Philadelphia, PA

Founded by William Penn in 1682, Philadelphia played a key economic and political role in colonial America and was the original U.S. capital. Pennsylvania's largest city and the sixth largest city in the United States, Philadelphia has a population of almost 1.5 million, and the greater metropolitan area is home to nearly 6 million. The country's first zoo, first public library, first hospital, and first university are all located in Philadelphia.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

• Center City, or Downtown Philadelphia, represents the original city limits prior to the consolidation of nearby suburbs in the mid-nineteenth century. A number of historical landmarks and notable sites are located in Center City, including Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was drafted and signed, and Elfreth's Alley, the oldest continuously occupied street in America. City Hall and a commercial and entertainment district with plenty of fine dining, theater, and nightlife options are also located here.
• Northeast Philadelphia, the largest district in Philadelphia, is primarily residential. Parts of the district, the so-called "Far Northeast," have a less urban feel than the rest of the city, owing to the area's early history as a farming and milling center.
• North Philadelphia is situated around Broad Street, the central street in Philadelphia, running north of Center City. It was once a thriving neighborhood for laborers in nearby factories, but in the past several decades the area has experienced an economic decline. Recently, parts of North Philadelphia have been rejuvenated by redevelopment; the Northern Liberties neighborhood, for example, is a popular area for young artists, musicians, and other creative types.
• West Philadelphia comprises the area west of Center City on the opposite bank of the Schuylkill River. Home to two universities and the historic 30^th Street Station, the near West, also known as University City, has seen a substantial amount of investment and redevelopment in the past 15 years, and has become one of the most popular neighborhoods in the city for living, shopping, and dining. West of University City, economic conditions are similar to those in North Philadelphia. West Philadelphia has the city's only network of surface trolley transportation.
• South Philadelphia is a largely residential neighborhood that centers on the Southern extension of Broad Street, the historic home of Philadelphia's Italian-American community. Though the area has seen an increase in diversity in the past few decades, the Italian heritage is still rich here, highlighted by the Italian Market on 10th Street and numerous Italian restaurants. South Philadelphia also boasts a major sports complex comprising a number of stadiums, including The Wachovia Center, Lincoln Financial Field, and Citizens Bank Park, and is home to all four of the city's major sports teams.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

Philadelphia was once a manufacturing and economic powerhouse. Before World War II, it had a huge textile industry and was home to the Pennsylvania Railroad and major shipbuilding companies. Recently the city has repositioned itself as a hub of healthcare and biotechnology services. Healthcare is now the largest employer in Philadelphia, with a number of prestigious children's hospitals and research institutes in the city, as well as pharmaceutical giants Wyeth, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, and Johnson and Johnson.Cable conglomerate Comcast is also headquartered in Philadelphia and owns the tallest skyscraper in the city, the Comcast Center.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

• Of Philadelphia's many national historical sites, the largest is Independence National Historical Park. The park houses Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and the National Constitution Center.
• The Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of the largest art museums in the country (and site of the famous "Rocky Steps"). Other notable museums are the Rodin Museum and the Philadelphia Academy of the Fine Arts.
• Center City's Avenue of the Arts is rich with cultural offerings. It includes The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the Opera Company of Philadelphia, and the nation's oldest music venue, the Academy of Music, as well as a variety of dining options.
• Philadelphia has more public art than any other city in the U.S. due to a citywide program that engages local youth in painting murals in neighborhoods. The Mural Arts Program is a model art outreach program for other cities.

EDUCATION

Major research universities such as Temple University, Drexel University, and the University of Pennsylvania are located in Philadelphia. Other notable educational institutions include St. Joseph's University, LaSalle University, medical school Thomas Jefferson University, and a number of art and music institutes, including the Art Institute of Philadelphia.

