The Philadelphia & Countryside Region of the Keystone State is a place of incredible beauty, friendly charm and rich history. A place where people first dared to dream of a self-governing nation in the meeting rooms of Independence Hall, and men took the fight for freedom to the surrounding countryside. The memory of their struggles and sacrifices endures at places like Brandywine Battlefield and Valley Forge. From bustling downtown avenues where people dine at four-star restaurants, applaud critically acclaimed theater performances and visit museums of art and history, to the winding roads of the countryside and Lehigh Valley that roll past wineries, inviting towns, cozy inns and quaint bed and breakfasts, Philadelphia & Countryside is a land of endless possibilities for travelers.

State Data State capital: Harrisburg State nickname: Keystone State State population: 12,287,150 State population under 18: 23.8% State population over 65: 15.6% State area (in square mileage): 45,308 State taxes per capita: $4,178 State poverty rate: 11.2% State flower: Mountain Laurel State bird: Ruffed Grouse

City Data Time zone: Eastern Area code: 215 and 267 (Philadelphia), 484 and 610 (other Pennsylvania cities and towns), 609 (New Jersey) and 302 (Delaware). County: Philadelphia County Land area: 135.1 square miles (Philadelphia only) Altitude: 100 feet above sea level Derivation of name: from the Greek language for "Philadelphia," meaning "brotherly love"; via the ancient city mentioned in the Bible Nickname(s) or motto: "Philly"; City of Brotherly Love; The City of Penn; The World's Greatest Workshop; The World ’s Largest Freshwater Port; The Birthplace of American Liberty Major suburbs/neighboring cities: Bala Cynwyd, Pa., Willow Grove, Pa., Ambler, Pa., Norristown, Pa., King of Prussia, Pa., Wayne, Pa., Radnor, Pa., Haverford, Pa., Ardmore, Pa., Drexel Hill, Pa., Chester, Pa., and Swarthmore, Pa.; Camden, N. J., Collingswood, N. J., and Cherry Hill, N. J. History: First settled by Swedes 1638; Swedes surrendered to Dutch 1654; settled by English and Scottish Quakers 1678; incorporated as city and named "Philadelphia" 1682; chartered 1701; Continental Congresses convened 1774 and 1775; Declaration of Independence signed here 1776; served as state capital from 1683 through 1799; served as national capital from 1790 through 1800 Total population (Philadelphia County): 1,491,812 Population density: 11,241.1 people per square mile Projected population growth, by state (projected population change: 1988 through 2020): 12.5% (for Pennsylvania) Per capita income (for the metropolitan statistical area, or MSA): $32,900 Median household income: $35,407 Politics: a democratic bent Voter turnout, by state (average turnout in presidential elections: 52.4% (for Pennsylvania) Click here for the Republican party of Pennsylvania Click here for the Democratic party of Pennsylvania

Housing 2003 median home-resale price (Philadelphia): $153,400 2003 median new home price (Pennsylvania): $205,400 Typical corporate-level home (single-family, four-bedroom, 2-½-bath, 2,200-square-foot dwelling with two-car garage): $316,000 (for Philadelphia Mainline/western suburbs) $203,350 (for Philadelphia County, Pa.) $247,088 (for Chester County, Pa.) $261,350 (for Delaware County, Pa.) $200,225 (for Montgomery County, Pa.) $235,950 (for Bucks County, Pa.) As points of comparison: $136,808 (for Reading, Pa.) $187,887 (for Allentown, Pa.) $148,051 (for York, Pa.) $180,100 (for Harrisburg, Pa.) $162,875 (for Pittsburgh) Average apartment rent (in city per month): $733 Residential property taxes (effective rate per $100): 2.64

Transportation Types of mass transit available: One major airport; three railroads; major fresh-water port; mass-transit system, consisting of subways, elevated trains, commuter rail, buses and streetcars National airport ranking, by number of passengers enplaned: No. 24 in U.S. (Philadelphia International) On-time flight arrivals: 57.9% On-time flight departures: 55.9% Average commute (average commuter-travel time in minutes): Daily Commute: 54.8 minutes U.S. average: 49.8 minutes

