Portal:Philadelphia
The Philadelphia Portal
.jpg)
Philadelphia (/fɪləˈdɛlfi.ə/ ⓘ fill-ə-DEL-fee-ə), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the sixth-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 1,603,797 in the 2020 census. The city is the urban core of the larger Delaware Valley, also known as the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the nation's eighth-largest metropolitan area and seventh-largest combined statistical area with 6.245 million residents and 7.366 million residents, respectively.
Philadelphia maintains extensive contemporary influence in business and industry, culture, sports, and music. With 17 four-year universities and colleges in the city, Philadelphia is one of the nation's leading centers for higher education and academic research. The city is a national cultural center, hosting more outdoor sculptures and murals than any other city in the nation. Fairmount Park, when combined with adjacent Wissahickon Valley Park in the same watershed, is 2,052 acres (830 ha), representing one of the nation's largest and the world's 55th-largest urban park. Philadelphia is known for its arts, culture, cuisine, and colonial and Revolutionary-era history; in 2016, it attracted 42 million domestic tourists who spent $6.8 billion, representing $11 billion in economic impact to the city and its surrounding Pennsylvania counties. With five professional sports teams and one of the nation's most loyal and passionate fan bases, Philadelphia is often ranked as the nation's best city for professional sports fans. The city has a culturally and philanthropically active LGBTQ+ community. Philadelphia also has played an immensely influential historic and ongoing role in the development and evolution of American music, especially R&B, soul, and rock. (Full article...)
Selected article -
The history of Philadelphia goes back to its founding in 1682 by William Penn. The area had earlier been inhabited by the Lenape (Delaware) Indians and European settlers who first arrived in the area in the early 1600s. Philadelphia quickly grew into an important colonial city and during the American Revolution was the site of the First and Second Continental Congresses. After the Revolution the city served as the temporary capital of the United States. At the beginning of the 19th century, the federal and state governments left Philadelphia, but the city was still the cultural and financial center of the country. Philadelphia became one of the first industrial centers in the United States, and the city contained a variety of industries, the largest being textiles. After the American Civil War, Philadelphia's government was controlled by an increasingly corrupt Republican political machine and by the beginning of the 20th century the city was described as "corrupt and contented." Various reform efforts slowly changed city government with the most significant in 1950 when a new city charter strengthened the position of mayor and weakened the Philadelphia City Council. At the same time Philadelphia moved its support from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party, which has since created a strong organization. The city's population began to decline in the 1950s as mostly white and middle-class families left for the suburbs. Many of Philadelphia's houses were in poor condition and lacked proper facilities, and gang and mafia warfare plagued the city. Revitalization and gentrification of certain neighborhoods started bringing people back to the city. Promotions and incentives in the 1990s and the early 21st century have improved the city's image and created a condominium boom in Center City and the surrounding areas that has slowed the population decline.
Selected image -
Philadelphia has more outdoor sculptures and murals than any other American city. Many statues of Benjamin Franklin can be found around town, including an elderly Franklin with a walking cane and paper in his hands seated on a bench along the Locust Walk in West Philadelphia, within the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, a university founded by Franklin.
Selected biography -
Bart King was an American cricketer, active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. King was one of the Philadelphian cricketers that played from the end of the 19th century until the outbreak of World War I. This period of cricket in the United States was dominated by gentleman players—men of independent wealth who did not need to work. King was an amateur from a middle-class family, who was able to devote time to cricket thanks to a job set up by his teammates. King was a skilled batsman, but proved his worth as a bowler. During his career, he set numerous records in North America and led the first-class bowling averages in England in 1908. He successfully competed against the best cricketers from England and Australia. King was the dominant bowler on his team when it toured England in 1897, 1903, and 1908. He dismissed batsmen with his unique delivery, which he called the "angler," and helped develop the art of swing bowling in the sport. Many of the great bowlers of today still use the strategies and techniques that he developed. Sir Pelham Warner described Bart King as one of the finest bowlers of all time, and Donald Bradman called him "America's greatest cricketing son."
Did you know (auto-generated) -
- ... that John Morin Scott, the mayor of Philadelphia, responded to the 1842 Lombard Street riot by mostly arresting black victims?
- ... that Dom DiSandro, the Philadelphia Eagles' chief security officer, was ejected from a game for getting into a scuffle with an opposing player?
- ... that the funds from the sale of burial lots at Cathedral Cemetery in Philadelphia were intended for the construction of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul?
- ... that queer pro-Palestinian protesters faced off against the 2024 Philadelphia Pride drumline?
- ... that the Octavius V. Catto Memorial, unveiled in 2017, contains the first statue on Philadelphia public property of a specific African American?
- ... that Leverington Cemetery has the most orbs and apparitions in Philadelphia?
- ... that in the same season Red Weiner played for the Philadelphia Eagles against the Reading Keys, and for the Reading Keys against the Philadelphia Eagles?
- ... that judge Robert Bork's leaked list of video rentals included movies such as Citizen Kane, The Philadelphia Story and Sixteen Candles?
Selected anniversaries - February
- February 2, 1854 - The Act of Consolidation is passed, consolidating all of Philadelphia County into the City of Philadelphia.
- February 5, 1824 - The Franklin Institute is founded by Samuel Vaughan Merrick and William H. Keating.
- February 12, 1875 - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Philadelphia is elevated to level of Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
- February 25, 1957 - The body of unsolved murder victim Joseph Augustus Zarelli, unidentified until December 2022 and dubbed the "Boy in the Box", is found.
Quotes -
"It was in Philadelphia that 'in a moment of elegance and clarity' the men gathered here wrote the Declaration of Independence and Constitution."
Related portals
Things you can do
Help and improve articles related to Philadelphia.
Topics
List articles
 |
Categories
Featured articles
Latest Featured Articles and Lists
Associated Wikimedia
The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
-
Commons
Free media repository -
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals -
Wikidata
Free knowledge base -
Wikinews
Free-content news -
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations -
Wikisource
Free-content library -
Wikiversity
Free learning tools -
Wikivoyage
Free travel guide -
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus
