Philadelphia

The city of Philadelphia is the largest city in and the  city in the. It is conterminous with, and serves as the county seat. It is colloquially referred to as "the City of Brotherly Love" (from : Φιλαδέλφεια,, Modern Greek: , "brotherly love" from philos "love" and adelphos "brother"). Residents often informally call the city "Philly."

In 2006, the estimated the population of the city proper to be over 1.4 million. Philadelphia is a commercial, educational, and cultural center. As of the 2006 population estimate, the  was the fifth-largest in the United States with a population of 5.8 million.

The city was once the second-largest in the, then the most populous city of the United States. It was one of the first. During the 18th century, it eclipsed in political and social importance, with  taking a large role in Philadelphia's early rise to prominence. It was the social and geographical center of the. It was in this city that some of the ideas, and subsequent actions, gave birth to the and American independence.

History
Prior to the arrival of Europeans the Philadelphia area was inhabited by the. Europeans arrived in the in the early 1600s, with the first settlements being founded by the,  and. In 1681, as part of a repayment of a debt, granted  a  for what would become the. Part of Penn's plan for the colony was to create a city on the to serve as a port and place for government. Despite already having been given the land by Charles II, Penn bought the land from the local Lenape to be on good terms with the Native Americans and ensure peace for his colony. According to Penn made a treaty of friendship with Lenape chief  under an elm tree at, in what is now the city's. Having been a, Penn had experienced religious persecution and wanted his colony to be a place where anyone could worship freely despite their religion. Penn named the city Philadelphia, which is for brotherly love (philos, "love" or "friendship", and adelphos, "brother").

Penn's plan was that Philadelphia would be like an English rural town instead of a city. The city's roads were designed with a with the idea that houses and businesses would be spread far apart and surrounded by gardens and orchards. The city's inhabitants didn't follow Penn's plans and crowded by the Delaware River and subdivided and resold their lots. Before Penn left Philadelphia for the last time, he issued the Charter of 1701 establishing Philadelphia as a city. The city soon grew and established itself as an important trading center. Conditions in the city were poor at first, but by the 1750s living conditions had improved. A significant contributor to Philadelphia at the time was. Franklin helped improve city services and found new ones, such as the American Colonies'. Due to Philadelphia's central location in the colonies, during the the city was used as the location for the  before the war, the, which signed the , during the war, and the  after the war. A were fought in Philadelphia and its environs as well. Unsuccessful lobbying after the war to make Philadelphia the United States capital helped make the city the temporary U.S. capital in the 1790s.

The state government left Philadelphia in 1799 and the federal government left soon after in 1800. However Philadelphia was still the largest city in the United States and a financial and cultural center. New York City soon surpassed Philadelphia in population, but construction of roads, s, and s helped turn Philadelphia into the United States' first major industrial city. Throughout the 19th century Philadelphia had a large variety of industries and businesses, the largest being s. Major corporations in the 19th and early 20th centuries included the, , and the. Industry, along with the, was celebrated in 1876 with the , the first official in the United States. , mostly and, settled in Philadelphia and the surrounding districts. The rise in population of the surrounding districts helped lead to the which extended the city of Philadelphia to include all of. In the later half of the century immigrants from, and  and  from the  settled in the city.

By the 20th century Philadelphia had become known as "corrupt and contented." Philadelphians were content with the city's lack of change or excitement, and single-party politics, centered around the city's entrenched, allowed corruption to flourish. The machine and corruption permeated in all parts of city government and reformers had little success. The first major success in reform came in 1917 when outrage over the murder of a police officer during that year's election led to the shrinking of the from two houses to just one. In the 1920s the public flouting of laws,  violence, and police involvement in illegal activities led to the appointment of   of the  as director of public safety, but political pressure prevented any long term success in fighting crime and corruption.

After struggling through the, created jobs and brought the city out of the Depression. However, after the war there was a severe housing shortage with about half the city's housing being built in the 19th century, many of which lacked proper facilities. Adding to housing problem was, as African Americans and s moved into new neighborhoods resulting in racial tension. After a population peak of over two million residents in 1950 the city's population declined while the suburban neighboring counties grew. After a five year investigation into corruption into city government, the outcry with what the investigation found led the drafting of a new city charter in 1950. The city charter strengthened the position of the mayor and weakened the city council among other changes to help prevent the corruption of the past. The first mayor since the first half of the 19th century was elected in 1951. However, after two early reform mayors, a Democratic political organization had established itself replacing the old Republican one.

