The City in Brief
Founded: 1682 (incorporated, 1701)
Head Official: Mayor John F. Street (D) (since 2000)
City Population
1980: 1,688,210
1990: 1,585,577
2000: 1,517,550
2003 estimate: 1,423,538
Percent change, 1990-2000: -4.5%
U.S. rank in 1980: 4th
U.S. rank in 1990: 5th
U.S. rank in 2000: 6th (State rank: 1st)
Metropolitan Area Population (CMSA)
1980: 4,717,000 (PMSA)
1990: 5,892,937
2000: 6,188,463
Percent change, 1990-2000: 5%
U.S. rank in 1980: 4th (CMSA)
U.S. rank in 1990: 5th (CMSA)
U.S. rank in 2000: 6th (CMSA)
Area: 135.09 square miles (2000)
Elevation: Ranges from 5 feet to 431 feet above sea level
Average Annual Temperature: 53.6° F
Average Annual Precipitation: 45.7 inches of rain; 20.5 inches of snow
Major Economic Sectors: Pharmaceuticals; biotechnology; healthcare; communications; manufacturing; retail trade; finance, insurance, and real estate; services; government
Unemployment Rate: 4.5% (April 2005)
Per Capita Income: $16,509 (1999)
2004 ACCRA Average House Price: Not reported
2004 ACCRA Cost of Living Index: Not reported
2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 83,392
Major Colleges and Universities: University of Pennsylvania; Drexel University; Thomas Jefferson University; Temple University; Philadelphia University; Philadelphia College of the Arts; University of the Sciences in Philadelphia; La Salle University; Haverford College; Swarthmore College
Daily Newspaper: Philadelphia Inquirer; Philadelphia Daily News
Introduction
Rich in history and culture, Philadelphia has been in the forefront of the nation’s intellectual, economic, and humanitarian development for more than three hundred years. Today its efforts are being directed to restoration with an emphasis on preserving the best of the past while allowing for the development of a vigorous new city. A city of neighborhoods, trees, parks, and open spaces, Philadelphia offers the advantages of living in a big city while maintaining a small-town atmosphere and preserving reminders of its dignified past. The Greater Philadelphia area has been on numerous best city lists as a good place to balance work and family life.
Geography and Climate
Philadelphia is located at the confluence of the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers on the eastern border of Pennsylvania. The Appalachian Mountains to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east moderate the climate, eliminating extremes of hot and cold weather. Occasionally during the summer months the city becomes engulfed in ocean air that brings high humidity. Precipitation is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year, with maximum amounts during the summer months occasionally flooding the Schuylkill River. Snowfall is usually higher in the northern suburbs than in the city, where snow often turns to rain. High winds sometimes prevail during the winter months.
Area: 135.09 square miles (2000)
Elevation: Ranges from 5 feet to 431 feet above sea level
Average Temperatures: January, 32.0° F; August, 75.3° F; annual average, 53.6° F
Average Annual Precipitation: 45.7 inches of rain; 20.5 inches of snow
History
Quakers Receive Pennsylvania Grant
At the time the first settlers of European descent arrived in the area now known as Philadelphia, it was inhabited chiefly by Native Americans who called themselves Lenni-Lenape; settlers called them Delawares. Intertribal warfare had weakened the native tribes, and the advance of colonial settlement pushed them farther west, causing great hostility.
The Netherlands laid claim to the area in 1609 when Henry Hudson, an Englishman in the Dutch service, sailed into Delaware Bay, and around 1647 the Dutch began to build trading posts. The Dutch were ousted by the English in 1664.
In 1681 England’s King Charles granted William Penn the territory now known as Pennsylvania in exchange for a debt owed Penn’s father. Penn, wealthy and well educated, had committed himself to the Society of Friends, also called Quakers, who practiced a form of religion generally regarded by society with suspicion because of its tenets and its insistence upon simplicity in speech and dress. Penn himself had been imprisoned four times for voicing his beliefs, and King Charles was only too happy to be rid of him and his followers.
Although he had been granted all the land in Pennsylvania, Penn chose to buy the claims of any native people still living there, which set a new standard in colonial settlers’ relations with Native Americans. Penn dispatched his cousin to lay out a city, which he called Philadelphia, from the Greek for ”brotherly love,” and which Penn envisioned as a haven for his fellow Quakers to enjoy freedom of worship and the chance to govern themselves. He charged his cousin with laying out a ”greene Country Towne, which will never be burnt, and always be wholesome.” The city was laid out in a grid, with large lots, wide streets, and a provision for five city parks, four of which still survive. Historians note that Philadelphia was one of the first cities in the New World built according to a plan.
The Quakers were not only humanitarians but shrewd businesspeople as well. They offered large tracts of land at reasonable prices and advertised throughout Europe for settlers. Attracted by the liberality and tolerance of the Quaker government, and looking for better economic opportunities, thousands of immigrant families soon began arriving, including a group of German Quakers who established the first German settlement in America.
