Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
| Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania | ||
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 Location in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania |
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 Pennsylvania's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | March 10, 1682 | |
| Seat | Philadelphia | |
| Largest city | Philadelphia | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 143 sq mi (370 km2) | |
| • Land | 134 sq mi (347 km2) | |
| • Water | 8.6 sq mi (22 km2), 6.0% | |
| Population (est.) | ||
| • (2015) | 1,567,442 | |
| • Density | 11,697/sq mi (4,516/km²) | |
| Congressional districts | 1st, 2nd, 13th | |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
| Website | www |
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Philadelphia County is a county located in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. At the 2010 census, the population was 1,526,006, making it the most populous county in the state, despite being the second smallest county in the state by land area. Philadelphia County is one of the three original counties, along with Chester and Bucks counties, created by William Penn in November 1682. Since 1854, the county has been coterminous with the city of Philadelphia, which also serves as its seat. It is the most populous county in the United States coterminous with a municipality.
Philadelphia County is the heart of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD (Delaware Valley) Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Metropolitan Area ranks 7th most populous in the United States.
Tribes of Lenape were the first known occupants in the area that became Philadelphia County. The first European settlers were Swedes and Finns who arrived in 1638. The Netherlands seized the area in 1655, but permanently lost control to England in 1674. William Penn received his charter for Pennsylvania from Charles II of England in 1681, and in November 1682 he divided Pennsylvania into three counties. In the same year, Philadelphia was laid out and was made the county seat and the capital of the Province of Pennsylvania.
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