ThehistoryofPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania,goesbackto1682,whenthecitywasfoundedbyWilliamPenn. 　　Beforethen,theareawasinhabitedbytheLenape(Delaware)IndiansandSwedishsettlerswhoarrivedintheareaintheearly1600s.PhiladelphiaquicklygrewintoanimportantcolonialcityandduringtheAmericanRevolutionwasthesiteoftheFirstandSecondContinentalCongresses.AftertheRevolutionthecitywaschosentobethetemporarycapitaloftheUnitedStates.Atthebeginningofthe19thcentury,thefederalandstategovernmentsleftPhiladelphia,butthecityremainedtheculturalandfinancialcenterofthecountry.PhiladelphiabecameoneofthefirstU.S.industrialcentersandthecitycontainedavarietyofindustries,thelargestbeingtextiles. 　　AftertheAmericanCivilWarPhiladelphia'sgovernmentwascontrolledbyacorruptRepublicanpoliticalmachineandbythebeginningofthe20thCenturyPhiladelphiawasdescribedas"corruptandcontented."Variousreformeffortsslowlychangedcitygovernmentwiththemostsignificantin1950whereanewcitycharterstrengthenedthepositionofmayorandweakenedthePhiladelphiaCityCouncil.AtthesametimePhiladelphiamoveditssupportfromtheRepublicanPartytotheDemocraticParty,whichhasbeenpredominantinlocalpoliticsformanydecades.Thecity'spopulationbegantodeclineinthe1950sasmostlywhiteandmiddleclassfamiliesleftforthesuburbs.ManyofPhiladelphia'shouseswereinpoorconditionandlackedmodernizedutilities,andgangandmafiawarfareplaguedthecity.Revitalizationandgentrificationofcertainneighborhoodsstartedbringingpeoplebacktothecity.Promotionsandincentivesinthe1990sandtheearly21stcenturyhaveimprovedthecity'simageandcreatedacondominiumboominCenterCityandthesurroundingareasthathasslowedthepopulationdecline. 　　FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia