Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The plaza occupies the southeast corner of the square. March 2005 also saw Microsoft partner with the Australian government to teach law enforcement officials how to combat various cyber crimes, including phishing.^[20]. Logan Square, found only a few blocks south-west of City Hall on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, is home to the Sister Cities Plaza, which commemorates Philadelphia's special relationship with Tel-Aviv and Florence. Microsoft hope to use these lawsuits to uncover some of the largest phishing operators. (SCI):. The lawsuits accuse "John Doe" defendants of using various methods to obtain passwords and confidential information. Philadelphia has ten sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. District Court for the Western District of Washington.

30th Street Station currently is the 3rd busiest station in terms of passengers in the Amtrak system. On March 31, 2005, Microsoft filed 117 federal lawsuits in the U.S. As well as serving as a major station on Amtrak services running on the Northeast and Keystone Corridor's it also services as a major station for services PRR's former Pennsylvania Main Line to points west such as Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Chicago, Illinois. Microsoft has also joined the effort to crack down on phishing. Today Philadelphia serves as a major rail transportation hub for the nationalized Amtrak system, with 30th Street Station serving as its main station. The federal anti-phishing bill proposes that those criminals who create fake web sites and spam bogus emails in order to defraud consumers could receive a fine up to $250,000 and receive jail terms of up to five years.^[19]. Thought by some to be a "heritage" line, its use of rebuilt 1947 streetcars was done primarily for budgetary reasons, and not necessarily as an historic tribute. In the United States, Democrat Senator Patrick Leahy introduced the Anti-Phishing Act of 2005 on March 1, 2005.

The city has recently reintroduced the Girard Avenue Line, Route 15. UK authorities jailed two men in June 2005 for their role in a phishing scam ^[17], in a case connected to the USSS Operation Firewall, which targeted notorious "carder" websites ^[18]. In addition to the "subway-surface" trolleys (so called because during the years when the city was served by over 2000 trolleys and more than 65 lines, these were the "surface" cars which also ran in the subway). Likewise, authorities later arrested a phishing kingpin, Valdir Paulo de Almeida, for leading one of the largest phishing crime rings, which in 2 years stole between $18 and $37 million USD ^[16]. Philadelphia is also notable for being one of the few North American cities to maintain some of its streetcar lines. In late March 2005, a 24-year-old Estonian man was arrested for using a backdoor, installed after victims visited his fake website, which included a keylogger that allowed him to monitor users' typing ^[15]. The two systems today, for the most part still intact, now operate as one whole system under the control of SEPTA, the regional transit authority. by tracing and arresting phishers.

The two companies also operated separate competing commuter rail systems in the Philadelphia area, known collectively as the Regional Rail system. Europe and Brazil have both followed the lead of the U.S. The two most notable companies to have major operations in Philadelphia were the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) and the Reading Railroad (Reading), with both operating hubs out of Philadelphia, the PRR operating first Broad Street Station then 30th Street Station and Suburban Station, and Reading operating out of Reading Terminal, now part of the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The defendant, a Californian teenager, allegedly created and used a webpage designed to look like the America Online website, so that he could steal credit card numbers^[14]. Since the early days rail transport in the United States, Philadelphia has acted as hub for several rail companies. On January 26, 2004, the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) filed the first lawsuit against a suspected phisher. Other planned freeways have been cancelled, such as an Interstate 695 running southwest from downtown and a freeway upgrade of Roosevelt Boulevard. The Anti-Phishing Working Group, an industry and law enforcement association, has suggested that conventional phishing techniques could become obsolete in the future as people are increasingly aware of the social engineering techniques used by phishers.^[13] They propose that pharming and other uses of malware will become more common tools for stealing information.

The Tacony-Palmyra Bridge connects PA 73 with NJ 73, and is maintained by the Burlington County Bridge Commission. Several companies offer banks and other entities likely to suffer from phishing scams 24/7 services of monitoring, analyzing and taking down phishing websites by legal means. The Delaware River Port Authority operates four bridges in the Philadelphia area over the Delaware River to New Jersey: the Walt Whitman Bridge (I-76), the Benjamin Franklin Bridge (I-676 and US 30), the Betsy Ross Bridge (NJ 90), and the Commodore Barry Bridge (US 322). This (and other forms of two-way authentication and two-factor authentication) are still susceptible to attack, such as that suffered by Scandinavian bank Nordea in late 2005^[12]. A final decision has not yet been reached, and undoubtedly the construction phase will continue for several years after the planning stage is completed. Sites have also added verification tools that allow users to see a secret image that the user selected in advance; if the image does not appear, then the site is not legitimate^[11]. Several plans have been suggested that would expand different roads using different design methods to connect to the highway. Many organizations have introduced a feature called challenge questions, which ask the user for information that should be known only to the user and the bank.

