ABOUT THE CITY
Philadelphia is a major commercial, educational, and cultural center for the nation. The Philadelphia metropolitan area is the fifth-largest in the United States with a population of nearly six million. For much of Philadelphia’s history the typical Philadelphia home has been the row house. The row house was introduced to the United States via Philadelphia in the early 1800s and, for a time, row houses built elsewhere in the United States were known as “Philadelphia rows”.
Philadelphia has a long history of professional sports teams, and is one of thirteen U.S. cities to have all four major sports: the NFL Philadelphia Eagles, the NHL Philadelphia Flyers, the MLB Philadelphia Phillies, and the NBA Philadelphia 76ers.
Your first meal needs to include an authentic Philly cheesesteak. Invented by Pat Olivieri in 1930, and made with chopped beef and melted cheese. No matter if it’s your first or your 101st, each bite is always worth savoring.
About Philadelphia
The first thing residents discover about Philadelphia is that it’s a walking town. You’ll find most places are within a mile of City Hall. Stroll on pleasant, tree-lined streets that display a rich mix of architecture ranging from Colonial to Victorian to Bauhaus, sometimes all presented within the same block. Recent years have seen a burst of building activity and there are days when it seems like every street in town is under construction, especially when you’re trying to find a parking space. But because it’s a walking town, residents can leave their cars and wander. Each street connects to smaller and smaller streets and alleyways that hide small groups of houses, clever gardens, footnotes to American history and good coffee spots to take a rest.
Where To Stay
Opening the new convention center a few years ago caused a hotel building boom that nearly tripled the number of accommodations overnight. Everything is available, from five-star luxury suites to family bargains at inexpensive motels. Bed-and-breakfast establishments can put you in a quiet cozy room a few blocks from your destination.
History
When the American colonies were founded in the 1600s the guiding principle for the New England colonies was freedom to practice religions not popular in England; for the southern colonies the aim was agricultural development extending the holdings of British landowners. There were two exceptions. New York, established by Dutch companies, has always a place for trade. The other exception was Pennsylvania, and the town of Philadelphia.
Weather
| Month | Avg Hi | Avg Lo | Avg Precip | |||
| Jan | 41°F | 19°F | 3.86 in. | |||
| Feb | 44°F | 20°F | 3.03 in. | |||
| Mar | 53°F | 28°F | 4.26 in. | |||
| Apr | 64°F | 38°F | 3.95 in. | |||
| May | 74°F | 48°F | 4.84 in. | |||
| Jun | 83°F | 58°F | 4.11 in. | |||
| Jul | 87°F | 63°F | 5.35 in. | |||
| Aug | 85°F | 61°F | 4.83 in. | |||
| Sep | 79°F | 53°F | 4.92 in. | |||
| Oct | 68°F | 40°F | 3.46 in. | |||
| Nov | 56°F | 32°F | 3.85 in. | |||
| Dec | 45°F | 24°F | 3.78 in. |
Demographics
City Population: 1,517,550
Male: 46.46%
Female: 53.54%
Median Age: 37.4
Median Household Income: $39,727
Cost of Living Index: 102.76
Ethnic Make-up:
African American: 43.22%
Asian: 4.46%
Hispanic: 8.5%
Native American: 0.27%
White/Caucasian: 45.02%
By Car
This was the first major city to be designed on a grid system, which means that directions make sense: You can walk from the east end of Market Street to the west end in a straight line. The streets running north to south are numbered from two to 69. On-street parking is generally limited to two hours and some streets have their own peculiar restrictions, so read the signs carefully. There is a lot of construction and street repair going on, but generally these are small projects that only disrupt the traffic flow for a few days at a time in any one spot. There are ample parking garages with rates lower than New York and discounts for all-day parking.
Driver’s License
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
1101 South Front Street
Public Transportation
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
(215) 580-4000
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) provides train service over thirteen commuter rail lines in Philadelphia’s northern and western suburbs (and to the airport). The local public transportation, SEPTA, has routes that cover the whole region, including a light rail from the airport. SEPTA passes are available at day, weekly or monthly rates.
NJ Transit, within NJ (800) 772-2222 out of state (973) 762-5100
PATCO High Speedline (856) 772-6900
Air Transportation
Philadelphia International Airport
(800) PHL-GATE/ 800-745-4283
8000 Essington Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19153
Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) serves as the principal gateway for the fifth largest metropolitan population in the United States. Owned by the City of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Airport System (comprised of Philadelphia International Airport and Northeast Philadelphia Airport) is operated by the Department of Commerce’s Division of Aviation.
