History UsefulNotes / Philadelphia

Philadelphia is the largest city in UsefulNotes/{{Pennsylvania}} and sixth largest in the United States, as well as the second-largest on the East Coast and the second-densest with a population greater than 1,000,000 (after UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity in both cases -- how did you guess?). Literally translated from the Greek its name means "The City of Brotherly Love," which is naturally its nickname. This is known as either irony considering the city's high murder rate, or TruthInTelevision; brothers fight, they say mean things about each other, but you'll have to search long and hard to find another city that is so beloved by its inhabitants.

Philadelphia has representatives in all four major American professional sports. In [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball MLB]], the city is represented by the Phillies, the oldest team to play under the same name in the same city in all of US pro sports. In the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]], the city is represented by the 76ers, who share a heated rivalry with the Boston Celtics. In the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague NFL]], the city is represented by the Eagles, whose rivalry with the New York Giants is very well-known. In the [[UsefulNotes/NationalHockeyLeague NHL]], the city is represented by the Flyers (whose 1970s team became known as the "Broad Street Bullies" -- Broad Street being the main thoroughfare for the city's stadiums -- for their infamously-rough style of play, so much so even ''the Soviet Red Army hockey team'' didn't want to play them). And in [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer the MLS]], they are represented by the Union.\\\

* Music/VanessaCarlton (born in Milford in NEPA but spent much of her childhood in Philadelphia; she wrote "A Thousand Miles" in her parents' house in Philly.)

Philadelphia is also a very culturally rich city, with its world-class orchestra and the oldest still-operating opera house and theater in America all along, or right off of, the Avenue of the Arts (a.k.a. South Broad Street north of Lombard Street); and many world-class museums dotting the beautiful vista of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The city is also home to a number of theaters; as well as the weirdly wonderful, sequin-and-feather-filled Mummers Parade every New Year's Day [[note]]and Philly's not giving that up. Budget constraints have led to more private funding for the parade, but it's not going anywhere. There'd be a general outcry. The only thing that has ever really stopped the Mummers are wars and the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, and even the latter took concerted efforts by the City government plus a bit of begging by the Mayor (being Jim Kenney, a South Philly native and a former Mummer himself); that being said however, the parade has come under fire as of late for ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mummers_Parade#Controversy a lot]]'' of offensive material.[[/note]] And don't forget it has the first zoo, the first free library system, and the first Catholic school system in the country. The city is also known for its neoclassical architecture and its huge number of public murals, for which even the city's graffiti artists hold a healthy respect and generally will not tag (the few taggers who deface the murals lose the respect of other taggers...after being given a shit-kicking if found).

Philadelphia is also a very culturally rich city, with its world-class orchestra and the oldest still-operating opera house and theater in America all along, or right off of, the Avenue of the Arts (a.k.a. South Broad Street north of Lombard Street); and many world-class museums dotting the beautiful vista of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The city is also home to a number of theaters; as well as the weirdly wonderful, sequin-and-feather-filled Mummers Parade every New Year's Day [[note]]and Philly's not giving that up. Budget constraints have led to more private funding for the parade, but it's not going anywhere. There'd be a general outcry. The only thing that has ever really stopped the Mummers are wars and the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, and even the latter took concerted efforts by the City government plus a bit of begging by the Mayor (being Jim Kenney, a South Philly native and a former Mummer himself).[[/note]] And don't forget it has the first zoo, the first free library system, and the first Catholic school system in the country. The city is also known for its neoclassical architecture and its huge number of public murals, for which even the city's graffiti artists hold a healthy respect and generally will not tag (the few taggers who deface the murals lose the respect of other taggers...after being given a shit-kicking if found).