Prosperity and Culture Distinguish City
From the beginning Philadelphia was a leading agricultural area, and because of its location at the confluence of the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers, shipyards flourished. Farm products were exchanged for sugar and rum in the West Indies, and these in turn were exchanged for English manufactured goods. Abundant natural resources, including coal and iron, helped Philadelphia become an early industrial leader. Other significant early industries included home manufacture of textiles, printing, publishing, and papermaking. By the 1770s Philadelphia was one of the most important business centers in the British Empire.
This prosperity and William Penn’s principles attracted the best minds of the day to Philadelphia. Among the city’s illustrious early residents was the young Benjamin Franklin, scientist and intellectual. His many accomplishments include the publication of the Pennsylvania Gazette, one of the best of the colonial newspapers; he also established the colonies’ first hospital, first free library, and first learned society, the American Philosophical Society. Perceiving the need for higher education, Franklin was instrumental in the founding of the institution that later became the University of Pennsylvania.
During the late 1700s many fine private and public buildings were constructed in Philadelphia, such as Andrew Hamilton’s Independence Hall. Oil painting flourished, and Philadelphia came to be known as an ”Athens of America.” By 1774 a sophisticated populace was chafing at the restrictions placed on them by the British king. Because of Philadelphia’s strategic location near the middle of colonial settlement, and the importance of winning Quaker support, the delegates who formed the First Continental Congress in 1774 chose Philadelphia as the site for their discussions. The Second Continental Congress proclaimed the colonists’ Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, and when the Revolutionary War broke out in full force, Philadelphia became the capital of the revolutionary movement. Following the American patriots’ victory at Yorktown, the Constitutional Convention delegates met in Philadelphia, and in 1787 they framed the document that was to become the basis of America’s governmental structure. Philadelphia then served as the capital of the United States from 1790 to 1800.
In the early 1800s Philadelphia began an ambitious program of building canals and railroads and developing coal fields, thus laying the foundation of its industrial power. Philadelphia’s railroad lines, which by 1834 comprised a quarter of the nation’s total, expedited the development of industry.
New Residents Meet Modern Challenges
When the issue of slavery became acute, many African American leaders centered their activities in Philadelphia, and the city became the focal point of one of the most important African American communities in the nation. Philadelphia’s industrial strength contributed to the Union’s military and economic advantage over the South during the Civil War of 1861 to 1865.
Pennsylvania had been one of the first colonies to admit Catholics and Jews. The increasing demand for factory workers in the late 1800s and early 1900s attracted hundreds of thousands of immigrants of Irish, German, Italian, and Polish descent, who created many distinctive ethnic neighborhoods throughout the city. At the same time, the development of the railroad made commuting easier, and the city’s elite began moving to the suburbs that—as they grew up along the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad—became known as the ”Main Line.” By the 1930s the modern city had emerged, with outlying residential districts segregated by income, race, and ethnic origin.
Philadelphia’s industrial progress brought with it the exacerbation of differences in wealth. After the Great Depression of the 1930s Philadelphia became a union town, and labor strikes were common. Political machines that had emerged after the Civil War became sophisticated in the ways of manipulating the political processes, particularly through the new immigrant groups. Discrimination in housing resulted in overcrowded African American districts. During the 1960s Philadelphia was shaken by race riots born of decades of inadequate housing and discriminatory practices.
A reform movement, begun in 1939, prompted Philadelphia in 1951 to adopt a new city charter and elect Mayor Joseph Clark, who began a vast urban renewal program. Slated for completion in the early 21st century, this program called for the improvement of highways and the transportation system, housing projects, and the building of more libraries, parks, and shopping and recreation centers. However, a recession and mounting social problems saw Philadelphia teetering on the edge of bankruptcy by the early 1990s.
Economic Woes Reversed
A former prosecutor, Edward G. Rendell, was sworn in as the mayor in 1992, promising ”dramatic change from top to bottom.” On his watch Rendell was credited with bringing labor costs into line, rallying Philadelphia’s business community, bringing back strong bond ratings, and securing the 2000 Republican National Convention, as well as spurring a resurgence in development in the city, from a new $500 million convention center, to the $330 million Avenue of the Arts.
In 2000, John Street became mayor of Philadelphia. The former Philadelphia city council president had worked with Rendell and helped save the city of Philadelphia from bankruptcy, turning a $250 million deficit into the largest surplus in Philadelphia history in 1998. A lawyer and one-time activist, Street is the city’s second African American mayor. Now entering his second term, Street continues to serve as a role model for his teenage son and all the city’s young people of color.
