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On your cell phone, use www.cPhiladelphia.us| Philadelphia Services |
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Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaPhiladelphia, colloquially referred to as Philly, and known as The City of Brotherly Love, "brotherly love" from philos "loving" and adelphos "brother") is the fifth most populous city in the United States and the largest in population and area in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.The population of the city (at the 2000 census) was 1,517,550. According to the 2005 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 1,463,281. Philadelphia is the second-largest city on the U.S. East Coast (after New York City), and a major commercial, education, and cultural center for the nation. The two cities are only 80 miles apart from their downtowns (46 miles from their closest points), amongst the closest distances between two cities of over 1,000,000 population in the world. The Philadelphia metropolitan area is the fourth largest in the U.S. by the current official definition, with some 5.823 million people. Philadelphia is one of the oldest and most historically significant cities in the United States. During part of the 18th century, the city was the second capital and most populous city of the United States, and the second largest English speaking city in the world after London. At that time, it eclipsed Boston and New York City in political and social importance, with Benjamin Franklin playing an extraordinary role in Philadelphia's rise. HistoryBefore Europeans arrived, the Delaware (Lenape) Indian town of Shackamaxon was located where Philadelphia now stands, specifically the Germantown neighborhood. Although the area lay within the bounds described in the 1632 Charter of Maryland, the Calvert family's influence never reached this far north, and the first European settlers were mostly Swedes (see New Sweden), who called it Wiccacoa. A congregation was formed in 1646 on Tinicum Island by Swedish missionary Johannes Campanius; in 1700, the group built Gloria Dei Church, also known as Old Swedes'.Philadelphia is a planned city, founded and developed in 1682 by William Penn, a Quaker. The city's name means "brotherly love" in Greek . Penn hoped that the city, as the capital of his new colony founded on principles of freedom and religious tolerance, would be a model of this philosophy. During early immigration by Quakers and others, immigrants who purchased land in the city also received farmland outside the city; this was intended to allow the population to leave the city easily. Penn also mandated the construction of alleyways and open spaces, in the hope of controlling fires and disease, which were then common problems in London and other major cities. Philadelphia was a major center of the independence movement during the American Revolutionary War. The Declaration of Independence and US Constitution were drafted here and signed in the city's Independence Hall. Tun Tavern in the city is traditionally regarded as the location where, in 1775, the United States Marine Corps was founded. During the American Revolutionary War Philadelphia's population was split between Loyalists and Patriots. When the British Army took the city in 1777 many people lined the streets and sang 'God Save the King'. Upon the retaking of the city for the American cause in 1778 it was the turn of the Patriot population to line the streets in celebration, especially as the population had suffered through a bitter winter with many of the provisions going to the British Army. The subsequent harsh treatment of the Loyalists who had not fled the city was further suffering for Philadelphians. For a time in the 18th century, Philadelphia was the largest city in the Americas north of Mexico City, and the fourth largest under the rule of the British crown (after London, Bristol, and Dublin). In 1790, as the result of a compromise between a number of Southern congressmen and Alexander Hamilton, then Secretary of the Treasury, the seat of the United States Government was moved from Federal Hall in New York to Congress Hall in Philadelphia, before assuming its current site in Washington, DC. In exchange for locating a permanent capital on the banks of the Potomac, the congressmen agreed to support Hamilton's financial proposals. Philadelphia served as capital for a decade, until 1800, when the Capitol building in the new federal city of Washington, DC was opened. The city limits have been coterminous with Philadelphia County since The Act of Consolidation, 1854. Until then, the city consisted only of the area bounded by South and Vine Streets and the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. The expansion incorporated present-day West Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, North Philadelphia, and Northeast Philadelphia, as well as Germantown and many smaller communities. An early railroad center, Philadelphia was the original home of the Baldwin Locomotive