Philadelphia

Un article de Vev.

Modèle:Otheruses6 Modèle:Infobox Settlement Philadelphia (pronounced Modèle:IPA) is a major center of US business, education, and culture and the arts as well as the largest city in Pennsylvania and the sixth most populous city in the United States<ref> Population Estimates for the 25 Largest U.S. Cities based on July 1, 2006 Population Estimates

. US Census Bureau  
 

 

.</ref>. It is conterminous with Philadelphia County, and serves as the county seat. It is colloquially referred to as "the City of Brotherly Love" (from Greek: Φιλαδέλφεια, Modèle:IPA, Modern Greek: Modèle:IPA, "brotherly love" from philos "love" and adelphos "brother"). Residents often informally call the city "Philly."

In 2005, the population of the city proper was estimated to be over 1.4 million,<ref name="population">2005 listing of population estimates of U.S. cities by the United States Census Bureau Retrieved on October 8, 2006.</ref> while the Delaware Valley metropolitan area, with a population of 5.8 million, was the fifth-largest in the United States<ref>United States Census Bureau - "Estimates of Population Change for Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Rankings: July 1, 2005 to July 1, 2006." Retrieved on 8 April 2007.</ref> and the 45th-largest city in the world.

The city was once the second-largest in the British Empire,<ref> Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

. People and Places
. National Geographic  
 

 

. Retrieved on September 21, 2007. </ref> and the social and geographical center of the original 13 American colonies. During the 18th century, it eclipsed New York City in political and social importance, with Benjamin Franklin taking a large role in Philadelphia's early rise to prominence. It was in this city that some of the ideas, and subsequent actions, gave birth to the American Revolution and American independence. It was the most populous city of the young United States and served as its first capital.

History

Main article: History of Philadelphia

Prior to the arrival of Europeans the Philadelphia area was inhabited by the Lenape (Delaware) Indians. Europeans arrived in the Delaware Valley in the early 1600s, with the first settlements being founded by the Dutch, British and Swedish. In 1681, as part of a repayment of a debt, Charles II of England granted William Penn a charter for what would become the Pennsylvania colony. Part of Penn's plan for the colony was to create a city on the Delaware River to serve as a port and place for government. Despite already having been given the land by Charles II, Penn bought the land from the local Lenape to be on good terms with the Native Americans and ensure peace for his colony.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> According to legend Penn made a treaty of friendship with Lenape chief Tammany under an elm tree at Shackamaxon, in what is now the city's Kensington section.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> Having been a Quaker, Penn had experienced religious persecution and wanted his colony to be a place where anyone could worship freely despite their religion. Penn named the city Philadelphia, which is Greek for brotherly love (philos, "love" or "friendship", and adelphos, "brother").<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref>

Penn's plan was that Philadelphia would be like an English rural town instead of a city. The city's roads were designed with a grid plan with the idea that houses and businesses would be spread far apart and surrounded by gardens and orchards. The city's inhabitants didn't follow Penn's plans and crowded by the Delaware River and subdivided and resold their lots.<ref>Philadelphia: A 300-Year History, pages 7, 14 - 16</ref> Before Penn left Philadelphia for the last time, he issued the Charter of 1701 establishing Philadelphia as a city. The city soon grew and established itself as an important trading center. Conditions in the city were poor at first, but by the 1750s living conditions had improved. A significant contributor to Philadelphia at the time was Benjamin Franklin. Franklin helped improve city services and found new ones, such as the American Colonies' first hospital.<ref>Insight Guides: Philadelphia and Surroundings, pages 24 - 25</ref> Due to Philadelphia's central location in the colonies, during the American Revolution the city was used as the location for the First Continental Congress before the war, the Second Continental Congress, which signed the United States Declaration of Independence, during the war, and the Constitutional Convention after the war. A number of battles during the war were fought in Philadelphia and its environs as well. Unsuccessful lobbying after the war to make Philadelphia the United States capital helped make the city the temporary U.S. capital in the 1790s.<ref>Insight Guides: Philadelphia and Surroundings, pages 30 - 33</ref>

The state government left Philadelphia in 1799 and the federal government left soon after in 1800. However Philadelphia was still the largest city in the United States and a financial and cultural center. New York City soon surpassed Philadelphia in population, but construction of roads, canals, and railroads helped turn Philadelphia into the United States' first major industrial city. Throughout the 19th century Philadelphia had a large variety of industries and businesses, the largest being textiles. Major corporations in the 19th and early 20th centuries included the Baldwin Locomotive Works, William Cramp and Sons Ship and Engine Building Company, and the Pennsylvania Railroad.<ref>Philadelphia: A 300-Year History, pages 214, 218, 428 - 429</ref> Industry, along with the U.S. Centennial, was celebrated in 1876 with the Centennial Exposition, the first official World's Fair in the United States. Immigrants, mostly German and Irish, settled in Philadelphia and the surrounding districts. The rise in population of the surrounding districts helped lead to the Act of Consolidation of 1854 which extended the city of Philadelphia to include all of Philadelphia County.<ref> A Brief History of Philadelphia

. Philadelphia History
. ushistory.org  
 

 