LOCAL MEDIA

Philadelphia's AM Radio Stations:

• WFIL 560 Religious
• WIP 610 Sports
• WPEN 950 Sports
• KYW 1060 News
• WPHT 1210 Political Talk

Philadelphia's FM Radio Stations:

• WXPN 88.5 Adult album alternative, College, University of Pennsylvania
• WRTI 90.1 Classical/Jazz
• WHYY 90.9 News/Talk
• WXTU 92.5 Country
• WMMR 93.3 Rock
• WYSP 94.1 Rock
• WPST 94.5 Top-40
• WBEN 95.7 Adult Hits
• WOGL 98.1 Oldies
• WUSL 98.9 Urban
• WBEB 101.1 Adult Contemporary,
• WIOQ 102.1 Pop
• WMGK 102.9 Classic Rock
• WDAS 105.3 Urban Adult Contemporary
• WISX 106.1 Jazz

Philadelphia's local television stations:

• WCAU - NBC
• WHYY-TV - PBS
• WPVI-TV - ABC
• WTXF-TV - Fox
• KYW-TV - CBS
• WUVP-TV - Univision
• WWSI-TV - Telemundo
• WPSG-TV - The CW
• WPHL-TV - My Network TV
• WFPA-CA - Telefutura
• Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia
• CN8

Some newspapers serving Philadelphia include:

• The Philadelphia Inquirer
• Philadelphia Tribune
• Philadelphia Daily News
• Philadelphia Business Journal
• South Philly Review
• University City Review
• The Northeast Times
• Philadelphia Weekly
• Philadelphia magazine

DID YOU KNOW?

• "Pennsylvania" is misspelled on Philadelphia's Liberty Bell. Some historians claim it was an engraver's error, but others say "Pensylvania" was an acceptable alternative spelling in 1751.
• Pennsylvania was the first state in the U.S. to list its website URL on its license plates.
• The first daily newspaper in the U.S., the Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser, began publishing Sept. 21, 1784, in Philadelphia.
• Fairmount Park is the largest public park in the U.S. with more than 8,000 acres.
• The Philadelphia Stock Exchange is the oldest exchange in the U.S. It was founded in 1790. The original location was in Merchants Coffee House at 2nd and Walnut streets.
• The Coinage Act of 1792 established the first U.S. Mint in Philadelphia. The mint has struck coins for more than 40 foreign governments, the first being Venezuela in 1875.
• Philadelphia's Christ Church is known as "the nation's church" because of the Revolutionary War figures who worshiped there. Its cemetery is the resting place of Benjamin Franklin.
• Actor and producer Will Smith, who starred in "I Am Legend" and "Independence Day," was born in Philadelphia in 1968.
• Anthropologist Margaret Mead and writer Noam Chomsky were both born in Philadelphia, as were the painters N.C., Andrew and Jamie Wyeth.
• Industrialist Joseph Wharton, born in Philadelphia in 1826, founded Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, co-founded Bethlehem Steel, and was a founder of Swarthmore College.
• Philly has produced many jazz greats: Stan Getz, Benny Golson, the Heath brothers-Albert "Tootie" Heath, Jimmy Heath and Percy Heath-Philly Joe Jones, Pat Martino and Christian McBride.
• Model Amber Rose was born in Philadelphia, as were the inventor of the Kevlar vest, Lester Shubin, and litigator Gloria Allred.
• Philadelphia served as the nation's capital from 1790 to 1800 while Washington, D.C. was under construction.
• The colony of Pennsylvania allowed a great degree of freedom of worship. It helped Philadelphia become a magnet for revolutionary thinkers and the colonies' financial and cultural heart.
• The Philly cheesesteak, at first served without cheese, was invented in the 1930s by Pat and Harry Olivieri. Pat then opened Pat's King of Steak, where the sandwich gained fame and cheese.
• Philadelphia is home to dishes such as scrapple, water ice, soft pretzels and, of course, the Philly cheesesteak.
• Tastykake, maker of Krimpets, Kandy Kakes and Kreampies, is headquartered in Philadelphia.
• The Philadelphia Eagles football team was founded in 1933. During the 1943 season because of a staffing shortage, it merged with the Steelers. The team was nicknamed the Steagles.
• Philly is a city of firsts: first public school in the colonies (1698), first fire engine bought by a municipality for public use (1719) and the first hospital in North America (1751).
• Philadelphia was the first city in the U.S. to abolish slavery. The Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery was conditional, and some slaves remained slaves for decades under the law.
• Test your endurance on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art where Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) trained for his fight with Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) in "Rocky."
• Philadelphia's highest recorded temperature was 106 in August 1918. The average annual snowfall is 19 inches. January temperatures typically hover around 32 degrees.