Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Philadelphia_skyline_August_2007.jpg
Author: Emy111


Philadelphia is the largest city in the state of Pennsylvania, USA. It has a population of 1.54 million people and a metropolitan population of 5.8 million, making it the sixth largest city in the United States.

Philadelphia Exchange
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Philadelphia_Exchange.jpg
Author: Euthman


Philadelphia is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The area where the city is located has been explored by different European powers since early 1600's. There were disparate settlements founded by the Dutch, British and Swedish in the Delaware Valley area. The Swedes in particular took control over large tracts of land in what is present-day Philadelphia and parts of Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.

In 1681 William Penn was granted a charter to colonize what was to become Pennsylvania. Nonetheless Penn paid the local Lenape tribe for the land, so as not to antagonise them. Having endured religious persecution himself, Penn took great pains to ensure that his settlement practises religious tolerance. This help endeared him to the local tribes and in turn helped to spur the growth of Philadelphia, a name which Penn coined from the Greek for "brotherly love".

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:KimmelCenterInteriorHDR.jpg
Author: Jon91870


Philadelphia's central location made it a significant player in America's early history. It was here that the United States Declarationn of Independence was signed, and it was around Philadelphia also that several battles were fought.

Philadephia was the temporary capital of the United States from 1790 to 1800, while waiting for the Federal Capital to be built in Washington, D.C. Even as the state capital and then the federal capital relocated elsewhere, Philadelphia had by the turn of the 19th century become the largest city in the newly formed United States. Although New York City soon surpassed it in size, Philadelphia had reinvented itself as a developing industrial center as well as transportation hub.

Night time in Philadelphia
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Philadelphia_Night_Skyline.jpg
Author: Thesab


The population of Philadelphia reached its peak in 1950 before ebbing. The 19th century manufacturing plants were replaced by service industries and gleaming skyscrapers replaced old warehouses and factories.

Travel to Philadelphia

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is the largest airport in the Delaware Valley. To leave the airport, you can take either the taxi or the train run by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, SEPTA. The taxi fare to downtown Pennsylvania is a flat rate of $28.50. The SEPTA's R1 railway line connects the airport to downtown. The tickets are available on board for $7 cash.

Philadelphia City Hall
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Philadelphia_City_Hall_night.jpg
Author: Ben Franske

Travel within Philadelphia

Downtown Philadelphia is a great city to explore on foot.

The trains by SEPTA is probably the most convenient way for budget travels to get around in Philadelphia. Single-ride tickets are available at the ticket counter for $6 each. You can also buy a day pass of $10 for unlimited rides.

Places of Interest in Philadelphia

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About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.