Philadelphia

The Lenape lived along the Delaware long before Europeans arrived, and Dutch and Swedish settlers came in the 17th century. In 1681 Charles II granted William Penn a charter for Pennsylvania in partial repayment of a debt. Penn, a Quaker and advocate of religious freedom, bought the land from the Lenape, made a treaty of friendship with the chief Tammany at Shackamaxon, and in 1682 founded a city he named Philadelphia — Greek for "brotherly love" — laid out on a grid between two rivers with open squares, gardens and orchards.

The town grew into the largest city of the colonies. The First and Second Continental Congresses met here, the Declaration of Independence was adopted on 4 July 1776 and the Constitution was drafted in 1787. Philadelphia served as the national capital several times until 1800, when the government moved to Washington. In 1793 a yellow fever epidemic killed about a tenth of the population. The Act of Consolidation of 1854 extended the city from the 2 square miles of Center City to the whole of Philadelphia County, and the Centennial Exposition of 1876 celebrated a century of independence.

Industry drew immigrants from Europe and Black migrants from the South; the African American population grew from about 32,000 in 1880 to about 220,000 in 1930. The population passed two million in 1950, then fell by about a quarter as factories closed and families left for the suburbs. In 1985 a police bombing aimed at members of the MOVE group killed 11 people and destroyed 61 homes in the Cobbs Creek neighbourhood. Old City and Society Hill were restored from the 1950s onward, and since 2007 the population has grown again.

History is the city's calling card, but Philadelphia's identity is as much about its neighbourhoods. It has more murals than any other American city, thanks to the Mural Arts Program created in 1984, which has funded more than 2,800 murals and educated more than 20,000 young people. The long flight of steps up to the art museum became famous through the film Rocky in 1976. The Philadelphia Orchestra is generally counted among the top five orchestras in the country, and the city has played an important part in R&B, soul and rock.

Sport inspires fierce loyalty. Philadelphia is one of 12 American cities with teams in all four major leagues: the Phillies, formed in 1883, are the oldest team to have played continuously under the same name in the same city; the Eagles won their second Super Bowl after the 2024 season; and the Flyers and 76ers complete the set. The fans' reputation for booing and boisterous behaviour is part of local lore. The city was also one of the host cities of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The year begins with the Mummers Parade, held every New Year's Day since 1901, when clubs from South Philadelphia march in elaborate costumes with string bands and comic brigades. Philadelphians are known for a distinctive accent and vocabulary — "jawn" can stand for almost any noun — and for a blunt, unpretentious manner.

About 1.6 million people lived in Philadelphia at the 2020 census, and the city's 2025 estimate was about 1.57 million, making it Pennsylvania's largest city. Center City had an estimated 183,000 residents in 2015, the second-largest downtown population in the country after Midtown Manhattan. Beyond it, the city divides into North, Northeast, South, Southwest, West and Northwest Philadelphia, each made up of many smaller neighbourhoods, most of them streets of brick row houses — Federal-style blocks in Old City and Society Hill, Victorian houses in North Philadelphia and twin houses in West Philadelphia.

After the decline of manufacturing the economy rebuilt itself around universities, hospitals and health care, and the region is now one of the country's largest hubs for technology venture capital, helped by its position between New York and Washington. The University of Pennsylvania and Drexel dominate University City. Revitalisation and gentrification, which began in the late 1970s, have reshaped Center City and University City in particular.

Daily life runs on SEPTA trains, buses and trolleys, corner shops and the row-house stoop. The city has a strong-mayor government; Cherelle Parker, a Democrat, won the mayoral election in November 2023, succeeding Jim Kenney.

The cheesesteak is the city's signature: thin-sliced beef cooked on a griddle and served on a long roll with melted cheese. It was developed by Italian immigrants, and Pat's King of Steaks, founded by the Olivieri brothers in 1930, is credited with inventing it; Geno's, its neon-lit rival since 1966, stands across the intersection at 9th Street and Passyunk Avenue. The roast pork sandwich is another local favourite, and the hoagie — Philadelphia's name for a long sandwich of cold cuts, cheese and salad — is a daily lunch.

The rest of the city's food is just as casual. Soft pretzels are sold from carts and bakeries; water ice is a smooth Italian-style sorbet eaten through the summer; scrapple, a fried slice of pork scraps and cornmeal from the Pennsylvania Dutch kitchen, appears at breakfast; and Tastykakes and Irish potato candy — a Philadelphia sweet that, despite its name, is not from Ireland and usually contains no potato — are local favourites. Stromboli, a rolled stuffed bread, comes from the Italian community.

Reading Terminal Market, open since 1893, gathers grocers, butchers and lunch counters under one roof in Center City, while the Italian Market on South 9th Street mixes old Italian butchers and cheese shops with Mexican taquerías. Chinatown, just north of the market, and the many restaurants along East Passyunk Avenue complete the picture.