Largest city in Pennsylvania, United States
Consolidated city-county in the United States
Philadelphia
Seal
Logo
Etymology: Ancient Greek : φίλος phílos (beloved, dear) and ἀδελφός adelphós (brother, brotherly) ———-——— Nickname(s): "Philly", "The City of Brotherly Love",
others Motto: "Philadelphia maneto" ("Let brotherly love endure" or "... continue")
[ 1] [ 2] Interactive map outlining Philadelphia
Show map of the United States Show map of North America Coordinates: 39°57′10″N 75°09′49″W / 39.9528°N 75.1636°W / 39.9528; -75.1636 Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Historic countries Kingdom of England Kingdom of Great Britain Historic colony Province of Pennsylvania Founded 1682; 342 years ago (1682 ) [ 3] Incorporated October 25, 1701 Founded by William Penn • Type Mayor–council , consolidated city-county • Body Philadelphia City Council • Mayor Cherelle Parker (D ) • Consolidated city-county 142.70 sq mi (369.59 km2 ) • Land 134.36 sq mi (347.98 km2 ) • Water 8.34 sq mi (21.61 km2 ) Elevation
39 ft (12 m) • Consolidated city-county 1,603,797 • Estimate 1,567,258 • Rank 10th in North America6th in the United States1st in Pennsylvania • Density 11,936.92/sq mi (4,608.86/km2 ) • Urban 5,696,125 (US: 7th ) • Urban density 3,000.8/sq mi (1,158.6/km2 ) • Metro 6,245,051 (US: 7th ) Demonym Philadelphian • Philadelphia (MSA) $518.5 billion (2022) Time zone UTC−5 (EST ) • Summer (DST ) UTC−4 (EDT )ZIP Codes 19092–19093, 19099, 191xx
Area codes 215, 267, 445 FIPS code 42-60000 GNIS feature ID1215531[ 10] Website www.phila.gov
Philadelphia , colloquially referred to as Philly , is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania [ 11] and the sixth-most populous city in the nation , with a population of 1,603,797 in the 2020 census . The city is the urban core of the larger Delaware Valley , also known as the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the eighth-largest metropolitan region in the nation with 6.245 million residents in its metropolitan statistical area and 7.366 million residents in its combined statistical area .[ 12]
Philadelphia is known for its extensive contributions to United States history . The city served as the nation's capital until 1800.[ 13] It maintains contemporary influence in business and industry , culture , sports , and music .[ 14] [ 15] Philadelphia was founded in 1682 by William Penn , an English Quaker and advocate of religious freedom . The city served as the capital of the Pennsylvania Colony during the British colonial era [ 3] [ 16] and went on to play a historic and vital role as the central meeting place for the nation's founding fathers . Philadelphia hosted the First Continental Congress in 1774, preserved the Liberty Bell , and hosted the Second Continental Congress during which the founders signed the Declaration of Independence .[ 17] The U.S. Constitution was later ratified in Philadelphia at the Philadelphia Convention of 1787. Philadelphia remained the nation's largest city until 1790, served as the nation's first capital from May 10, 1775, until December 12, 1776, and on four subsequent occasions during and following the American Revolutionary War , including from 1790 to 1800 during the construction of the new national capital of Washington, D.C.