. Retrieved on December 14, 2006. </ref> In the later half of the century immigrants from Russia, Eastern Europe and Italy and African Americans from the southern U.S. settled in the city.<ref>Insight Guides: Philadelphia and Surroundings, pages 38 - 39</ref>

By the 20th century Philadelphia had become known as "corrupt and contented." Philadelphians were content with the city's lack of change or excitement, and single-party politics, centered around the city's entrenched Republican political machine, allowed corruption to flourish. The machine and corruption permeated in all parts of city government and reformers had little success.<ref>Philadelphia: A 300-Year History, pages 535, 537</ref> The first major success in reform came in 1917 when outrage over the murder of a police officer during that year's election led to the shrinking of the Philadelphia City Council from two houses to just one.<ref>Philadelphia: A 300-Year History, pages 563 - 564</ref> In the 1920s the public flouting of Prohibition laws, mob violence, and police involvement in illegal activities led to the appointment of Brigadier General Smedley Butler of the U.S. Marine Corps as director of public safety, but political pressure prevented any long term success in fighting crime and corruption.<ref>Philadelphia: A 300-Year History, pages 578 - 581</ref>

After struggling through the Great Depression, World War II created jobs and brought the city out of the Depression. However, after the war there was a severe housing shortage with about half the city's housing being built in the 19th century, many of which lacked proper facilities. Adding to housing problem was white flight, as African Americans and Puerto Ricans moved into new neighborhoods resulting in racial tension.<ref>Philadelphia: A 300-Year History, pages 669 - 670</ref> After a population peak of over two million residents in 1950 the city's population declined while the suburban neighboring counties grew. After a five year investigation into corruption into city government, the outcry with what the investigation found led the drafting of a new city charter in 1950. The city charter strengthened the position of the mayor and weakened the city council among other changes to help prevent the corruption of the past. The first Democratic mayor since the first half of the 19th century was elected in 1951. However, after two early reform mayors, a Democratic political organization had established itself replacing the old Republican one.<ref>A Concise History of Philadelphia, pages 75 - 76</ref>

Protests, riots and racial tensions were common in the 1960s and 70s. Mostly drug related gang violence plagued the city and crack houses invaded the city's slums. Confrontations between police and the radical group MOVE culminated when the police dropped a satchel bomb on their headquarters starting a fire that killed eleven MOVE members and destroyed sixty-two neighboring houses. Revitalization and gentrification of neighborhoods began in the 1960s and continues into the 21st century, with much of the development in the Center City and University City areas of the city. After many of the old manufacturers and businesses had left Philadelphia or shut down, the city started attracting service businesses and began to more aggressively market itself as a tourist destination. Glass and granite skyscrapers were built in Center City and historic areas such as Independence National Historical Park were improved. This has slowed the city's forty-year population decline after losing nearly a quarter of its population.<ref>Insight Guides: Philadelphia and Surroundings, pages 44 - 45</ref><ref>A Concise History of Philadelphia, page 78</ref>

Geography

Topography

Philadelphia is located at 40° 00' north latitude and 75° 09' west longitude. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 142.6 square miles (369.4 km²), of which 135.1 square miles (349.9 km²) is land and 19.6 km² (7.6 sq mi, 5.29%) is water. Bodies of water include the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers, and Cobbs, Wissahickon, and Pennypack Creeks.

The lowest point is sea level, while the highest point is in Chestnut Hill, at approximately Modèle:Formatnum:445 feet ({{formatnum:{{rnd/+|445*0.3048/1|0|Modèle:Rnd/00}}}} m) above sea level (near the intersection of Germantown Avenue and Bethlehem Pike).<ref> USGS Geography: The National Map

. Retrieved on December 17, 2007.

(Example coordinates of high point: Latitude: 40° 04' 37, Longitude: -75° 12' 29.)</ref>

Philadelphia is located on the Fall Line separating the Atlantic Coastal Plain from the Piedmont.[1] The rapids on the Schuylkill River at East Falls disappeared after the completion of the Fairmount Dam.[2]

The city is the seat of its own county. The adjacent counties are Montgomery to the north; Bucks 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.

Climate

Philadelphia falls in the humid subtropical climate zone, although it is the northernmost U.S. city that falls in this classification. Because Philadelphia lies in the northern end of this zone, some of its outlying suburbs, especially to the north and west, fall in the humid continental zone. Summers are typically hot and muggy, fall and spring are generally mild, and winter is cold. Snowfall is variable, with some winters bringing moderate snow and others bringing some significant snowstorms. Annual snowfall averages 21" (534 mm). Precipitation is generally spread throughout the year, with eight to eleven wet days per month,<ref> Average Days of Precipitation, .01 Inches or more

. Retrieved on 2006-07-28. </ref> at an average annual rate of 42 in (1068 mm).