Local Phone Numbers
| City Area Codes | |
| The area codes for Philadelphia are 215, 267 and 994. | |
| Emergency | |
| All Emergencies | 911 |
| AAA Mid-Atlantic Road Service | (800) AAA-HELP (222-4357) |
| AIDS Hotline | (215) 985-AIDS |
| Ambulance/Fire/Police | 911 |
| Children’s Hospital | (215) 590-1000 |
| CHOICE Hotline | (215) 985-3300 |
| (maternal and child health) | |
| Department of Human Services | (215) 683-6100 |
| District Attorney’s Office | (215) 686-8000 |
| Heat Emergencies | 911 |
| PA Department of Environmental Protection | (610) 832-6000 |
| PA Homeland Security Criminal/Terrorist Tips | (888) 292-1919 |
| PECO/Exelon Gas/Electric Emergency | (800) 841-4141 |
| Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network | (215) 685-9556 |
| Philadelphia Dept. of Licenses and Inspections | |
| (Complaints) | (215) 686-2463 |
| Philadelphia Department of Streets (Sanitation) | (215) 686-5560 |
| PGW Gas Leak Hotline | (215) 235-1212 |
| Philadelphia Parking Authority | (215) 561-3636 |
| Philadelphia Poison Control Center | (215) 386-2100 |
| Philadelphia Police Department | |
| Special Victims Unit | (215) 685-3251 |
| Philadelphia Traffic Court | (215) 686-1675 |
| Philadelphia Water Emergency | (215) 685-6300 |
| Suicide and Crisis Intervention | (215) 686-4420 |
| Women Against Abuse | (215) 686-7082 |
| Women Organized Against Rape | (215) 985-3315 |
| Financial Services | |
| Automatic Teller Information | |
| ATM Locator | (800) 248-4286 |
| MasterCrd ATM | (800) 424-7787 |
| VISA Plus System | (800) 843-7587 |
| Lost or Stolen Credit Cards | |
| American Express | (800) 233-5432 |
| AT&T Universal Card | (800) 423-4343 |
| Diners Club | (800) 234-6377 |
| Discover Card | (800) 347-2683 |
| JCB | (800) 736-8111 |
| MasterCard | (800) 826-2181 |
| VISA | (800) 336-8472 |
| Lost or Stolen Travelers Checks | |
| American Express | (800) 221-7282 |
| Thomas Cook MasterCard | (800) 223-7373 |
| Travelers Check Customer Service | (800) 645-6556 |
| VISA | (800) 227-6811 |
| Government | |
| Better Business Bureau | (215) 468-6500 |
| Chamber of Commerce | (215) 545-1234 |
| Passport Information | (215) 597-7482 |
| Shipping & Postal Service | |
| Federal Express | (800) 463-3339 |
| Airborne Express | (800) 247-2676 |
| UPS | (800) 742-5877 |
| Support Networks | |
| Teen Link (Various Topics) | (800) 235-9678 |
| Crisis Pregnancy Center | (800) 395-4357 |
| Visitor Information | |
| Chester County Conference & Visitor’s Bureau | (800) 228-9933 |
| Brandywine Conference & Visitors Bureau | (800) 343-3983 |
| Bucks County Conference | (800) 836-BUCKS |
| & Visitors Bureau | |
| Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance | (215) 440-8100 |
| Independence Visitors Center | (800) 537-7676 |
| Lancaster County Convention | |
| & Visitors Bureau | (800) PA-DUTCH |
| Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau | (800) 537-7676 |
| Travelers Aid Society | (215) 546-0571 |
| Valley Forge/Montgomery County Convention | |
| & Visitors Bureau | (800) VISIT-VF |
| Other Useful Numbers | |
| Parks and Recreation Department | (215) 686-3600 |
| Weather | (215) WE6-1212 |
Television
| Ch 3 | CBS |
| Ch 6 | ABC |
| Ch 10 | NBC |
| Ch 12 | PBS |
| Ch 17 | MyTv |
| Ch 48 | WGT |
| Ch 51 | Religious |
| Ch 57 | CW |
| Ch 65 | Univision |
Radio
| FM Stations | ||
| 88.5 | WXPN | University of Pennsylvania |
| 89.1 | WXVU | College Villanova, PA |
| 89.1 | WYBF | College Radnor Township, PA |
| 89.3 | WRDV | Big band |
| 89.5 | WDNR | College Chester, PA |
