Portal:Philadelphia

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The Philadelphia Portal

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the sixth-most-populous city in the United States and the largest in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, both in area and population. Since 1854, the city has been coterminous with Philadelphia County. Philadelphia has the third-largest downtown residential population in the U.S., behind New York and Chicago. The Philadelphia metropolitan area is the fourth-largest in the U.S. by the official definition, with some 5.7 million people, though other definitions place it sixth behind the San Francisco Bay Area and Washington-Baltimore. Philadelphia is the central city of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area.

Philadelphia is one of the oldest and most historically significant U.S. cities. It was the nation's first capital. At the time of the American Revolution, it was the second-largest English-speaking city in the world, after only London. Into the first part of the 19th century, it was the country's most populous city and eclipsed Boston and New York City in political and social importance. Benjamin Franklin played an extraordinary role in Philadelphia's rise.

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Chancel Ceiling of Saint James-the-Less Episcopal Church.

Photo credit: Jack E. Boucher

The Church of St. James the Less is an historic Episcopal church building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that was architecturally influential. As St. James-the-Less Episcopal Church, it is designated a National Historic Landmark. According to the National Park Service's official Statement of Significance the church "is the first example of the pure English Parish church style in America, and one of the best examples of a 19th-century American Gothic church for its coherence and authenticity of design. Its influence on the major architects of the Gothic Revival in the United States was profound."

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The history of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania goes back to 1682, when the city was founded by William Penn. Before then, the area was 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 was chosen to be 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 a corrupt Republican political machine and by the beginning of the 20th Century Philadelphia was described as "corrupt and contented." Various reform efforts slowly changed city government with the most significant in 1950 where 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 Democratic organization. The city began a population 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.

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John Ashby Lester was an American cricketer, active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Lester was one of the Philadelphian cricketers who played from the end of the 19th century until the outbreak of World War I. His obituary in Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, described him as "one of the great figures in American cricket." During his career, he played in 53 matches for the Philadelphians, 47 of which are considered first class. From 1897 until his retirement in 1908, Lester led the batting averages in Philadelphia and captained all the international home matches.

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Selected anniversaries - November

November 1, 1701 - William Penn leaves Philadelphia for England for the last time.
November 10, 1876 - The Centennial Exposition in Fairmount Park ends after six months.
November 21, 1976 - The film Rocky, starring Sylvester Stallone, is released in U.S. theaters.
November 29, 1929 - The Rodin Museum opens.

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United States	Pennsylvania	Lancaster, PA

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In the news

November 9: The strike by Transport Workers Union Local 234 ends and SEPTA service is restored. (KYW-TV)
November 4: The New York Yankees defeat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 in Game 6 to win the 2009 World Series. (AP)
November 3: Seth Williams wins the 2009 election to become Philadelphia's first African American district attorney. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Philadelphia on Wikinews

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Did you know...

...that Jerry Wolman, one-time owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, initiated the development of the John Hancock Center, a 100-story skyscraper in Chicago, but was forced off the project because of his financial difficulties?

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