Population:
The second largest city on the East Coast, Philadelphia ranks fifth in the nation, with a metropolitan population of 5.8 million.
Location:
Philadelphia is located 100 miles south of New York, 133 miles north of Washington, D.C., and 55 miles from Atlantic City.
Planes, Trains & Automobiles:
Philadelphia is served by all modes of transportation:
Air:
The Philadelphia International Airport is located eight miles from Philadelphia's Center City.
From Philadelphia, fly to more than 100 cities in the United States and 16 destinations abroad.
- Domestic Flights: American West, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines, Midway Airlines, Midwest Express, Northwest Airlines, Trans World Airlines, United Airlines and US Airways.
- International Flights: Air Aruba, Air Canada, Air Jamaica, American Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa, Mexicana, Northwest Airlines, United Airlines and US Airways.
Rail:
Philadelphia's Amtrak's 30 th Street Station is a major East Coast hub, with trains that run along the northeast corridor serving Boston, New York, Baltimore and Washington.
Public transit:
Philadelphia's Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), has a vast network of bus, subway, and trolley commuter services between the city and the suburbs. In addition, SEPTA Airport Rail Line connects the airport with Philadelphia's Center City.
Highway:
Major regional highways: Pennsylvania Turnpike, I-76, I-95, New Jersey Turnpike allow convenient access nationwide.
Climate:
Four distinct seasons with moderately cold winter and hot, humid summer. January average temperature, 33 degrees Fahrenheit; July average temperature, 75 degrees; average yearly rainfall, 41 inches; normal seasonal snowfall, 21 inches.
History:
In November of 1682, William Penn sailed from Great Britain to the new world on the Welcome and landed in Upland, near what is now Chester (south of Philadelphia). Penn named his colony Pennsylvania and began to plan the city that is known as Philadelphia, a Greek word meaning City of Brotherly Love.
He fashioned the center of this city as a grid; streets running north to south where numbered from First to Eighth, and streets running east to west where named after trees. As resentment toward England's heavy-handed tax policies grew, so did the restlessness of the 13 colonies. In 1776, the colonies' representatives met in Philadelphia's Independence Hall to announce their freedom from Britain and to pen their names to the Declaration of Independence.
Britain's determination not to relinquish control of the New World motivated the Redcoats (as the British infantry was known) to cross the Atlantic Ocean, marking the start of the Revolutionary War. The war lasted for eight years. Thanks to the tireless efforts of George Washington and his troops, who endured the brutal winter of 1777-1778, the struggle for freedom was won.
In 1787, delegates of the 13 colonies forming the United States met in Philadelphia to unify the new country's governmental structure with the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. Philadelphia, centrally located, was the capital of our country from 1790 to 1800.
Sports:
Philadelphia is home to the Phillies (baseball), Eagles (football), Flyers (ice hockey), Sixers (basketball), Kixx (indoor soccer), Wings (indoor lacrosse), Phantoms (minor league ice hockey), Soul (arena football) and several collegiate athletic teams. The South Philadelphia sports complex includes Citizens Bank Park (home of the Phillies), Lincoln Financial Field (home of the Eagles), the Wachovia Center (home of the Flyers, Sixers, Wings and Soul) and the Wachovia Spectrum (Kixx).
The Hot Spots:
Among the region's hot spots for tourism are the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Betsy Ross' House, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Franklin Institute, Italian Market, Valley Forge, Longwood Gardens, Rodin Museum and The Philadelphia Zoo.
Convention Facilities:
The Pennsylvania Convention Center, in the heart of downtown Philadelphia, stands as one of the largest convention centers in the Northeast with 1.3 million square feet of floor space. It is connected to the 1,200-room Philadelphia Marriott built in 1996. Unique to convention facilities, this center is the only structure of it kind with a 100-year-old, historically certified grand hall called the Train Shed. Approximately 70,000-sq. ft. of historic cast iron was used to restore the exterior of this Victorian hall. Since the Center opened in July 1993, it has been the recipient of many prestigious national and international honors. For more information call 1.800.428.9000.
Colleges & Universities:
According to the 1997-1998 study by the United States Department of Education, the Philadelphia region has the second largest number of colleges in the nation. Within the five-county region there are more than 50 colleges and universities. Top schools include The Art Institute of Philadelphia, Arcadia University, Bryn Mawr College, Chestnut Hill College, Drexel University, Haverford College, La Salle University, Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, Philadelphia University, Rosemont College, St. Joseph's University, Swarthmore College, Temple University, Thomas Jefferson University, University of the Arts, the University of Pennsylvania, Villanova University and Widener University.
Famous Citizens:
Actor and comedian Bill Cosby; poet Edgar Allen Poe; retired basketball player Julius (Dr. J.) Erving; writer W.C. Fields; actor Terrance Howard; director M. Night Shyamalan; musician and actor Will Smith; architect Buckminster Fuller; conductor Eugene Ormandy; singer Patti LaBelle; the Rev. Leon Sullivan, founder of Opportunity Industrialization Center and first black director of General Motors Corp., who led corporate sanctions against South Africa; author James Michener; actress Grace Kelly; W.E.B. Dubois, a Harvard-educated sociologist whose book, The Philadelphia Negro, published in 1899, has become an American classic.