January lows average 23 °F (−5 °C) and highs average 38 °F (3 °C). The lowest officially recorded temperature was −11 °F (−22 °C) on February 9, 1934,<ref> Philadelphia Record Highs and Lows

. Retrieved on 2007-04-03. </ref> but temperatures below 0 °F (−22 °C) occur only a few times a decade. July lows average 67 °F (20 °C) and highs average 86 °F (30 °C)<ref> Climate Information for Philadelphia – Pennsylvania – Mid-Atlantic – United States – Climate Zone:

. Retrieved on 2007-04-03. </ref>, although heat waves see highs above 95 °F (35 °C) with the heat index running as high as 110 °F (43 °C). The highest recorded temperature was 106 °F (41 °C) on August 7 1918.<ref> Philadelphia Record Highs and Lows

. Retrieved on 2007-04-03. </ref> Early fall and late winter are generally driest, with February being the driest month, averaging only 2.74 in (69.8 mm) of precipitation.

 (English) 
. Weatherbase 
 
   (2007)
     
   
 

Cityscape

Neighborhoods

Modèle:Seealso

Philadelphia has many neighborhoods, each with its own identity. The large Philadelphia sections, North, Northeast, Northwest, West, South and Southwest Philadelphia surround Center City, which falls within the original city limits prior to consolidation in 1854. Numerous smaller neighborhoods within the areas coincide with the boroughs, townships, and other communities that made up Philadelphia County before their absorption by the city. Other neighborhoods formed based on ethnicity, religion, culture, and commercial reasons.<ref>Insight Guides: Philadelphia and Surroundings, page 58</ref>

Architecture

Main article: Buildings and architecture of Philadelphia

Modèle:Seealso Philadelphia's architectural history dates back to Colonial times and includes a wide range of styles. The earliest structures were constructed with logs, but brick structures were common by 1700. During the 18th century, the cityscape was dominated by Georgian architecture, including Independence Hall. In the first decades of the 19th century, Federal architecture and Greek Revival architecture were popular.<ref>Philadelphia: A 300-Year History, page 11, 41, 174 - 175, 252 - 253</ref> In the second half of the 19th century, Victorian architecture was common. In 1871, construction began on the Second Empire-style Philadelphia City Hall. Despite the construction of steel and concrete skyscrapers in the 1910s, '20s and '30s, the Modèle:Convert/LoffAonDbSoff City Hall remained the tallest building in the city until 1987 when One Liberty Place was constructed. Numerous glass and granite skyscrapers were built from the late 1980s onwards. In 2007, the Comcast Center surpassed One Liberty Place to become the city's tallest building.<ref>Modèle:Cite journal</ref>

For much of Philadelphia's history, the typical Philadelphia home has been the row house. The row house was introduced to the United States via Philadelphia in the early 1800s and, for a time, row houses built elsewhere in the United States were known as "Philadelphia rows".<ref>Philadelphia: A 300-Year History, page 251</ref> There is a variety of row houses throughout the city from Victorian-style homes in North Philadelphia to twin row houses in West Philadelphia. While newer homes are scattered throughout the city, much of Philadelphia's housing is from the early 20th century or older. The age of the city's homes has created numerous problems which has led to blight and vacant lots in many parts of the city, while other neighborhoods such as Society Hill, which has the largest concentration of 18th-century architecture in the United States, have been rehabilitated and gentrified.<ref>Modèle:Cite journal</ref><ref> Mark Alan Hughes

     (June 1,2000)
   
.    Dirt Into Dollars; Converting Vacant Land Into Valuable Development 

. Retrieved on 2007-07-24. </ref>

Culture

Main article: Culture of Philadelphia

Main article: List of people from Philadelphia

Philadelphia 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.<ref> Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State (Pennsylvania)

 (PDF)
. National Park Service 
 
   (March 2004)
       
   
 

. Retrieved on August 8, 2006. </ref>

Philadelphia's major science museums include the Franklin Institute, which contains the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial, the Academy of Natural Sciences, and the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. History museums include the National Constitution Center, the Atwater Kent Museum of Philadelphia History, the National Museum of American Jewish History, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons in the state of Pennsylvania and Masonic Museum and Eastern State Penitentiary. Philadelphia is home to the United States' first zoo and hospital.

Modèle:See also

Arts

The city contains many art 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.<ref name="Dallasnews">Modèle:Cite journal</ref>

The city is home to many art galleries, many of which participate in the First Friday event. The first Friday of every month galleries in Old City are open late. Annual events include film festivals and parades, the most famous being the New Year's Day Mummers Parade.

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, and the Academy of Music, the nation's oldest continually operating venue, home to the Opera Company of Philadelphia.<ref name="Dallasnews" />

Philadelphia has more public art than any other American city.<ref> Public Art

. Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation  
 

 

. Retrieved on 2007-10-16. </ref> In 1872, the Fairmount Park Art Association was created, the first private association in the United States dedicated to integrating public art and urban planning.<ref>Modèle:Cite journal</ref>. In 1959, lobbying by the Artists Equity Association helped create the Percent for Art ordinance, the first for a U.S. city.<ref> Wetenhall , John

.    About A Brief History of Percent-For-Art in America 
 (PDF)
. Public Art Review 
   

. Retrieved on 2006-09-24. </ref> The program, which has funded more than 200 pieces of public art, is administered by the Philadelphia Office of Arts and Culture, the city's art agency.<ref> Office of Art and Culture

. Phila.gov  
 

 