Protests, riots and racial tensions were common in the 1960s and 70s. Mostly drug related gang violence plagued the city and s invaded the city's slums. Confrontations between police and the radical group culminated when the police dropped a satchel bomb on their headquarters starting a fire that killed eleven MOVE members and destroyed sixty-two neighboring houses. Revitalization and of neighborhoods began in the 1960s and continues into the 21st century, with much of the development in the  and  areas of the city. After many of the old manufacturers and businesses had left Philadelphia or shut down, the city started attracting service businesses and began to more aggressively market itself as a tourist destination. Glass and granite skyscrapers were built in Center City and historic areas such as were improved. This has slowed the city's forty-year population decline after losing nearly a quarter of its population.

Topography


Philadelphia is located at 40° 00' north latitude and 75° 09' west longitude. According to the, the city has a total area of 369.4 (142.6 ), of which 349.9 km² (135.1 mi²) is land and 19.6  (7.6 mi², 5.29%) is water. Bodies of water include the and s, and, , and s.

The lowest point lies 10 ft above sea level near in  at the convergence of the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. The highest points are in, at 444 ft above sea level (one at the intersection of Germantown Avenue and Bethlehem Pike and the other nearby in a few backyards off Evergreen Place).

The city is the seat of. The adjacent counties are to the north;  to the northeast;  to the east;  to the southeast;  to the south; and  to the west.

Climate
Philadelphia falls in the zone, although it is the northernmost U.S. city that falls in this classification. Because Philadelphia lies in the northern end of this zone, some of its outlying suburbs, especially to the north and west, fall in the zone. Summers are typically hot and muggy, fall and spring are generally mild, and winter is cold. Snowfall is variable, with some winters bringing light snow and others bringing some significant snowstorms. It is common for the heavier snowfall to occur and  of the city. Annual snowfall averages 21 in (534 mm). Precipitation is generally spread throughout the year, with eight to eleven wet days per month, at an average annual rate of 42 in (1068 mm).

January lows average 23 °F (–5 °C) and highs average 38 °F (3 °C). The lowest officially recorded temperature was –11 °F (–24 °C) on, , but temperatures below 14 °F (–10 °C) occur only a few times a year. July lows average 67 °F (20 °C) and highs average 86 °F (30 °C), although heat waves see highs above 95 °F (35 °C) with the running as high as 110 °F (43 °C). The highest recorded temperature was 106 °F (41 °C) on. Early fall and late winter are generally driest, with February being the driest month, averaging only 2.74 in (69.8 mm) of precipitation.

Neighborhoods


Philadelphia has many neighborhoods, each with its own identity. The large Philadelphia sections,, , , , and  surround , which falls within the original city limits prior to consolidation in 1854. Numerous smaller neighborhoods within the areas coincide with the boroughs, townships, and other communities that made up Philadelphia County before their absorption by the city. Other neighborhoods formed based on ethnicity, religion, culture, and commercial reasons.

Architecture


Philadelphia's architectural history dates back to times and has included a wide range of styles that, in certain areas, are showcased within a range of several blocks. The earliest structures were constructed with, but by 1700 brick structures were common. dominated the during the 18th century with the most notable Georgian structure being. In the first decades of the 19th century and  were popular. In the second half of the 19th century was common. In 1871 construction began on the style,. Even with the construction of steel and concrete s in the 1910s, 20s and 30s, the 548 ft City Hall remained the tallest building in the city until 1987 when was constructed. Numerous glass and granite skyscrapers were built from the late 1980s onwards with the largest being the. In 2007 the Comcast Center surpassed One Liberty Place and officially became the tallest building in Philadelphia.

For much of Philadelphia's history the typical Philadelphia home has been the. The row house was introduced to the United States via Philadelphia in the early 1800s and, for a time, row houses built elsewhere in the United States were known as "Philadelphia rows". There is a variety of row houses throughout the city from Victorian style homes in North Philadelphia to twin row houses in West Philadelphia. While newer homes are scattered throughout the city, much of Philadelphia's housing is from the early 20th century or older. The age of the city's homes has created numerous problems which has led to blight and vacant lots in many parts of the city, while other neighborhoods such as, which has the largest concentration of original 18th century architecture in the United States, have been rehabilitated and gentrified.

Culture
Philadelphia contains many that relate to the founding of the United States. is the center of these historical landmarks. , where the was signed, and the  are the city's most famous attractions. Other historic sites include homes for and  and early government buildings like the  and.

Philadelphia's major science museums include the, which contains the , the , and the. History museums include the, the History, the , the , the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons in the state of Pennsylvania and Masonic Museum and. Philadelphia is home to the United States' first and.

Arts
The city contains many art s such as the and the, the largest collection of work by Auguste Rodin outside of France. The city’s major art museum, the, is one of the largest art museums in the United States and features the made popular by the film .

The city is home to many art galleries, many of which participate in the event. The first Friday of every month galleries in Old City are open late. Annual events include film festivals and parades, the most famous being the.

Areas such as South Street and have a vibrant night life. The in Center City contains many restaurants and, such as the , which is home to the , and the , the nation's oldest continually operating venue, home to the.

Philadelphia has more than any other American city. In 1872, the Art Association was created, the first private association in the United States dedicated to integrating public art and. . In 1959, lobbying by the Artists Equity Association helped create the, the first for a U.S. city. The program, which has funded more than 200 pieces of public art, is administered by the Philadelphia Office of Arts and Culture, the city's art agency.

In particular, Philadelphia has more murals than any other U.S. city, thanks in part to the 1984 creation of the Department of Recreation's, which seeks to beautify neighborhoods and provide an outlet for  artists. The program has funded more than 2,300 s by professional, staff and volunteer artists.

Philadelphia has had a prominent role in. In the 1970s, influenced the music of that and later eras. On, Philadelphia hosted the American end of the  concert at. The city reprised this role for the concert, bringing some 700,000 people to the  on.

Cuisine
The city is known for its s, s,, and is home to the. Its high-end restaurants include Morimoto, run by chef, who rose to prominence on the  television show.

Sports
Philadelphia has a long history of professional sports teams, and is one of thirteen U.S. cities to have : the of the, the  of the , the  in the  of , and the  in the. The last major professional sport team to win a championship was the 76ers, which won the. The failure of Philadelphia's major professional sports teams to win championships since that date is sometimes attributed, in jest, to the so-called "". The and  were originally from.

Philadelphia also is home to professional, semi-professional and elite amateur teams in other sports, including. Philadelphia also hosts major events, including the, , , and.

Economy
Philadelphia's economy is heavily based upon manufacturing, refining, food, and financial services.

The city is home to the and a few  companies, including  and internet provider,  companies  and , energy company , food services company , , chemical makers  and , the pharmaceutical company ,  s division, and automotive parts retailer.

The federal government has several facilities in Philadelphia as well. The city served as the capital city of the, before the construction of Today, the East Coast operations of the  are based near the historic district, and the  Bank's Philadelphia division is based there as well. Philadelphia is also home to the and the.

Partly because of the historical presence of the, and the large ridership at , also maintains a significant presence in the city. These jobs include customer service representatives and ticket processing and other behind-the-scenes personnel, in addition to the normal functions of the railroad.

The city is also a national center of law because of the prestigious, , , , and. Additionally, the headquarters of the is located in the city.

Philadelphia is also an important center for medicine, a distinction that it has held since the colonial period, when was North America's first hospital. The, the city's largest private employer, runs an extensive medical system. There are also major hospitals affiliated with, , and. Philadelphia also has three distinguished children's hospitals: (located adjacent to the Hospitals of the University of Pennsylvania), St. Christopher's Hospital, and the Shriners' Hospital. In the city's northeast section are Albert Einstein Hospital and the. Together, health care is the largest sector of employment in the city. Several medical professional associations are headquartered in Philadelphia.

In part because of Philadelphia's long-running importance as a center for medical research, the region is a major center for the. ,, , , , and  are just some of the large pharmaceutical companies with operations in the region.
 * See also: 

Shopping
is home to, The Shops at Liberty Place and The Shops at the Bellevue, and a variety of standalone retail stores. Rittenhouse Row, a section of in Center City, has higher-end stores and boutiques. Old City and Society Hill, as well, feature upscale boutiques and retailers from local and international merchandisers. Philadelphia also has several neighborhood shopping districts, including and. Also noteworthy is with blocks of inexpensive boutiques.

The in South Philadelphia offers groceries, meats, cheeses and housewares from Italy and other countries. and, two famed outlets, are located here. The in Center City includes dozens of restaurants, farm stalls, and shops, many run by Amish farmers from Lancaster County. There are also neighborhood farmers' markets throughout the city.

The Philadelphia metropolitan area has many malls, including the, the second-largest mall in the United States and the in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, the first enclosed mall on the East Coast. The region was also the home to the first in the United States. There are also several large outlet malls in the area, including in, which saw over 18 million visitors in 2006, and the Lancaster Outlets of.

Philadelphia is the birthplace of the secondary ticket marketplace. Wanamaker Ticket Office, located in Center City, is among the nation's oldest ticket agencies.

Media
Philadelphia's two major are ' and the ', both of which are owned by Philadelphia Media Holdings L.L.C. The Philadelphia Inquirer, founded in 1829, is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the United States. ', another newspaper that operates in Philadelphia, traces its history back to ' that went defunct in 1982. The Bulletin is locally owned by The Bulletin, Inc.

The first experimental license was issued in Philadelphia in August, 1912 to. The first commercial radio stations appeared in 1922. , then owned by, became the first on of that year. Also launched that year were, , and WDAS. The highest-rated stations in Philadelphia include, , and.

During the 1930s, the experimental station W3XE, which was owned by Philco Corp, became the first in Philadelphia. The station, which would later become, became 's first affiliate in 1939. By the 1970s, , , , and were founded. In 1952 WFIL (now WPVI), premiered the television show Bandstand, which later became the nationally broadcast show  hosted by. Today, as in many large metropolitan areas, each of the commercial networks has an affiliate, and call letters have been replaced by corporate IDs: CBS3, 6ABC, NBC10, FOX29, plus ME-TV and CW. On the public media side, the Philadelphia region is served by WYBE (Philadelphia), WHYY (Wilmington, Delaware and Philadelphia), WLVT (Lehigh Valley), and New Jersey Network. In September, 2007, Philadelphia approved a public access cable channel. On the radio side, Philadelphia is served by three large public radio stations, plus several smaller ones; the larger ones are WHYY (NPR), WRTI (jazz, classical), and WXPN (adult alternative music).

Philadelphia has a competitive rock radio market, especially between and, which both specialize in playing modern and classic rock. The two stations enjoy a very intense rivalry with each station's listeners being faithfully loyal to their favorite station in most cases. Since 2005, WMMR now plays more music due to a shift in WYSP's programming from a rock station (which also carried controversial ) to a  station (which now carries the  morning show). WYSP also carries live radio broadcasts of all home and road games. WMMR has the top rated morning show in the Philadelphia area, The Show, which has been at the top of the ratings since leaving former rock station.

Philadelphia's four stations ( ("Power 99"),  ("100.3 The Beat"),  and ) are popular choices on the FM dial. is the city's smooth jazz station. When WJJZ was discontinued in August 2006, it caused an uproar among listeners, but it was revived three months later, under new ownership and with a new frequency (97.5). The former WJJZ is now, "Philly's 106.1".

Innovation
Philadelphia is home to many "first-in-America" institutions, including:


 * company


 * hospital
 * Eye hospital
 * Municipal water system
 * Municipal water system
 * Municipal water system
 * Municipal water system



Demographics


As of the of 2000, there were 1,517,550 people, 590,071 households, and 352,272 families residing in the city. The was 4,337.3/km²  (11,233.6/mi²). There were 661,958 housing units at an average density of 1,891.9/km² (4,900.1/mi²). As of the 2004 Census estimations, there were 1,463,281 people, 658,799 housing units, and the racial makeup of the city was 45.0%, 43.2% , 5.5% , 0.3% , 0.1% , 5.8% from , and 2.2% from two or more races. or of any race were 8.5% of the population.

Of the 590,071 households, 27.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.1% were living together, 22.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.3% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.22.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,746, and the median income for a family was $37,036. Males had a median income of $34,199 versus $28,477 for females. The for the city was $16,509. About 18.4% of families and 22.9% of the population were below the, including 31.3% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.

Philadelphia has the second largest, , and n populations and the fourth largest population in the nation. Philadelphia also has the fourth largest population of residents. In recent years, the and  populations have significantly increased. Hispanics, mostly s, have settled throughout the city, especially around, and the city now has the third largest Puerto Rican population in the continental United States. The population was once concentrated in the city's thriving, but now s have come to , and ese have forged bazaars next to the  in. ns and s have come to along with Russian and Ukrainian immigrants. This large influx of Asians has given Philadelphia one of the largest populations of Vietnamese, Chinese, and Koreans in. The Philadelphia region also has the fourth largest population of Indian Americans. The population is concentrated in. ,, , , , , , and other ethnic groups can be found throughout the city.

Government
From a governmental perspective, Philadelphia County is a, as all county functions were assumed by the city in 1952, which has been coterminous with the county since 1854.

