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Philadelphia, Pa.
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Mayor: Michael Nutter (to Jan. 2012)
2000 census population (rank): 1,517,550
(5); % change: –4.3; Male: 705,107 (46.5%);
Female: 812,443 (53.5%); White: 683,267 (45.0%);
Black: 655,824 (43.2%); American Indian and Alaska
Native: 4,073 (0.3%); Asian: 67,654 (4.5%); Other
race: 72,429 (4.8%); Two or more races: 33,574 (2.2%);
Hispanic/Latino: 128,928 (8.5%). 2000 percent population
18 and over: 74.7%; 65 and over: 14.1%; Median
age: 34.2.
2005 population estimate (rank): 1,463,281
(5)
See
additional census data
Land area: 135 sq mi. (350 sq km);
Alt.: Highest, 440 ft.; lowest, sea
level
Avg. daily temp.: Jan., 30.4° F; July,
76.7° F
Churches: Roman Catholic, 133; Jewish,
55; Protestant and others, 830;
City-owned parks: 630 (10,252 ac.);
Radio stations:1 AM, 40; FM, 43;
Television stations: 14
Civilian Labor Force (PMSA) April 2006:
2,953,100;2
Unemployed: 128,900,2
Percent: 4.42;
Per capita personal income (MSA)
2004: $38,7682
Chamber of Commerce: Philadelphia
Chamber of Commerce, 200 South Broad St., Suite 700, Philadelphia,
PA 19102
1. Metropolitan area.
2. Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington,
Pa–N.J.–Del.–Md.
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Philadelphia, the largest city in Pennsylvania, is located in
the southeast part of the state at the junction of the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers. It is
coextensive with Philadelphia County.
Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, was settled in 1681 by Capt.
William Markham, who, with a small band of colonists, had been sent out by
his cousin, William Penn. Penn arrived
the following year with the intention of creating a refuge for the Quakers.
In the period before the American Revolution, the city outstripped all
others in the colonies in education, arts, science, industry, and
commerce. In 1774–1776, the First and Second Continental
Congresses met in Philadelphia, and, from 1781–1783,
the city was the capital of the United States under the Articles of Confederation.
In 1790, it became the nation's capital under the Constitution and
remained so until the seat of the federal government moved to Washington
in 1800.
Within a half-century of the founding of the nation at Independence Hall,
Philadelphia had emerged as a leader in America's Industrial Revolution.
Today the steam locomotives and hat factories of the 19th century have
been replaced by diverse manufacturing specialties such as chemicals
(including pharmaceuticals), medical devices, transportation equipment,
and printing and publishing. In the services sector, Philadelphia leads in
subsectors such as health services, insurance carriers, legal services,
and architecture and engineering services. Philadelphia is also home to
branches of the U.S. Mint, the Federal Reserve System, and
the Internal Revenue Service.
The city's harbor, one of the largest freshwater ports in the world, is
the centerpiece of the AmeriPort facility in south Philadelphia, a major
shipping center with rail links to the Midwest and Canada.
The city abounds in landmarks of early American history, including
Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and
the Liberty Bell. Other
significant tourist attractions are the Philadelphia Museum of Art,
the Franklin Institute Science Museum,
and the Philadelphia Zoological Gardens.
See also Encyclopedia: Philadelphia .
Selected famous
natives and residents:
-
Marian Anderson
contralto;
-
Frankie Avalon
singer and actor;
-
John, Lionel, and Ethel Barrymore
actors;
-
Edmund Bacon
city planner;
-
Kevin Bacon
actor;
-
Boyz II Men
R&B group;
-
Mary Cassatt
artist;
-
Wilt Chamberlain
basketball player;
-
Chubby Checker
singer;
-
Bill Cosby
actor;
-
Stuart Davis
painter;
-
Thomas Eakins
painter and sculptor;
-
Fabian
singer;
-
W. C. Fields
comedian;
-
Benjamin Franklin
inventor and statesman;
-
Frank Furness
architect;
-
Stan Getz
saxophonist;
-
Grace (Kelly)
actress and princess of Monaco;
-
Walt Kelly
cartoonist;
-
Jack Klugman
actor;
-
Patti LaBelle
singer;
-
Mario Lanza
singer and actor;
-
George McClellan
general;
-
Margaret Mead
anthropologist;
-
Edgar Allen Poe
author;
-
Anna Quindlen
writer and Pulitzer Prize winner;
-
Man Ray
painter;
-
Betsy Ross
flagmaker;
-
Bobby Rydell
singer;
-
Will Smith
actor;
-
Jacqueline Susann
novelist;
-
Robert Venturi
architect.
Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education,
Inc. All rights reserved.
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