. Retrieved on 2006-09-24. </ref>

In particular, Philadelphia has more murals than any other U.S. city, thanks in part to the 1984 creation of the Department of Recreation's Mural Arts Program, which seeks to beautify neighborhoods and provide an outlet for graffiti artists. The program has funded more than 2,700 murals by professional, staff and volunteer artists. <ref> Mural Arts Program About page

. Retrieved on 2007-11-27. </ref>

Philadelphia has had a prominent role in music. In the 1970s, Philadelphia soul influenced the music of that and later eras. On July 13 1985, Philadelphia hosted the American end of the Live Aid concert at John F. Kennedy Stadium. The city reprised this role for the Live 8 concert, bringing some 700,000 people to the Ben Franklin Parkway on July 2 2005.<ref> Rodney Kim

     (July 2,2005)
   
.    Live 8 Philadelphia Review 

. Retrieved on 2007-04-24. </ref>

Cuisine

Main article: Cuisine of Philadelphia

The city is known for its hoagies, soft pretzels, water ice, and is home to the cheesesteak. Its high-end restaurants include Morimoto, run by chef Masaharu Morimoto, who rose to prominence on the Iron Chef television show.

Sports

Main article: Sports in Philadelphia

Modèle:Seealso

Philadelphia has a long history of professional sports teams, and is one of thirteen U.S. cities to have all four major sports: the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League, the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League of Major League Baseball, and the Philadelphia 76ers in the National Basketball Association. The last major professional sport team to win a championship was the 76ers, which won the NBA Championship in 1983. The failure of Philadelphia's major professional sports teams to win championships since that date is sometimes attributed, in jest, to the so-called "Curse of Billy Penn". The Oakland Athletics and Golden State Warriors were originally from Philadelphia.

Philadelphia also is home to professional, semi-professional and elite amateur teams in other sports, including cricket. Philadelphia also hosts major amateur sporting events, including the Penn Relays, Stotesbury Cup, Philadelphia Marathon, and Philadelphia International Championship bicycle race.

Economy

Philadelphia's economy is heavily based upon manufacturing, refining, food, and financial services.

The city is home to the Philadelphia Stock Exchange and a few Fortune 500 companies, including cable television and internet provider Comcast, insurance companies CIGNA and Lincoln Financial Group, energy company Sunoco, food services company Aramark, Crown Holdings Incorporated, chemical makers Rohm and Haas Company and FMC Corporation, pharmaceutical companies Wyeth and GlaxoSmithKline, Boeing helicopters division, and automotive parts retailer Pep Boys.

The federal government has several facilities in Philadelphia as well. The city served as the capital city of the United States, before the construction of Washington, D.C. Today, the East Coast operations of the United States Mint are based near the historic district, and the Federal Reserve Bank's Philadelphia division is based there as well. Philadelphia is also home to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Partly because of the historical presence of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and the large ridership at 30th Street Station, Amtrak also maintains a significant presence in the city. These jobs include customer service representatives and ticket processing and other behind-the-scenes personnel, in addition to the normal functions of the railroad.

The city is also a national center of law because of the prestigious University of Pennsylvania Law School, Temple University Beasley School of Law, Villanova University School of Law, Widener University School of Law, and Drexel University College of Law. Additionally, the headquarters of the American Law Institute is located in the city.

Philadelphia is also an important center for medicine, a distinction that it has held since the colonial period, when Pennsylvania Hospital was North America's first hospital. The University of Pennsylvania, the city's largest private employer, runs an extensive medical system. There are also major hospitals affiliated with Temple University School of Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine, and Thomas Jefferson University. Philadelphia also has three distinguished children's hospitals: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (located adjacent to the Hospitals of the University of Pennsylvania), St. Christopher's Hospital, and the Shriners' Hospital. In the city's northeast section are Albert Einstein Hospital and the Fox Chase Cancer Center. Together, health care is the largest sector of employment in the city. Several medical professional associations are headquartered in Philadelphia.

In part because of Philadelphia's long-running importance as a center for medical research, the region is a major center for the pharmaceutical industry. GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, Wyeth, Merck, GE Healthcare, Johnson and Johnson and Siemens Medical Solutions are just some of the large pharmaceutical companies with operations in the region.

See also: List of companies based in the Philadelphia area

Shopping

Center City is home to The Gallery at Market East, The Shops at Liberty Place and The Shops at the Bellevue, and a variety of standalone retail stores. Rittenhouse Row, a section of Walnut Street in Center City, has higher-end stores and boutiques. Old City and Society Hill, as well, feature upscale boutiques and retailers from local and international merchandisers. Philadelphia also has several neighborhood shopping districts, including Manayunk and Chestnut Hill. Also noteworthy is South Street with blocks of inexpensive boutiques.

The Italian Market in South Philadelphia offers groceries, meats, cheeses and housewares from Italy and other countries. Geno's and Pat's, two famed cheesesteak outlets, are located here. The Reading Terminal Market in Center City includes dozens of restaurants, farm stalls, and shops, many run by Amish farmers from Lancaster County. There are also neighborhood farmers' markets throughout the city.

