High Street (Philadelphia)

PA Route 3
Market Street
Route information
Maintained by PennDOT
Major junctions
West end	PA 3 (Market Street) in Millbourne
	PA 3 (Cobbs Creek Parkway) in West Philadelphia US 13 / PA 3 (38th Street) in University City I‑76 (Schuylkill Expressway) in University City PA 611 (15th Street) in Center City 5th Street near Independence Hall
East end	Front Street in Penn's Landing
Highway system
Pennsylvania State Route System Interstate US State Scenic Byways Legislative

Coordinates: 39°57′10″N 75°09′57″W / 39.95266°N 75.16575°W / 39.95266; -75.16575

Market Street, originally known as High Street, is a major east–west street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is signed as Pennsylvania Route 3 between the 38th Street (U.S. Route 13) and 15th Street (PA 611).

The High Street was the familiar name of the principal street in nearly every English town at the time Philadelphia was founded. But if Philadelphia was indebted to England for the name of High Street, nearly every American town is, in turn, indebted to Philadelphia for its Market Street. Long before the city was laid out or settled, Philadelphia's founder, William Penn, had planned that markets would be held regularly on the 100-foot (30 m) wide High Street. The city's first market stalls were situated in the center of the thoroughfare starting at Front Street and proceeding west eventually to 8th Street. The stalls soon became covered and were not taken down as planned. Later, additional covered sheds appeared west of Center Square as the city expanded westward. The street began to be called Market Street around 1800. The road's new name was made official by an ordinance of 1858, coincidentally, just a year before the market sheds were ordered removed.

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Wikipedia