This page will contain wikis about Delaware, as they become available.

Delaware

For other uses, see Delaware (disambiguation).
State nickname: The First State
Other U.S. States
Capital Dover
Largest city Wilmington
Governor Ruth Ann Minner
Official languages None
Area 6,452 km² (49th)
 - Land 5,068 km²
 - Water 1,387 km² (21.5%)
Population (2000)
 - Population 783,600 (45th)
 - Density 154.87 /km² (7th)
Admission into Union
 - Date December 7, 1787
 - Order 1st
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Latitude 38°27'N to 39°50'N
Longitude 75°2'W to 75°47'W
Width 48 km
Length 161 km
Elevation
 - Highest 137 m
 - Mean 18 m
 - Lowest 0 m
Abbreviations
 - USPS DE
 - ISO 3166-2 US-DE
Web site delaware.gov

Delaware is a state of the United States. It is known as the "First State" because it was the first of the 13 colonies to ratify the United States Constitution. Ratification occurred on December 7, 1787.

History

Europeans first settled in a Dutch trading post at "Zwaanendael" (or "Swaanendael," present-day Lewes (pronounced "Lewis")) in 1631. The area became "New Sweden" with a colony established by Swedes (led by Peter Minuit) around Fort Christina (now Wilmington) in 1638.

The name "Delaware" comes from the title of Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, erstwhile governor of the colony of Virginia. The deed to the property that is now Delaware was granted to William Penn in 1682, by James, Duke of York (later, James II of England), and was part of the colony of Pennsylvania. In 1704 the "three lower counties" gained a separate legislature, and in 1710 a separate executive council.

However, Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore of Maryland claimed a competing grant to lands in the southern portion of Pennsylvania and most of Delaware. Thus raged over 100 years of litigation between William Penn and Baltimore, and, later, their heirs, in the High Court of Chancery in London. The legal battles were settled by the heirs agreeing to a survey -- which resulted in the Mason-Dixon line, surveyed by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon between 1763 and 1767. Part of the Line now forms the east-west boundary between Delaware and Maryland, and part of the north-south boundary between Pennsylvania and Delaware (this section, known as The Wedge was in dispute up till 1921), and some 80 of their original limestone markers remain. The remanider of the border between Pennsylvania and Delaware is formed by an arc known as The Twelve-Mile Circle. The north-south boundary between Delaware and Maryland is known as the Transpeninsular Line. Several towns on the borders between Delaware and Maryland are divided by these lines.

Delaware was one of the thirteen colonies which revolted against British rule in the American Revolution. After the Revolution began in 1776, the three counties became "The Delaware State," and in 1792 that entity adopted its first constitution, declaring itself to be the "State of Delaware." Its first governors went by the title of "President of the Delaware State".

The oldest black church in the country was chartered in Delaware by former-slave Peter Spencer in 1813 as the "Union Church of Africans," which is now the A.U.M.P. Church. The Big August Quarterly which began in 1814 is still celebrated and is the oldest such cultural festival in the country.

During the American Civil War, Delaware was a slave state that remained in the Union (Delaware voters voted not to secede on January 3, 1861). Eight months after the end of the Civil War, however, Delaware voted on February 18, 1865 to reject the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution and so voted unsuccessfully to continue slavery beyond the Civil War. Delaware ratified the amendment on February 12, 1901--40 years after Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.

Law and government

Delaware's fourth and current constitution was adopted in 1897 and provides for executive, judicial and legislative bodies. The legislative body consists of a House of Representatives with 41 members and a Senate with 21 members. The executive branch is headed by the Governor of Delaware and the judicial branch provides for a hierarchy of courts with the state Supreme Court being the highest.

The present governor of Delaware is Ruth Ann Minner (Democrat). The lieutenant governor is John C. Carney. Delaware is also one of the few states (California being another) that elect the governor and lieutenant governor separately. Delaware's U.S. Senators are Joseph R. Biden (Democrat) and Thomas Carper (Democrat). Delaware's single US Representative is former Governor, Michael N. Castle (Republican). See: List of Delaware Governors Delaware only has 3 counties: Kent County, New Castle County, and Sussex County. See: List of counties in Delaware

Delaware has one of the few remaining Courts of Chancery in the nation, which has jurisdiction over equity cases.

Geography

Map of Delaware

Delaware is bounded to the north by Pennsylvania, to the east by the Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean and to the west and south by Maryland. Small portions of Delaware are also situated on the far, or eastern, side of the Delaware River Estuary, and these small parcels share land boundaries with New Jersey. The largest city is Wilmington, and the capital is Dover.