The subsequent severe traffic congestion over the past four decades on adjoining Byberry Road has led to renewed plans for some sort of extension and expansion. Spam filters also help protect users from phishers, because they reduce the number of phishing-related emails that users receive. Plans to extend the highway west into the suburbs were killed by community opposition when the highway was first built. The programs work by identifying phishing contents on websites and emails; anti-phishing software may be integrated with web browsers and email clients as a toolbar that displays the real domain name for the visiting website. The Woodhaven Expressway (PA 63), was built in 1966 to serve the neighborhoods of Northeast Philadelphia, and runs between Interstate 95 and Roosevelt Boulevard (US 1). Several anti-phishing software programs are available. In recent years, it has become a traffic bottleneck and includes the second and third most deadly intersections in the country about a mile from each other, according to a study by State Farm Insurance. Many companies, including eBay and PayPal, always address their customers by their username in emails, so if an email addresses a user in a generic fashion ("Dear valued eBay member") it is likely to be an attempt at phishing.

The boulevard was built for the Lincoln Highway as part of the City Beautiful movement. A user who is contacted about an account needing to be "verified" could either contact the company that is the subject of the email, or could type in a trusted web address for the company's website into the address bar of their browser, to bypass the link in the suspected phishing message. Roosevelt Boulevard and the Roosevelt Expressway (US 1) connect Northeast Philadelphia with Center City. In a June 2004 experiment with spear phishing, 80% of 500 West Point cadets who were sent a fake email were tricked into revealing personal information.^[10]. 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. One newer phishing tactic, which uses phishing emails targeted at a specific company, known as spear phishing, has been harnessed to train users at various locations, including West Point Military Academy. Interstate 676, the Vine Street Expressway, was completed in 1991 after years of planning. One strategy for combating phishing is to train users how to deal with phishing attempts.

It meets the Pennsylvania Turnpike at King of Prussia and provides access to Harrisburg and points west. There are several different techniques to combat phishing, including legislation and technology created specifically to target phishing. The city is also served by Interstate 76, the Schuylkill Expressway, which runs along the Schuylkill River. In March 2005, the amount of money lost in the UK was approximately £12 million GBP.^[9]. Interstate 95 (I-95) runs through the city along the Delaware River, providing transportation from Florida to Maine. businesses lose an estimated $2 billion USD a year as their clients become victims.^[8] The United Kingdom also suffers from the immense increase in phishing. Philadelphia International Airport provides domestic and international scheduled air service, while Northeast Philadelphia Airport serves general and corporate aviation. U.S.

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). It is estimated that between May 2004 and May 2005, approximately 1.2 million computer users in the United States suffered losses caused by phishing, totaling approximately $929 million USD. 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. Once this information is acquired, the phishers may use a person's details to create fake accounts in a victim's name, ruin a victim's credit, or even prevent victims from accessing their own accounts. Amtrak's 30th Street Station is a major railroad facility which offers access to Amtrak, SEPTA, and NJ Transit rail lines. This style of identity theft is becoming more popular, because of the ease with which unsuspecting people often divulge personal information to phishers, including credit card numbers and social security numbers. Philadelphia lies directly on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. The damage caused by phishing ranges from loss of access to email to substantial financial loss.

SEPTA runs buses, trains, subways, trolleys, and trackless trolleys around Philadelphia and into the suburbs. Despite the publicity surrounding the flaw, known as IDN spoofing^[6] or a homograph attack^[7], no known phishing attacks have yet taken advantage of it. Philadelphia is served by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, or SEPTA. A further problem with URLs has been found in the handling of Internationalized domain names (IDN) in web browsers, that might allow visually identical web addresses to lead to different, possibly malicious, websites. Along with hundreds of parish-driven elementary schools, there are also twelve Catholic high schools within the city ranging from Archdiocesan high schools to private Catholic high schools. In this attack method (known as Cross Site Scripting) users may receive a message saying that they have to "verify" their account, by following a link to what appears to be an authentic website; in reality, the link is crafted to carry out this attack, although it is very difficult to spot without specialist knowledge. Philadelphia is home to the most extensive Catholic education system in the nation. These types of attacks are particularly problematic, because they direct the user to sign in at their bank or service's own web pages, where everything from the web address to the security certificates appears correct.

All schools in the district are required to have a school uniform or a similar dress code. In another popular method of phishing, an attacker uses a bank or service's own scripts against the victim. All of Philadelphia is served by the School District of Philadelphia. This is done either by placing a picture of the legitimate entity's URL over the address bar, or by closing the original address bar and opening a new one containing the legitimate URL. As of November 2004, 16.5% of registered voters in Philadelphia are Republicans, 74.9% are Democrats, and 8.6% are other or unaffiliated. Some phishing scams use javascript commands in order to obfuscate the address bar. Roosevelt during his first landslide victory in 1932 (which helped make Pennsylvania one of the few states Herbert Hoover carried that year.)Since then, the city has never voted for a Republican in a Presidential Election, despite Republicans being elected to statewide offices very often since the 1930's and in 2004, Democrat John Kerry won 80% of the vote in Philadelphia despite only narrowly winning Pennsylvania. This method has since been closed off in the Mozilla^[4] and Internet Explorer^[5] web browsers, while Opera provides a warning message and the option not to follow the link.

