Philadelphia -"The City of Brotherly Love" lives up to this epithet as it is one of the most ethnically rich cities in the U.S. The first capital of the nation, Philadelphia is redolent with history -- the Declaration of Independence was written and signed here as was the Constitution. A forward-looking city, Philadelphia has built on its historical and cultural heritage to become an important destination. Today the city has a potpourri of ethnic communities -- Irish, Italian, Chinese, African Americans and Germans.

William Penn, an English Quaker founded Philadelphia in 1682 when he settled here along with a group of fellow Quakers. By the 1750s, Philadelphia became the second largest British city in America and a major center for trade and commerce. However, revolutionary feelings fuelled by acts of high-handedness by the British Empire resulted in the first Continental Congress held in Philadelphia in 1774. Two years later, the Declaration of Independence drafted by Thomas Jefferson was made public here. During the War of Independence, Philadelphia was a major center and was taken over by British forces for a brief period in 1777-78. After the British were defeated, Philadelphia became the capital till 1800 when Washington DC was completed

Philadelphia is a leading center of commerce in the US. Manufacturing used to be the mainstay of the economy of Philadelphia, but today the service industry has taken over and accounts for 90% of the jobs of the residents.
Trade relies chiefly on the port that handles over 40 million tons of cargo annually. Steel, petroleum and chemicals are exported. Healthcare is big business in Philadelphia and there are 50 hospitals and six medical schools here.
Philadelphia has hot blistering summers – in June and July the temperatures can touch 100 ºF. Winters are cold and between December and January the mercury drops to a freezing 30 ºF, with raging snowstorms.

For more on country and visitor information, see USA.