Philadelphia Today

Philadelphia is today the fifth largest city in the United States, and is still a vibrant and rich city. It is very obviously, a city rich in historical value and knowledge, whose exploration can enrich the lives of all who visit her.

Sports fans can definitely feel at home in Philadelphia! Philadelphia hosts many professional sports teams: the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team, the Philadelphia Eagles NFL football team, the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia Kixx MISL soccer team, the Philadelphia Phantoms AHL hockey team, the Philadelphia Phillies MLB baseball team and the Philadelphia Soul AFL football team.

There are also many opportunities for employment and business expansion in Philadelphia. The major industries today in Philadelphia are health care, manufacturing, education, law and service industries, such as insurance and banking. The city of Philadelphia contains a business improvement district, known as the Center City District and accounts for 40 percent of the city’s employment.

The main industry of Philadelphia was originally manufacturing, but this had been in decline for many years. A turnaround is taking place with the emergence of the high-tech industry. The city and her outlying areas are ranked the sixth highest high-tech region in the U.S., which is based on the number of engineers, scientists and computer professionals working in the area. Manufacturing is also strong in other realms such as chemicals, textiles, fabricated metals, electrical components, printing and publishing and transportation equipment. Manufacturing jobs account for 12 percent of employment in the Philadelphia area.

The first medical college in the country was established in Philadelphia, and the city’s present enormous health care industry has its roots in this history. There are an estimated 120 hospitals, 200 biotech and pharmaceutical firms, and 135 medical manufacturers in the greater Philadelphia area. Several major pharmaceutical producers are represented in the vicinity, such as Merck, Wyeth and GlaxoSmithKline.

Sources

1. “Bare Facts” - www.wetfeet.com
2. “Top Ten Places in Historic Philadelphia” - www.philadelphia.about.com
3. “It All Began In Philadelphia” - www.philadelphia.about.com
4. “ A Short History of Philadelphia” - www.chillyphilly.com
5. “History of Rail Transport in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania” - http://en.wikipedia.org
6. “Philadelphia Firsts” - http://en.wikipedia.org
7. www.usacitiesonline.com
8. www.infoplease.com
9. www.citymayors.com