The Philadelphia metropolitan area has many malls, including the King of Prussia Mall, the second-largest mall in the United States<ref> Largest Shopping Malls in the United States

. Retrieved on 2007-04-03. </ref> and the Cherry Hill Mall in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, the first enclosed mall on the East Coast. The region was also the home to the first Ikea in the United States. There are also several large outlet malls in the area, including Franklin Mills in Northeast Philadelphia, which saw over 18 million visitors in 2006, and the Lancaster Outlets of Lancaster County.

Philadelphia is the birthplace of the secondary ticket marketplace. Wanamaker Ticket Office, located in Center City, is among the nation's oldest ticket agencies.

Media

Main article: Media of Philadelphia

Philadelphia's two major daily newspapers are The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News, both of which are owned by Philadelphia Media Holdings L.L.C. The Philadelphia Inquirer, founded in 1829, is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the United States.<ref> Wilkinson , Gerry

.    The History of the Philadelphia Inquirer 
. Philadelphia Press Association 
   

. Retrieved on 2006-07-20. </ref> The Bulletin, another newspaper that operates in Philadelphia, traces its history back to The Philadelphia Bulletin that went defunct in 1982. The Bulletin is locally owned by The Bulletin, Inc.

The first experimental radio license was issued in Philadelphia in August, 1912 to St. Joseph's College. The first commercial radio stations appeared in 1922. WIP, then owned by Gimbel's department store, became the first on March 17 of that year. Also launched that year were WFIL, WOO, WCAU and WDAS.<ref name="Media">Modèle:Cite journal</ref> The highest-rated stations in Philadelphia include soft rock WBEB, KYW Newsradio, and urban adult contemporary WDAS-FM.

During the 1930s, the experimental station W3XE, which was owned by Philco Corp, became the first television station in Philadelphia. The station, which would later become KYW-TV (CBS), became NBC's first affiliate in 1939. By the 1970s WCAU-TV, WPVI-TV, WHYY-TV, WPHL-TV, and WTXF-TV were founded.<ref name="Media" /> In 1952 WFIL (now WPVI), premiered the television show Bandstand, which later became the nationally broadcast show American Bandstand hosted by Dick Clark.<ref>Modèle:Cite book</ref> Today, as in many large metropolitan areas, each of the commercial networks has an affiliate, and call letters have been replaced by corporate IDs: CBS3, 6ABC, NBC10, FOX29, plus ME-TV and CW. On the public media side, the Philadelphia region is served by WYBE (Philadelphia), WHYY (Wilmington, Delaware and Philadelphia), WLVT (Lehigh Valley), and New Jersey Network. In September, 2007, Philadelphia approved a public access cable channel. On the radio side, Philadelphia is served by three large public radio stations, plus several smaller ones; the larger ones are WHYY (NPR), WRTI (jazz, classical), and WXPN (adult alternative music).

Philadelphia has a competitive rock radio market, especially between WMMR and WYSP, which both specialize in playing modern and classic rock. The two stations enjoy a very intense rivalry with each station's listeners being faithfully loyal to their favorite station in most cases. Since 2005, WMMR now plays more music due to a shift in WYSP's programming from a rock station (which also carried controversial shock jock Howard Stern) to a Free FM station (which now carries the Kidd Chris morning show). WYSP also carries live radio broadcasts of all Philadelphia Eagles home and road games. WMMR has the top rated morning show in the Philadelphia area, The Preston and Steve Show, which has been at the top of the ratings since leaving former rock station Y100.

Philadelphia's four urban stations (WUSL ("Power 99"), WPHI ("100.3 The Beat"), WDAS and WRNB) are popular choices on the FM dial. WJJZ is the city's "smooth jazz" station. When WJJZ was discontinued in August 2006, it caused an uproar among listeners, but it was revived three months later, under new ownership (Greater Media) and with a new frequency (97.5). The former WJJZ is now WISX, "Philly's 106.1".

Innovation

Philadelphia is home to many "first-in-America" institutions, including:<ref>Philadelphia Firsts 1681-1899, ushistory.org</ref><ref>Philadelphia Firsts, about.com</ref>

• Fire insurance company
• Botanical garden
• Public library
• Hospital
• Fire engine
• Fire company
• Medical school

• Pediatric hospital
• Cancer hospital
• Eye hospital
• University
• Art school & museum
• Municipal water system
• Post office

• Bank
• Stock exchange
• Mint
• Zoo
• Computer
• Modernist skyscraper in North America

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Philadelphia

Modèle:USCensusPop As of the census² of 2000, there were 1,517,550 people, 590,071 households, and 352,272 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,337.3/km² (11,233.6/sq mi). There were 661,958 housing units at an average density of 4,900.1/sq mi (1,891.9/km²). As of the 2004 Census estimations, there were 1,463,281 people, 658,799 housing units, and the racial makeup of the city was 45.0% White, 43.2% African American, 5.5% Asian, 0.3% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 5.8% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.5% of the population.

Of the 590,071 households, 27.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.1% were married couples living together, 22.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.3% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,746, and the median income for a family was $37,036. Males had a median income of $34,199 versus $28,477 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,509. About 18.4% of families and 22.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.3% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.

