Portal:Philadelphia

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The Philadelphia Portal

Independence Hall.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the sixth-most-populous city in the United States and the largest in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, both in area and population. Since 1854, the city has been coterminous with Philadelphia County. Philadelphia has the third-largest downtown residential population in the U.S., behind New York and Chicago. The Philadelphia metropolitan area is the fourth-largest in the U.S. by the official definition, with some 5.7 million people, though other definitions place it sixth behind the San Francisco Bay Area and Washington-Baltimore. Philadelphia is the central city of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area.

Philadelphia is one of the oldest and most historically significant U.S. cities. It was the nation's first capital. At the time of the American Revolution, it was the second-largest English-speaking city in the world, after only London. Into the first part of the 19th century, it was the country's most populous city and eclipsed Boston and New York City in political and social importance. Benjamin Franklin played an extraordinary role in Philadelphia's rise.

Selected picture

Chancel Ceiling of Saint James-the-Less Episcopal Church.
Photo credit: Jack E. Boucher

The Church of St. James the Less is an historic Episcopal church building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that was architecturally influential. As St. James-the-Less Episcopal Church, it is designated a National Historic Landmark. According to the National Park Service's official Statement of Significance the church "is the first example of the pure English Parish church style in America, and one of the best examples of a 19th-century American Gothic church for its coherence and authenticity of design. Its influence on the major architects of the Gothic Revival in the United States was profound."

Selected article

Northbound view of I-295 in Hamilton, New Jersey.

Interstate 295 in New Jersey and Delaware is a bypass route from a junction with Interstate 95 south of Wilmington, Delaware to another junction with I-95 north of Trenton, New Jersey. The route runs parallel with the New Jersey Turnpike for most of its course. Interstate 295 is an auxiliary Interstate Highway, designated as a beltway around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Interstate 95 serves the city directly, connecting it with Wilmington and Trenton, whereas I-295 bypasses the city running east of the Delaware River. Interstate 95 was originally supposed to continue northeast from the routes' junction near Trenton on the proposed Somerset Freeway, but this plan was cancelled, limiting I-295's capability as a true bypass between Baltimore and New York City. Today, traffic on Interstate 295 is directed to take Interstate 195 (or surface street connections further south) to the New Jersey Turnpike to reach New York City. The same route is prescribed for traffic on I-95 in Pennsylvania and near Trenton to bridge the gap with I-95 further north.

Selected biography

Charles Wade Barkley.

Charles Barkley is a retired American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Sir Charles," for his aggressive and outspoken demeanor, and "The Round Mound of Rebound," for his unusual build and talent as a player, Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's most dominating power forwards. He was selected to both the All-NBA First Team and All-NBA Second Team five times and once named to the All-NBA Third Team. He earned eleven NBA All-Star Game appearances and was named the All-Star MVP in 1991. In 1993, he was voted the league's Most Valuable Player and during the NBA's 50th anniversary, named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. He competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic games and won two gold medals as a member of the United States' Dream Team. In 2006, Barkley was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Barkley was popular with the fans and media, and made the NBA's All-Interview Team for each of his last 13 seasons in the league. He was frequently involved in on- and off-court fights and sometimes stirred national controversy, as in 1993 when he declared that sports figures should not be considered role models. Short for a power forward, he used tenacity and strength to become a dominant rebounder. He was a versatile player who could score, defend, rebound, and assist. In 2002, he retired as one of only four players in NBA history with 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 4,000 assists.

Selected anniversaries - November

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Did you know...

...that Jerry Wolman, one-time owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, initiated the development of the John Hancock Center, a 100-story skyscraper in Chicago, but was forced off the project because of his financial difficulties?

Quotes

John Wanamaker

"Courtesy is the one coin you can never have too much of or be stingy with."

John Wanamaker

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