The state of Delaware, together with the Eastern Shore counties of Maryland and two counties of Virginia, form the Delmarva Peninsula, a geographical unit stretching far down the Mid-Atlantic coast.

The U.S. Air Force base outside Dover is one of the largest in the U.S. In addition to its other responsibilities, Dover AFB serves as the entry point and morgue for American military persons (and some U.S. government civilians) who die overseas.

There are no network broadcast-television stations in Delaware, although a public-television station from Philadelphia, WHYY, maintains a studio and broadcasting facility in Wilmington. Philadelphia station, Channel 6 WPVI also maintains a bureau in downtown Wilmington. The northern part of the state is served by network stations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the southern part by network stations in Salisbury, Maryland.

Topography

Delaware lies on a level plain, the highest elevation being less than 442 feet above the sea. The northern part is hilly, with a rolling surface, but below New Castle the ground is flat and sandy and in some parts swampy. A ridge about 70 feet in altitude extends along the western boundary of the state and is the watershed for the affluents of the Delaware in the east and of several streams falling into Chesapeake Bay. The principal streams are the Christina and the Brandywine rivers. The Chritiana is navigable for large ships as far as Wilmington. The coast of Delaware Bay is marshy; the Atlantic coast has many sand beaches, inclosing shallow lagoons. The largest of these are Rehoboth Bay, Indian River Bay, and a portion of St. Martin's Bay. The only harbors of consequence are Wilmington, Lewes, and New Castle.

Climate

Since the great majority of Delaware is a part of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, the climate is moderated by the effects of the ocean. The southern third of the state has a mild subtropical climate, with hot, humid summers and mild winters. the middle portion is the transition to the upper portion of the state, which has a warm continental climate and receives occasional winter snowfall.

Demographics

Important cities

Wilmington is a separate developed city in northern Delaware. However, because of its proximity, it acts as both a job hub and suburb with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Top 10 richest places in Delaware

Ranked by per capita income

  1. Greenville: $83,223
  2. Henlopen Acres: $82,091
  3. South Bethany: $53,624
  4. Dewey Beach: $51,958
  5. Fenwick Island: $44,415
  6. Bethany Beach: $41,306
  7. Hockessin: $40,516
  8. North Star: $39,677
  9. Rehoboth Beach: $38,494
  10. Ardentown: $35,577
For more see the complete list of places

Economy

The gross state product of Delaware in 2003 was $49 billion. The per capita personal income was $34,199, ranking 9th in the nation.

Delaware's agricultural output consists of poultry, nursery stock, soybeans, dairy products and corn. Its industrial outputs include chemical products, processed foods, paper products, rubber and plastic products. Delaware's economy generally outperforms the national economy of the United States. Its largest employers are concentrated in science (E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Co., Syngenta, AstraZeneca, Hercules), banking (MBNA America, Wilmington Trust Company, First USA / Bank One, JPMorgan Chase, AIG, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank), manufacturing (General Motors, Chrysler), and farming, specifically chicken farming in Sussex County (Perdue, Mountaire Farms).

Education

Colleges and universities

Professional sports teams

Delaware's only two professional sports teams are the Wilmington Blue Rocks minor league baseball team, a Class A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, and the Delaware Griffins, part of the Women's Professional Football League.

Miscellaneous information

The USS Delaware was named in honor of this state.

Other places named Delaware

The Delaware River is a major river in the eastern United States, rising in New York State, forming the boundary between New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and emptying into Delaware Bay, which separates New Jersey from the state of Delaware.

Delaware Native Americans

Delaware is also the name of a Native American group (called in their own name Lenni Lenape) that was very influential in the dawning days of the United States. However, a band of the Nanticoke tribe of Indians still remains in Sussex County.


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However, a band of the Nanticoke tribe of Indians still remains in Sussex County. See also:Philadelphia in film and television. Delaware is also the name of a Native American group (called in their own name Lenni Lenape) that was very influential in the dawning days of the United States. cities with teams from four major sports. The Delaware River is a major river in the eastern United States, rising in New York State, forming the boundary between New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and emptying into Delaware Bay, which separates New Jersey from the state of Delaware. See also: U.S. The USS Delaware was named in honor of this state. The Wachovia Spectrum is now home to the Flyers' top farm team, the Phantoms and the Major League Indoor soccer team, the Kixx.