| 89.5 | WSJI | Religious |
| 89.7 | WGLS | College/alternative Glassboro, NJ |
| 90.1 | WRTI | Public/classical/jazz |
| 90.9 | WHYY | Public/news/talk/NPR |
| 91.5 | WDBK | College Blackwood, NJ |
| 91.5 | WSRN | College/alternative Swarthmore, PA |
| 91.7 | WLBS | Big band |
| 91.7 | WBMR | Religious |
| 91.7 | WCUR | College West Chester, PA |
| 91.7 | WKDU | Metal |
| 94.1 | WYSP | New and Classic Rock |
| 97.5 | WTHK | Classic Rock |
| 98.1 | WOGL | Oldies |
| 98.9 | WUSL | Urban/Hip-Hop |
| 101.1 | WBEB | Soft Rock |
| 102.1 | WIOQ | Top-40 |
| 102.9 | WMGK | Classic Rock |
| 104.5 | WSNI | Easy Listening |
| 105.3 | WDAS | R&B |
| 106.1 | WJJZ | Smooth jazz |
| AM Stations | ||
| 530 | WEXP | College/sports Philadelphia |
| 560 | WFIL | Religious Philadelphia |
| 610 | WIP | Sports Philadelphia |
| 690 | WPHE | Religious-español Phoenixville, PA |
| 740 | WVCH | Religious Chester, PA |
| 800 | WTMR | Religious Camden, NJ |
| 860 | WWDB | News/talk |
| 900 | WURD | News/brokered |
| 950 | WPEN | Sports |
| 990 | WNTP | Talk |
| 1060 | KYW | News |
| 1110 | WNAP | Black gospel |
| 1150 | WDEL | Top forty |
| 1210 | WPHT | Talk |
| 1290 | WWTX | Sports |
| 1310 | WEMG | CHR-dance/tropical-español Camden, NJ |
| 1340 | WHAT | Talk |
| 1360 | WNJC | News/talk/oldies |
| 1370 | WPAZ | Soft ac |
| 1380 | WTMC | DelDot traffic Wilmington, DE |
| 1420 | WCOJ | News/talk/oldies Coatesville, PA |
| 1440 | WNPV | News/talk/sports Lansdale, PA |
| 1450 | WILM | News/talk Wilmington, DE |
| 1480 | WDAS | Black gospel |
| 1520 | WCHE | Talk |
| 1540 | WNWR | Ethnic/multi-languages |
| 1590 | WPWA | Gospel Chester, PA |
| 1610 | WNAR | Standards/entertainment |
Newspapers
Philadelphia Daily News
(215) 854-2000
400 N Broad St.
Philadelphia, PA 19130-4015
Philadelphia Inquirer (215) 854-2000
400 N Broad St.
Philadelphia, PA 19130-4099
Philadelphia Sunday Sun
(215) 848-7864
6661 Germantown Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19119-2299
Philadelphia Weekly
(215) 563-7400
1500 Sansom St.
Philadelphia, PA 19102-2800
Philadelphia New Observer
(215) 545-7500
1520 Locust St.
Philadelphia, PA 19102-4403
Dining & Nightlife
If every museum, business, historic site and theater in town burned down overnight, you could still have a terrific trip to Philadelphia simply by eating.
Many of the high-end restaurants are grouped along Walnut Street between Broad Street and Rittenhouse Square and are located in the Old City district around 2nd and Market. Everything is available here, starting with an extraordinary number of Italian and Asian restaurants. Philadelphia was also an early center for American nouvelle cuisine and this has developed into a heritage the locals take for granted. For the adventurous traveler with a hearty appetite, try the famous Philly cheesesteak for about $4 US.
Museums
American art sometimes seems to have started late compared to its European cousin, but the history of art in Philadelphia is the history of art in America. The portrait gallery in the Second National Bank building contains a fine collection of 18th-century portraiture. The Academy of Fine Arts and the Barnes house famous collections of American and European Impressionists. The Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Rodin Museum on the Ben Franklin Parkway, have their collections of 19th and 20th century masterpieces by Renoir, Picasso, Matisse, Rodin, Cassatt, Wyeth and hundreds more. There’s a strong representation of modern and post-modern work around town.