Philadelphia has representatives in all four major American professional sports. In [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball MLB]], the city is represented by the Phillies, the oldest team to play under the same name in the same city in all of US pro sports. In the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]], the city is represented by the 76ers, who share a heated rivalry with the Boston Celtics. In the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague NFL]], the city is represented by the Eagles, whose rivalry with the New York Giants is very well-known. In the [[UsefulNotes/NationalHockeyLeague NHL]], the city is represented by the Flyers. And in [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueSoccer the MLS]], they are represented by the Union.\\\

Philly residents are infamous for being ''[[SeriousBusiness extremely]]'' outspoken about their beloved teams, to the point of being considered by many the closest American counterpart to European football hooligans. Philadelphia and her inhabitants are very vocal about their criticism or disdain, even to their own sports teams; and if you go into their city with a bad show, you'll hear it straight from the viewers. There have been a couple of incidents, including one involving a snowball attack on a [[SantaClaus beloved holiday figure]], that has given them a nefarious reputation. While criticism about the tendency to react vocally (booing in crowds, sarcasm and snide comments individually) certainly has been well earned, the city itself has not had any more truly ''violent'' incidents than any other city. (Though, admittedly, the last couple of years when Veterans Stadium was in operation, they actually had ''a court'' in the basement simply because of the sheer number of law-breakers at Eagles games.) This even extends to pseudo-sports, as quite a few notable wrestling promotions (most notably Wrestling/RingOfHonor and the defunct Wrestling/{{ECW}}) are based in Philadelphia, and most of them attract rowdy, loud, and obnoxious crowds. On a less negative note, there was beloved broadcast Harry Kalas [[TearJerker who passed away in 2009]]. His death hit the entire city hard, showing that even if Philly fans show it in negative ways, they really do love their sports teams and the people who keep them connected. Even residents who don't really like sports will admit this much.\\\

* ''Series/{{Starstuff}}'' was locally produced by TV station WCAU. It is set in Philadelphia and makes frequent references to the city, most notably the appearance of the Mummers Parade in the first episode.

* ''Series/AbbottElementary'' takes place in a Philadelphia public school.

* Creator/DavidBoreanaz: His father is Dave Roberts, a well-known face on WPVI (6ABC) in Philadelphia. The elder Dave changed his last name because he started out when "ethnic" names were not great to have in broadcasting. Dave still hosts 6ABC's broadcast of the UsefulNotes/ThanksgivingDay Parade, and David generally has a video message for his dad during the broadcast.

Special note should be made in regards to Creator/BenjaminFranklin, sometimes called Philly's Favorite son -- which is odd, 'cause he was born in Boston. However, Franklin lived here for most of his long life (insanely long, by the standards of the time, too[[note]]He lived to the ripe old age of 84, which wouldn't be bad even today for someone who had been overweight since at least his 40s, suffered from gout, and had ''[[TheCasanova every venereal disease known to man]]'' at the time[[/note]]), and considered himself an adopted son of Philadelphia -- and the city, then and now, enthusiastically embraced him as one of their own. He left an indelible mark on Philadelphia's history: considered to have established the first modern newspaper here, America's first library here, the first fire company in Pennsylvania (which was also the most modern at the time), discovered electricity here, and invented the lightning rod, bifocals, the Franklin stove, the odometer, and the glass armonica here. According to Website/TheOtherWiki, "A noted polymath, Franklin was a [[RenaissanceMan leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat]]." Oh, and he was one of the Founding Fathers; in fact, UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution [[BadassBoast was arguably won because he was on our side]]. Among the large number of contributions he made to the Colonial effort, it was Franklin's convincing the French to become involved in the war which ensured the Victory at Yorktown, and ultimately proved to England it wasn't worth it to continue fighting the colonies. Finally, he was a well known [[HandsomeLech ladies' man]], even after he got [[BigBeautifulMan rolly-polly]]. Philadelphia was already a large, rich, port city before him, but [[MyRealDaddy Franklin is largely credited -- true or not -- with making Philadelphia the most powerful city in the Colonies, economically, socially, and politically]]. In summation, our boy Ben was nothing short of the biggest badasses in American history (and yet we named a bridge to [[{{Gangsterland}} Camden]] after him...[[note]]Well you did call him a badass[[/note]]).