Delaware's only two professional sports teams are the Wilmington Blue Rocks minor league baseball team, a Class A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, and the Delaware Griffins, part of the Women's Professional Football League. The Sixers and Flyers share the Wachovia Center with the Soul and Wings. DuPont de Nemours & Co., Syngenta, AstraZeneca, Hercules), banking (MBNA America, Wilmington Trust Company, First USA / Bank One, JPMorgan Chase, AIG, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank), manufacturing (General Motors, Chrysler), and farming, specifically chicken farming in Sussex County (Perdue, Mountaire Farms). "The Park," "The Zit," "The Vault" or in a Freudian error, "The Vet", from the Eagles' and Phillies' last home, Veterans Stadium). Its largest employers are concentrated in science (E.I. The Phillies now play in Citizens Bank Park (a.k.a. Delaware's economy generally outperforms the national economy of the United States. The Eagles now play at Lincoln Financial Field (informally known as "The Linc").

Its industrial outputs include chemical products, processed foods, paper products, rubber and plastic products. The Eagles, Phillies, Flyers and 76ers have each recently had a new stadium built for them. Delaware's agricultural output consists of poultry, nursery stock, soybeans, dairy products and corn. The city's original NFL team was the Frankford Yellow Jackets (Frankford being a section of the city located in the northeastern part of town); the club disbanded during the 1931 football season, then re-emerged under the same ownership two years later as the Philadelphia Eagles. The per capita personal income was $34,199, ranking 9th in the nation. In the past Philadelphia has also been home to the Philadelphia Athletics (MLB, now the Oakland Athletics), and the Philadelphia Warriors (NBA, now the Golden State Warriors). The gross state product of Delaware in 2003 was $49 billion. The Philadelphia Barrage (Major League Lacrosse, lacrosse) plays at the stadium of Villanova University, which is located in Villanova.

Ranked by per capita income. Some locals half-jokingly attribute this to the Curse of Billy Penn. However, because of its proximity, it acts as both a job hub and suburb with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Of late Philadelphia teams have been performing well, but frequently missing championships by failing during the crucial stages. Wilmington is a separate developed city in northern Delaware. Philadelphia sports fans have a reputation of being devoted to their teams in good times and bad. the middle portion is the transition to the upper portion of the state, which has a warm continental climate and receives occasional winter snowfall. Philadelphia has a long and proud history of professional sports teams.

The southern third of the state has a mild subtropical climate, with hot, humid summers and mild winters. The Free Library of Philadelphia. Since the great majority of Delaware is a part of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, the climate is moderated by the effects of the ocean. Colleges and universities near Philadelphia include. The only harbors of consequence are Wilmington, Lewes, and New Castle. All schools in the district are required to have a school uniform or a similar dress code. Martin's Bay. All of Philadelphia is served by the School District of Philadelphia.

The largest of these are Rehoboth Bay, Indian River Bay, and a portion of St. WPLY 100.3FM had formerly been a purely Philadelphia-based alternative rock station, but its format was changed to hip hop in early 2005. The coast of Delaware Bay is marshy; the Atlantic coast has many sand beaches, inclosing shallow lagoons. In 2005, Philadelphia became the largest city in the United States without a modern rock-format radio station, in part because of the difficulty such a station has in gaining market share from WMMR and WYSP. The Chritiana is navigable for large ships as far as Wilmington. Philadelphia is home to some of the country's most prominent radio stations, including two of the nation's leading rock stations, WMMR at 93.3FM and WYSP at 94.1FM. Both stations have been breakthrough stations for many contemporary rock bands, and both are widely known in the rock music community for their influence in impacting the country's rock music trends. The principal streams are the Christina and the Brandywine rivers. Famed comedian Bill Cosby was born and raised in Philadelphia.

A ridge about 70 feet in altitude extends along the western boundary of the state and is the watershed for the affluents of the Delaware in the east and of several streams falling into Chesapeake Bay. Its cultural diversity is reflected in the music and musicians that have come from or through Philadelphia: the R&B styles of Jill Scott and Patti LaBelle, the jazz of Grover Washington Jr., Stan Getz, and Sun Ra, the rock of Pink, the rap of Will Smith, and the opera of Marian Anderson. The northern part is hilly, with a rolling surface, but below New Castle the ground is flat and sandy and in some parts swampy. Philadelphia has been home to many people of note, the most famous of whom is probably Ben Franklin, who along with the others in the Continental Congresses helped shape the city along with the country and the world. Delaware lies on a level plain, the highest elevation being less than 442 feet above the sea. For a list of famous past and present resident of Philadelphia, see: List of people from Philadelphia. The northern part of the state is served by network stations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and the southern part by network stations in Salisbury, Maryland. The "Italian Market" section of South Philadelphia is home to an increasing number of Vietnamese residents.