After the Great Depression, the city swung Democratic, although it was not won by Franklin D. For example, the link http://www.google.com@members.tripod.com/ may deceive a casual observer into believing that the link will open a page on www.google.com, whereas the link actually directs the browser to a page on members.tripod.com, using a username of www.google.com; were there no such user, the page would open normally. From the American Civil War until the Great Depression, Philadelphia was a bastion of the Republican Party, which came from the extreme pro-northern views of Philadelphia residents during and after the war. One other method of spoofing links used web addresses containing the @ symbol, which were used to include a username and password in a web URL (contrary to the standard^[3]). Each court has a prothonotary's office in Philadelphia as well. Misspelled URLs or the use of subdomains are common tricks used by phishers, such as this example URL, http://www.yourbank.com.example.com/. Judges for these courts are elected at large. Most methods of phishing use some form of technical deception designed to make a link in an email appear to belong to the spoofed organization.

Also, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania and the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania sit in Philadelphia several times a year. In this second example, targeted at SouthTrust Bank users, the phisher has used an image to make it harder for anti-phishing scanners to detect by scanning for text commonly used in phishing emails. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, which is the court of last resort in the state, regularly hears arguments in Philadelphia City Hall. In an example PayPal phish (right), spelling mistakes in the email ("no choise but to temporaly suspend your account"), and the presence of an IP address in the link visible in the tooltip under the yellow box ("Click here to verify your account") are both clues that this is a phishing attempt. Pennsylvania's three appellate courts also have sittings in Philadelphia. In general such targeted versions of phishing have been termed spear phishing. Traffic Court is a court of special jurisdiction which hears violations of traffic laws. While the first such examples were sent indiscriminately in the hope of finding a customer of a given bank or service, recent research has shown that phishers may in principle be able to establish what bank a potential victim has a relationship with, and then send an appropriate spoofed email to this victim^[2].

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. More recent phishing attempts have started to target the customers of banks and online payment services. It is funded and operated largely by city resources and employees. The shutting down of the warez scene on AOL caused most phishers to leave the service, and many phishers — often young teens in their heyday — grew out of the habit. 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. Phishers temporarily moved to AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), since they could not be banned from the AIM server. Verna. AOL simultaneously developed a system to quickly deactivate any account involved in phishing, often before their phishes (a term for the victims of a "phish") could respond.

The current council president is Anna C. Around the same time phishing was so prevalent on AOL that they added a line on all instant messages stating, "no one working at AOL will ask for your password or billing information". The legislative branch of Philadelphia is the Philadelphia City Council, which consists of seven council members elected at-large and ten council members from individual districts. In 1997, AOL's policy enforcement with respect to phishing and warez became stricter and forced pirated software off AOL servers. Philadelphia's mayors have been Democrats since 1952. Both phishing and warezing on AOL generally required custom-written programs, such as the colorfully named AOHell. The incumbent is former Philadelphia City Council President John Street (D), who was elected in 1999, and re-elected by a larger majority in 2003. Once the victim had submitted his or her password, the attacker could then access the victim's account and use it for various criminal purposes, such as spamming.

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. In order to lure the victim into giving up sensitive information the message might include text such as "verify your account" or "confirm billing information". 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. A cracker might pose as an AOL staff member and send an instant message to a potential victim, asking the victim to reveal his or her password^[1]. The city area code has been 215 since 1947. Phishing on AOL was closely associated with the warez community that exchanged pirated software. See also:. AOL eventually brought in measures in late 1995 to prevent this, so early AOL crackers resorted to phishing for legitimate AOL accounts.

Among its neighboring Northeastern cities in the same population group, Washington, DC and Baltimore were ranked second- and third- most dangerous, while New York City was ranked fourth-safest; Camden, New Jersey, across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, was ranked most-dangerous overall. Those who would later phish on AOL during the 1990s originally created accounts on AOL with fake, algorithmically generated credit card numbers — these accounts could last weeks or even months until new ones were required. In 2005, going by these statistics, Philadelphia was ranked by Morgan Quitno as the sixth-most dangerous American city with a population of over 500,000, out of a total of 32 such cities. The term phishing was coined by crackers attempting to "fish" for accounts from unsuspecting AOL members; ph is a common hacker replacement for f, and is a nod to an older form of hacking known as "phone phreaking.". According to statistics from 2004, there were 5,513.5 crimes per 100,000 people in Philadelphia. The first recorded mention of phishing is on the alt.2600 hacker newsgroup in January 1996, although the term may have appeared even earlier in the printed edition of the hacker newsletter "2600 Magazine". In 2002 the murder count hit a low of 288, but by 2005 the annual total had surged to 380, for a rate of 25.85 per 100,000. .

Murders peaked at 503 in 1990, for a rate of 31.5 per 100,000, and they averaged around 400 a year for most of the nineties. Attempts include legislation, user training, and technical measures. Like many American cities, Philadelphia saw a gradual, yet pronounced, rise in crime in the years following World War II. With the growing number of reported phishing incidents, additional methods of protection are needed. Philadelphia is considering a bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics. The term phishing arises from the use of increasingly sophisticated lures to "fish" for users' financial information and passwords. Often games come down to the final shot, giving their school bragging rights for the rest of the year. In computing, phishing is a form of social engineering, characterized by attempts to fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy person or business in an apparently official electronic communication, such as an email or an instant message.

