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This is a city where history blends seamlessly into the present. This is a city that boasts a diverse community, where each culture is weaved into its fabric. This is the City of Brotherly Love.

The Evolution of a City

Location is everything. Founder William Penn realized this in 1682 when he first set sight on the lush terrain between the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. His meticulously designed "greene countrie town," with wide streets and open spaces, quickly grew into a busy port of entry.

The arrival of forward thinkers such as Benjamin Franklin enforced Philadelphia's reputation as a hotbed for the progressive ideals that would give birth to the American Revolution. Later, the Industrial Revolution increased the influx of people into the city seeking fortunes and creating a wide array of neighborhoods, traditions, and cultures. Pennsylvania, particularly Philadelphia, was the southernmost "free" state where enslaved Africans fled during the Civil War.

Even as it blossomed into the country's sixth-largest city and the second-largest on the East Coast in the 21st Century, Philadelphia held fast to its simple charms. We think William Penn and Ben Franklin would have approved!