But beyond the local food--which is ''heavily'' Italian-influenced--Philadelphia has a strong ethnic food scene, with cuisines from all over. Philadelphia's Chinatown is full of Chinese restaurants of nearly every Chinese region, plus several other Asian countries too, many of which are outstanding. West and Southwest Philadelphia boast large populations of African and Caribbean immigrants and correspondingly strong West African, Ethiopian, and Caribbean (particularly Jamaican) restaurant scenes. The Southwest boasts a large Korean community as well, as do the Northeast and Olney/Oak Lane (particularly right on the line with Cheltenham Township); Philadelphia is thus one of the better places on the East Coast to get Korean food (though admittedly not nearly as good as Bergen County, NJ). An influx of technical jobs surrounding Comcast (yeah, we know) brought large numbers of Indians to Philadelphia; South Indian cuisine in particular has gained a foothold in Center City and Northeast Philadelphia (as many Indians settled there and in nearby Bensalem). Also big in the Northeast are various Central and Eastern European cuisines, ranging from communities that have lived in Philadelphia since the 19th century (particularly Poles) to more recent Russian and Ukrainian arrivals coming since the 1990s. (You can actually find restaurants from most of the [[UsefulNotes/SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn former Soviet republics]] in the Northeast--even Georgian and Uzbek.) The Northeast is also the center of the region's significant Brazilian population; there's even a few locally-owned churrascarias that are quite well-regarded.\\

** The Boss's iconic "Atlantic City" is intimately associated with Philadelphia and its branch of the Mob. It's opening line about "[blowing] up the Chicken Man in Philly last night" is a clear reference to the actual gangland assassination of Philadelphia mob boss [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Testa Philip "the Chicken Man" Testa]] in March 1981 by leaving a nail bomb under his doorstep ([[RippedFromTheHeadlines recent news when Springsteen wrote the song in the summer or fall of that year). Moreover, the viewpoint character of the song seems to be connected to the Philly mob in some way. (Hence the night in AC with his sweetheart--AC organized crime has long been under the control of Philadelphia's Scarfo crime family.)

** The Boss's iconic "Atlantic City" is intimately associated with Philadelphia and its branch of the Mob. It's opening line about "bomb[ing] the Chicken Man in Philly last night" is a clear reference to the actual gangland assassination of Philadelphia mob boss [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Testa Philip "the Chicken Man" Testa]] in March 1981 by leaving a nail bomb under his doorstep ([[RippedFromTheHeadlines recent news when Springsteen wrote the song in the summer or fall of that year). Moreover, the viewpoint character of the song seems to be connected to the Philly mob in some way. (Hence the night in AC with his sweetheart--AC organized crime has long been under the control of Philadelphia's Scarfo crime family.)

** The Boss's iconic "Atlantic City" is intimately associated with Philadelphia and its branch of the Mob. It's opening line about "bomb[ing] the Chicken Man in Philly last night" is a reference to the actual gangland assassination of Philadelphia mob boss [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Testa Philip "the Chicken Man" Testa]] in 1981 by leaving a nail bomb under his doorstep, and the viewpoint character of the song seems to be connected to the Philly mob in some way. (Hence the night in AC with his sweetheart--AC organized crime has long been under the control of Philadelphia's Scarfo crime family.)

* "Streets of Philadelphia" by Music/BruceSpringsteen (theme of the movie ''Film/{{Philadelphia}}'')

* Mike Ehrmantraut of ''Series/BreakingBad'' and ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' is originally from Philadelphia where he was a dirty cop. It's revealed in the prequel series that his son Matt was also a cop, but refused to be dirty and it led to his murder. Mike murdered the cops who killed him in revenge and then fled to Albuquerque to be near his daughter-in-law and granddaughter who had done the same after Matt's death.

