Philadelphia, colloquially Philly, is the largest city in the U.S.
state of Pennsylvania and the sixth-most populous U.S. city, with a
2019 estimated population of 1,584,064. Since 1854, the city has had
the same geographic boundaries as Philadelphia County, the
most-populous county in Pennsylvania and the urban core of the
eighth-largest U.S. metropolitan statistical area, with over 6 million
residents as of 2017[update]. Philadelphia is also the economic and
cultural anchor of the greater Delaware Valley along the lower
Delaware and Schuylkill rivers within the Northeast megalopolis. The
Delaware Valley's population of 7.2 million makes it the
eighth-largest combined statistical area in the United
States.Philadelphia, colloquially Philly, is the largest city in the
U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the sixth-most populous U.S. city, with
a 2019 estimated population of 1,584,064. Since 1854, the city has had
the same geographic boundaries as Philadelphia County, the
most-populous county in Pennsylvania and the urban core of the
eighth-largest U.S. metropolitan statistical area, with over 6 million
residents as of 2017[update]. Philadelphia is also the economic and
cultural anchor of the greater Delaware Valley along the lower
Delaware and Schuylkill rivers within the Northeast megalopolis. The
Delaware Valley's population of 7.2 million makes it the
eighth-largest combined statistical area in the United
States.Philadelphia is one of the oldest municipalities in the United
States. William Penn, an English Quaker, founded the city in 1682 to
serve as capital of the Pennsylvania Colony. Philadelphia played an
instrumental role in the American Revolution as a meeting place for
the Founding Fathers of the United States, who signed the Declaration
of Independence in 1776 at the Second Continental Congress, and the
Constitution at the Philadelphia Convention of 1787. Several other key
events occurred in Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War including
the First Continental Congress, the preservation of the Liberty Bell,
the Battle of Germantown, and the Siege of Fort Mifflin. Philadelphia
remained the nation's largest city until being overtaken by New York
City in 1790; the city was also one of the nation's capitals during
the revolution, serving as temporary U.S. capital while Washington,
D.C. was under construction. In the 19th and 20th centuries,
Philadelphia became a major industrial center and a railroad hub. The
city grew due to an influx of European immigrants, most of whom
initially came from Ireland and Germanyâ€"the two largest reported
ancestry groups in the city as of 2015[update]. Later immigrant groups
in the 20th century came from Italy (Italian being the third largest
European ethnic ancestry currently reported in Philadelphia) and other
Southern European and Eastern European countries. In the early 20th
century, Philadelphia became a prime destination for African Americans
during the Great Migration after the Civil War. Puerto Ricans began
moving to the city in large numbers in the period between World War I
and II, and in even greater numbers in the post-war period. The city's
population doubled from one million to two million people between 1890
and 1950.The Philadelphia area's many universities and colleges make
it a top study destination, as the city has evolved into an
educational and economic hub. As of 2019[update], the Philadelphia
metropolitan area is estimated to produce a gross metropolitan product
(GMP) of $490 billion. Philadelphia is the center of economic activity
in Pennsylvania and is home to five Fortune 1000 companies. The
Philadelphia skyline is expanding, with a market of almost 81,900
commercial properties in 2016, including several nationally prominent
skyscrapers. Philadelphia has more outdoor sculptures and murals than
any other American city. Fairmount Park, when combined with the
adjacent Wissahickon Valley Park in the same watershed, is one of the
largest contiguous urban park areas in the United States. The city is
known for its arts, culture, cuisine, and colonial history, attracting
42 million domestic tourists in 2016 who spent $6.8 billion,
generating an estimated $11 billion in total economic impact in the
city and surrounding four counties of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia has
also emerged as a biotechnology hub. Philadelphia Top Movies & Young Movies