Portal:Philadelphia
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Philadelphia (/ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə/ ⓘ FIL-ə-DEL-fee-ə), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is the sixth-most populous city in the United States with a population of 1.6 million at the 2020 census, while the Philadelphia metropolitan area (sometimes called the Delaware Valley) with 6.33 million residents is the nation's ninth-largest metropolitan area. Philadelphia is known for its culture, cuisine, and history, maintaining contemporary influence in business and industry, culture, sports, and music.
As of 2023[update], the Philadelphia metropolitan area had a gross metropolitan product of US$557.6 billion and is home to 13 Fortune 500 corporate headquarters. Metropolitan Philadelphia ranks as one of the nation's Big Five venture capital hubs, facilitated by its proximity to both the financial ecosystems of New York City and the regulatory environment of Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Philadelphia is also a biotechnology hub. The Philadelphia Stock Exchange, owned by Nasdaq since 2008, is the nation's oldest stock exchange and a global leader in options trading. 30th Street Station, the city's primary rail station, is the third-busiest Amtrak hub in the nation with over 4.1 million passengers in 2023. The city's multimodal transportation and logistics infrastructure includes Philadelphia International Airport, the PhilaPort seaport; and Interstate 95, the spine of the north–south highway system along the U.S. East Coast. (Full article...)
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Interstate 476 is a 132.10 mi (212.59 km)-long auxiliary Interstate Highway, designated between Interstate 95 near Chester, Pennsylvania and Interstate 81 near Scranton, Pennsylvania. It serve as the primary north-south Interstate corridor through eastern Pennsylvania. It consists of both the 21.5-mile Mid-County Expressway, locally referred to as the "Blue Route", through the suburban-Philadelphia counties of Delaware and Montgomery, and the 110.6-mile Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which connects the Philadelphia metropolitan area with the Lehigh Valley, the Poconos, and the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Proposed as early as 1929, construction of the Mid-County Expressway through Delaware County was not completed until 1991 due to massive community and environmental opposition during the freeway revolts of the 1960s and 1970s. After completion of the Mid-County Expressway, in 1996 the Interstate 476 designation was extended to include the entire length of the existing Northeast Extension. Since the extension, I-476 has been the longest auxiliary Interstate highway in the United States.
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The Schuylkill River flows through Philadelphia from the northwest. The total length of the river is approximately 130 miles (209 km) with a watershed of around 2000 square miles (5,000 km²) lying entirely within Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch starts in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in Schuylkill County. The west branch starts near Minersville and joins the eastern branch at the town of Schuylkill Haven. The Tulpehocken Creek joins it at the western edge of Reading. Wissahickon Creek joins it in Northwest Philadelphia. The river ends its course at the confluence with the Delaware River in South Philadelphia.
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Louis H. Carpenter was a United States Army brigadier general and Medal of Honor recipient. He began his military career in 1861, first as an enlisted soldier before being commissioned as an officer the following year. During the American Civil War, he participated in sixteen campaigns with the 6th U.S. Cavalry Regiment. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Indian Wars while serving with the Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th U.S. Cavalry. He was noted several times for gallantry in official dispatches. Louis Carpenter dropped out of college to enlist in the Union Army at the beginning of the American Civil War and fought in the Gettysburg Campaign at the Battle of Fairfield. By the end of the Civil War, he held the rank of brevet lieutenant colonel, but also received a commission to first lieutenant in the Regular United States Army. After the Civil War and until his transfer back East in 1887, he served on the western frontier. He engaged many Native American tribes, dealt with many types of renegades and explored vast areas of uncharted territory from Texas to Arizona. During the Spanish-American War, he commanded an occupation force and became the first military governor of Puerto Principe, Cuba. After 38 continuous years of service to his country, he retired from the Army on October 19, 1899, as a brigadier general. After his retirement, he became a speaker and a writer.
Did you know (auto-generated) -
- ... that Philadelphia's Washington Monument was unveiled at its dedication in 1897 by the president of the United States?
- ... that Gary Tuggle, as head of Philadelphia's Drug Enforcement Administration division, led potentially the largest prepackaged heroin seizure in Delaware history?
- ... that some Byzantine churches in Philadelphia, modern-day Amman, were repurposed from earlier Roman temples?
- ... that Fox bought a Philadelphia TV station started by a Fox?
- ... that exhibits at Peale's Philadelphia Museum included the first nearly complete skeleton of a mastodon?
- ... that the Philly Specials, formed by three football players from the Philadelphia Eagles, have recorded Christmas music with Stevie Nicks and Boyz II Men?
- ... that a church of the Order of St. Augustine in the United States was burned to the ground during the Philadelphia nativist riots of 1844?
- ... that "On Eagle's Wings" was quoted in Joe Biden's presidential victory speech and featured in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia?
Selected anniversaries - September
- September 6, 1943 - 79 people are killed when a Pennsylvania Railroad train derails in Kensington.
- September 15, 1855 - Philadelphia City Council dedicates Fairmount Park to the public.
- September 22, 1734 - A large number of followers of the Schwenkfelder Church, a religious sect that follows the teachings of Kaspar Schwenkfeld von Ossig, arrive in Philadelphia.
- September 26, 1777 - American Revolutionary War: British forces, led by General Howe, march into Philadelphia.
Quotes -
"We're standing here in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, the birthplace of freedom; where the founding fathers authored the Declaration of Independence...and I don't recall that glorious document saying anything about all straight men are created equal. I believe it says all men are created equal."
– Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) in the film Philadelphia, writer Ron Nyswaner
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