Economy Annual cost-of-living index (2001) U.S. average: 100.0 For Philadelphia, Pa./N.J. (with index weight for each component shown as percentage): --Composite (100% composite index): 120.9 --Grocery items (16%): 105.0 --Housing (28%): 145.6 --Utilities (8%): 120.2 --Transportation (10%): 116.5 --Health care (5%): 101.8 --Miscellaneous goods and services (33%): 112.2  Taxes for Pennsylvania Maximum personal income tax (flat rate): 2.8% Sales tax: 6% (plus additional local sales tax) Per capita taxes: $4,178 Per capita tax rate: 14.6% Average tax burden (for a family of four with a $50,000 annual income) U.S. city average: $4,305 (or 8.6% of annual income) Philadelphia: $5,924 (or 11.8% of annual income) Pittsburgh: N/A (for Pittsburgh specifically) New York City: $6,514 (or 13% of annual income) Wilmington, Del.:  $3,808 (or 7.6% of annual income) Baltimore: $5,446 (or 11% of annual income) Washington, D.C.: $4,592 (or 9.2% of annual income)

Business Unemployment rate -- June 2003(for Philadelphia area MSA): 5.8% Unemployment rate --June 2002 (for Philadelphia area MSA): 5.7% Unemployment rate -- June 2003(Pennsylvania): 5.8% Unemployment rate -- June 2002 (Pennsylvania): 5.6% Civilians employed: 2,456,300 Civilians unemployed: 160,100 Projected income growth, by state (projected per-capita income change: 1988 through 2020): 34.5% (for Pennsylvania) Philadelphia is home to several Fortune 500 companies including: Company Fortune 500 Aramark 213 Cigna 87 Comcast 157 Crown Holdings 268 Rohm & Haas 301 Sunoco 154 Lincoln National 356 Source: Fortune magazine. Companies that produce a 10-k are ranked 1 to 500 based on 2002 revenue in their 2003 listing

Health Care Number of hospitals: 67 including: 3 psychiatric, 3 other specialty, 2 children's generals, 1 children's orthopedic, 1 children's rehabilitation Average cost of health care: Hospital (per day): $452 Doctor: $50.50 Dentist: $63.75 Number of teaching hospitals: 30 Life expectancy, by state (average lifetime in years): 73.58 years (for Pennsylvania) Number of nursing homes (for Pennsylvania): 784 Click here for more information on Philadelphia's hospitals and health-care facilities Click here for child-care information for Philadelphia

Crime Philadelphia's average annual crime rate per 100,000 people (2002): Number of robberies: 633 Number of rapes: 67 Number of homicides: 20 Number of aggravated assaults: 690 Number of motor-vehicle thefts: 1023 Philadelphia has a Relocation Crime Lab Index of 343, which is a higher crime rate than the national average [The Relocation Crime Lab Index gives the city's crime rate relative to the average of nearly 500 total cities nationwide. A value of 100 means that the city is exactly average. A value of 200 means that the city has twice the crime rate as the average city. A value of 50 means that the city has half the crime rate of the average city. Please note that the number of crimes reported has been adjusted to yield a rate per 100,000. (THE RELOCATION CRIME LAB ™ is derived by The Homebuyer's Fair from data reported for 2003 by various government, regional and local sources.)] Click here for a Philadelphia Police Department

Education Educational facilities: 25 degree-granting institutions; 10 community-college campuses Total public-school student population : 57,319 (46 districts, 156 schools) Click here to research all public schools in the Philadelphia area Median student/teacher ratios in public elementary and secondary schools: 16.4/1 Spending per pupil (through 12th grade): $5,575 per student each year Outstanding Secondary Schools in Philadelphia(private schools in italics): Abington HS, Abington Indian Valley MS, HarleyVille Ancillae-Assumpta Academy, Wyncote Keith Valley MS, Horsham Arcola IS, Norristown Lower Moreland HS, Huntingdon Valley Franklin Learning Center, Philadelphia Merion Mercy Academy, Merion Station Fugett MS, West Chester Mount St. Joseph Academy, Flourtown General Wayne MS, Malvern North Penn HS, Lansdale Gordon MS, Coatesville Radnor HS, Radnor Gwynedd Mercy Academy, Gwynedd Valley South Brandywine MS, Coatesville Harriton HS, Rosemont Tamanend MS, Warrington Hatboro-Horhsham HS, Horsham Upper Dublin HS, Fort Washington Holy Ghost Prep, Bensalem Upper Moreland MS, Hatboro     Education spending, by state: $13,084,859 High-school graduates, Philadelphia : 659,120 Local colleges and universities: Beaver College, Glenside, Pa. Bryn Mawr & Haverford colleges, Haverford, Pa. Cabrini College, Radnor, Pa. Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia Community College of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Delaware County Community College, Media, Pa. Delaware Valley College, Doylestown, Pa. Drexel University, Philadelphia Holy Family College, Philadelphia Immaculata College, Immaculata, Pa. La Salle University, Philadelphia Lincoln University, Oxford, Pa. (a historically black college) Pierce College, Philadelphia Pennsylvania State University at Abington, Abington, Pa. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Philadelphia College of Textiles & Sciences, Philadelphia Rosemont College, Rosemont, Pa. St. Joseph's University, Philadelphia Temple University, Philadelphia Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia Ursinus College, Collegeville, Pa. Villanova University, Villanova, Pa. West Chester University, West Chester, Pa. Widener University, Chester, Pa.