Historical Information: Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1300 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107; telephone (215)732-6200; fax (215)732-2680; email library@hsp.org
Population Profile
Metropolitan Area Residents (PMSA)
1980: 4,717,000 (PMSA)
1990: 5,892,937
2000: 6,188,463
Percent change, 1990-2000: 24.5%
U.S. rank in 1980: 4th (CMSA)
U.S. rank in 1990: 5th (CMSA)
U.S. rank in 2000: 6th (CMSA)
City Residents
1980: 1,688,210
1990: 1,585,577
2000: 1,517,550
2003 estimate: 1,423,538
Percent change, 1990-2000: -4.5%
U.S. rank in 1980: 4th
U.S. rank in 1990: 5th
U.S. rank in 2000: 6th (State rank: 1st)
Density: 11,233.6 people per square mile (2000)
Racial and ethnic characteristics (2000)
White: 683,267
Black or African American: 655,824
American Indian or Alaska Native: 4,073
Asian: 67,654
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 729
Hispanic (may be of any race): 128,928
Other: 72,429
Percent of residents born in state: 71.7% (2000)
Age characteristics (2000)
Population under 5 years old: 98,161
Population 5 to 9 years old: 112,111
Population 10 to 14 years old: 112,726
Population 15 to 19 years old: 110,701
Population 20 to 24 years old: 117,609
Population 25 to 34 years old: 224,864
Population 35 to 44 years old: 219,910
Population 45 to 54 years old: 182,530
Population 55 to 59 years old: 67,280
Population 60 to 64 years old: 57,936
Population 65 to 74 years old: 107,048
Population 75 to 84 years old: 79,335
Population 85 years and over: 27,339
Median age: 34.2 years
Births (2002)
Total number: 21,380
Deaths (2003)
Total number: 16,506 (of which, 231 were infants under the age of 1 year)
Money income (1999)
Per capita income: $16,509 (1999)
Median household income: $30,746
Total households: 600,740
Number of households with income of. . .
less than $10,000: 109,237
$10,000 to $14,999: 49,035
$15,000 to $24,999: 89,059
$25,000 to $34,999: 79,532
$35,000 to $49,999: 91,683
$50,000 to $74,999: 92,326
$75,000 to $99,999: 42,495
$100,000 to $149,999: 25,092
$150,000 to $199,999: 5,639
$200,000 or more: 6,185
Percent of families below poverty level: 18.4% (47.4% of which were female householder families with children under 5 years)
2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 83,392
Municipal Government
Philadelphia city and county are the same entity. The city passed what is widely considered to be the nation’s first modern big-city charter in 1951; under this charter the city council was removed from its administrative role and the staff and powers of the mayor were increased. Elections are held every four years, at which time the mayor and seven council members are elected by all the voters and 10 council members are elected by districts. The mayor may serve an unlimited number of terms but not more than two consecutively.
Head Official: Mayor John F. Street (D) (since 2000; current term expires January 2008)
Total Number of City Employees: 30,000 (2005)
City Information: City Hall, Room 215, Philadelphia, PA 19107; telephone (215)686-2250
Economy
Major Industries and Commercial Activity
Manufacturing and the related distribution sector were traditionally the backbone of the Philadelphia economy. Since the end of World War II this industrial base has declined, as it has in many of the established industrial cities of the Northeast and upper Midwest, as many firms moved to new locations in the suburbs or migrated to other regions of the country. Today, the region has evolved into a more diverse economy geared toward information and service-based businesses.
Computer-based businesses, finance, telecommunications, insurance companies, and the printing and publishing industries are doing well. The biomedical field, encompassing hospitals, medical schools, pharmaceutical firms, research institutions, manufacturers of medical instruments and supplies, and medical publishing, is flourishing in Philadelphia. As manufacturing continues to recede, the city’s educational and health institutions have come forward as important drivers of the regional economy. Education currently represents about 12 percent of city and 7 percent of suburban employment. Health services constitute about 18 percent of city jobs and 12 percent of those in the suburbs.
Few cities in the country can match Philadelphia’s historic attractions, and the city plays host to millions of tourists each year. Thus, tourism remains an important segment of the local economy.
The Greater Philadelphia region has become one of the major corporate centers in the United States. Many companies are locating or expanding facilities in the area. They are attracted by the area’s location at the center of the country’s largest market, the access to transportation, the availability of medical, engineering, and business schools to supply technical talent, and the open land for industrial park development. Center City is still the financial, governmental, and cultural hub of the region. Concerted efforts over the last several years by government, business leaders, and concerned citizens to improve Philadelphia’s reputation as a corporate host have borne fruit, and the city is continuing to be discovered as an attractive place to live and work.
Items and goods produced: chemicals, pharmaceuticals, office and computing equipment, telecomunications from fiber optics to celluar technology, instruments, biomedical products, fabricated metal products, paper products, processed foods, clothing, petrochemicals, machinery
Incentive Programs—New and Existing Businesses
Both Philadelphia and Pennsylvania sponsor programs to encourage business retention and growth.
