Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

has long been nicknamed "The City of Brotherly Love" from the literal meaning of the city's name in

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

( el, Φιλαδέλφεια (, ), "brotherly love"), derived from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic pe ...

terms φίλος ''phílos'' (beloved, dear, or loving) and ἀδελφός ''adelphós'' (brother, brotherly). The city was first named by its founder,

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...

. "Philadelphia" is also frequently shortened to '–'Philly' . The

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

, the city's baseball team, officially formed in 1883.

Other nicknames

* ”America’s Garden Capital” – in reference to Philadelphia’s more than 30 gardens and the pride taken by Philadelphians in their gardens * "The Athens of America" – so called as early as 1733 by the directors of the

Library Company of Philadelphia The Library Company of Philadelphia (LCP) is a non-profit organization based in Philadelphia. Founded in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin as a library, the Library Company of Philadelphia has accumulated one of the most significant collections of hist ...

Gilbert Stuart Gilbert Charles Stuart ( Stewart; December 3, 1755 – July 9, 1828) was an American painter from Rhode Island Colony who is widely considered one of America's foremost portraitists. His best-known work is an unfinished portrait of George Washi ...

referred to the city using this phrase, referring to Philadelphia's reputation for science, industry, art, and intellectual life. * "The Birthplace of America" – derived from Philadelphia's role in the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

and location of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these pr ...

* "The Cradle of Liberty" – derives from Philadelphia's role in the American Revolution. Also a nickname of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

*"The Quaker City" – was given in reference to the religion of the city's early settlers. * "The Workshop of the World" – Philadelphia's

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

history gave it this nickname; in the pre-World War II 20th century, Philadelphia "led the nation in production of such diverse products as locomotives, streetcars, saws, steel ships, textiles, rugs, hosiery, hats, leather, and cigars. It held second place in the production of sugar, fertilizer, foundry castings, petroleum, products, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals." * "The City that Loves you Back" – this slogan was introduced by the

Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation Visit Philadelphia, formally known as the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC), is a private, non-profit organization that promotes leisure travel to the five-county Philadelphia metropolitan area ( Bucks, Chester, Delaw ...

(GPTMC) in a 1997 advertising campaign. The motto was both "a reply and a challenge to the '

I Love New York I Love New York (stylized ) is a slogan, a logo, and a song that are the basis of an advertising campaign developed by the marketing firm of Wells, Rich, Greene under the directorship of Mary Wells Lawrence used since 1977 to promote tourism ...

' slogan" and countered the "antisocial reputation" that Philadelphia had developed. * "The City of Neighborhoods" – unclear how this name emerged; Philadelphia was called "The City of Homes" by the 1870s, and was called "a city of residences" in a book published in 1893, referencing the city's high levels of

home ownership Owner-occupancy or home-ownership is a form of housing tenure in which a person, called the owner-occupier, owner-occupant, or home owner, owns the home in which they live. The home can be a house, such as a single-family house, an apartment, c ...

. The nicknamed refers to the city's many distinct neighborhoods and sense of neighborhood pride. * "The City That Bombed Itself" – In 1985, Philadelphia police bombed a rowhouse occupied by

MOVE Move may refer to: People * Daniil Move (born 1985), a Russian auto racing driver Brands and enterprises * Move (company), an online real estate company * Move (electronics store), a defunct Australian electronics retailer * Daihatsu Move Go ...

, a radical black-power group. The bombing killed 11 people, destroyed 61 homes, left 250 people homeless, and earned the city this title. *"Filthadelphia" or "Filthydelphia" – a reference to the omnipresent trash on the streets * "Killadelphia" – a reference to a history of violent crime and homicide rates * " The Sixth Borough" – a reference due to Philadelphia's close proximity to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and the movement of New Yorkers to Philadelphia for less expensive rents, real estate, and cost of living

References

Culture of Philadelphia {{Philadelphia-stub

Other nicknames

See also

References