In addition to the city's neighborhoods, Philadelphia has a substantial suburban hinterland almost as diverse as the city itself in terms of ethnic background, socioeconomic status, and economic base. The suburbs are even more diverse than the city in one critical respect--density, which ranges from pretty much indistinguishable from the non-Center City neighborhoods of Philadelphia to average American {{Suburbia}} to straight-up rural. Despite this variety and their political separation from the City, the inhabitants of these suburbs may react quite vehemently to suggestions that they aren't "from Philly". They might not be from ''Philadelphia'', but they are definitely from Philly.\\

[[folder:Neighborhoods]]

These neighborhoods are not to be confused with the broad "sections" of the city commonly used. Each "section" typically contains several neighborhoods.
%% This section is intended to become a full listing of the neighborhoods, arranged by section, but that's...an undertaking.

* Creator/BillCosby, who formerly lectured every September at his alma mater Temple University, and at least once at his high school alma mater, Central. Philadelphians felt particularly betrayed (understandably) when his history of raping women was revealed.

The city was founded on October 27, 1682 by William Penn. A statue of him sits on top of City Hall, now eclipsed by Three Logan Square, Liberty Place, the Comcast Center, and the Comcast Technology Center in height.[[note]]Locals believed that the city's long championship drought was due to the city being cursed, as no building should have outstripped Penn and ruined his view. It should be noted that another statuette of Penn sits atop the Comcast Center -- the city's tallest building -- and that within a few months of the building's completion with Penn atop it, the Phillies won the World Series. Take that as you will.[[/note]] It has been a very large city for a long, long time. In the years before UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution, it was the second largest English-speaking city in the world, after UsefulNotes/{{London}}. It was the city where the Continental Congress met, and the Liberty Bell is kept there. Until UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC was built, it was ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_capitals_in_the_United_States#Former_national_capitals usually]]) the US capital. New York surged past it in total population and general importance not long after, but Philly stayed the country's second largest metro area until the very end of the 19th century with the ascent of UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}.[[note]]In the 1830s and 1840s, the cities of UsefulNotes/{{Baltimore}}, UsefulNotes/{{Boston}}, and UsefulNotes/NewOrleans all surpassed Philadelphia in population, but only because the size of the city proper was relatively small; once it consolidated many of the surrounding independent townships, it surged back to second place.[[/note]] As a fun trivia bit to win bar bets: in 1770, just before UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution, Philadelphia was not only the largest city in the Thirteen Colonies, it was the second largest English city in teh world after London.

The city was founded on October 27, 1682 by William Penn. A statue of him sits on top of City Hall, now eclipsed by Three Logan Square, Liberty Place, the Comcast Center, and the Comcast Technology Center in height.[[note]]Locals believed that the city's long championship drought was due to the city being cursed, as no building should have outstripped Penn and ruined his view. It should be noted that another statuette of Penn sits atop the Comcast Center -- the city's tallest building -- and that within a few months of the building's completion with Penn atop it, the Phillies won the World Series. Take that as you will.[[/note]] It has been a very large city for a long, long time. In the years before UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution, it was the second largest English-speaking city in the world, after UsefulNotes/{{London}}. It was the city where the Continental Congress met, and the Liberty Bell is kept there. Until UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC was built, it was ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_capitals_in_the_United_States#Former_national_capitals usually]]) the US capital. New York surged past it in total population and general importance not long after, but Philly stayed the country's second largest metro area until the very end of the 19th century with the ascent of UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}.[[note]]In the 1830s and 1840s, the cities of UsefulNotes/{{Baltimore}}, UsefulNotes/{{Boston}}, and UsefulNotes/NewOrleans all surpassed Philadelphia in population, but only because the size of the city proper was relatively small; once it consolidated many of the surrounding independent townships, it surged back to second place.[[/note]]