Weather Average temperature in January (daily mean temperature in Fahrenheit degrees): 30.4 degrees Average temperature in July (daily mean temperature in Fahrenheit degrees): 76.7 degrees Average annual rainfall: 41.4 inches Average annual snowfall: 20.8 inches Seasonal average humidity: 65.5% Average number of rainy days each year: 116 Winter temperature range (in Fahrenheit degrees): 23-52 degrees Spring temperature range (in Fahrenheit degrees): 42-82 degrees Summer temperature range (in Fahrenheit degrees): 59-86 degrees Fall temperature range (in Fahrenheit degrees): 28-66 degrees Click here for today's weather in Philadelphia

Off Hours [Note: For more in-depth information on restaurants, lodging, outdoor recreation, cultural happenings, the arts or other items of local interest, please go to the city-specific Web site(s) listed at the end of this city's profile] Click here for a guide to restaurants in Philadelphia Golf courses/holes: 1,341 (Philadelphia)(No. 3 metropolitan area with the greatest number of private golf holes in the U.S. in 1998) Attractions: Philadelphia Zoological Garden (visited by more than one million people per year) New Jersey State Aquarium --Located on the Delaware River Waterfront in Camden, directly across the river from Philadelphia --Offers more than 4,000 aquatic animals of some 500 species in more than 80 individual fresh- and salt-water exhibits --A 760,000-gallon tank has two dozen sharks, giant stingrays, sea turtles and 1,400 other aquatic animals --In addition: A 170,000-gallon seal pool, home to eight gray and harbor seals; a touch-a-shark exhibit; and a permanent outdoor exhibit, called "Inguza Island," featuring African Penguins Professional sports teams: Philadelphia Phillies, major league baseball Philadelphia Eagles, national football league Philadelphia 76ers, national basketball association Philadelphia Flyers, national hockey league Philadelphia Phantoms, American hockey league Museums for Pennsylvania: Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia --The Academy of Natural Sciences, an international museum of natural history operating since 1812, undertakes research and public education that focuses upon the environment and its diverse species --Museum's mission: To expand knowledge of nature through discovery and to inspire stewardship of the environment Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh --Through its explorations, collections, research, exhibitions and educational programs, this museum advances knowledge of the earth, its life and cultures, and acts as a steward of the natural world Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh --Hands-on exhibits, including a miniature railroad and village --Also an Omnimax theater, interactive planetarium and World War II submarine Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, Philadelphia --Offers a multidisciplinary tour program that addresses the architecture and history of the building, its impact upon prison architecture throughout the world and contemporary issues in criminal justice --The historic program also offers exhibits, film screenings, cultural events (dance, theater and art exhibits), and lectures and symposia Franklin and Marshall College's North Museum, Lancaster, Pa. --The North Museum of Natural History and Science houses an impressive array of natural history and science collections --Also a state-of-the-art planetarium (third largest in Pennsylvania) and several specialty areas that make learning fun for all ages Franklin Institute Virtual Science Museum, Philadelphia --Includes virtual exhibits Frost Entomological Museum, State College, Pa. --An entomological museum, with public display area and research collection (500,000 specimens) for the eastern U.S. (and additional overseas material) Heritage Map Museum, Lititz, Pa. --Features 15th- to 19th-century antique maps --Includes maps for sale Hershey Museum, Hershey, Pa. --Explores the life of Milton Hershey, the model town and chocolate empire he created --Museum also contains Native-American and Pennsylvania-German collections that Milton Hershey acquired Historical Society of Berks County, Reading, Pa. --A collection of items illustrating the rich cultural heritage of Berks County Houdini Museum, Scranton, Pa. --World's only museum entirely devoted to Houdini --Largest collection on public view --Tours, magic shows and virtual and real museum Jimmy Stewart Museum, Indiana, Pa. --Based at the actor's birthplace Juniata College Museum of Art, Huntingdon, Pa. --Permanent collection of Old-Master through 19th-century paintings, prints, drawings (particularly Hudson River School) and temporary exhibitions --Housed in a historic Carnegie Library (circa 1906) LaSalle University Art Museum, Philadelphia --The La Salle University Art Museum is the only college or university museum in the Philadelphia area with a permanent exhibition of Western art from the Renaissance to the present Meadowcroft Museum of Rural Life, Pennsylvania, Pa. MUSEE (Museums and Universities Supporting Educational Enrichment Inc.), Philadelphia --MUSEE's Web site links to more than 2,500 museums around the world and provides a DirectLink feature that allows visitors to go directly to travel/visitor information, visual content, research materials, educational materials and museum shops Museum of Unnatural Mystery, Bensalem, Pa. --A slightly bizarre science museum, with exhibits for the whole family --Look at scientific explanations for unidentified flying objects and sea monsters, among other things Mutter Museum, Philadelphia --This is a pickled-medical-specimen museum, with medical oddities, medical instruments and other really weird and disgusting exhibits, such as a lady that turned to soap Old Bedford Village, Bedford, Pa. --Living-history museum, consisting of more than 40 historic and replica structures that interpret life on the Pennsylvania frontier from 1750 through 1850 Paley Design Center, Philadelphia --The Paley Design Center of the Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science is dedicated to collection, care and display of textiles --The current collection of more than 1.5 million items is used by students, researchers and the textile community worldwide Paley/Levy Galleries at Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia --Two galleries at the only visual-arts college for women in the U.S. --The Goldie Paley Gallery organizes innovative exhibitions of art, design, architecture and photography by national and international artists --The Levy Gallery provides a center for artistic exploration and experimentation for both established and emerging Philadelphia-area artists Palmer Museum of Art, Pennsylvania State University Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia --Founded in 1805, this institution is America's first art museum and school of fine arts. --Features one of the most renowned collections of American art -- spanning three centuries Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia --Founded in 1876, this museum is unique among American museums in its integrated presentation of a full range of fine and applied arts from Asia, Europe and the U.S. --Spanning more than 2,000 years, the collections include masterpieces of painting, sculpture, prints and drawings displayed with a wide range of furniture, silver, glasswork, architectural elements and entire furnished rooms from historic houses Reading Public Museum and Art Gallery, Reading, Pa. The Museum of Scientific Discovery, Harrisburg, Pa. --A participatory science center, with more than 100 exhibits and daily public programs The Pittsburgh Children's Museum, Pittsburgh --Three floors of hands-on fun that the whole family will enjoy University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia --Has sponsored more than 300 expeditions around the world and has artifacts from every inhabited continent Valley Forge Historical Society Museum, Valley Forge, Pa. --See George Washington at Valley Forge Vatican Art, Pittsburgh --Art masterpieces from the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel Watch and Clock Museum, Columbia, Pa. --A museum that details the history and technology of time keeping