With 18 four-year universities and colleges , Philadelphia is one of the nation's leading centers for higher education and academic research .[ 18] [ 19] As of 2022[update] , the Philadelphia metropolitan area had a gross metropolitan product of US$518.5 billion.[ 9] The city is home to five Fortune 500 corporate headquarters as of 2022.[ 20] As of 2024, metropolitan Philadelphia ranks as one of the Big Five U.S. venture capital hubs, facilitated by its proximity to both the entrepreneurial and financial ecosystems of New York City and to the federal regulatory environment of Washington, D.C.[ 21] The Philadelphia Stock Exchange , owned by Nasdaq since 2008, is the nation's oldest stock exchange and a global leader in options trading.[ 22] 30th Street Station , the city's primary rail station, is the third-busiest Amtrak hub in the nation, and the city's multimodal transport and logistics infrastructure also includes Philadelphia International Airport , a major Transatlantic gateway and transcontinental hub,[ 23] and the rapidly-growing PhilaPort seaport .[ 24]
Philadelphia is a national cultural center, hosting more outdoor sculptures and murals than any other city in the nation.[ 25] [ 26] Fairmount Park , when combined with adjacent Wissahickon Valley Park in the same watershed , is 2,052 acres (830 ha), representing one of the nation's largest and the world's 45th-largest urban park .[ 27] The city is known for its arts, culture , cuisine , and colonial and Revolution-era history; in 2016, it attracted 42 million domestic tourists who spent $6.8 billion, representing $11 billion in economic impact to the city and its surrounding Pennsylvania counties.[ 28] With five professional sports teams and one of the nation's most loyal fan bases, Philadelphia is often ranked as the nation's best city for professional sports fans.[ 29] [ 30] [ 31] [ 32] The city has a culturally and philanthropically active LGBTQ+ community . Philadelphia also has played an immensely influential historic and ongoing role in the development and evolution of American music, especially R&B , soul , and rock .[ 33] [ 34]
Philadelphia is a city of many firsts, including the nation's first library (1731),[ 35] hospital (1751),[ 35] medical school (1765),[ 36] national capital (1774),[ 37] university (by some accounts) (1779),[ 38] central bank (1781),[ 39] stock exchange (1790),[ 35] zoo (1874),[ 40] and business school (1881).[ 41] Philadelphia contains 67 National Historic Landmarks , including Independence Hall .[ 42] [ 43] [ 19] From the city's 17th century founding through the present, Philadelphia has been the birthplace or home to an extensive number of prominent and influential Americans . In 2021, Time magazine named Philadelphia one of the world's greatest 100 places.[ 44] Two years later, in 2023, travel guide publisher Lonely Planet ranked Philadelphia the best city in the nation to visit.[ 45]
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^ McDevitt, John (May 5, 2015). "Plaque Dedication Marks 120th Anniversary of Creation of Philadelphia's Flag" . CBS Broadcasting Inc . Archived from the original on January 19, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2018 .
^ a b Cite error: The named reference weigley
was invoked but never defined (see the help page ).
^ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory" . United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022 .
^ "Census Population API" . United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on November 9, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022 .
^ "QuickFacts: Philadelphia city, Pennsylvania" . census.gov . United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023 .
^ "List of 2020 Census Urban Areas" . census.gov . United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2023 .
^ "2020 Population and Housing State Data" . United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2021 .
^ a b "Total Gross Domestic Product for Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD (MSA)" . fred.stlouisfed.org .
^ "US Board on Geographic Names" . United States Geological Survey . February 2, 2015. Archived from the original on October 27, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2008 .
^ "QuickFacts: Philadelphia city, Pennsylvania" . United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2021 .
^ "Population and housing state data" . 2020 U.S. census . Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 23, 2021 .
^ "How Philly lost the nation's capital to Washington" . National Constitution Center . May 14, 2020. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2023 .
^ "Explore Historic Attractions in Philadelphia" . Visit Philadelphia . Archived from the original on January 19, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2023 .
^ Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (February 22, 2006). "The Sounds of Philadelphia" . Press Kit . Archived from the original on February 22, 2006. Retrieved March 29, 2006 .
^ Brookes, Karin (2005). Zoë Ross (ed.). Insight Guides: Philadelphia and Surroundings (Second (Updated) ed.). APA Publications. pp. 21–22 . ISBN 1-58573-026-2 .
^ Ellis, Joseph (2007). American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic . New York: Knopf. pp. 55–56. ISBN 978-0-307-26369-8 .
^ Tucker, Laura (November 25, 2014). "Philadelphia" . QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2015 .