Works, the world's largest builder of steam locomotives (which eventually relocated to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania). The Pennsylvania Railroad, once America's largest railroad by revenue and traffic volume and at one time the largest public corporation in the world, was headquartered in the city, as was its merger successor, the Penn Central, and in turn its freight railroad successor, Conrail. Geography and climateThe lowest point in the city lies 10 feet above sea level near Fort Mifflin in Southwest Philadelphia at the convergence of the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. The highest point is in Chestnut Hill, at 432 feet above sea level, near Evergreen Place, just north and west of Evergreen Avenue.The counties adjacent to Philadelphia are Montgomery County to the north; Bucks County to the northeast; Burlington County, New Jersey to the east; Camden County, New Jersey to the southeast; Gloucester County, New Jersey to the south; and Delaware County to the west. ClimateThe climate is temperate, with four seasons. Summers are hot and often muggy, with humidity peaking in July and August. Fall and spring are mild. Rainfall is generally spread throughout the year, with eight to eleven wet days per month, at an average annual rate of 42 in (1068 mm). Winters are cold, but only a few winter days dip below -10C (14 F). Snowfall is variable, with some winters bringing little and others being blanketed by frequent storms. The city center and inner New Jersey suburbs generally get the lightest snow, with heavier falls occurring to the north and west of the city. January lows average 25 F (-4 C) and highs average 39 F (4 C). July lows average 70 F (21 C) and highs average 86 F (30 C), although heat waves see highs above 95 F (35 C) with the heat index due to humidity running as high as 110 F (43 C). The lowest officially recorded temperature was -11 F (-24 C) on February 9, 1934, and the highest was 106 F (41 C) on August 7, 1918. Early fall and late winter are generally driest, with February being the driest month with only 2.74 in (69.8 mm) of average precipitation. Summers are humid and rainy, with July averaging the most precipitation at 4.38 in (111.5 mm).CityscapePenn's surveyor, Thomas Holme, laid out the city in a strict grid, with streets running either north-south or east-west. The north-south streets are numbered in ascending order from Front (instead of First), along the Delaware River, with the main north-south thoroughfare, Broad Street (instead of 14th) running midway between the two rivers. The east-west streets, many of them named for trees, e.g., Chestnut, Walnut, Locust, and Spruce parallel the main thoroughfare named High Street by Penn, but called Market Street since at least the early 18th century. Six blocks south of Market is South Street, the original southern boundary of the city. Vine Street, three blocks north of Market, was the original northern boundary.Holme also planned five public parks, one at the intersection of High and Broad Streets in the very center of the city, now occupied by City Hall, and four others surrounding it now called Washington Square, Rittenhouse Square, Logan Square and Franklin Square. The eastern edge of Rittenhouse Square is on 18th St., four blocks west of City Hall, while the western edge of Washington Square is between 7th and 8th, about six and a half blocks east of City Hall. Both are the same distance south of City Hall. Both Logan Square and Franklin Square are located the same distances east and west of City Hall as Washington and Rittenhouse and two to three blocks north of Market Street, reflecting the southern squares. Fairmount Park is one of the largest municipal public parks in the world, at over 9,100 acres. This figure includes all parkland within the city limits, as all 65 city parks are considered part of Fairmount Park and overseen by the Fairmount Park Commission, but the park proper, which runs north/south through the city, does occupy nearly half that area, at over 4,100 acres on both banks of the Schuylkill River and Wissahickon Creek. The post-World War II era would see further changes. Under the leadership of Edmund N. Bacon, the Philadelphia City Planning Commission organized a master plan for the city, creating a variety of special planning, redevelopment, development districts and areas to coordinate their efforts. Projects that were headed by the new master plan were major redevelopment of Center City, including the Penn Center Area (replacing an immense, elevated railroad connector, locally known as the "Chinese Wall," located north of Market and West of Broad), Market East and Penn's Landing; new development and expansion in University City (focused mainly on the University of Pennsylvania); as well as the opening up of development on the fringes of the city, the Far Northeast and South Philadelphia Sports Complex. One of his enduring innovations is a group of small, semi-enclosed parks in the Society Hill residential area, connected by brick footpaths. Bacon's