Philadelphia station, Channel 6 WPVI also maintains a bureau in downtown Wilmington. Philadelphia has a large Italian American population along with Irish-Americans, Asian-Americans, African Americans, and growing numbers of Hispanic residents and émigrés from Russia and Asian countries. There are no network broadcast-television stations in Delaware, although a public-television station from Philadelphia, WHYY, maintains a studio and broadcasting facility in Wilmington. Distinctive Philadelphian dishes include:. In addition to its other responsibilities, Dover AFB serves as the entry point and morgue for American military persons (and some U.S. government civilians) who die overseas. The following railroads, almost all radiating from downtown, were built in the mid-19th century:. Air Force base outside Dover is one of the largest in the U.S. Philadelphia was an early railroad hub.

The U.S. Other planned freeways have been cancelled, such as an Interstate 695 running southwest from downtown and a freeway upgrade of Roosevelt Boulevard. The state of Delaware, together with the Eastern Shore counties of Maryland and two counties of Virginia, form the Delmarva Peninsula, a geographical unit stretching far down the Mid-Atlantic coast. Shortly after it was completed, though, it became one of the busiest corridors in the region. The largest city is Wilmington, and the capital is Dover. The construction of 476 between 76 and 95 took much longer than expected due to community opposition and stubborn landowners. Small portions of Delaware are also situated on the far, or eastern, side of the Delaware River Estuary, and these small parcels share land boundaries with New Jersey. The stretch of 476 between 95 and the toll portion of 476 (running North from the Mid-County Interchange at Plymouth Meeting) is referred to locally as "The Blue Route," because regional planners drew a blue line right through Montgomery and Delaware Counties to suggest where a road ought to be built.

Delaware is bounded to the north by Pennsylvania, to the east by the Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean and to the west and south by Maryland. Opened in the early 1990s, the Northeast Extension (276 & 476) connects highways south of Philly International Airport to ones north of the city. Delaware has one of the few remaining Courts of Chancery in the nation, which has jurisdiction over equity cases. The Tacony-Palmyra Bridge connects PA 73 with NJ 73, and is maintained by the Burlington County Bridge Commission. See: List of counties in Delaware. The Delaware River Port Authority operates three bridges in Philadelphia over the Delaware River to New Jersey: the Walt Whitman Bridge (I-76), the Benjamin Franklin Bridge (I-676 and US 30), and the Betsy Ross Bridge (NJ 90). See: List of Delaware Governors Delaware only has 3 counties: Kent County, New Castle County, and Sussex County. Plans to extend the highway west into the suburbs were killed by community opposition.

Castle (Republican). The Woodhaven Expressway (PA 63), serving the neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia, runs between Interstate 95 and Roosevelt Boulevard (US 1). Delaware's single US Representative is former Governor, Michael N. In recent years, it has become a traffic bottleneck and includes the #2 and #3 worst intersections in the country about a mile from each other, according to a study by State Farm Insurance. Biden (Democrat) and Thomas Carper (Democrat). The boulevard was built for the Lincoln Highway as part of the City Beautiful movement. Senators are Joseph R. Roosevelt Boulevard and the Roosevelt Expressway (US 1) connects Northeast Philadelphia with Center City.

Delaware's U.S. A link between I-95 and I-76, it runs beneath street level through Center City, and connects to the Ben Franklin Bridge at its east end. Delaware is also one of the few states (California being another) that elect the governor and lieutenant governor separately. Interstate 676, the Vine Street Expressway, was completed in 1991 after years of planning. Carney. It meets the Pennsylvania Turnpike at King of Prussia and provides access to Harrisburg and points west. The present governor of Delaware is Ruth Ann Minner (Democrat). The lieutenant governor is John C. The city is also served by Interstate 76 (the Schuylkill Expressway), which runs along the Schuylkill River.

The executive branch is headed by the Governor of Delaware and the judicial branch provides for a hierarchy of courts with the state Supreme Court being the highest. Interstate 95 runs through the city along the Delaware River, providing transportation from Florida to Maine. The legislative body consists of a House of Representatives with 41 members and a Senate with 21 members. Philadelphia International Airport provides domestic and international scheduled air service, while Northeast Philadelphia Airport serves general and corporate aviation. Delaware's fourth and current constitution was adopted in 1897 and provides for executive, judicial and legislative bodies. Two airports, Philadelphia International Airport and Northeast Philadelphia Airport, reside within the city limits (Philadelphia International also lies in the city limits of Tinicum Township, Delaware County). Delaware ratified the amendment on February 12, 1901--40 years after Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. PATCO provides subway service to Camden, Collingswood, Haddonfield, Cherry Hill, Ashland, and Lindenwold, New Jersey, from stations on Locust Street between 16th and 15th, 13th and 12th, and 10th and 9th Streets, and on Market Street at 8th Street.