The city is headed by an elected who is limited to two consecutive four-year terms but can run for the position again after an intervening term. The incumbent is former President, elected in 1999 and re-elected by a larger majority in 2003. He is a, as all Philadelphia mayors have been since 1952. The Mayor-elect is, also a Democrat, who will take office in January 2008.

The legislative branch, the Philadelphia City Council, consists of ten council members representing individual districts and seven members elected at large. The current council president is.

The Philadelphia County, also known as the Court of Common Pleas for the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, is the of general jurisdiction for Philadelphia. It is funded and operated largely by city resources and employees.

The Philadelphia Municipal Court handles matters of limited jurisdiction as well as landlord-tenant disputes, appeals from traffic court, preliminary examinations for felony-level offenses, and the like. is a court of special jurisdiction that hears violations of traffic laws.

Pennsylvania's three s also have sittings in Philadelphia. The, the court of last resort in the state, regularly hears arguments in. Also, the and the  sit in Philadelphia several times a year. Judges for these courts are elected at large. Each court has a 's office in Philadelphia as well.

The is the biggest landlord in Pennsylvania. It was established in 1937 and is the nation’s fourth largest housing authority. It houses approximately 84,000 people in Philadelphia and employs 1,250 people. In 2006, its budget totaled $313 million.

Politics
As of May 2007, there are 993,334 registered voters in Philadelphia.


 * : 750,829 (75.59%)
 * : 150,450 (15.15%)
 * Other Parties: 92,055 (9.27%)

From the until the mid-20th century, Philadelphia was a bastion of the, which arose from the staunch pro-Northern views of Philadelphia residents during and after the war. After the, Democratic registrations increased, but the city was not carried by Democratic in his landslide victory of 1932 (in which Pennsylvania was one of the few states won by Republican ). While other Northern industrial cities were electing Democratic mayors in the 1930s and 1940s, Philadelphia did not follow suit until 1951. That is, Philadelphia never had a "New Deal" coalition.

The city is now one of the most Democratic in the country, despite the frequent election of Republicans to statewide offices since the 1930s; in 2004, Democrat drew 80% of the city's vote.

Philadelphia once comprised six s. However, as a result of the city's declining population, it now has only four: the 1st, represented by ; the 2nd, represented by ; the 8th, represented by ; and the 13th, represented by. All four are Democrats; no Republican has represented a significant portion of Philadelphia since 1983. However, Pennsylvania's Republican, , is from Philadelphia.

Crime
Like many American cities, Philadelphia saw a gradual yet pronounced rise in crime in the years following. Murders peaked in 1990 at 503, for a rate of 31.5 per 100,000. There were an average of about 400 murders a year for most of the 1990s. The murder count dropped in 2002 to 288, then surged four years later to 406. Out of the ten most populous cities in the United States in 2006, Philadelphia had the highest homicide rate at 28 per 100,000 people, and is on pace for a significantly worse year in 2007.

In 2004, there were 5,513.5 crimes per 100,000 people in Philadelphia. In 2005, Philadelphia was ranked by as the sixth-most dangerous among 32 American cities with populations over 500,000. Among its neighboring Mid-Atlantic cities in the same population group, and  were ranked second- and third-most dangerous cities in the United States, respectively, and,  across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, was ranked as the most dangerous city in the United States.

Recently, statistics released in 2006 named Camden the fifth-most dangerous city in the country, representing a minor improvement from its 2004 ranking. Philadelphia now ranked 29th.

On, police commissioner  called on 10,000  men to patrol the streets to lessen crime. Johnson, who is black himself, set up the program as a means of countering the city's disproportionate homicide rate of African Americans. Dennis Muhammad, official and Mayor John F. Street, supported the project. The city has hit 300 homicides this year, of which 80% of the victims were. The "Call to Action: 10,000 Men, It's a New Day" program is to be initiated on.

Education
in Philadelphia is provided by many private and public institutions. The runs the city's s. The Philadelphia School District is the eighth largest  in the United States with 210,432 students in 346 public and charter schools.

Philadelphia is one of the largest s in the United States and has the second-largest student concentration on the East Coast with over 120,000 college and university students enrolled within the city and nearly 300,000 in the metropolitan area. There are over 80 colleges, universities, trade, and specialty schools in the Philadelphia region. Schools within the city's borders include, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and.

Infrastructure
Philadelphia is served by the (SEPTA), which operates es, s,, s, and  throughout Philadelphia and the four Pennsylvania an counties of , , , and. The city's subway system, first opened in 1907, is the third oldest in America.