^ a b Sisak, Michael A. (November 6, 2015). "Philadelphia Becomes First World Heritage City in US" . ABC News Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on November 8, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2015 .
^ " "Fortune 500" (by city)" . Fortune . 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022 .[permanent dead link ]
^ "Q2 2024" . PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor. July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024 .
^ Lucas Downey and Somer Anderson (May 19, 2022). "Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX)" . Dotdash Meredith . Archived from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2022 .
^ "American Airlines and PHL Airport Celebrate Further Transatlantic Growth with New Service to Copenhagen" . Philadelphia International Airport. Retrieved June 15, 2024 . "American Airlines is proud to offer unparalleled access to some of the most popular European vacation destinations from Philadelphia, which serves as the airline's transatlantic gateway," said Lakshman Amaranayaka, American Airlines Vice President of PHL Hub Operations.
^ "PhilaPort The Port of Philadelphia" . Philadelphia Regional Port Authority. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023 .
^ "Gateway to Public Art in Philadelphia" . fpaa.org . Fairmount Park Art Association . August 10, 2011. Archived from the original on August 10, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2017 . according to the Smithsonian Institution, Philadelphia has more outdoor sculpture than any other city in the country [Save Outdoor Sculpture! program].
^ "Mural Arts Philadelphia – Press kit" (PDF) . muralarts.org . Mural Arts Philadelphia . Archived (PDF) from the original on December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017 . Mural Arts Philadelphia is the nation's largest public art program...creating nearly 4,000 artworks that have transformed public spaces.
^ "2014 City Park Facts" (PDF) . tpl.org . The Trust for Public Land. pp. 9, 25, 28. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 20, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2017 .
^ "Visit Philadelphia 2017 Annual Report" (PDF) . visitphilly.com . Visit Philadelphia . p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 5, 2017. Retrieved December 5, 2017 .
^ "The most passionate fans in sports" . Bleacher Report . July 16, 2009. Archived from the original on October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022 .
^ "JJ Redick says that Philadelphia is the best sports town in America despite Philly sports radio being delusional" . The Liberty Line . September 24, 2020. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022 .
^ Hingston, Sandy (December 7, 2019). "Philadelphia is the best city for sports fans" . Philadelphia Magazine . Archived from the original on October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022 .
^ Farr, Stephanie (October 21, 2022). "What Philly--and Philly sports fans--taught me about fandom" . The Philadelphia Inquirer . Archived from the original on October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022 .
^ Ziperski, Andrew (April 26, 2018). "Philly: the best sports city in America" . The Stanford Daily . Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2022 .
^ Tricome, Nick (July 13, 2022). "JJ Redick calls Philly 'the greatest sports town in America" . Philly Voice . Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2022 .
^ a b c "Philadelphia Firsts 1681–1899" . USHistory. Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2015 .
^ "John Morgan (1735–1789)" . Penn in the 18th Century . Archived from the original on July 3, 2008.
^ "The Nine Capitals of the United States" . United States Senate . Archived from the original on March 20, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2017 .
^ "The University of Pennsylvania: America's First University" . upenn.edu . Archived from the original on July 11, 2006. Retrieved July 12, 2021 .
^ Michener, John H. (1906). The Bank of North America, Philadelphia, a national bank, founded 1781 . New York: R. G. Cooke, Inc. p. 37. HG21613.P54. Retrieved March 17, 2016 .
^ "About the Philadelphia Zoo" . Philadelphia Zoo. Archived from the original on March 30, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2015 .
^ "About Wharton" . The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on July 1, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2015 .
^ "Independence Hall" . UNESCO World Heritage Centre . Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved December 26, 2019 .
^ "\Philadelphia's new branding as World Heritage City" . Organization of World Heritage Cities . Archived from the original on March 6, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018 .
^ "Time Magazine names Philadelphia one of the world's 100 greatest places" . Philly Voice . July 21, 2021. Archived from the original on October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022 .
^ "Philadelphia ranks as the best city in the U.S. to visit" , CBS News , October 28, 2023