Religious Institutions At least 1,660 religious institutions of various denominations located within Philadelphia Click here for a detailed list of religious institutions in Philadelphia

Local Publications Philadelphia Business Journal 400 Market St. Suite 300 Philadelphia, Pa. 19106 215-238-1450 Philadelphia Daily News/Philadelphia Inquirer c/o Philadelphia Newspapers 400 N. Broad St. PO Box 8263 Philadelphia, Pa. 19101 215-854-2000 Allentown Morning Call 101 N. Sixth St. PO Box 1260 Allentown, Pa. 18105 610-820-6500 Eastern Pennsylvania Business Journal 5000 W. Tilghman St. Suite 215 Allentown, Pa. 18104 610-398-1026 Wilmington News Journal 950 W. Basin Rd. Wilmington, Del. 19850 302-324-2500

Sources of Information (If desired, please also refer to profile for Pittsburgh, Pa.) Office of City Representative and City Commerce Director 1600 Arch St. 13th Floor Philadelphia, Pa. 19103 215-686-1776 The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce 200 S. Broad St. Suite 700 Philadelphia, PA 19102 215-545-1234 Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau 1515 Market St. Suite 2020 Philadelphia, Pa.19102 215-636-3300 Allentown/Lehigh County Chamber of Commerce 462 Walnut St. Allentown, Pa. 18102-5497 610-437-9661 New Castle County Chamber of Commerce County Commerce Office Park PO Box 11247 Wilmington, De. 19850-1247 302-737-4343 Delaware State Chamber of Commerce 1 Commerce Center Wilmington, Del. 19850 302-655-7221 Greater Wilmington Convention and Visitors Bureau 1300 Market St. Wilmington, Del. 19801-1136 302-652-4088

Additional Information Interesting links for Philadelphia: City of Philadelphia Chester County Chamber of Business Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry Philly.com -- local news