Local programs—The city’s three empowerment zones provide additional tax incentives and financing to transform these areas into thriving neighborhoods for businesses and workers. Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation enables the city to provide low-cost financing for acquisition, construction, and equipment. The city is eligible to receive state grants for site preparation and infrastructure for industrial development. Other programs provide individual businesses with low interest loans.
State programs—Funding programs offered by the state include bond financing, grants, loans and loan guarantees, tax credits and abatements, and technical assistance. The Key-stone Opportunity Zone has designated some 500 acres in a dozen zones throughout the Philadelphia area as exempt from state and local business taxes; these areas will remain virtually tax-exempt until 2013. Four state Enterprise Zones in Philadelphia are eligible for numerous incentives, including state tax credits, security rebates, low-interest loans, and technical assistance. The state’s Job Creation Tax Credits program provides $1,000-per-job tax credit to approved businesses that agree to create jobs within three years.
Job training programs—The Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) assists in the development of the workforce by partnering with the Philadelphia Workforce Development Corporation (PWDC), the Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center, and the Collegiate Consortium to provide job training, program funding, and technical assistance. The PIDC offers a broad spectrum of qualified workers, and can customize programs such as on-the-job training, for which the employer receives some reimbursement; targeted programming for specific populations; customized training for specific job skills; recruitment, and referral and assessment aid. The PWDC Transitional Workforce Division provides training, support, education, employment, and other services to some of the region’s most needy job seekers.
Development Projects
Since the completion of new international and commuter terminals, along with enhanced airport roadways at Philadelphia International Airport, other improvements included the consolidation of Terminals B and C, which resulted in a new food, beverage, and retail gallery.
The University of the Arts, on the heels of a new academic building with a recital hall, classrooms, a studio theater, dance studios, and lecture halls, has $379 million worth of new and planned investments proposed for the Avenue of the Arts District. A nearly $200 million family-oriented entertainment complex at Penn’s Landing, to serve as the locus of a revitalized waterfront, opened in mid-2001. The $255 million Regional Performing Arts Center, a 5,000-seat venue on the Avenue of the Arts, opened in 2002. A $65 million master site plan for Independence National Historic Park was completed in late 2002.
In 2004 the School District of Philadelphia, in cooperation with the Microsoft Corporation, broke ground on the School of the Future, ushering in a new era of technology and education. The school, which is the first of its kind designed to be a model for improved instructional development through the use of technology, is expected to open in 2006 and cost an estimated $50 million. After receiving a $30 million commitment from the City of Philadelphia, the Free Library is preparing to renovate its Beaux Arts building and add 160,000 square feet of additional space. Final plans for the project were expected to be in place by December 2005.
The city’s Neighborhood Transformation Initiate has gained national attention as one of the most comprehensive neighborhood revitalization strategies ever attempted. The plan has created a framework for making neighborhoods cleaner and safer. A $100 million neighborhood revitalization project in the Cecil B. Moore Avenue area of North Philadelphia resulted in the completion of nearly 300 new homes. Plans are currently underway for a new mixed-use community along the Delaware River. The mayor’s new Livable Neighborhoods Program focuses on improving Philadelphia’s older neighborhoods.
The New River City initiative involves stimulating private investment along the city’s waterfront. During 2004, the mayor and the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation announced a master plan that includes the potential for $2 billion of private investment and the creation of 25,000 new jobs. The lower Schuylkill River will be home to a newly constructed River Park and Trail as well as a host of new residential projects and a 700,000-square-foot office tower. Also underway are redevelopment plans for the Civic Center and main Post Office. Improvements are also planned for the North and Central Delaware riverfront zones.
The Pennsylvania Convention Center will soon undergo major new construction that will double the existing facility. When the project is completed, the Center will have 541,000 square feet available, two ballrooms totaling 93,000 square feet, 87 meeting rooms, and a fully equipped main kitchen.
Economic Development Information: Philadelphia City Planning Commission, One Parkway Bldg., 1515 Arch Street, 13th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102; telephone (215)683-4615; fax (215)683-4630; email info@phila planning.org. Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, 2600 Centre Square West, 1500 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19101; telephone (215)496-8020
Commercial Shipping
Philadelphia’s port, together with the ports in southern New Jersey and Delaware, form the Ports of Philadelphia. The Ports of Philadelphia, the largest fresh water shipping complex in the world, handle the largest volume of international tonnage on the East Coast. Major imports include crude oil, fruits, iron, steel, and paper. Exports include scrap metal and petroleum products. Most of the terminals in the city are owned by the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority. With an infusion of state funds for capital improvements and the development ofa new intermodal yard to serve three railroads—the Chessie, CSX, and the Canadian Pacific—the Philadelphia terminals are poised for growth. Philadelphia’s Port, Penn’s landing, is the largest freshwater port in the United States.
