Philadelphia is one of the three original counties created by William Penn in 1682. The City of Philadelphia—the city of brotherly love—was laid out in 1682 as the county seat. In 1854, all municipalities within the county were consolidated within the city, and finally, in 1952, city and county offices were merged. While Swedes and Finns were the first settlers, the Dutch took over in 1655, but lost control to England in 1674. Philadelphia counted eighty families in 1683; by 1774 this number had increased to 24,000. Today the city —- and by definition, the county — numbers nearly 1,500,000 people. It was the economic stronghold of the country till 1830, when New York surpassed the city in population and commerce. But through the 19th century, Philadelphia led the nation in transportation, textiles and shipbuilding.

The Pennsylvania Railroad, based in Philadelphia, grew into a nationwide system. After the civil war, the central business district of today emerged and Center City has become home to multinational businesses, and world renowned artistic, medical and educational communities. In the 1960’s and ‘70’s the city created in Society Hill a reminder of its Revolutionary War roots. Its cultural life has likewise benefited from a diversity of ethnicities. Today, Philadelphia, the birthplace of the Constitution, has remade itself as an international tourist destination based on its singular place in American history.