Philadelphia, PA, founded in 1682 and incorporated as a city in 1701, is the largest in the state with over 1.4 million inhabitants. The greater Philadelphia metropolitan area has almost 6 million, making it the fifth largest in the country. The industry in Philadelphia and surrounding area ranked it fourth highest in GDP among American cities, with a total GDP of $312 billion in 2005. Only New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago had higher totals.
Philadelphia is intimately entwined with the American colonies independence from England in the 1770s. The Declaration of Independence and first Constitution were born in Philadelphia, which also served as the nation's capital from 1790-1800. It's most famous citizen and Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin, was a printer, satirist, inventor, scientist, diplomat and the first Postmaster General of the U.S.
The City of Brotherly Love is broadly divided into North, Northeast, Northwest, West, South and Southwest Philadelphia, all of which surround downtown Center City, which contains the more expensive real estate in town. The row house was born in Philadelphia in the early 1800s and spread across the country. Row houses in the city range from Victorians in North Philadelphia to twin row houses in West Philly. Society Hill has the largest concentration of 18th-century architecture in the United States.
Other Philadelphia neighborhoods include historic Chestnut Hill, Pennsport and Germantown, artsy Northern Liberties, Mt. Airy, Kensington, Richmond, Bella Vista, Washington Square West, East Falls, Port Richmond, Fishtown, Rittenhouse Square, Manayunk, University City and Olney-Oak Lane. Homes on the "Main Line", the well-established western suburban communities in the townships of Lower Merion, Radnor, Haverford, and Tredyffrin, offer desirable real estate because of proximity to schools, hospitals, places of worship, parks, trails, community theaters and entertainment, upscale restaurants and stores.
Schools in the Philadelphia area include the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel, Villanova, Temple, Widener, St. Joseph's, LaSalle, and the Art Institute of Philadelphia.