Labor Force and Employment Outlook
In the past, Philadelphia’s economy was dominated by manufacturing, providing half of the city’s jobs. But as manufacturing decreases, now accounting for just 5 percent of the city’s employment, education and health have emerged as principal drivers of the local economy, accounting for 12 percent and 18 percent of the city’s jobs, respectively. In addition, Philadelphia promotes itself as a center for biomedical and pharmaceutical companies. Few cities have the historical past of Philadelphia, and it remains a mecca for tourists.
The following is a summary of data regarding the Philadelphia city/county area labor force, 2004 annual averages.
Size of nonagricultural labor force: 655,800
Number of workers employed in …
construction and mining: 11,200
manufacturing: 32,100
trade, transportation, and utilities: 90,400
information: 13,500
financial activities: 48,300
professional and business services: 84,100
educational and health services: 182,700
leisure and hospitality: 53,400
other services: 28,000
government: 112,200
Average hourly earnings of production workers employed in manufacturing: $15.73
Unemployment rate: 4.5% (April 2005)
Largest employers Number of employees
Federal Government 52,000
City of Philadelphia 30,000
Philadelphia School District 26,000
University of Philadelphia (incl.
hospital) 22,605
Jefferson Health System 14,317
Temple University 12,000
MBNA 11,000
Merck and Company 10,000
DuPont 10,000
Cost of Living
Housing prices in Philadelphia tend to be lower than those in comparably sized cities, and are among the lowest in the Northeast, with a median home price of just $59,700 in 2002. The housing stock dates from the 18th and 19th centuries and the city encourages preservation of the existing stock with federal, state, and private aid. The tax burden overall is high relative to other large cities nationwide.
The following is a summary of data regarding several key cost of living factors for the Philadelphia area.
2004 ACCRA Average House Price: Not reported
2004 ACCRA Cost of Living Index: Not reported
State income tax rate: 3.07%
State sales tax rate: 6.0%
Local income tax rate: 2.8%
Local sales tax rate: 1.0%
Property tax rate: 8.26% on every $100 assessed
Economic Information: Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Business 200 S. Broad St., Suite 700, Philadelphia, PA 19107; telephone (215)545-1234
Education and Research
Elementary and Secondary Schools
Authority for Philadelphia’s school system, the seventh largest in the nation by enrollment, is vested in a nine-member board of education appointed by the mayor. The city was one of the first in the nation to recognize the needs of gifted children, and it supports a range of special admission schools providing programs for students ranging from academically gifted to talented in the creative and performing arts.
In 2004, the District in cooperation with the Microsoft Corporation broke ground on the School of the Future, ushering in a new era of technology and education. The school, which is the first of its kind designed to be a model for improved instructional development through the use of technology, is expected to open in 2006.
The following is a summary of data regarding the Philadelphia public schools as of the 2003-2004 school year.
Total enrollment: 196,309
Number of facilities
elementary schools: 175
junior high/middle schools: 43
other: 55, including 43 neighborhood and magnet high schools, vocational-technical and special schools
Student/teacher ratio: 19:1
Teacher salaries average: $53,390
Funding per pupil: $7,669 (elementary)
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia oversees one of the largest parochial school systems in the country, with more than 250 elementary and secondary schools in the city. About a third of elementary and secondary school students attend these and other private schools run by a variety of secular and religious groups such as the Society of Friends. Philadelphia is also home to the High School for the Creative and Performing Arts.
Public Schools Information: The School District of Philadelphia, 21st and Parkway, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1099; telephone (215)299-7000
Colleges and Universities
More than 80 degree-granting institutions operate in the Philadelphia region, offering the highest concentration of colleges and universities in America. Nearly 30 of them are located in the city. Suburban to Philadelphia are prestigious Swarthmore, Haverford, and Bryn Mawr colleges. The Philadelphia region’s six medical schools graduate nearly 20 percent of the nation’s physicians. Degrees are offered in many disciplines, including nursing, dentistry, biological sciences, business, law, and design.
The University of Pennsylvania, which provides more than 100 academic departments, is rated among the top three schools in the United States.
Libraries and Research Centers
Philadelphia’s public library, the Free Library of Philadelphia, consists of the Central Library, 54 branch libraries throughout the city, Homebound Services, and a Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Collections number more than 8 million bound volumes (more than a million of which are in the Central Library), and more than 6 million non-topic items, including photographs, maps, microfilms, manuscripts, government documents, and other materials. The staff supports service to nearly a half-million registered borrowers; circulation totals almost 6,500,000 items annually. A $30 million expansion of the Central Library underway in 2005 will offer an additional 160,000 square feet of space, including a 600-seat auditorium. Notable special collections in the Central Library include the Automotive Reference Collection; the Theatre Collection of more than a million items; the Edwin A. Fleisher Music Collection, reportedly the world’s largest library of orchestral scores with complete parts; the Rare topic Collection, which includes several original manuscripts of Edgar Allan Poe; and the Children’s Literature collections, including the Beatrix Potter Collection. The Free Library of Philadelphia serves the area business community with comprehensive collections of resource materials. In particular, the Central Library and Northeast Regional Library provide specialized information services relating to business, industry, and finance.