Philadelphia has the second largest Irish, Italian, and Jamaican populations and the fourth largest African American population in the nation. Philadelphia also has the fourth largest population of Polish residents. In recent years, the Hispanic and Asian American populations have significantly increased. Hispanics, mostly Puerto Ricans,^{[citation needed]} have settled throughout the city, especially around El Centro de Oro, and the city now has the third largest Puerto Rican population in the continental United States. The Asian population was once concentrated in the city's thriving Chinatown, but now Korean Americans have come to Olney, and Vietnamese have forged bazaars next to the Italian Market in South Philadelphia. Concentrations of Cambodian American neighborhoods can be found in North and South Philadelphia. Indians and Arabs have come to Northeast Philadelphia along with Russian and Ukrainian immigrants. This large influx of Asians has given Philadelphia one of the largest populations of Vietnamese, Cambodians, Chinese, and Koreans in United States. The Philadelphia region also has the fourth largest population of Indian Americans. The West Indian population is concentrated in Cedar Park. Germans, Greeks, Chinese, Japanese, English, Pakistanis, Iranians, and other ethnic groups can be found throughout the city.

Government

From a governmental perspective, Philadelphia County is a legal nullity, as all county functions were assumed by the city in 1952, which has been conterminous with the county since 1854.

The city uses the "strong-mayor" version of the mayor-council form of government, which is headed by one mayor, in whom executive authority is vested. Elected "at large," the mayor is limited to two consecutive four-year terms under the city's home rule charter, but can run for the position again after an intervening term. The incumbent is former Philadelphia City Council President John F. Street, elected in 1999 and re-elected by a larger majority in 2003. He is a Democrat, as all Philadelphia mayors have been since 1952. The Mayor-elect is Michael Nutter, also a Democrat, who will take office in January 2008. The legislative branch, the Philadelphia City Council, consists of ten council members representing individual districts and seven members elected at large. The current council president is Anna C. Verna.

The Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, also known as the Court of Common Pleas for the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, is the trial court of general jurisdiction for Philadelphia. It is funded and operated largely by city resources and employees. The Philadelphia Municipal Court handles matters of limited jurisdiction as well as landlord-tenant disputes, appeals from traffic court, preliminary examinations for felony-level offenses, and the like. Traffic Court is a court of special jurisdiction that hears violations of traffic laws.

The Philadelphia Historical Commission was created in 1955 to preserve the cultural, social, political, economic and architectural history of the city. The commission maintains the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, adding historic buildings, structures, sites, objects and districts as it sees fit.<ref name="PNC">Philadelphia Historical Commission</ref>

The Philadelphia Housing Authority is the largest landlord in the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Established in 1937, it is the nation’s fourth-largest housing authority, housing approximately 84,000 people and employing 1,250. In 2006, its budget was $313 million.<ref name="PHA">Philadelphia Housing Authority</ref>

Politics and Elections

Modèle:Seealso

As of November 2007, there are 992,696 registered voters in Philadelphia.<ref>Modèle:PDFlink</ref>

• Democratic: 749,652 (75.52%)
• Republican: 150,477 (15.16%)
• Other Parties: 92,567 (9.32%)

From the American Civil War until the mid-20th century, Philadelphia was a bastion of the Republican Party, which arose from the staunch pro-Northern views of Philadelphia residents during and after the war. After the Great Depression, Democratic registrations increased, but the city was not carried by Democratic Franklin D. Roosevelt in his landslide victory of 1932 (in which Pennsylvania was one of the few states won by Republican Herbert Hoover). While other Northern industrial cities were electing Democratic mayors in the 1930s and 1940s, Philadelphia did not follow suit until 1951. That is, Philadelphia never had a "New Deal" coalition.

The city is now one of the most Democratic in the country, despite the frequent election of Republicans to statewide offices since the 1930s; in 2004, Democrat John Kerry drew 80% of the city's vote.

Philadelphia once comprised six congressional districts. However, as a result of the city's declining population, it now has only four: the 1st, represented by Bob Brady; the 2nd, represented by Chaka Fattah; the 8th, represented by Patrick Murphy; and the 13th, represented by Allyson Schwartz. All four are Democrats; no Republican has represented a significant portion of Philadelphia since 1983. However, Pennsylvania's Republican Senator, Arlen Specter, is from Philadelphia.

Crime

Like many American cities, Philadelphia saw a gradual yet pronounced rise in crime in the years following World War II. Murders peaked in 1990 at 525, for a rate of 31.5 per 100,000. There were an average of about 400 murders a year for most of the 1990s. The murder count dropped in 2002 to 288, then surged four years later to 406.<ref>Modèle:Cite journal</ref> Out of the ten most populous cities in the United States in 2006, Philadelphia had the highest homicide rate at 28 per 100,000 people, and is on pace for a significantly worse year in 2007.<ref> The bodies fell, and the numbers rose

.</ref>

In 2004, there were 5,513.5 crimes per 100,000 people in Philadelphia.<ref> Philadelphia PA Crime Statistics (2005 Crime Data)

. AreaConnect LLC

 

. Retrieved on 2006-12-11. </ref> In 2005, Philadelphia was ranked by Morgan Quitno as the sixth-most dangerous among 32 American cities with populations over 500,000. Among its neighboring Mid-Atlantic cities in the same population group, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. were ranked second- and third-most dangerous cities in the United States, respectively, and Camden, New Jersey, a suburb across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, was ranked as the most dangerous city in the United States.<ref> Rankings by Population Group (Top 10/Bottom 10)

