Information
City: PhiladelphiaCountry: USA Pennsylvania
Continent: North America
Philadelphia, USA Pennsylvania, North America
Overview
Philadelphia-known to most as “Philly”-is Pennsylvania’s biggest city, and it ranks among the oldest in the country, where cobblestone streets still echo with history.Here’s a quick look at the geography and demographics: Philadelphia sits in southeastern Pennsylvania, where the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers meet and the water smells faintly of salt.Spanning about 142 square miles, it’s home to roughly 1.6 million people, making it the sixth-largest city in the U. S. You’ll find a mix of languages on street corners and neighborhoods alive with music, food, and traditions from around the world.Founded in 1682 by William Penn, Philadelphia quickly became a heartbeat of the young nation, where the crack of the Liberty Bell once echoed through its streets.During the American Revolution, the Founding Fathers gathered there, their voices echoing off the worn wooden walls.In 1776, leaders gathered in Philadelphia’s Independence Hall to sign the Declaration of Independence, and from 1790 to 1800, the city bustled as the young nation’s capital.Philadelphia’s cultural scene thrives, with treasures like the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where sunlight spills across galleries filled with paintings, sculptures, and centuries of craft.The city’s best-known spot is the “Rocky Steps,” rising wide and gray outside the museum.Independence National Historical Park is home to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, the cracked bronze bell that still rings in America’s story of freedom.The city boasts a lively, mixed economy, driven by education, healthcare, biotechnology, finance, and even bustling tourist spots like its waterfront.Major universities, including the University of Pennsylvania and Temple, pour energy into the city-fueling its economy and driving research that fills lab benches with humming equipment.Philadelphia boasts several prestigious universities and colleges, from the Ivy League’s University of Pennsylvania to Temple and Drexel, with leafy campuses scattered across the city.Philadelphia is a major transportation hub, with SEPTA running an extensive network of buses, trolleys, subways, and regional trains-some stations even smell faintly of coffee from nearby cafés.Philadelphia International Airport serves the area, and major highways link it to other big cities-just a few hours’ drive away in any direction.Philadelphia’s food scene is legendary, from the sizzling Philly cheesesteak to warm, salty soft pretzels and the hearty, old-fashioned scrapple.In this city, you can grab sizzling skewers from a street cart or settle into a candlelit table for a five-course feast.Philadelphia lives and breathes sports, cheering for hometown teams like the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field, the Phillies, the 76ers, and the Flyers.Tourists flock to historic landmarks, lively cultural spots, and colorful streets like Old City and Fishtown, then stick around for traditions like the bustling annual Mummers Parade.In Philadelphia, cobblestone streets whisper its history while glass towers catch the morning light, blending past and present into a city that feels alive.
Landmarks in philadelphia