The Philadelphia area is rich in special library collections on the topic of American history. Examples of these are the Library Company of Philadelphia, founded in 1731 and holding more than 450,000 volumes on pre-1860 Americana and Philadelphia subjects; and the library of the American Philosophical Society, holding 230,000 volumes and 5 million manuscripts on Americana and the history of American science. Philadelphia is also home to many institutional collections on the subjects of medicine, pharmacy, and science and technology, as well as corporate special libraries dealing with such topics as insurance, law, finance, computers, chemicals, and transportation.
From Ben Franklin’s studies on electricity in the 1740s to the development 200 years later of ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), the world’s first electronic digital computer, Philadelphia has enjoyed a long tradition as a leader in research and technology. Temple University, the University of Pennsylvania, and other area educational institutions support a total of more than 100 formal research centers. Several dozen of these specialize in the medical sciences, although a variety of other studies is also pursued, ranging from insect biocontrol to federalism. Philadelphia is also known for its corporate research activities, such as those of the Philadelphia Electric Company.
Public Library Information: Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103; telephone (215)686-5322
Health Care
There are 373 physicians per 100,000 residents in the Greater Philadelphia reagion. Within a 100-mile radius of Philadelphia is the nation’s largest concentration of health care resources. The area is home to several medical schools, dental schools, nursing schools, pharmacy colleges, and schools offering advanced degrees in biological sciences. World-class health care facilities, such as Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (ranked number one in U.S. children’s hospitals), Alfred I. Du Pont Hospital for Children, Wills Eye Hospital (the first and largest hospital devoted to eye care), the Deborah Heart and Lung Center (site of the first open-heart surgery), and Fox Chase Cancer Center. The University of Pennsylvania houses a Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the city is served by more than a dozen regional trauma centers. The growth of the biotechnology companies in the last two decades has gained the area the reputation as the nation’s foremost pharmaceutical and technology center.
Recreation
Sightseeing
Philadelphia ranks third in the nation among cities with the greatest number of historic sites. Notable among them are Independence National Historical Park, dubbed ”the most historic square mile in America,” where the many landmarks either remain intact as they existed 200 years ago or have been restored. Independence Hall—where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were written—is among the park’s 26 interesting sites, which also include the Liberty Bell Pavilion, the Second Bank of the United States, and City Tavern, a reconstruction of the Revolutionary-era inn that operates today, serving visitors fare commonly prepared 200 years ago.
Historic homes throughout the city are open to the public— including Franklin Court and the Betsy Ross House—and many architectural styles are represented. Several historic churches also remain in Philadelphia. Other points of interest are the United States Mint and Penn’s Landing, where harbor tours are available. The city is known, too, for its fine parks, including Fairmount Park, reportedly the largest landscaped urban park in the world and site of the nation’s first zoo. The Park contains more than 200 pieces of sculpture. Philadelphia and its environs can be toured by bus or trolley.
Arts and Culture
Philadelphia’s efforts to strengthen its downtown artistic attractions are centered on a 3.5-mile-long stretch along Broad Street dubbed the Avenue of the Arts. The Academy of Music, opened in 1857, is located there in the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, which includes Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, Innovation Studio, and the Merck Arts Education Center. The Kimmel Center is also home to the world-class Philadelphia Orchestra, Philly Pops, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ballet, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, American Theater Arts for Youth, and several others.
The Arden Theater is a professional regional theater, offering theatrical and educational programs and productions. Other leading Philadelphia theater groups include the Philadelphia Theatre Company, the Venture Theatre, Freedom Theatre, Hedgerow Theatre, Society Hill Playhouse, and the Media Theater for Performing Arts. Broadway and off-Broadway productions are presented at Forrest Theater and at the Merriam Theater at the University of the Arts. The Annenberg Center at the University of Pennsylvania presents the annual Dance Celebration, children’s shows, and other performances in its three theaters. Several other university-affiliated theaters stage productions as well.
The Pennsylvania’s Ballet’s annual performance of The Nutcracker has become a holiday tradition. Dance performances are also presented at the Annenberg Center and by other leading troupes such as Philadanco and the Leon Evans Dance Theatre.
The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed at Independence Hall.