Special note should be made in regards to Creator/BenjaminFranklin, sometimes called Philly's Favorite son -- which is odd, 'cause he was born in Boston. However, Franklin lived here for most of his long life (insanely long, by the standards of the time, too[[note]]He lived to the ripe old age of 84, which wouldn't be bad even today for someone who had been overweight since at least his 40s, suffered from gout, and had ''[[TheCasanova every venereal disease known to man]]'' at the time[[/note]]), and considered himself an adopted son of Philadelphia -- and the city, then and now, enthusiastically embraced him as one of their own. He left an indelible mark on Philadelphia's history: considered to have established the first modern newspaper here, America's first library here, the first fire company in Pennsylvania (which was also the most modern at the time), discovered electricity here, and invented the lightning rod, bifocals, the Franklin stove, the odometer, and the glass armonica here. According to Wiki/TheOtherWiki, "A noted polymath, Franklin was a [[RenaissanceMan leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat]]." Oh, and he was one of the Founding Fathers; in fact, UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution [[BadassBoast was arguably won because he was on our side]]. Among the large number of contributions he made to the Colonial effort, it was Franklin's convincing the French to become involved in the war which ensured the Victory at Yorktown, and ultimately proved to England it wasn't worth it to continue fighting the colonies. Finally, he was a well known [[HandsomeLech ladies' man]], even after he got [[BigBeautifulMan rolly-polly]]. Philadelphia was already a large, rich, port city before him, but [[MyRealDaddy Franklin is largely credited -- true or not -- with making Philadelphia the most powerful city in the Colonies, economically, socially, and politically]]. In summation, our boy Ben was nothing short of the biggest badasses in American history (and yet we named a bridge to [[{{Gangsterland}} Camden]] after him...[[note]]Well you did call him a badass[[/note]]).

One reason that Philly sports teams are better known for their fans is because many of them have struggled to be consistently good on the field. The Flyers and the 76ers have been generally good, and the Phillies and Eagles generally mediocre, but the city went decades without a championship until the Phillies bucked years of struggles to win the World Series in 2008. Then came UsefulNotes/SuperBowl LII in 2018, where the Eagles triumphed over the Patriots in a nail biter of a game, avenging their Super Bowl XXXIX loss to them from 2005. The celebrations started immediately, with people rushing to the streets, screaming and marching, honking car horns, and climbing poles (this last even though the ever-savvy Philadelphia Police Department had worked with PECO[[note]]The local power company[[/note]] to grease the poles ahead of the game, knowing exactly what people would try and do). It was a true testament to both how much a victory really meant to the city of Philadelphia ''and'' how... um, ''aggressively'' they love their teams.

Philadelphia has representatives in all four major American professional sports. In [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball MLB]], the city is represented by the Phillies, the oldest team to play under the same name in the same city in all of US pro sports. In the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]], the city is represented by the 76ers, who share a heated rivalry with the Boston Celtics. In the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague NFL]], the city is represented by the Eagles, whose rivalry with the New York Giants is very well-known. And in the [[UsefulNotes/NationalHockeyLeague NHL]], the city is represented by the Flyers.\\\

Philadelphia is completely ObsessedWithFood, and for good reason; it has a rich culinary tradition its inhabitants fiercely defend. The city is famous for its cheesesteak sandwiches (known outside the city as "Philly cheesesteaks"). It's probably best if you just call them "cheesesteaks" or just "steaks"-- anything else will get you laughed at by a native.[[note]]This being Philadelphia, of course, just about anything can get you laughed at by a native, but whatever[[/note]] You may have heard that there is special lingo for ordering steaks; this is technically true, but only really used at a few restaurants (including the "originals"--now heavily marketed to tourists--Pat's and Geno's). Sub sandwiches are popular in Philly as well, and locally they are referred to as hoagies. You can get them from small sandwich shops or from Wawa, a very popular convenience store chain in the region. The city is also famous for its soft pretzels, which are narrow and S-shaped and produced in chains you break your pretzel off from; you eat it with ''[[BerserkButton brown]]'' mustard, thankyouverymuch. Its culinary delights also extend to its two major markets: the Italian Market on S. 9th St. in South Philly, home to [[UsefulNotes/CuisinesInAmerica old-fashioned red-gravy Italian-American food]],[[note]]And some updated fine-dining Sicilian food and also a number of Latin American restaurants, but nobody ever talks about those[[/note]] various Italian specialty shops, and cheap meat and produce; and the Reading Terminal Market in Center City, home to all manner of lunch restaurants, the Pennsylvania Dutch[[note]]who run their own restaurant called [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Dutch Eating Place]]; if you eat there, remember that "chicken pot pie" means "chicken noodle soup"[[/note]] (making it one of the few places you're likely to see an Amish person or Mennonite in homespun operating a credit-card reader), and more expensive meat and produce. Another popular food in Philly is crab fries, especially from Chickie & Pete's, served with cheese dip. A popular dessert is Italian ices, especially from Rita's, referred to locally as water ice after its slushy texture.\\

