican immigrant populations, among others.
  The city's cultural prominence has risen and fallen since its founding. The city has made contributions in art, music, television, architecture and food. Philadelphia institutions range from the Philadelphia Museum of Art to Pat's Steaks.
context_section_description: Not every Philadelphian eats out or goes to the theater, but most Philadelphians participate in local and community activities and organizations.  Block parties and yard sales abound on weekends. Philadelphia has vibrant local markets, such as the biweekly market in Clark Park at 43rd and Baltimore, where local farmers sell produce and artists and antique collectors show their wares. Philadelphia is also home to food cooperatives such as West Philly's Mariposa.
  Environmental preservation and maintaining local connections are important to many Philadelphia communities.  Many Philadelphians choose bikes over cars, and car-rental organizations like PhillyCarShare have reduced the number of cars in the city.  Philadelphia has a thriving horticultural community and numerous community gardens.
  Philadelphia has a long history of graffiti culture. The Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network, which gave way to the Mural Arts Project, has reduced the incidence of graffiti, but South Street is full of graffiti, and writers still perform their craft, legally and illegally, on walls throughout the city.
  Philadelphia has thriving non-profits in all areas of community service.  Books Through Bars, which collects books to distribute at prisons, started in Philadelphia.  Philadelphia is home to one of the largest National Network for Abortion Funds (NNAF) and the Women's Medical Fund.  Philly Fellows, started in 2005, have been focusing efforts on "building capacity in the non-profit sector."  Philadelphia also has important faith-based organizations.
caption: Cooling off with a fire hydrant in the summer
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