Considered one of the world’s great art museums, the Philadelphia Museum of Art houses more than 500,000 works dating from the Western Middle Ages onward; Asian art is also represented. The Museum also runs the Rodin Museum, said to possess the largest collection of that artist’s sculptures outside of Paris, and historic houses in Fairmount Park (seven of these are open to the public at Christmas, decorated as they might have been when built). The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, one of the oldest art museums and schools in the country and deemed an architectural masterpiece, displays more than seven thousand works of American art dating from 1750. The Barnes Foundation Gallery features more than 1,000 rarely seen works by the Impressionists and other nineteenth-century painters. The Academy of Natural Sciences Museum, the nation’s oldest institution of its kind, features such exhibits as ”Butterflies” and ”Raptors: Hunter of the Sky”. A national memorial to Benjamin Franklin, the Franklin Institute Science Museum and Planetarium features fascinating exhibits that move and can be moved, and it houses many of Franklin’s personal effects. Philadelphia’s newer museums include the Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum, the Mummers Museum, and the Port of History Museum at Penn’s Landing; the latter features changing local and international exhibits of arts and crafts and photography. The Perelman Antique Toy Museum and the Please Touch Museum specialize in childrens’ interests. In addition, many small museums are housed in restored buildings throughout the city.
Arts and Culture Information: Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, 1616 Walnut, Suite 600, Philadelphia, PA 19103-5306, telephone (215)557-7811
Festivals and Holidays
Philadelphia welcomes the new year with its famous New Year’s Day parade, featuring 30,000 Mummers (costumed and/or masked musicians and actors). February features the Philadelphia’s Pepsi String Band Show of Shows, an indoor musical extravaganza, which leads to March’s Philadelphia Flower Show (considered the top such event in the country), the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and the topic and Cook Festival.The arrival of spring is heralded in Philadelphia by Valborgsmassoaft on (Spring Festival), a Swedish tradition. During its annual Sunoco Welcome America! Philadelphia celebrates the Fourth of July— Independence Day—with gusto: four nights of music, fireworks, a food festival, and a parade culminate in the Mummers’ performance of a special summer ”strut” at Independence Hall. The Philadelphia Festival in August, one of the country’s oldest outdoor musical events, has become an end-of-summer ritual for “folkies” from around the country. The Craft Show at the Pennsylvania Convention
Center in November, sponsored by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, has had a great influence on the current American crafts revival. Philadelphia’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in November is the oldest of its kind in the country.
The city in addition hosts the PECO Energy Jazz Festival, Jam on the River, Army-Navy Football Game, and many other ethnically-related festivals, music festivals, and art fairs.
Sports for the Spectator
With more than 200 years of athletic competition history, Philadelphia is considered a premier sports city. Along with a busy annual sports calendar, first-class facilities, 10 professional teams, and more than 60 intercollegiate athletic programs, the city has also hosted many premiere sporting events such as the 2002 NBA All-Star Game. The nation’s fourth largest media market, Philadelphia boasts extensive athletic facilities, including the Liacouras Center at Temple University and Wachovia Complex, where the National Hockey League Flyers host games during the season. Two new state-of-the-art facilities contribute to Philadelphia’s reputation as a top sports location: the National Football League Eagles’ new home, Lincoln Financial Field, opened in August 2003, while the Major League Baseball Phillies’ new ballpark, Citizens Bank Park, opened in April 2004.
Suburban to Philadelphia are a number of racetracks offering thoroughbred racing from summer through winter and trotter racing in the summer only. The Wings indoor lacrosse team add variety to the city’s sports offerings.Collegiate athletic events of all kinds are regularly scheduled at the many colleges and universities in the area.
Sports for the Participant
While Philadelphia’s park system includes hundreds of parks and playgrounds, Fairmount Park is the center of the city’s recreational activities. Located throughout its 9,204 landscaped acres are 215 miles of trails; baseball diamonds and tennis courts; football, soccer, cricket, field hockey, and rugby fields; golf courses; a rowing course and a stocked trout stream; and a variety of other recreational opportunities. The RiverRink at Penn’s Landing offers public skating days and evenings from November through February.
The city maintains six municipal golf courses. Indoor tennis is available at the University of Pennsylvania’s Robert P. Levy Tennis Pavilion.
Shopping and Dining
Philadelphia is a city of shops rather than huge merchandising outlets. From major department stores, such as Strawbridge’s, to complexes such as The Shops at Liberty Place, to the boutiques and specialty shops of Rittenhouse Row, the city is brimming with fine shopping. A downtown area renaissance has attracted many new stores and shopping areas. Casual South Street offers a colorful variety of galleries, avant garde fashions, antique shops.Society Hill, a restored colonial neighborhood, is home to a waterfront shopping complex. The Bourse, across from Independence Hall, houses a collection of specialty shops and restaurants in a restored Victorian stock exchange. A few blocks away is Pine Street’s Antique Row. The Gallery at Market East contains more than 230 shops and restaurants. Jewelers’ Row is one of the world’s largest and oldest diamond centers. The stretches north, south, and west of downtown contain several shopping centers, including the Shops of Chestnut Hill in the historic Germantown neighborhood, and the lively Italian Market.