In the past, fans would throw streamers of their school's colors onto the court when their team scored their first points. Originating in 1955, the Big Five plays their games at the Palestra, a venerable brick building housed on the campus of Penn. Joseph's University, University of Pennsylvania, Villanova University, and La Salle University's basketball teams. Philadelphia is also home to the Big Five, a unique rivalry consisting of Temple University, St.

The race has been largely credited with the economic revival of the neighborhood, and cycling is a prominent theme of many of the shops and restaurants in the area. The main feature of the race is the "Manayunk Wall", an inclined street including all of Levering Avenue and a few blocks of Lyceum Avenue. The Manayunk area is also home to the annual USPRO bicycle race, which is the US road racing national championship race. The city's original NFL team was the Frankford Yellow Jackets (Frankford being a neighborhood located in Northeast Philadelphia); the club disbanded during the 1931 football season, then re-emerged under the same ownership two years later as the Philadelphia Eagles.

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). Philadelphia is also the place where the Army-Navy Game is held every year, now played at Lincoln Financial Field. The Philadelphia Barrage (Major League Lacrosse) play at the stadium of Villanova University, which is located in Villanova, Pennsylvania (Delaware County) which is just outside of Philadelphia to the west. The Wachovia Spectrum (1967) is now home to the Flyers' top farm team, the Philadelphia Phantoms (American Hockey League), and the Philadelphia Kixx (Major Indoor Soccer League), an Indoor soccer team.

The Sixers and Flyers share the Wachovia Center (1996) with the Wings and the Philadelphia Soul (Arena Football League) arena football team. The Phillies now play at Citizens Bank Park (2004). The Eagles currently play at Lincoln Financial Field (informally known as "The Linc") which was built in 2003. The Eagles, Phillies, Flyers and 76ers have each recently had new venues built for them.

The Philadelphia Wings, the local National Lacrosse League team, have won six championships between 1989 and 2001. The city's last major championship came in 1983, when the 76ers swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. Some locals half-jokingly attribute this to the Curse of Billy Penn. Of late Philadelphia teams have been performing well, but frequently missing championships by failing during the crucial stages.

Philadelphia sports fans have a reputation of being devoted to their teams in good times and bad. Philadelphia has a long and proud history of professional sports teams. WUSL (98.9) and WDAS (105.3) are Philadelphia's leading stations for R&B, quiet storm and hip-hop audiences. The station, which was owned and operated by the Gimbel Brothers Department Store, was the city's first radio station.

Philadelphia's current sports talk radio station, WIP 610AM, became the city's "Pioneer Radio Voice" on March 17, 1922. WOGL (98.1 FM) is a popular station for oldies. WXTU (92.5 FM) is the most listened-to country music station in the northeast, and second most east of the Mississippi, behind only Nashville's WSM. [5].

The station reaches over 300,000 homes and attempts to serve the La Salle University community and its neighbors with educational and entertaining programs. La Salle 56, established in 1991, is carried within city limits on both the Comcast Cable and Urban CableWorks systems. La salle 56 is only one of two local college television stations distributed throughout Philadelphia. [4].

They broadcast worldwide via their website. WEXP airs nearly 100 live sports broadcasts every year for six Explorer teams, in four sports (soccer, football, basketball, and baseball). The station is well known for its sports coverage, which is widely considered as the most extensive of any college radio station in the United States. WEXP, established in 1972, is the city's only true freeform radio station, putting the format of any radio show in the hands of the DJ.

WEXP, La Salle University Radio, is one of Philadelphia's most popular college radio stations. WXPN sponsors a music festival each summer, and they now broadcast worldwide via their website: [3]. The station is funded to a large extent by listeners who become members. WXPN (88.5 FM), operated by the University of Pennsylvania, is responsible for launching the careers of many famous artists who couldn't get airplay from the major stations at first.

WHYY-FM produces Fresh Air, and is affiliated with WHYY-TV, which serves Philadelphia but is licensed in Wilmington, DE, a city 25 miles SW of Philadelphia. Philadelphia is home to WHYY-FM (90.9 FM), the Delaware Valley's premier public radio station and NPR affiliate. Ex-Y100 Program Director and others have since started Y100rocks.com and broadcast, air and sponsor Philadelphia concerts, local bands and host private recordings with major artists on a regular basis. WPLY Y100 had formerly been a purely Philadelphia-based alternative rock station, but its format was changed to hip hop in early 2005 by parent company Radio One.

In late 2005, WYSP was replaced by Free-FM, a talk-rock hybrid based upon the listening hour. 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 the city's other major rock station, 94.1FM WYSP. The station has been a breakthrough station for many contemporary rock bands, and is widely known in the rock music community for its influence in impacting the country's rock music trends. Philadelphia is home to some of the country's most prominent radio stations, including one of the nation's leading rock stations, WMMR at 93.3FM.

