35 Things Only True Philadelphians Know

Philadelphia has a number of nicknames. These include Philly, The City of Brotherly Love and The Cradle of Liberty.

In 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed by our Founding Fathers in this city. It was also largely written in Philadelphia by Thomas Jefferson.

This sandwich has gone viral and been glammed up and tweaked by chefs around the country over the fast few years, but it had its start in Philly. It's orginally cheese and thinly sliced beefsteak in a hoagie roll, and the cheese originally was Cheez Whiz!

Philadelphia has the second-largest Irish and Italian populations in America after NYC. This influence can be seen largely in the Italian Market neighborhood of the city.

It is rare to hear a local refer to the city as Philadelphia. It's almost always Philly.

Due to Philadelphia's shape and placement next to the Delaware River, there is no East Philly. East Philly would be where New Jersey is, across the Delaware.

The buses, trains, trolleys, and subways are all run by SEPTA. SEPTA stands for Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority.

All of these are Philly neighborhoods except for Bushwick. Bushwick is in northern Brooklyn, NYC.

There are two subway lines in the city. These are the Broad Street Line and the Market-Frankford Line.

This famous indoor farmers market has been operating in the city of Philadelphia since 1892. It has a wide variety of foods, gifts and specialty items.

Irish potatoes are actually small candies. Especially popular around St. Patrick's Day, these creamy coconut balls are rolled in cinnamon.

Philly has more than 2,000 outdoor murals. Due to this, it has been called the Mural Capital of America.

It's said that when One Liberty Place was built in 1987, which stood taller than City Hall, this angered Billy Penn and caused him to curse Philly's major sports teams to embarrassing losses. This held true until 2008, when the Phillies won the World Series.

The Eagles, or as some locals call them, The Iggles, are the city's NFL football team. Many locals also call them The Birds.

America's first hospital, Pennsylvania Hospital was founded in 1751. It was co-founded by the famous Ben Franklin.

The Phillie Phanatic is a large green furry flightless bird in a team jersey. He is a widely loved and recognized mascot.

Fishtown is a developing area of the city full of bars, music venues and interesting restaurants and coffee shops. Many local musicians and artists live there.

Philly's Chinatown is a vibrant place full of diverse Asian restaurants and bakeries. Its entrance is marked by the colorful Friendship Gate at 10th and Arch.

Philadelphia has numerous higher education institutions and some of the most prestigious medical programs in the country. Doctors from all over the country and world have trained in the city.

Philly's subway system opened in 1907. It is the third oldest after Boston's and NYC's.

For 10 years, Philadelphia served as the capital of the U.S. and seat of federal government. It was the capital from 1790-1800, when Washington was under construction.

Benjamin Franklin is arguably the most famous Philadelphian of all time. He is buried in Christ Church Cemetery in Old City.

Much of the city was designed as a grid with numbered streets running north-south. What is called Broad Street is technically 14th Street.

The Philadelphia Zoo opened on July 1, 1874. It is the nation's first zoo.

Philadelphia has many universities and colleges. Penn State University is located in State College, PA, far away from the city.

Pennsylvania was founded by Quakers, who believed in practicing religious tolerance. In 1682, the city became the first in the New World to guarantee religious freedom to its residents.

Hoagies are said to have been invented by Italian-Americans at the World War I era shipyard in Philadelphia known as Hog Island. Hoagies are made up meats, cheeses and lettuce on Italian bread.

Philly is the 6th most populated city in the country. It has an estimated population of roughly 1.5 million people.

This dessert was brought to the US by Italian immigrants. The Philadelphia metropolitan area is the only area of the country to refer to the treat as water ice.

While soda is not associated with The City of Brotherly Love, it may have been invented there. Some think it was the creation of Dr. Phillip Syng Physick, who gave patients carbonated drinks as medicine and tried to sweeten them to make them more palatable.

This river which goes through Philadelphia is pronounced SKOO-kill. It means "hidden river" in Netherland Dutch.

The Mummers Parade happens every year on New Year's Day. This costumed parade is believed to be the oldest folk festival in the US.

There are 250 cities considered World Heritage cities around the globe. Philadelphia is the only American city on that list.

Elfreth's Alley is America's oldest continuously inhabited street. It's in the Old City section of Philadelphia.

While pretzels are often associated with Philadelphia, they were not invented there. They were brought over from Europe by the Pennsylvania Dutch.