• Little-known fact: Famous Philadelphia natives include Edgar Allen Poe, Stan Getz, May Ray, Frankie Avalon, Patti LaBelle, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Cosby, and the vocal group Boyz II Men.

• Average temperatures: summer: high 86ºF, low 62ºF; winter: high 43ºF, low 24ºF; 41 inches average annual rainfall; 20 inches average annual snowfall.

• Size: 135 square miles.

• Population: 1,517,550 in the city; 5.7 million in the surrounding metropolitan area.

• Penn State Alumni Living in the Greater Philadelphia Area: 70k

HISTORY:

William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania , became wealthy renting rural estates in England and Ireland . He believed this form of business was morally redeemable, whereas trade was not. Nevertheless, recognizing that the city's future prosperity would depend on trade, Penn sited his town on a rectangular plot where the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers met.

Philadelphia occupies an unusually prominent place in American history. As Penn was a Quaker and thus persecuted in England , Pennsylvania colony was founded on the principle of religious tolerance. The population of the colony grew rapidly through emigration from Germany , Holland , and Scandinavia, as well as Great Britain .

Philadelphia became a center of religious and political freedom during the 18th century. The American Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were both written in Philadelphia , and the city was briefly the new nation's capital. Benjamin Franklin was the city's postmaster and most illustrious citizen, and despite his diplomatic activities abroad, he had his home in Philadelphia until his death.

Greater Philadelphia is a city of neighborhoods that are home to close to 6 million people in a 12-county area, with landscapes varying from lovely wooded estates to quaint cobblestone streets lined with colonial-era row houses. The city of Philadelphia covers 135 square miles and has 1.5 million residents.

USEFUL PHILADELPHIA LINKS:

www.philadelphia.bizjournals.com/philadelphia

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