Night Shyamalan sets just about all of his movies in or around Philadelphia with Wide Awake, The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, The Village and Signs. Film director M. Kathryn Morris (of TV's Cold Case, set in Philly), was born in Ohio but attended Philadelphia's Temple University. Others, like Richard Gere, were born in Philadelphia, but moved elsewhere in their youths.

Famed comedian Bill Cosby was born and raised in Philadelphia as well as actors Grace Kelly, Will Smith, Seth Green, John Barrymore, Peter Boyle, and Kevin Bacon. Up and coming artists to watch for: DJ Dozia and filmmaker music producer Justin Paul. Its cultural diversity is reflected in the music and musicians who have come from or through Philadelphia: the R&B styles of Jill Scott, Patti LaBelle, and Boyz II Men; the jazz of John Coltrane, Grover Washington, Jr., Stan Getz, and Sun Ra; the '50s rock 'n' roll of Fabian, Bobby Rydell, and Chubby Checker; the rock of Todd Rundgren, Hall & Oates, and Pink; the hip hop of The Roots and Eve; Neo Soul and electronic sounds of King Britt and the electronic-funk of Josh Wink; and the opera of Marian Anderson. Later as a temporary Capital of the United States, it was home to President George Washington for several years.

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. Distinctive Philadelphian dishes include:. Little known facts:. Notable restaurants include Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto's self-named Morimoto; other venerable restaurants include Rouge, Old Original Bookbinder's, Vetri, Lacroix at the Rittenhouse, City Tavern, Suzanna Foo, Brasserie Perrier, and Le Bec-Fin.

Philadelphia has great diversity, depth, and quality among its restaurants. With people of Turkish, Iranian, Iraqi, Saudi, Syrian, Lebanese, Pakistani, and Afghani backgrounds residing in Philadelphia. The city's Middle Eastern population has tripled since 1990. But growing numbers include Spanish, Portuguese, Slovak, German, Croatian and many others.

European immigration is also growing, but at a slower rate, with continuing Italian, Polish, Greek, Russian and Ukrainian immigrants. Philadelphia also has growing populations of Ethiopians, Somalians, Jamaicans, Haitians, Sudanese, and Nigerians. Also, the Latino population continues to grow as Mexican, Dominican, Colombian, Guatemalan immigrants and Puerto Rican citizens move to the city. Recent immigrants from Asia are of mainly Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Thai backgrounds.

According to the US Census, this group decreased from an absolute majority in 1990 to 39% of Philadelphia's population in 2004(the latest estimate). Non-Hispanic Whites have their largest concentrations, perhaps a majority, living in an increasingly diverse Northeast section of this city. While African-American populations live throughout the city, the largest concentrations are in the Northwest, North Central, West, Southwest, and South "Philly" sections. Many other cultures can also be found throughout the city, including Subsaharan Africans and West Indians in the Cedar Park neighborhood, Poles in the Port Richmond neighborhood, and many Russian, Greek and Ukrainian immigrants in the Near Northeast.

Numerous Korean immigrants have come to the melting-pot of Olney. The Asian community has long been established in the city's bustling Chinatown district, but recent Vietnamese immigrants have also forged neighborhoods and bazaars alongside the venerable Italian market. Puerto Ricans comprise over 76% of the Latino population in the city. Increases in Latino immigration have created a diverse Hispanic community centered around El Centro de Oro in West Kensington.

The city has the second largest Irish, Italian, and Jamaican populations in America. They come to Philadelphia for the culture, safer conditions than in cities such as Camden or Baltimore, a lower cost of living than in cities like New York or Boston, and job growth. This will occur due to immigration, and recently net migration from across the country, mostly non-whites. US Census estimates predict by 2010 that the population of the city will have a growth rate of zero, or an increase instead of the yearly decrease of residents.

Non-Hispanic whites decreased both absolutely and relatively. The African-American population also increased, but at a slower rate. However, the number of Asians and Hispanics has increased over the past 20 years, and continues to accelerate. Philadelphia has long been a Black and White city, with hardly any Asians or Hispanics to speak of.

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. 22.9% of the population and 18.4% of families are below the poverty line. The per capita income for the city is $16,509. Males have a median income of $34,199 versus $28,477 for females.

The median income for a household in the city is $30,746, and the median income for a family is $37,036. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 81.8 males. For every 100 females there are 86.8 males. The median age is 34 years.

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. The average household size is 2.48 and the average family size is 3.22. 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. 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 ethnic makeup of the city is 32.5% African American, 13.6% Irish, 9.2% Italian, 6.6% Puerto Rican, 6.4% German, and 4.3% Polish. 8.50% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. 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. There are 661,958 housing units at an average density of 1,891.9/km² (4,900.1/mi²).

The population density is 4,337.3/km² (11,233.6/mi²). As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there are 1,517,550 people, 590,071 households, and 352,272 families residing in the city. The city is also a national center of law due to the prestigious University of Pennsylvania Law School and the Temple University Beasley School of Law. Because of the presence of the federal government, the city has a large contingent of law firms.

These jobs include customer service representatives and ticket processing and other behind the scenes personnel, in addition to the normal functions of the railroad. Due in part to the historical presence of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and the large ridership at 30th Street Station, Amtrak also maintains a significant presence in the city. Today, 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. The city served as the first capital city of the United States, before the construction of Washington, D.C.