One reason that Philly sports teams are better known for their fans is because many of them have struggled to be consistently good on the field. The Flyers and the 76ers have been generally good, and the Phillies and Eagles generally mediocre, but the city went decades without a championship until the Phillies bucked years of struggles to win the World Series in 2008. Then came UsefulNotes/SuperBowl LII in 2018, where the Eagles triumphed over the Patriots in a nail biter of a game, avenging their Super Bowl XXXIX loss to them from 2005. The celebrations started immediately, with people rushing to the streets, screaming and marching, honking car horns, and climbing poles (this last even though the ever-savvy Philadelphia Police Department had worded with PECO[[note]]The local power company[[/note]] to grease the poles ahead of the game, knowing exactly what people would try and do). It was a true testament to both how much a victory really meant to the city of Philadelphia ''and'' how... um, ''aggressively'' they love their teams.

Special note should be made in regards to Creator/BenjaminFranklin, sometimes called Philly's Favorite son -- which is odd, 'cause he was born in Boston. However, Franklin lived here for most of his long life (insanely long, by the standards of the time, too[[note]]He lived to the ripe old age of 84, which wouldn't be bad even today for someone who had been overweight since at least his 40s, suffered from gout, and had ''[[TheCasanova every venereal disease known to man]]'' at the time[[/note]]), and he left an indelible mark on Philadelphia's history: considered to have established the first modern newspaper here, America's first library here, the first fire company in Pennsylvania (which was also the most modern at the time), discovered electricity here, and invented the lightning rod, bifocals, the Franklin stove, the odometer, and the glass armonica here. According to Wiki/TheOtherWiki, "A noted polymath, Franklin was a [[RenaissanceMan leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat]]." Oh, and he was one of the Founding Fathers; in fact, UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution [[BadassBoast was arguably won because he was on our side]]. Among the large number of contributions he made to the Colonial effort, it was Franklin's convincing the French to become involved in the war which ensured the Victory at Yorktown, and ultimately proved to England it wasn't worth it to continue fighting the colonies. Finally, he was a well known [[HandsomeLech ladies' man]], even after he got [[BigBeautifulMan rolly-polly]]. Philadelphia was already a large, rich, port city before him, but [[MyRealDaddy Franklin is largely credited -- true or not -- with making Philadelphia the most powerful city in the Colonies, economically, socially, and politically]]. In summation, our boy Ben was nothing short of the biggest badasses in American history (and yet we named a bridge to [[{{Gangsterland}} Camden]] after him...[[note]]Well you did call him a badass[[/note]]).