Eight months after the end of the Civil War, however, Delaware voted on February 18, 1865 to reject the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution and so voted unsuccessfully to continue slavery beyond the Civil War. Amtrak's 30th Street Station is a major railroad facility which offers access to Amtrak, SEPTA, and NJ Transit rail lines. During the American Civil War, Delaware was a slave state that remained in the Union (Delaware voters voted not to secede on January 3, 1861). Philadelphia lies directly on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. The Big August Quarterly which began in 1814 is still celebrated and is the oldest such cultural festival in the country. Philadelphia is served by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, or SEPTA. SEPTA runs buses, trains, subways, trolleys, and trackless trolleys around Philadelphia and into the suburbs. Church. Out of the total population, 31.3% of those under the age of 18 and 16.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

The oldest black church in the country was chartered in Delaware by former-slave Peter Spencer in 1813 as the "Union Church of Africans," which is now the A.U.M.P. 22.9% of the population and 18.4% of families are below the poverty line. After the Revolution began in 1776, the three counties became "The Delaware State," and in 1792 that entity adopted its first constitution, declaring itself to be the "State of Delaware." Its first governors went by the title of "President of the Delaware State". The per capita income for the city is $16,509. Delaware was one of the thirteen colonies which revolted against British rule in the American Revolution. Males have a median income of $34,199 versus $28,477 for females. Several towns on the borders between Delaware and Maryland are divided by these lines. The median income for a household in the city is $30,746, and the median income for a family is $37,036.

The north-south boundary between Delaware and Maryland is known as the Transpeninsular Line. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 81.8 males. The remanider of the border between Pennsylvania and Delaware is formed by an arc known as The Twelve-Mile Circle. For every 100 females there are 86.8 males. Part of the Line now forms the east-west boundary between Delaware and Maryland, and part of the north-south boundary between Pennsylvania and Delaware (this section, known as The Wedge was in dispute up till 1921), and some 80 of their original limestone markers remain. The median age is 34 years. The legal battles were settled by the heirs agreeing to a survey -- which resulted in the Mason-Dixon line, surveyed by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon between 1763 and 1767. In the city the population is spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who are 65 years of age or older.

Thus raged over 100 years of litigation between William Penn and Baltimore, and, later, their heirs, in the High Court of Chancery in London. The average household size is 2.48 and the average family size is 3.22. However, Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore of Maryland claimed a competing grant to lands in the southern portion of Pennsylvania and most of Delaware. 33.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. In 1704 the "three lower counties" gained a separate legislature, and in 1710 a separate executive council. Of the 590,071 households, 27.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.1% are married couples living together, 22.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 40.3% are non-families. The deed to the property that is now Delaware was granted to William Penn in 1682, by James, Duke of York (later, James II of England), and was part of the colony of Pennsylvania. The ethnic makeup of the city is 43.2% Black, 13.6% Irish, 9.2% Italian, 8.1% German, 6.4% Puerto Rican, and 4.3% Polish.

The name "Delaware" comes from the title of Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, erstwhile governor of the colony of Virginia. 8.50% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. The area became "New Sweden" with a colony established by Swedes (led by Peter Minuit) around Fort Christina (now Wilmington) in 1638. The racial makeup of the city is 45.02% White, 43.22% African American, 0.27% Native American, 4.46% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.77% from other races, and 2.21% from two or more races. Europeans first settled in a Dutch trading post at "Zwaanendael" (or "Swaanendael," present-day Lewes (pronounced "Lewis")) in 1631. There are 661,958 housing units at an average density of 1,891.9/km² (4,900.1/mi²). Ratification occurred on December 7, 1787. The population density is 4,337.3/km² (11,233.6/mi²).

It is known as the "First State" because it was the first of the 13 colonies to ratify the United States Constitution. As of the census2 of 2000, there are 1,517,550 people, 590,071 households, and 352,272 families residing in the city. Delaware is a state of the United States. For a more extensive list of Philadelphia neighborhoods, see List of Philadelphia neighborhoods. Delaware County, Pennsylvania. These include Andorra, Roxborough, Northern Liberties, Old City, Bustleton, Oxford Circle, Somerton, Manayunk, Center City, Queen Village, Kensington, Frankford, University City, Strawberry Mansion, Chestnut Hill, Fishtown, Port Richmond, Germantown, Mount Airy, Wynnefield, Chinatown, Fox Chase, South Philly, Society Hill, the Museum District and many others. Delaware County, New York. Many of these neighborhoods coincide with the borough and townships that made up Philadelphia County before their absorbtion by the city.