The Federal government plays a large role in Philadelphia as well. The city is home to many major Fortune 500 companies, including cable television and internet provider Comcast, insurance companies CIGNA and Lincoln Financial Group, energy company Sunoco, food services company Aramark, Crown Holdings Incorporated, Rohm and Haas Company, the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, Boeing helicopters division, and automotive parts retailer Pep Boys. The city also has its own stock exchange. Philadelphia's economy is heavily based upon manufacturing, refining, food, and financial services.

Philadelphia also has a significant immediate suburban area which depend on its economy and public transportation, such as Ambler, Yeadon, Upper Darby, Lansdowne, Ardmore, King Of Prussia, Abington, Jenkintown, Cheltenham, Willow Grove, Bala Cynwyd, Bensalem, Bristol, Glenside, and Norristown. These include Andorra, Fairmount, Bella Vista, Belmont, Brewerytown, Bustleton, Center City, Chestnut Hill, Chinatown,East Falls, East Oak Lane, West Oak Lane, Feltonville, Fishtown, Fitler's Square, Fox Chase, Frankford, Germantown, Graduate Hospital/Southwest Center City, Grays Ferry, Hawthorne, Holmesburg, Juniata Park, Kensington, Kingsessing, Lawncrest, Logan, Manayunk, Mayfair, Mount Airy, North Philadelphia, Northern Liberties, Old City, Olney, Overbrook, Oxford Circle, Pennsport, Pennypack, Point Breeze, Port Richmond, Powelton Village, Queen Village, Rittenhouse, Roxborough, Society Hill, Somerton, South Philadelphia, Southwark, Strawberry Mansion, University City, Tacony, Washington Square West, Wister, Wynnefield, and many others. Many of these neighborhoods coincide with the borough and townships that made up Philadelphia County before their absorption by the city. Philadelphia has many neighborhoods, each of which has its own identity.

There are also several other major skyscrapers under construction and in the final planning stages:. The city's tallest buildings are as follows:. Philadelphia is home to a number of skyscrapers. Many of Bacon's ideas, though not entirely as he had envisioned, can be seen today, with the basis of his master plan still influencing development in the city today.

Bacon's efforts would also see changes in the transportation of the city, with the inclusion of the Center City Rail Connector, Vine Street Expressway, Delaware Expressway, and improvements to the Schykull Expressway. One of his most enduring innovations was a collection of small, semi-enclosed parks in the Society Hill residential area, connected by brick footpaths. Projects that were headed by the new master plan were major redevelopment of Center City, including the Penn Center Area (replacing an immense, elevated railroad connector, locally known as the "Chinese Wall," located north of Market and West of Broad), Market East and Penn's Landing; new development and expansion in University City (focused mainly on the University of Pennsylvania); as well as the opening up of development on the fringes of the city, the Far Northeast and South Philadelphia Sports Complex. Bacon, the Philadelphia City Planning Commission organized a master plan for the city, creating a variety of special planning, redevelopment, development districts and areas to coordinate their efforts.

Under the leadership of Edmund N. The post World War II era would see further changes in the cityscape. Both Logan Square and Franklin Square are located the same distances east and west of City Hall as Washington and Rittenhouse and two to three blocks north of Market Street, reflecting the southern squares. 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. Holme also planned five public parks, one at the intersection of High and Broad Streets in the very center of the city, now occupied by City Hall, and four others surrounding it now called Washington Square, Rittenhouse Square, Logan Square and Franklin Square. Vine Street, located three blocks north of Market, served as the original northern boundry. Six blocks south of Market is South Street, noted in recent decades for its night life and the subject of the 1963 hit single of the same name by The Orlons, was the original southern boundary of the city.

The east-west streets, many of them named for trees, e.g., Chestnut, Walnut, Locust, and Spruce (laid out in increasing hardness from softwood Pine in the South to hardwood Chestnut in the North) parallel the main thoroughfare named High Street by Penn, but called Market Street since at least the early 18th century. 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.

Summers are usually humid and rainy and July receives the most average precipitation at 111.5 mm (4.39 in) of rainfall. Early fall and late winter are generally the driest times of the year, with February being the driest month with 69.8 mm (2.74 in) of precipitation. Philadelphia receives ample precipitation year round with an average of 1068 mm (42 in) of annual precipitation. The lowest temperature ever officially recorded for the city was -22° C (-7° F) in 1984, and the highest temperature ever recorded was 40° C (104° F) in 1966.

July lows average 21° C (70° F) and highs average 30° C (86° F) although during heat waves, summer highs can cross 35° C (95° F) with the heat index due to the humidity making it seem as high as 43* C (110° F). January lows average -4° C (25° F) and highs average 4° C (39° F). The city center and inner New Jersey suburbs generally have light snow, with heavier falls being experienced to the north and west of the metropole. Snowfall is unpredictable, with some winters experiencing little and others characterised by more frequent snowstorms.

