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In the 21st century, most Lenape reside in Oklahoma , with some communities living also in Wisconsin , Ontario Canada , and in their traditional homelands. Europeans came to the Delaware Valley in the early 17th century, with the first settlements founded by the Dutch, who in built Fort Nassau on the Delaware River opposite the Schuylkill River in what is now Brooklawn, New Jersey. In , Swedish settlers led by renegade Dutch established the colony of New Sweden at Fort Christina present-day Wilmington, Delaware and quickly spread out in the valley.
In , New Sweden supported the Susquehannocks in their military defeat of the English colony of Maryland. In , the Dutch built Fort Beversreede on the west bank of the Delaware, south of the Schuylkill near the present-day Eastwick neighborhood, to reassert their dominion over the area. In , a Dutch military campaign led by New Netherland Director-General Peter Stuyvesant took control of the Swedish colony, ending its claim to independence. The Swedish and Finnish settlers continued to have their own militia, religion, and court, and to enjoy substantial autonomy under the Dutch.
The English conquered the New Netherland colony in , though the situation did not change substantially until when the area was included in William Penn 's charter for Pennsylvania. In , in partial repayment of a debt, Charles II of England granted Penn a charter for what would become the Pennsylvania colony. Despite the royal charter, Penn bought the land from the local Lenape to be on good terms with the Native Americans and ensure peace for his colony.
The city of Amman was also named Philadelphia during its Greek and Roman periods, and was mentioned as the site of an early Christian congregation in the Book of Revelation. As a Quaker , Penn had experienced religious persecution and wanted his colony to be a place where anyone could worship freely. This tolerance, far more than afforded by most other colonies, led to better relations with the local native tribes and fostered Philadelphia's rapid growth into America's most important city. Penn planned a city on the Delaware River to serve as a port and place for government.
Hoping that Philadelphia would become more like an English rural town instead of a city, Penn laid out roads on a grid plan to keep houses and businesses spread far apart, with areas for gardens and orchards. The city's inhabitants did not follow Penn's plans, however, as they crowded by the Delaware River port, and subdivided and resold their lots. Though poor at first, the city became an important trading center with tolerable living conditions by the s.
Benjamin Franklin , a leading citizen, helped improve city services and founded new ones, such as fire protection, a library, and one of the American colonies' first hospitals. A number of philosophical societies were formed, which were centers of the city's intellectual life: the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture , the Pennsylvania Society for the Encouragement of Manufactures and the Useful Arts , the Academy of Natural Sciences , and the Franklin Institute Philadelphia's importance and central location in the colonies made it a natural center for America's revolutionaries.
By the s, Philadelphia had surpassed Boston to become the largest city and busiest port in British America , and second in the British Empire after London. Several battles were fought in and near Philadelphia as well. Philadelphia served as the temporary capital of the United States while the new capital was under construction in the District of Columbia from to The state capital was moved to Lancaster in , then Harrisburg in , while the federal government was moved to Washington, D.
Capitol building. The city remained the young nation's largest until the late 18th century , being both a financial and a cultural center for America. In , the city's free black community founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church AME , the first independent black denomination in the country, and the first black Episcopal Church. The free black community also established many schools for its children, with the help of Quakers. New York City surpassed Philadelphia in population by Large-scale construction projects for new roads, canals , and railroads made Philadelphia the first major industrial city in the United States.
Throughout the 19th century , Philadelphia hosted a variety of industries and businesses, the largest being textiles.
Industry, along with the U. Centennial, was celebrated in with the Centennial Exposition , the first official World's Fair in the United States. Immigrants, mostly from Ireland and Germany , settled in Philadelphia and the surrounding districts. These immigrants were largely responsible for the first general strike in North America in , in which workers in the city won the ten-hour workday.
The city was a destination for thousands of Irish immigrants fleeing the Great Famine in the s; housing for them was developed south of South Street and later occupied by succeeding immigrants. They established a network of Catholic churches and schools and dominated the Catholic clergy for decades. Anti-Irish, anti-Catholic nativist riots erupted in Philadelphia in The rise in population of the surrounding districts helped lead to the Act of Consolidation of , which extended the city limits from the 2 square miles 5.
The African-American population of Philadelphia increased from 31, to , between and Penn's Treaty with the Indians by Benjamin West. By the 20th century, Philadelphia had an entrenched Republican political machine and a complacent population.