. Morgan Quitno Awards

 

. Retrieved on 2006-12-11. </ref>

In 2006, Camden was the fifth-most dangerous city in the country, lower than its 2004 ranking, but still high for a city its size, while Philadelphia was ranked 29th.<ref> Death & taxes in Philadelphia

. Retrieved on 2007-04-02. </ref>

On September 12 2007, police commissioner Sylvester Johnson called on 10,000 African American men to patrol the streets to lessen crime. Johnson, who is black, set up "Call to Action: 10,000 Men, It's a New Day" in response to the city's disproportionate homicide rate of African Americans: 80% of the victims of the 300 murders through September were black. Dennis Muhammad, Nation of Islam official, and Mayor John F. Street supported the project. The program was to begin on October 21.<ref>nydailynews.com, Black men urged to help Philadelphia police to reduce crime </ref> The actual response to Johnson's call was disappointingly low in terms of numbers.^{[citation needed]}

Education

Main article: Education in Philadelphia

Image:Penn campus 2.jpg

University of Pennsylvania

Education in Philadelphia is provided by many private and public institutions. The School District of Philadelphia runs the city's public schools. The Philadelphia School District is the eighth largest school district in the United States with 210,432 students in 346 public and charter schools.<ref>"

   Philadelphia School District - About Us 
     
 " , Philadelphia School District
 
  . Retrieved on 2007-03-23
 . </ref> 

Philadelphia is one of the largest college towns in the United States and has the second-largest student concentration on the East Coast with over 120,000 college and university students enrolled within the city and nearly 300,000 in the metropolitan area. There are over 80 colleges, universities, trade, and specialty schools in the Philadelphia region. Schools within the city's borders include Drexel University, Temple University, University of Pennsylvania, Peirce College, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, The University of the Arts, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Thomas Jefferson University, Moore College of Art and Design, The Art Institute of Philadelphia, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, La Salle University, Philadelphia University, Saint Joseph's University, Chestnut Hill College, Holy Family University, and Community College of Philadelphia.

Infrastructure

Philadelphia is served by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, or SEPTA, which operates buses, trains, rapid transit, trolleys, and trackless trolleys throughout Philadelphia and the four Pennsylvania suburban counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery. The city's subway system, first opened in 1907, is the third oldest in America.

One of the seven SEPTA Regional Rail lines, Route R-1, offers direct service to the Philadelphia International Airport.

Philadelphia's 30th Street Station is a major railroad station on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, which offers access to Amtrak, SEPTA, and New Jersey Transit lines.

The PATCO provides rapid transit service to Camden, Collingswood, Westmont, Haddonfield, Woodcrest (Cherry Hill), Ashland (Voorhees), and Lindenwold, New Jersey, from stations on Locust Street between 16th and 15th, 13th and 12th, and 10th and 9th Streets, and on Market Street at 8th Street.

In addition, China Airlines provides a private bus service to John F. Kennedy International Airport from the Holy Redeemer Church in the Philadelphia Chinatown to feed its flight to Taipei, Taiwan. <ref>"Complimentary Bus Service Provided To/From JFK International Airport Terminal One," China Airlines</ref>.

Airports

Two airports serve Philadelphia: the Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), straddling the southern boundary of the city, and the Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE), a general aviation reliever airport in Northeast Philadelphia. Philadelphia International Airport provides scheduled domestic and international air service, while Northeast Philadelphia Airport serves general and corporate aviation. As of March 2006, Philadelphia International Airport was the 10th largest airport measured by traffic movements, and was also a primary hub for US Airways.<ref>Airports Council International</ref>

Roads

Interstate 95 runs through the city along the Delaware River as a main north-south artery. The city is also served by the Schuylkill Expressway, a portion of Interstate 76 that runs along the Schuylkill River. It meets the Pennsylvania Turnpike at King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, providing access to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and points west. Interstate 676, the Vine Street Expressway, was completed in 1991 after years of planning. A link between I-95 and I-76, it runs below street level through Center City, connecting to the Ben Franklin Bridge at its eastern end.

Roosevelt Boulevard and the Roosevelt Expressway (U.S. Route 1) connect Northeast Philadelphia with Center City. The Woodhaven Road (PA Route 63), built in 1966, serves the neighborhoods of Northeast Philadelphia, running between Interstate 95 and the Roosevelt Boulevard (U.S. Route 1). The Fort Washington Expressway (Pennsylvania Route 309) extends north from the city's northern border, serving several suburbs to the north.

Interstate 476, commonly nicknamed the "Blue Route" through Delaware County, bypasses the city to the west, serving the city's western suburbs, as well as providing a link to Allentown and points north. Similarly, Interstate 276, the Pennsylvania Turnpike's Delaware River Extension, acts as a bypass and commuter route to the north of the city as well as a link to the New Jersey Turnpike to New York.

However, other planned freeways have been canceled, such as an Interstate 695 running southwest from downtown, two freeways connecting Interstate 95 to Interstate 76 that would have replaced Girard Avenue and South Street and a freeway upgrade of Roosevelt Boulevard.