Winters are cold, but only a few days every winter does the temperature drop below -10° C. The rainfall pattern is generally spread throughout the year, with between six and nine wet days per month. Fall and spring are mild. Summers tend to be hot and often muggy, with the humidity tending to be high during July and August.

The climate in Philadelphia is temperate, with four seasons. The highest point in the city is Chestnut Hill, with an elevation of 432 feet above sea level located near Evergreen Place, just north and west of Evergreen Avenue. The lowest point in the city is 10 feet above sea level near Fort Mifflin in Southwest Philadelphia at the convergence of the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. Bodies of water include the Delaware River, Schuylkill River, Cobbs Creek, Wissahickon Creek, and Pennypack Creek.

The total area is 5.29% water. 349.9 km² (135.1 mi²) of it is land and 19.6 km² (7.6 mi²) of it is water. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 369.4 km² (142.6 mi²). Philadelphia is located at 39°59′53″N, 75°8′41″W.

In 1976, Philadelphia was one of the participating cities in the United States Bicentennial observances that took place nationwide. In 1926, the city held the Sesquicentennial Exposition to celebrate the nation's 150th birthday. 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 in the city, as was its merger successor, the Penn Central, and in turn its freight railroad successor, Conrail. An early railroad center, Philadelphia was the original home of the Baldwin Locomotive Works, the world's largest builder of steam locomotives, which eventually relocated to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania). Philadelphia served as the 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, as the result of a compromise between a number of Southern congressmen and Alexander Hamilton, then serving as Secretary of the Treasury, the seat of the United States Government was moved from Federal Hall in New York to Congress Hall in Philadelphia before taking its current residence in Washington, DC. 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). 10, 1775 when Samuel Nicholas began recruiting men at Tun Tavern. The United States Marine Corps also began here on Nov.

The Declaration of Independence and US Constitution were drafted in Philadelphia and 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 and other major cities. 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 Greek (Φιλαδέλφια). 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. Although the area was within the bounds described in the 1632 Charter of Maryland, the Calvert family's actual reach never came this far, and Swedish colonists became the first Europeans to settle the area (see New Sweden), calling it Wiccacoa. Before Europeans arrived, the Delaware (Lenape) Indian town of Shackamaxon was located where Philadelphia now stands, specifically, the Germantown neighborhood.

. Philadelphia is also one of the largest college towns in the United States with over 120,000 students studying within the city limits alone and nearly 300,000 total college and university students in the metropolitan area. The city's expansion incorporated the neighborhoods of West Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, North Philadelphia, and Northeast Philadelphia, as well as Germantown and smaller communities such as Roxborough, Manayunk, Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill. 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 The Act of Consolidation in 1854. 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 most populous city of the United States. It has played a critical role in American history.

Philadelphia is one of the oldest and most historically significant cities in the United States. Philadelphia is the central city for the Delaware Valley metropolitan area. The Philadelphia metropolitan area is the fourth largest in the United States by the current official definition, with some 6.2 million people, though some other definitions place it sixth behind the San Francisco Bay Area and Washington-Baltimore. Philadelphia has the third largest downtown residential population in the United States, behind New York and Chicago.

As of July 1, 2004, the population estimate for the city was 1,470,151. Since 1952, the city and the county have shared a common government, yet the county still exists as a separate entity within Pennsylvania. Since 1854, the city has been coterminous with Philadelphia County^GR6. Philadelphia (often referred to simply as "Philly" and sometimes as the "the City of Brotherly Love") is the fifth most populous city in the United States and the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, both in area and population.

Location in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Philadelphia Region. Woodhaven Road Project. Pennsylvania residents must dial a full ten digit number (including area code) to make a phone call.

The 215 / 267 area code covers the following areas: Ambler, Bristol, Churchville, Doylestown, Hatboro, Kulpsville, Langhorne, New Hope, Philadelphia, Quakertown, Warrington, Willow Grove. Philadelphia Police Department. Article detailing the rise in homicides in 2005. Wanamaker organ, second largest operating pipe organ in the world.

Walnut Street Theatre, the oldest operating theatre in America. Wagner Free Institute of Science. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. South Street.

SEPTA Museum. Rosenbach Museum & Library. Rodin Museum (largest collection of Auguste Rodin's works outside France). Rittenhouse Square.

Reading Terminal Market. Please Touch Museum. Philadelphia Zoo. Philadelphia Museum of Art houses outstanding collections of European and Asian art.

Italian market. Philadelphia Doll Musuem. Philadelphia City Hall. Penn's Landing.

One Liberty Place. National Constitution Center. Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia (museum of medical and pathological oddities and curiosities). Mummers Museum.

LOVE Park. Liberty Bell & Independence Hall. Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, home of The Philadelphia Orchestra, one of America's "Big Five" orchestras and reputed to be one of the best symphonic orchestras in the world. Gloria Dei National Historic Site, built in 1700, is the oldest church in the state.

Gazela Primero Philadelphia's historic Tall Ship. Franklin Institute. Fort Mifflin. Fairmount Water Works and its interpretive center.

Fairmount Park. Elfreth's Alley. Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site. Eastern State Penitentiary.

