- Greater Philadelphia’s five-county region has roughly 4.1 million people, and the city itself tops 1.5 million, the second-largest on the East Coast and sixth in the U.S.
- Founded by William Penn, an English Quaker and advocate of religious freedom, in 1682, the city at times served as the U.S. capital from 1790 to 1800.
- The British Army occupied Philadelphia from September 1777 to June 1778 during the Revolutionary War’s Philadelphia campaign.
- Philadelphia was the seat of the Continental Congress from May 10, 1775, to December 12, 1776, and in 1787, delegates drafted and signed the U.S. Constitution at the Philadelphia Convention, which was later ratified by the states.
- The City of Brotherly Love, the nation’s largest city until 1790, is known for landmarks like Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, major museums, and — of course — cheesesteaks.