One of the seven SEPTA Regional Rail lines (the R1) offers direct service to the.

Philadelphia's is a major  station on 's, which offers access to Amtrak, SEPTA, and  lines.

provides service to, , , , , , and , , from stations on Locust Street between 16th and 15th, 13th and 12th, and 10th and 9th Streets, and on Market Street at 8th Street.

Airports
Two airports serve Philadelphia: (PHL), straddling the southern boundary of the city, and  (PNE), a general aviation reliever airport in. Philadelphia International Airport provides scheduled domestic and international air service, while Northeast Philadelphia Airport serves general and corporate aviation. As of March 2006, Philadelphia International Airport was the 10th largest airport measured by traffic movements, and is also a primary hub for.

Roads


runs through the city along the Delaware River as a main north-south artery. The city is also served by the, a portion of that runs along the. It meets the at, providing access to  and points west. , the, was completed in 1991 after years of planning. A link between I-95 and I-76, it runs below street level through Center City, connecting to the at its eastern end.

and the  connect  with Center City. The Woodhaven Road, built in 1966, serves the neighborhoods of , running between and the Roosevelt Boulevard. The Fort Washington Expressway extends north from the city's northern border, serving several suburbs to the north.

, commonly nicknamed the "Blue Route" through, bypasses the city to the west, serving the city's western suburbs, as well as providing a link to and points north. Similarly,, the Pennsylvania Turnpike's Delaware River Extension, acts as a bypass and commuter route to the north of the city as well as a link to the to.

Other planned s have been canceled, such as an running southwest from downtown, two freeways connecting  to  that would have replaced Girard Avenue and South Street and a freeway upgrade of.

The operates four bridges in the Philadelphia area across the  to : the  (I-76), the  (I-676 and ), the , and the. The connects  with New Jersey's, and is maintained by the.

Philadelphia is also a major hub for, which operates 24-hour service to points east of the. Most of Greyhound's services in Philadelphia operate to/from the, located at 1001 Filbert Street in Center City Philadelphia. In 2006, the Philadelphia Greyhound Terminal was the second busiest Greyhound terminal in the United States, after the in New York. Besides Greyhound, six other bus operators provide service to the Center City Greyhound terminal —, , , , , and the.



Rail
Since the early days of, Philadelphia has served as hub for several major rail companies, especially the  and the. The Pennsylvania Railroad first operated, then and , and the Reading Railroad operated out of , now part of the. The two companies also operated competing commuter rail systems in the area, known collectively as the Regional Rail system. The two systems today, for the most part still intact but now connected, operate as a single system under the control of, the regional transit authority.

Philadelphia is one of the few North American cities to maintain lines. In addition to "subway-surface" trolleys (so called because during the years when the city was served by over 2000 trolleys and more than 65 lines, these were the "surface" cars that ran also in the streetcar subway), the city recently reintroduced trolley service to the, Route 15, considered by some a "heritage" line, although the use of rebuilt was primarily for budgetary reasons, rather than as an historic tribute.

Today Philadelphia is a hub of the semi-nationalized system, with 30th Street Station being a primary stop on the Washington-Boston  and the  to  and,. 30th Street also serves as a major station for services via the Pennsylvania Railroad's former to. 30th Street is Amtrak's third-busiest station in numbers of passengers as of 2003. It is also a terminus of 's.

Telecommunications
Southeastern Pennsylvania was served only by the  beginning in  1947 when the  went into effect. The area covered by the code was severely truncated when was split from 215. Today only the city and its northern suburbs are covered by 215. 267 was added to the 215 service area in 1997. A plan to introduce as an additional overlay in 2001 was delayed and later rescinded.

Philadelphia is now also served by, a citywide initiative to provide service. The Proof of Concept area was approved on, and service is now available in many areas of the city.

Sister cities
Philadelphia has ten, as designated by the International Visitors Council of Philadelphia (IVC):

Philadelphia has dedicated landmarks to its sister cities. Dedicated in June 1976, the Sister Cities Plaza, a one-half-acre site located at 18th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, honors Philadelphia's relationships with and, which were its first Sister Cities. Another landmark, the Torun Triangle, honoring the Sister City relationship with, , was constructed in 1976, west of the United Fund building at 18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The Triangle contains the Copernicus monument. The Chinatown Gate, erected in 1984 and crafted by artisans of, stands astride the intersection of 10th and Arch Streets as an elaborate and colorful symbol of the Sister City relationship.