In the s, the public flouting of Prohibition laws, organized crime , mob violence, and police involvement in illegal activities led to the appointment of Brig. Smedley Butler of the U. Marine Corps as director of public safety, but political pressure prevented any long-term success in fighting crime and corruption. In , non-Hispanic whites constituted In addition, suburbanization had enticed many of the more affluent residents to outlying railroad commuting towns and newer housing.
The resulting reduction in Philadelphia's tax base and the resources of local government caused the city to struggle through a long period of adjustment, with it approaching bankruptcy by the late s. Revitalization and gentrification of neighborhoods began in the late s and continues into the 21st century, with much of the development occurring in the Center City and University City neighborhoods. After many of the old manufacturers and businesses left Philadelphia or shut down, the city started attracting service businesses and began to market itself more aggressively as a tourist destination.
Contemporary glass-and-granite skyscrapers were built in Center City beginning in the s. Historic areas such as Old City and Society Hill were renovated during the reformist mayoral era of the s through the s, making those areas among the most desirable neighborhoods in Center City. These developments have begun a reversal of the city's population decline between and during which it lost about one-quarter of its residents.
The city encompasses Philadelphia is situated on the Fall Line that separates the Atlantic coastal plain from the Piedmont. The city is the seat of its own county. Philadelphia's central city was created in the 17th century following the plan by William Penn 's surveyor Thomas Holme. Center City is structured with long, straight streets running nearly due east—west and north—south, forming a grid pattern between the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers that is aligned with their courses.
The original city plan was designed to allow for easy travel and to keep residences separated by open space that would help prevent the spread of fire. Philadelphia's neighborhoods are divided into large sections— North , Northeast , South , Southwest , West , and Northwest —surrounding Center City, which correspond closely with the city's limits before consolidation in Each of these large areas contains numerous neighborhoods, some of whose boundaries derive from the boroughs, townships, and other communities that constituted Philadelphia County before their inclusion within the city.
The City Planning Commission , tasked with guiding growth and development of the city, has divided the city into 18 planning districts as part of the Philadelphia physical development plan. Street and Michael Nutter. The zoning changes were intended to rectify incorrect zoning maps to facilitate future community development, as the city forecasts an additional , residents and 40, jobs will be added by Philadelphia's architectural history dates back to colonial times and includes a wide range of styles. The earliest structures were constructed with logs , but brick structures were common by During the 18th century, the cityscape was dominated by Georgian architecture , including Independence Hall and Christ Church.
His contemporaries included John McArthur Jr. The Philadelphia Historical Commission was created in to preserve the cultural and architectural history of the city. The commission maintains the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places , adding historic buildings, structures, sites, objects and districts as it sees fit. Numerous glass and granite skyscrapers were built in Center City beginning in the late s. For much of Philadelphia's history, the typical home has been the row house. The row house was introduced to the United States via Philadelphia in the early 19th century and, for a time, row houses built elsewhere in the United States were known as "Philadelphia rows".
While newer homes have been built recently, much of the housing dates to the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, which has created problems such as urban decay and vacant lots. Some neighborhoods, including Northern Liberties and Society Hill , have been rehabilitated through gentrification.
Elfreth's Alley , "Our nation's oldest residential street", — [79]. Carpenters' Hall exhibiting Georgian architecture , — The grand concourse of the 30th Street Station , in Art Deco style, — Snowfall is highly variable with some winters having only light snow while others include major snowstorms. The normal seasonal snowfall averages Precipitation is generally spread throughout the year, with eight to eleven wet days per month, [85] at an average annual rate of The January daily average temperature is The average window for freezing temperatures is November 6 thru April 2, [83] allowing a growing season of days.
Early fall and late winter are generally dry with February having the lowest average precipitation at 2. The dewpoint in the summer averages between Philadelphia County received an ozone grade of F and a hour particle pollution rating of D in the American Lung Association 's State of the Air report, which analyzed data from to According to the United States Census Bureau estimate, there were 1,, people residing in Philadelphia, representing a 3.
The population dropped to a low of 1,, residents in before beginning to rise again.
Between and , Philadelphia added 92, residents. In , the Census Bureau estimated that the racial composition of the city was The Census redistricting data indicated that the racial makeup of the city was , Hispanics or Latinos of any race were , persons In , the Census Bureau reported that 1,, people As of [update] , 87 percent of housing units were occupied, while 13 percent were vacant, a slight change from where In , The city reported The average household size was 2.
Of Philadelphia's adults, 31 percent were married or lived as a couple, 55 percent were not married, 11 percent were divorced or separated, and 3 percent were widowed. According to the U. More recently, Philadelphia has experienced a large shift toward a younger age profile. In , the city's population pyramid had a largely stationary shape.