The city was founded on October 27, 1682 by William Penn. A statue of him sits on top of City Hall, now eclipsed by Three Logan Square, Liberty Place, the Comcast Center, and the Comcast Technology Center in height.[[note]]It should be noted that another statuette of Penn sits atop the Comcast Center, and that within a few months of the building's completion with Penn atop it, the Phillies won the World Series. Take that as you will.[[/note]] It has been a very large city for a long, long time. In the years before UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution, it was the second largest English-speaking city in the world, after UsefulNotes/{{London}}. It was the city where the Continental Congress met, and the Liberty Bell is kept there. Until UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC was built, it was ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_capitals_in_the_United_States#Former_national_capitals usually]]) the US capital. New York surged past it in total population and general importance not long after, but Philly stayed the country's second largest metro area until the very end of the 19th century with the ascent of UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}}.[[note]]In the 1830s and 1840s, the cities of UsefulNotes/{{Baltimore}}, UsefulNotes/{{Boston}}, and UsefulNotes/NewOrleans all surpassed Philadelphia in population, but only because the size of the city proper was relatively small; once it consolidated many of the surrounding independent townships, it surged back to second place.[[/note]]

* Series/UglyBetty cast members Becki Newton, Ana Ortiz, and Mark Indelicato.

Philly residents are infamous for being ''[[SeriousBusiness extremely]]'' outspoken about their beloved teams, to the point of being considered by many the closest American counterpart to European football hooligans. Philadelphia and her inhabitants are very vocal about their criticism or disdain, even to their own sports teams; and if you go into their city with a bad show, you'll hear it straight from the viewers. There have been a couple of incidents, including one involving a snowball attack on a [[SantaClaus beloved holiday figure]], that has given them NeverLiveItDown reputation. While criticism about the tendency to react vocally (booing in crowds, sarcasm and snide comments individually) certainly has been well earned, the city itself has not had any more truly ''violent'' incidents than any other city. (Though, admittedly, the last couple of years when Veterans Stadium was in operation, they actually had ''a court'' in the basement simply because of the sheer number of law-breakers at Eagles games.) This even extends to pseudo-sports, as quite a few notable wrestling promotions (most notably Wrestling/RingOfHonor and the defunct Wrestling/{{ECW}}) are based in Philadelphia, and most of them attract rowdy, loud, and obnoxious crowds. On a less negative note, there was beloved broadcast Harry Kalas [[TearJerker who passed away in 2009]]. His death hit the entire city hard, showing that even if Philly fans show it in negative ways, they really do love their sports teams and the people who keep them connected. Even residents who don't really like sports will admit this much.\\\

* While ''Series/ThirtyRock'' is set in [[BigApplesauce Noo Yawk]], Liz Lemon's family is from the Philadelphia area (White Haven, PA, [[ArtisticLicenseGeography although the real town is actually 100 miles away from Philly]]), and she's been known to lapse into stereotypical Philadelphia-sports-fan behavior. She even references the [[NeverLiveItDown snowball-throwing at Santa Claus]].

* Music/RJD2

* Creator/ThomasWilson

* Creator /RobMcElhenney

* Teller, of "Penn And..."

* The Roots

* Creator/Thomas Wilson

But beyond the local food--which is ''heavily'' Italian-influenced--Philadelphia has a strong ethnic food scene, with cuisines from all over. Philadelphia's Chinatown is full of Chinese restaurants of nearly every Chinese region, plus several other Asian countries too, many of which are outstanding. West and Southwest Philadelphia boast large populations of African and Caribbean immigrants and correspondingly strong West African, Ethiopian, and Caribbean (particularly Jamaican) restaurant scenes. The Southwest boasts a large Korean community as well, as do the Northeast and Olney/Oak Lane (particularly right on the line with Cheltenham Township); Philadelphia is thus one of the better places on the East Coast to get Korean food (though admittedly not nearly as good as Bergen County, NJ). An influx of technical jobs surrounding Comcast (yeah, we know) brought large numbers of Indians to Philadelphia; South Indian cuisine in particular has gained a foothold in Center City and Northeast Philadelphia (as many Indians settled there and in nearby Bensalem). Also big in the Northeast are various Central and Eastern European cuisines, ranging from communities that have lived in Philadelphia since the 19th century (particularly Poles) to more recent Russian and Ukrainian arrivals coming since the 1990s.\\