Delaware County, Iowa. Like every big city, Philadelphia has many neighborhoods, each of which has its own identity. Delaware, Ohio. Bodies of water include the Schuylkill River, Cobbs Creek, Wissahickon Creek, and Pennypack Creek. Ardentown: $35,577. The total area is 5.29% water. Rehoboth Beach: $38,494. 349.9 km² (135.1 mi²) of it is land and 19.6 km² (7.6 mi²) of it is water.

North Star: $39,677. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 369.4 km² (142.6 mi²). Hockessin: $40,516. Philadelphia is located at 39°59'53" North, 75°8'41" West (39.998012, -75.144793)1. Bethany Beach: $41,306. The city is also a national center of law due to the University of Pennsylvania's prestigious law school. Fenwick Island: $44,415. Because of the large presence of the federal government, the city has a large contingent of law firms including the head quarters of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP-- a world-wide firm and federal contractor.

Dewey Beach: $51,958. The east-coast operations of the United States Mint are based near the historic district, and the Federal Reserve Bank's Philadelphia division is based there as well. South Bethany: $53,624. The Federal government plays a large role in Philadelphia as well. Henlopen Acres: $82,091. The list of major companies in Philadelphia includes Aramark, GlaxoSmithKline, Sunoco, Comcast, and Pep Boys. Greenville: $83,223. Philadelphia has its own stock exchange.

Philadelphia's economy is heavily based upon manufacturing, refining, food, and financial services. Judges for all of the above courts are elected at large. Also, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania and the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania sit in Philadelphia several times a year. Pennsylvania's three appellate courts also sit in Philadelphia. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, which is the court of last resort in the state, regularly hears arguments in Philadelphia City Hall.

Traffic Court is a court of special jurisdiction which hears violations of traffic laws. The Philadelphia Municipal Court handles matters of limited jurisdiction as well as landlord-tenant disputes, appeals from traffic court, conducts preliminary examinations for felony-level offenses, and the like. It is funded and operated largely by City resources and employees. The Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, also known as the Court of Common Pleas for the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, is the trial court of general jurisdiction for Philadelphia.

Verna. The current council president is Anna C. Philadelphia has seven council members at large, and ten council members from districts. The legislative branch of Philadelphia is the Philadelphia City Council.

See also: List of mayors of Philadelphia. He was re-elected by a larger majority in 2003. The incumbent is former Philadelphia City Council President John Street (D), who was first elected in 1999. The city is headed by an elected mayor who is limited to two consecutive four-year terms, but can run for the position again after an intervening term.

From a governmental perspective, Philadelphia County is a legal nullity, as all county functions were assumed by the city in 1952, which has been coterminous with the county since 1854. Prior to that, the city of Philadelphia consisted only of those areas between South Street, Vine Street, the Delaware River, and the Schuylkill River. The city limits have been coterminous with Philadelphia County since 1854. The term "Downtown" refers to South Philadelphia.

The Central Business District is known as Center City, and is the third largest of its kind in America. David Rittenhouse was a clockmaker and friend of the American Revolution. William Rittenhouse's original paper mill site is known as Rittenhousetown, and is a delightful rural setting in Fairmount Park. Rittenhouse Square is named after David Rittenhouse, a descendent of the first paper-maker in Philadelphia, the German immigrant William Rittenhouse.

Since the completion of One Liberty Place, no Philadelphia sporting team has won a world championship event in its discipline, a phenomenon locally - and increasingly nationally - known as the "Curse of Billy Penn." There is also a Masonic Temple located only across the street from the City Hall, a legacy of the Founding Fathers and signers of the Declaration of Independence, many of whom were Freemasons. One Liberty Place is the tallest building not only in Philadelphia but in the entire state of Pennsylvania, however in 2005 construction began on the Comcast Center which, when completed in 2007, will be 30 feet taller than One Liberty Place. Since then, seven other skyscrapers have been completed exceeding the statue, including One Liberty Place's little sister, Two Liberty Place. However in March of 1987, One Liberty Place broke the gentlemen's agreement not to exceed the height of the statue of William Penn on the top of the City Hall.

City Hall is the tallest masonry building in the world; and through the late 1980s, City Hall used to be locally known as the tallest building in Philadelphia. Both are the same distance south of City Hall. The eastern edge of Rittenhouse Square is on 18th St., four blocks west of City Hall, while the western edge of Washington Square is between 7th and 8th, about six and a half blocks east of City Hall. He also planned five public parks, one at the intersection of High and Broad Streets in the very center of the city (now occupied by the City Hall) and four others (now called Washington Square, Rittenhouse Square, Logan Square and Franklin Square) surrounding it.