Curtis Arboretum located in Elkins Park. Clark Park In West Philadelphia, features the only known statue of Johnathan Swift in the world. Peter and Paul. Cathedral-Basilica of Sts.

Betsy Ross House. Barnes Foundation. Atwater-Kent Municipal Museum. Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum.

Academy of Natural Sciences. 30th Street Station. Today, a handful of small breweries operate in and around the city, including Yards and Nodding Head. At one point, the city had more than 100 breweries, though most closed after Prohibition.

America's first lager brewery was established in the city's Northern Liberties section in the 1840s. Philadelphia-style porter was known throughout the world. Beer -- Colonials brewed it in Philadelphia from its very start. Tastykake -- Brand name synonymous with pre-packaged baked goods, and a Philadelphia institution for over 90 years; best known varieties include Krimpets (jelly or butterscotch), Kandy Kakes (cream or peanut butter), Krimpies (shaped like Krimpets, but with "Kreme" filling and chocolate cake and icing), Tasty (fruit) Pies (unlike many competitors, these are not fried and sugar glazed).

Name "wishniak," while not exclusive, is generally associated with popular regional soft drink brand Frank's. Black Cherry Wishniak -- Old fashioned black cherry soda, made with actual black cherry flavoring. Stromboli -- similar to a calzone, invented in Philadelphia. They are sold all over the city at Wawa mini-markets, and pretzel vendors who often set up stands at the intersections of streets with concrete medians, such as Cottman Avenue and Bustleton Avenue in the northeast section of the city.

Best eaten fresh, they generally don't keep well, becoming rather rock-like after several hours. Unlike soft pretzels of other cities, which are the same shape as hard pretzels, Philadelphia soft pretzels have a long, thin, block-like shape (like rectangular figure-8). Soft pretzel -- thick, doughy pretzels, generally coarse-salted, often served with mustard. Gelati-- A mix of water ice and soft ice cream.

Polish ice -- A much looser, creamier form of Italian Ice, usually coming only in chocolate and vanilla. Irish ice -- Water Ice served through a soft-serve ice cream machine, giving it a unique texture. Italian ice (locally called 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.

Sandwich is so-named because of its popularity among Italian-immigrants employed at the former shipyards on Hog Island, with the sandwich originally being called a "hoggie". Hoagies -- a sandwich made with cold cuts and veggies on an Italian roll, similar to the submarine sandwich. This is also true of "Italian hoagies" outside the local area. "Philly cheesesteaks" served in other areas of the country generally suffer from a lack of the firm-crusted Italian bread (usually Amoroso's rolls), that can't be duplicated without special, very high-temperature ovens.

Both being triangular shaped buildings, they stare at each other like opposing battleships facing an impasse while splitting clientele fairly evenly.) Cheesesteaks (be it of lower or higher quality than the aforementioned restaurants) can also be obtained at thousands of neighborhood delis and restaurants through the Philadelphia, South Jersey, and Delaware area. Both are 24-hour operations, with trademark south-Philly Italian market awnings and tables on the sidewalks. (Easiest place to get one is at 9th and Passyunk, where both Pat's Steaks and Geno's Steaks are located. There tends to be some fairly fierce competition over the coveted "Best Cheesesteak" title, and many will often share their opinions vigorously on this topic.

Cheesesteaks, a kind of humble culinary masterpiece, made of paper-thin chipped ribeye steak fried on a griddle, cheese (usually either Cheez Whiz™, provolone, or American) and fried onions on an Italian hoagie roll. Philadelphia routinely finishes first in food service industry surveys for the best tipping cities. In the 2005 Zagat Restaurant Guide, Philadelphia had more restaurants score 29 than any other city in the United States. The Philadelphia Antiques Show, generally regarded as the best Americana antiques show in the nation, is held in early April.

OutFest/PrideFest. Unity Day. Philadelphia Auto Show. Philadelphia Film Festival.

Philadelphia Folk Festival. Philadelphia Fringe Festival. First Friday. Philadelphia Flower Show, is the premier horticultural show in the U.S., held in February.

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. The building is due to be completed in mid-2008.[1]. On January 23, 2006, Donald Trump announced plans to build a 45 story Trump Tower on Penn Street near the Delaware waterfront. 1919 Market St - 37 story residential tower proposed at 460 ft (140m).

The Murano - UNDER CONSTRUCTION - 43 story residential tower to be 475 ft (145m) tall upon scheduled completion in 2007. Residences at the Ritz-Carlton - originally planned to be 57 stories and approx 720 ft (219m), this residential tower, which would stand immediately south of City Hall and immediately north of the proposed 1441 Chestnut St, is now proposed at 44 stories, measuring 485 ft (148m). 1441 Chestnut Street - originally planned to be 615 ft (187m), this 50 story residential tower is now proposed at 585 ft (178m). Mandeville Place - 43 story residential tower planned at former Rosenbluth International site; would rise 607.5 ft (185m).

Comcast Center (Pennsylvania Plaza) - UNDER CONSTRUCTION - to be 975 ft (297m) tall upon scheduled completion in 2007; this 57 story tower will overtake One Liberty Place as the tallest building in Pennsylvania.