efforts would also see changes in the transportation of the city, with the inclusion of the Center City Rail Connector, Vine Street Expressway, Delaware Expressway, and improvements to the Schuylkill Expressway. Many of Bacon's ideas, though not entirely as he had envisioned, can be seen today, with the basis of his master plan still influencing development in the city. Buildings and architecturePhiladelphia's architectural history dates back to Colonial times and has included a wide range of styles, sometimes showcased within a range of several blocks. Most of the city's historic landmarks are in Old City and the Historical District in the Society Hill neighborhood east of Center City, including Independence National Historical Park, home of Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.For almost a century, Philadelphia's most visible structure was its baroque City Hall building and William Penn tower. Begun in 1871, City Hall took 30 years to complete and is the tallest load-bearing structure in the world at 548 feet, including the statue of William Penn at its crown. The former headquarters of the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society (PSFS), at the corner of 12th and Market Streets, erected in 1932, is widely considered the nation's first International Modernist skyscraper. The building was designed by Swiss-American architect William Lescaze and his partner George Howe. The building is a National Historic Landmark. In 1997, the building was purchased by the Loews Corporation, and in April 2000 it reopened as the Loews Philadelphia Hotel. The signature PSFS sign, however, is considered an integral part of the historic architectural design and remains atop the building. Since the 1980s, modern skyscrapers have been erected west of City Hall eclipsing Penn's statue. As of 2006, the tallest structures are One and Two Liberty Place. In 2007, the Comcast Center, upon its expected completion, will become the tallest building in Philadelphia. Currently, thirteen skyrises, residential and commercial , are under construction, six have begun prep work, and seventeen are still in planning. Also nine skyrises are currently under renovation, and seven more are still in planning. Many of these projects will include multiple skyrises, adding to the number of actual buildings. Another seven cultural and commercial projects have begun, which consist of a slot facility, turning the Philadelphia Naval Yard into a suburban style business park with urban amenities, new parks, educational towers, state of the art schools, and others. Another ten are in planning. Philadelphia has entered a period of urban renewal. Most of the city's residential neighborhoods are rowhouse communities, noted for streets lined with attached, single-family homes. Newer duplexes and single homes, as well as some older mansions and estates, are more common in the city's outskirts. NeighborhoodsPhiladelphia has many neighborhoods, each of which has its own identity. Many of these neighborhoods coincide with the borough and townships that made up Philadelphia County before their absorption by the city. These include Chestnut Hill, East Falls, Fishtown, Fox Chase, Frankford, Germantown, Grays Ferry, Kensington, Manayunk, Mount Airy, North Philadelphia, Northern Liberties, Olney, Overbrook, Parkside, Port Richmond, Powelton Village, Queen Village, Roxborough, South Philadelphia, University City, West Oak Lane, and many others. Prominent neighborhoods in Center City include Chinatown, Fairmount, Old City, Rittenhouse Square, Washington Square West and Society Hill.Sites of interestPhiladelphia contains many national historical sites that relate to the founding of the United States. Independence National Historical Park is the center of these historical landmarks. Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and the Liberty Bell are the city's most famous attractions. Other historic sites include homes for Edgar Allan Poe and Betsy Ross and early government buildings like the First and Second Banks of the United States.The city contains many museums such as the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Rodin Museum, the largest collection of work by Auguste Rodin outside of France. The city's major art museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, is one of the largest art museums in the United States and features the steps made popular by the film Rocky. Philadelphia's major science museums include the Franklin Institute, which contains the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial, and the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. History museums include the National Constitution Center and Eastern State Penitentiary. Philadelphia is home to the United States' first zoo and hospital. Areas such as South Street and Old City have a vibrant night life. The Avenue of the Arts in Center City contains many restaurants and theaters, such as the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts which is home to the Philadelphia Orchestra. |