The Delaware River Port Authority operates four bridges in the Philadelphia area across the Delaware River to New Jersey: the Walt Whitman Bridge (I-76), the Benjamin Franklin Bridge (I-676 and US 30), the Betsy Ross Bridge (Route 90), and the Commodore Barry Bridge (US 322). The Tacony-Palmyra Bridge connects PA Route 73 in the Tacony section of Northeast Philadelphia with New Jersey's Route 73 in Palmyra, Camden County, and is maintained by the Burlington County Bridge Commission.

Philadelphia is also a major hub for Greyhound Lines, which operates 24-hour service to points east of the Mississippi River. Most of Greyhound's services in Philadelphia operate to/from the Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal, located at 1001 Filbert Street in Center City Philadelphia. In 2006, the Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal was the second busiest Greyhound terminal in the United States, after the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York. Besides Greyhound, six other bus operators provide service to the Center City Greyhound terminal. These are Bieber Tourways, Capitol Trailways, Martz Trailways, Peter Pan Bus Lines, Susquehanna Trailways, and the bus division for New Jersey Transit.

Rail

Main article: History of rail transport in Philadelphia

Since the early days of rail transport in the United States, Philadelphia has served as hub for several major rail companies, especially the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Reading Railroad. The Pennsylvania Railroad first operated Broad Street Station, then 30th Street Station and Suburban Station, and the Reading Railroad operated out of Reading Terminal, now part of the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The two companies also operated competing commuter rail systems in the area, known collectively as the Regional Rail system. The two systems today, for the most part still intact but now connected, operate as a single system under the control of the SEPTA, the regional transit authority.

Philadelphia is one of the few North American cities to maintain streetcar lines. In addition to "subway-surface" trolleys, which are so called because during the years when the city was served by over 2000 trolleys and more than 65 lines, these were the "surface" cars that ran also in the streetcar subway, the city recently reintroduced trolley service to the Girard Avenue Line, Route 15, considered by some a "heritage" line, although the use of rebuilt 1947 PCC streetcars was primarily for budgetary reasons, rather than as an historic tribute.

Today Philadelphia is a hub of the semi-nationalized Amtrak system, with 30th Street Station being a primary stop on the Washington-Boston Northeast Corridor and the Keystone Corridor to Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 30th Street also serves as a major station for services via the Pennsylvania Railroad's former Pennsylvania Main Line to Chicago. 30th Street is Amtrak's third-busiest station in numbers of passengers as of fiscal year 2003. It is also a terminus of New Jersey Transit's Atlantic City Line.<ref>http://www.njtransit.com/pdf/rail/r0090.pdf</ref>

Telecommunications

Southeastern Pennsylvania was once served only by the 215 area code, beginning in 1947 when the North American Numbering Plan of the "Bell System" went into effect. The area covered by the code was severely truncated when area code 610 was split from 215. Today only the city and its northern suburbs are covered by 215. An overlay area code, 267, was added to the 215 service area in 1997. A plan to introduce area code 445 as an additional overlay in 2001 was delayed and later rescinded.<ref>Modèle:PDFlink</ref>

Philadelphia is now also served by Wireless Philadelphia, a citywide initiative to provide Wi-Fi service. The Proof of Concept area was approved on May 23, 2007, and service is now available in many areas of the city.

Sister cities

Philadelphia has ten sister cities, as designated by the International Visitors Council of Philadelphia (IVC):

Philadelphia has dedicated landmarks to its sister cities. Dedicated in June 1976, the Sister Cities Plaza, a one-half-acre site located at 18th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, honors Philadelphia's relationships with Tel-Aviv, Israel and Florence, Italy, which were its first Sister Cities. Another landmark, the Torun Triangle, honoring the Sister City relationship with Toruń, Poland, was constructed in 1976, west of the United Fund building at 18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The Triangle contains the Copernicus monument. The Chinatown Gate, erected in 1984 and crafted by artisans of Tianjin, China, stands astride the intersection of 10th and Arch Streets as an elaborate and colorful symbol of the Sister City relationship.

See also

Modèle:Portalpar

• 2007 Philadelphia Mayoral Election
• Pennsylvania Dutch Country (nearby)
• United States metropolitan areas
• Largest metropolitan areas in the Americas

References

External links

Modèle:Sisterlinks

• Modèle:Wikitravel
• Official Government Website
• Philly History
• Philadelphia Architects and Buildings
• wikiPhilly
• Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau
• A Few Old Postcard Views of Philadelphia
• ushistory.org from the Independence Hall Association
• Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce
• Philly.com - Home page of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News
• neighborhoodBase Statistical mapping system for Philadelphia run by Penn
• Article detailing the rise in homicides in 2005
• Philadelphia Police Department
• Woodhaven Road Project
• Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Philadelphia Region

Modèle:Mapit-US-cityscale

• Greater Philadelphia GeoHistory Network - historical atlases and maps of Philadelphia

Modèle:Philadelphia Modèle:Pennsylvania Modèle:Location of US capital Modèle:USLargestCities Modèle:AllAmericanCity Modèle:County Seats of Pennsylvania

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