Philadelphia Information

Philadelphia, with 1,463,281 people in 2005, is the largest city in Pennsylvania, the fifth largest city in the United States, and, along with New York City and Boston, one of the major ports along the Northeast Corridor. Philadelphia's nickname, "The City of Brotherly Love", is also the English translation of the city's name, a word of Greek origin. Philadelphia played a vital role in the formation of this country, and a walk through the city's historic Old City could double as a Revolutionary War-era history lesson.

Famous Quaker William Penn named the city in 1682, and his statue rises above most of the city, perched atop City Hall. During the late 18th century, Philadelphia trumped Boston and New York as the political and social epicenter of the blossoming nation, partially due to the endorsement of Benjamin Franklin, the city's most famous advocate. In fact, from 1790 until the creation of the District of Columbia in 1800, Philadelphia served as the nation's capital. Independence Hall hosted both the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. Another famous Philly landmark is the Liberty Bell, a symbol of America's independence.

These days, Philadelphia is a major manufacturing center, utilizing the Delaware River to connect to the Atlantic Ocean and its vast shipping opportunities. The focus on manufacturing might have something to do with the town's well-earned gritty reputation. This grit is visible in films set in Philadelphia (underdog stories "Rocky" and "Invincible", both based on true events), on the assembly lines of its many factories, and on frigid Sunday mornings tailgating before Eagles football games.

While the Eagles are easily the main sports draw in a town that is famously rabid about their teams, a unique tradition has come out of the local college basketball scene. A rivalry has developed over the years between five area schools: Villanova, St. Joseph's, La Salle, Penn, and Temple. The games between these teams, known as "The Big Five", are noticeably intense and hard-fought, as the reward is not just a trophy but city-wide supremacy and bragging rights. These are just five of the many colleges and universities in the Philadelphia metropolitan area that educate, or at least endeavor to educate, over 300,000 students.

Philadelphia is a major stop for all rail systems on the East coast, both passenger and freight. This makes for a quick, traffic-free getaway from Boston, New York, Baltimore, or even Washington D.C. for a weekend of cheese steaks, soft pretzels, American history, and football. Most visitors and residents save time for a quick, invigorating jog up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, arms raised triumphantly like Rocky Balboa.

Population of Philadelphia: 1,517,550
Population of Metro Area: 5.9 million
Renter-occupied units (2000): 240,420
Population Density: 10,882 per square mile
Population between ages 18-44: 40.40%
Per Capita Income: $16,509
Median Gross Rent: $569
Population Online: 41.50%
NEI Ranking: 18

About Movefrog

The search for Philadelphia rental properties can be tedious and frustrating if you don't have the right tools at your disposal. Movefrog is here to help you with all the aspects of moving to or within Philadelphia, from the moment the idea to move pops into your head until you are relaxing in your new home.

Movefrog provides you, the renter, with free information to help you decide which area of Philadelphia you would like to live in. You can use Movefrog without cost to analyze the average rental costs for apartments, houses, rooms for rent, condominiums, townhouses, lofts, and any other rental situation you can think of in the Philadelphia area. Livefrog, the Community section of Movefrog, will even let you interact with other prospective renters looking in the same area of Philadelphia and those people who recently rented an apartment or house in that area.

There are a wide range of Philadelphia rentals, and you can search through these absolutely free at Movefrog. Just spend a few seconds to set up a free account and you will be able to peruse our free rental listings whenever you please. We have a very easy-to-navigate website that allows you to specify what type of rental you are looking for, from the price and area all the way down to whether you want a balcony or a patio. All of our free rental listings have maps and descriptions, and most have photos of the apartment for rent or house for rent in question.

Movefrog understands you lead a busy life even without the strain of the moving process, and we have instant notification available through either email or SMS text message which will let you know the moment a rental becomes available that matches what you are looking for. All you have to do on your end is to contact the landlord and check out the rental, but Movefrog's commitment to helping you rent a great place in Philadelphia does not end there.

Renters can use Movefrog to get better deals on some of the renting essentials, such as moving, phone service, and satellite TV, just to name a few. Movefrog is here to make renting an apartment or house in Philadelphia as simple a process as possible.