Philadelphia has been called one of the best restaurant cities in the country, and its Le Bec Fen is a local favorite. New restaurants are proliferating in Philadelphia, and national and international cuisines are well represented in the city’s restaurants, where dining styles range from casual to elegant. Seafood is a local favorite, as are Philadelphia cheese-steaks and soft pretzels with mustard. Early in colonial history, Pennsylvania Dutch scrapple—an aromatic mixture of cornmeal and pork scraps formed into a loaf—became essential to the proper Philadelphian’s breakfast menu, and this specialty can still be found on regional bills of fare, as can Philadelphia Pepper Pot, a peppery tripe soup. At the Reading Terminal Market, formerly a hub for trains and food distributors, 80 merchants cater to the lunchtime crowd, offering unusual multiethnic fare ranging from Mexican mole to Mennonite-made shoo-fly pies.
Visitor Information: Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, 1700 Market Street, Suite 3000, Philadelphia, PA 19103; telephone (215)636-3300
Convention Facilities
The Pennsylvania Convention Center covers six city blocks in the heart of the city and offers 440,120 square feet of exhibit space, including a 32,000-square-foot ballroom and more than 50 meeting rooms. It encompasses historic Reading Terminal Market. The facility will soon undergo major new construction that will provide the Northeast with the largest continuous space in the region. When the project is completed, the Center will have 541,000 square feet available, two ballrooms totaling 93,000 square feet, 87 meeting rooms, and a fully equipped main kitchen. Another major convention facility is the Civic Center, with 382,000 square feet of exhibit space, auditorium seating for 12,500 people, and 30 meeting rooms. Ample hotel space is available to accommodate guests and meetings.
Convention Information: Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, 1700 Market Street, Suite 3000, Philadelphia,
PA 19103 (215)636-3330
Transportation
Approaching the City
Northeast Philadelphia Airport and Philadelphia International Airport operate within Philadelphia’s city limits; the latter, located about seven miles from Philadelphia, offers service to more than 100 foreign and domestic cities and is connected with the city by the high-speed SEPTA Airport Rail Line. Fourteen other airports are located within commuting distance of Philadelphia.
The city is served by the Pennsylvania and New Jersey turnpikes and by Interstate-95 and I-76. These highways and their connections allow easy access to the city from many parts of the country.
Amtrak provides rail service to and from Philadelphia on a variety of daily routes. An ambitious rail network links 13 area rail lines into a 272-mile system by which passengers can reach any commuter station from any other within a 50-mile radius. Luxury overnight trains operate between Philadelphia and a number of major cities in the Northeast, South, and Midwest.
Traveling in the City
Philadelphia is laid out in a basic grid pattern. The commercial, historic, and cultural center is 24 blocks long— stretching from the Delaware River on the east to the Schuylkill on the west and 12 blocks wide from Vine Street on the north to South Street.
The Southeastern Philadelphia Transportation Authority (SEPTA) operates a large fleet of buses throughout the city and suburbs. The Authority’s Day Pass allows travelers unlimited rides on the public transportation system for $5.50. The city is served by two subway lines: The Market Frankford (east-west) and Broad Street (north-south). Because the streets are narrow in the Center City, traffic is often congested, and travel on foot or by taxi is recommended. The PHLASH-Downtown Loop purple buses provide a safe and convenient way for visitors to travel day and night to the city’s most popular tourist destinations.
Communications
Newspapers and Magazines
Philadelphia’s major daily newspaper, the Philadelphia Inquirer, circulates as a morning edition. The Philadelphia Daily News is distributed every evening except Sunday. The Philadelphia Spotlite, published weekly, focuses on visitor information and entertainment. Well over a hundred scholarly journals are published in Philadelphia, including publications of the Philadelphia Historical Society; several law journals are published in the city as well.
Television and Radio
Philadelphia is served by seven television stations and at least three cable operations. Stations originating in New York and New Jersey, and in nearby communities, are also accessible to Philadelphia viewers, as is cable service. Thirteen AM and FM radio stations broadcast a wide variety of radio programming ranging from classical to hard rock, gospel, Caribbean, big band, and jazz.
Media Information: Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News, 400 North Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19101; telephone (215)548-2000
Philadelphia Online
City of Philadelphia. Available www.phila.gov
Free Library of Philadelphia. Available www.library.phila.gov
Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. Available www.gpcc.com
Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Available www.hsp.org
Philadelphia City Planning Commission. Available www .philaplanning.org
Philadelphia Convention and Visitor’s Center. Available www.pcvb.org
Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation. Available www.pidc-pa.org
Philadelphia Visitors Center. Available www.phillyvisitor .com
School District of Philadelphia. Available www.philsch.k12 .pa.us