The east-west streets, many of them named for trees, e.g., Chestnut, Walnut, Locust, and Spruce (These are laid out in increasing Hardness from the Soft-wood Pine in the South to the Hard-wood Chestnut in the North) parallel the main thoroughfare named High Street by Penn, but called Market Street since at least the early 18th century (six blocks south of the latter is South Street, noted in recent decades for its raucous night life and the subject of the 1963 hit single by The Orlons of the same name). The numbered streets then resume, continuing in the original plan to 28th at the Schuylkill River. The north-south streets are numbered sequentially from Front (instead of First), along the Delaware River, to 13th, followed by the main north-south thoroughfare, Broad Street (instead of 14th). Penn's surveyor, Thomas Holme, laid out the city in a strict grid, with all streets running either north-south or east-west.

In 1926, the city held the Sesquicentennial Exposition, but Philadelphia was not the central focus of the Bicentennial observances that took place nationwide in the United States in 1976 (New York City held this distinction, as thousands of "tall ships" gathered in New York Harbor on July 4, 1976, the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence). Memorial Hall and the expansive mall in front of it are remnants of this fair. In 1876 Philadelphia hosted the World's Fair known as the Centennial Exposition. The Pennsylvania Railroad, once America's largest railroad by revenue and traffic volume and at one time the largest public corporation in the world, was headquartered on Broad Street, as was its merger successor, the Penn Central.

An early railroad center, Philadelphia was the original home of the Baldwin Locomotive Works, the world's largest builder of steam locomotives (which relocated to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania). Philadelphia served as the temporary capital for a decade, until 1800, when the Capitol building in the new Federal city of Washington, DC was opened. In exchange for locating a permanent capital on the banks of the Potomac River, the congressmen agreed to support Hamilton's financial proposals. In 1790, the seat of the United States Government was moved from Federal Hall in New York to Congress Hall in Philadelphia as the result of a compromise between a number of Southern congressmen and United States Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton.

For a time in the 18th century, Philadelphia was the largest city in the Americas north of Mexico City, and was the fourth largest city under Crown rule (after London, Bristol, and Dublin). The Declaration of Independence and US Constitution were signed in the city's Independence Hall. Philadelphia was a major center of the independence movement during the American Revolutionary War. Penn also required lots of alleyways and open spaces in hopes of controlling fires and disease (which were then common problems in London).

This was intended to allow the city's population to leave the city easily. During early immigration by Quakers and others, when immigrants purchased land in the city, they also received farm land outside of the city. Penn hoped that the city, as the capital of his new colony founded on principles of freedom and religious tolerance, would be a model of this philosophy. The city's name means "city of brotherly love" in ancient Greek.

Philadelphia is a planned city founded and developed by William Penn, a Quaker. In 1700, the group built the Gloria Dei Church, also known as Old Swedes. A congregation was formed in 1646 on Tinicum Island by Swedish missionary Johannes Campanius. In 1669, Swedish colonists became the first Europeans to settle the area (see New Sweden), calling it Wicoca.

Before Europeans arrived, the Delaware (Lenape) Indian town of Shackamaxon was located where Philadelphia now stands. At that time, it eclipsed Boston and New York City in political and social importance, with Benjamin Franklin playing an extraordinary role in Philadelphia's rise.
. During part of the 18th century, the city was the second capital and then-most populous city of the United States. It has played a critical role in American history and the birth of American independence and democracy.

Philadelphia is one of the oldest cities in the United States. Philadelphia is the central city for the Delaware Valley metropolitan area. The Philadelphia metropolitan area is the fourth largest nationally, with some 5.7 million people. However, later estimates showed that Philadelphia's population loss and Phoenix's population growth had both slowed, leaving the rankings unchanged for the present.

A July 1, 2002 census estimate showed the population dropping modestly to 1,492,231, with Phoenix, Arizona surpassing the city proper as the 5th largest city in the United States. Philadelphia (sometimes referred to as "Philly" or "the City of Brotherly Love") is the fifth most populous city in the United States and the most populous city in the state of Pennsylvania, occupying all of Philadelphia County.6 As of the 2000 census, the population was 1,517,550. Indoor soccer: Philadelphia Kixx (Major Indoor Soccer League). Indoor lacrosse: Philadelphia Wings (National Lacrosse League).

Arena football: Philadelphia Soul (Arena Football League). hockey: Philadelphia Flyers (National Hockey League), Philadelphia Phantoms (American Hockey League). Basketball: Philadelphia 76ers (National Basketball Association). Baseball: Philadelphia Phillies (Major League Baseball).

football: Philadelphia Eagles (National Football League). Delaware County Community College, Marple Township. West Chester University of Pennsylvania, West Chester. University of Delaware, located just outside Pennsylvania in Newark, Delaware.

Widener University, Chester. Swarthmore College, Swarthmore. Villanova University, Villanova. Neumann College, Aston.

