Philly Facts
Surprising things most people
don’t know about Philadelphia …
the 2nd-largest U.S. city
on the East Coast
5 unique things that make Philly different from any other U.S. city!
Started as a “Holy Experiment” in 1682, William Penn’s colony and his city of Philadelphia attracted lovers of religious freedom worldwide. Why? There was no persecution or religious tax here. That’s why you see so many churches.
Although Philly started 58 years after New York City and 52 years after Boston (if they were people, both cities would have qualified for AARP) – by 1770 it was the largest and most important city in America. By 1790, when it became the Capital of the U.S., Philly had two theaters, a subscription library, a hospital, 10 newspapers and 30 bookshops.
Our two superstars Penn and Ben – William Penn and Ben Franklin – are responsible for this extraordinary growth, even though they missed each other by about 20 years.
Penn’s innovative grid plan for Philadelphia was copied by cities all over the country. The American Society of Civil Engineers added the plan to its List of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks in 1994, where it joined such icons as the Panama Canal, Golden Gate Bridge and Hoover Dam.
Penn’s twice-a-week markets drew huge crowds. In his biography of “John Adams,” author David McCullough says: “Swarms of people moved up and down the sidewalks and spilled into the streets. At no point on the American continent could so many human beings be seen in such close proximity or is such variety.” Philly’s Market Street is also the granddaddy of all Market Streets in the country.
Philly Facts of the Month
(Part of Jim’s free monthly e-newsletter)
More Philly Facts
Home of the first World Heritage City in the U.S.
Home of 67 National Historic Landmarks
Home of over 300 blue-and-gold Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission markers
Home of the first public hospital in the U.S.
Home of the first art museum and art school in the U.S.
Home of the oldest natural history museum in the U.S.
Home of the first subscription library in the U.S.
Home of the first institution solely dedicated to the U.S. Constitution.
Home of the first zoo in the U.S.
Home of the nation’s first bank and first stock exchange.
Home of the first hot-air balloon launch in the U.S. in 1793.
Home of the country’s first mint
Home of ENIAC, the first computer, at the University of Pennsylvania
Home of the first barcode developed by two students at Drexel University, just blocks away from ENIAC
Home of the first children’s hospital in the U.S
Home of the largest collection of French Impressionist paintings in the U.S., including 181 by Renoir
Home of Elfreth’s Alley, one of the oldest continuously occupied streets in the U.S.
Home of Philadelphia’s City Hall, the largest free-standing masonry building in the U.S.
Home of the oldest oil painting of a North American city.
Home of the Declaration of Independence.
Home of the Constitution of the U.S.
This exhibit recognizes Pennsylvania as the first state to enact Clean Slate legislation and clear eligible criminal records.