Music
Every possible sound is available in Philadelphia on Wednesday through Saturday nights. On other nights, the choices are narrower, but if you look carefully there’s always something going on. Rock, Pop, Soul: Philadelphia has always been a popular stop for national acts. There are concert halls from the massive stadiums of the First Union Center and the Tweeter to the comfortably mid-size Trocadero, Tower, Electric Factory or Keswick, right down to the overheated and cramped rooms of the legendary bars where everyone from Bruce Springsteen to hiphop stars, the Roots paid their dues.
Theater & Dance
For nearly a hundred years, Philadelphia was mainly known as a “tryout” town. New York producers would try out material here before opening on Broadway. These days it’s more likely a play will originate here. The Wilma Theatre has produced the American premieres of two Tom Stoppard plays that were hits on London’s West End, but have never played New York. InterAct hosts a new play reading every January which supplies work to regional theaters across the country. Keep an eye out for anything by Brat Productions, a young edgy company that often stages strong works in a bar.
Film
The good news is that Philadelphia gets as many blockbuster, independent and foreign films passing through as New York or Los Angeles. The bad news is that sometimes these films pass through six or eight weeks later than they appear in those other locations. There is an Omnimax theater at the Franklin Institute with a huge IMAX-like screen that wraps around the audience.
Children
Education and art have a lot to offer, but if you’re traveling with children, you may need something in addition. This is a child-friendly town. There is an aquarium, a zoo, three museums designed to let children play with the exhibits (the Please Touch Museum, the Franklin Institute and a section of the Academy of Natural Sciences), old ships and a submarine at Penn’s Landing, two ice rinks, six professional sports teams, plus an Omnimax theater and a planetarium at the Franklin Institute.
Recommended Tours
Like most cities, Philadelphia has invisible layers of history running through the streets. Decide what you’re looking for on a particular day and then everywhere you look it will seem there are examples of it to see, like a game of “Where’s Waldo?” that’s put together specifically for you. First, a look at Colonial history tours:
Education
Community Colleges
Community colleges exist for two major purposes. The first is to serve as a bridge from high school to college by providing courses for transfer toward a bachelor’s degree. Four out of 10 college-bound high-school graduates start their college education this way.
The second function of community colleges is to prepare students for the job market by offering entry-level career training as well as courses for adult students who want to upgrade their skills for the workplace. They often offer programs that are not available at four-year schools, like fashion design.
Liberal Arts Colleges
Liberal arts colleges offer a broad base of courses in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Most are private and focus mainly on undergraduate students. Classes tend to be small and personal attention is available.
Online Learning
Recent years have witnessed the rise of online degree programs, to allow the busy professional a chance to work at their own pace from the comfort of their home on the path to getting a degree. The costs to students are typically the same as for traditional classes— and financial aid is equally available—while the cost to the institution can be much less.
There are online universities ranging from legitimate distance learning systems to fly-by-night degree-mills. It’s important to research a particular institution before deciding to enroll in their system. Generally, brick-and-mortar schools that also offer online classes are the safest, though there are plenty of fully accredited online universities out there.
Nearly 3 million students are believed to be taking online classes at institutions of higher education in the United States this year. That number has been growing about 25% a year recently. Now, virtually all public higher education institutions, as well as a vast majority of private, for-profit institutions, now offer online classes. By contrast, only about half of private, nonprofit schools offer them. Online schools offer everything from Associate’s degrees to Doctoral programs with available emphases in everything from Business Administration to Criminal Justice to Nursing. Some programs require students to attend some campus classes or orientations, but many are delivered completely online. Online courses generally require a computer with a broadband connection, but are now a serious option for the busy professional.
Public vs. Private
Public colleges are usually less expensive, particularly for in-state residents. They get most of their money from the state or local government. Private colleges rely on tuition, fees, endowments, and other private sources. Private colleges are usually smaller and can offer more personalized attention and often more prestige.
Universities
Generally, a university is bigger than a college and offers more majors and research facilities. Class size often reflects institutional size and some classes may taught by graduate students.
Upper Division
Upper-division schools offer the last two years of undergraduate study, usually in specialized programs leading to a bachelor’s degree. Students then generally transfer to an upper-division college after completing an associate degree or after finishing a second year of study at a four-year college.
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