Haverford College, Haverford. Rosemont College, Bryn Mawr. Davids. Eastern University, located in St.

Bryn Mawr College, located in Bryn Mawr. Arcadia University, located in Glenside, Pennsylvania. Manor College, located in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. Bryn Athyn College of the New Church, located in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania.

Temple University's Tyler School of Art, located in Elkin's Park, Pennsylvania. Temple University, located in Ambler, Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania State University, located in Abington, Pennsylvania and Media, Pennsylvania. Montgomery County Community College, located in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania.

University of Pennsylvania. University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. University of the Arts. Thomas Jefferson University.

Temple University. Saint Joseph's University. Philadelphia University. Philadelphia Community College.

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. La Salle University. Holy Family University.

Drexel University. Curtis Institute of Music. Chestnut Hill College. The Art Institute of Philadelphia.

The Resturant School. Moore College of Art. Masterman high school. Central High School.

Philadelphia Auto Show. Philadelphia Flower Show. The Wing Bowl, a chicken wing eating competition. Patrick's Day Parade.

Philadelphia St. The Greek Picnic, a reunion and celebration of African-American college fraternities. The Mummers Parade, held every New Year's Day on Broad Street. For a traditional Philadelphia cheesesteak - Tony Luke's, Pat's Steaks, Geno's Steaks or Jim's Steaks (though cheesteaks can be found at most any corner pizza shop).

South Street. SEPTA Museum. Rittenhouse Square. Reading Terminal Market.

Philadelphia Zoo. Penn's Landing. One Liberty Place. LOVE Park.

Italian market. Gloria Dei National Historic Site, built in 1700, it is the oldest church in the state. Fairmount Park. Elfreth's Alley.

Eastern State Penitentiary. Philadelphia City Hall. Betsy Ross House. 30th Street Station.

University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Rosenbach Foundation & Rosenbach Museum. Rodin Museum (largest collection of Auguste Rodin's works outside France). Please Touch Museum.

Philadelphia Museum of Art. National Constitution Center. Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia (museum of medical and pathological oddities and curiosities). Liberty Bell & Independence Hall.

Franklin Institute. Fort Mifflin. Fairmount Waterworks and its interpretive center. Edgar Allan Poe House.

Barnes Foundation. Atwater-Kent Municipal Museum. Unlike soft pretzels of other cities, which are the same shape as hard pretzels, Philadelphia soft pretzels have a long, thin block-like shape. Soft pretzel -- thick, doughy pretzels, generally salted, often served with mustard.

Polish ice -- A much looser, creamier form of Italian Ice, usually coming only in chocolate and vanilla. Irish ice -- Irish ice is a creamier, thicker form of water ice. Italian ice (Water Ice)-- a frozen dessert, similar to a slushie except stiffer. Scrapple -- corn meal mush cooked up with every part (scrap) of the pig from the Pennsylvania Dutch country of Lancaster County.

Hoagies -- a sandwich made with cold cuts on an Italian roll, a localised variant of the submarine sandwich. Cheesesteaks, a kind of humble culinary masterpiece, made of cheese (usually either Cheez Wiz(tm), provolone or American) and slices of fried ribeye steak on a hoagie (Italian) roll, sometimes combined with onions or mushrooms - recent innovations include a chicken and a vegetarian variant. 1854: West Chester and Philadelphia Railroad[11] (http://courses.wcupa.edu/jones/his480/notes/rr-1.htm). 1850: relocation of Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad (later Pennsylvania Railroad main line)[10] (http://www.railsandtrails.com/PRR/BOD1948/history.html).

1839: Camden and Woodbury Railroad[9] (http://www.earlpleasants.com/search_1.asp). 1837: Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad[8] (http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/Rail/Prr/Corphist/pb_w.html). 1835?: Philadelphia and Reading Railroad[7] (http://www.ushistory.org/philadelphia/special/railroad.htm). 1835: Southwark Railroad (only in downtown)[6] (http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/Rail/Prr/Corphist/pb_w.html).

1834: Camden and Amboy Railroad[5] (http://broadway.pennsyrr.com/Rail/Prr/Corphist/urrnj.html). 1834: Philadelphia and Trenton Railroad[4] (http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~wdstock/railroad.htm). 1834: Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad (later Pennsylvania Railroad main line)[3] (http://www.columbiahistoric.com/RAILROAD.HTM). 1834: Delaware and Schuylkill Railroad (only in downtown)[2] (http://www.ushistory.org/philadelphia/special/railroad.htm).

1832: Philadelphia, Germantown and Norristown Railroad[1] (http://www.ushistory.org/philadelphia/special/railroad.htm).