What makes Philadelphia such a great city in which to pursue an education, particularly as an adult student? For starters, it is rich in important American history. The city's proud past reaches back to the charter granted to William Penn by England's King Charles II in 1681. The charter was for a piece of land west of the Delaware River which would later become known as Pennsylvania (Penn in honor of William's father and "sylvania" meaning woodlands). William Penn went on to choose Philadelphia, which means "brotherly love," as the capital of Pennsylvania.

As most locals will be more than happy to share, the city soon became the temporary capital of the nation and bore witness to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Today, many of the city's historical attractions center around this early period in the country's infancy and the influential role that Philadelphia played in giving us our freedoms.

Philadelphia and its surrounding suburbs also have a wealth of great universities. The University of Pennsylvania was founded in Philadelphia in 1779, the first in America. Today it remains one of the finest schools in the nation, educating more than 23,000 students a year. It paved the way for such fine schools as Temple University, Drexel University, Philadelphia University, LaSalle University, St. Joe's University, West Chester University, Eastern University and Villanova University (just to name a few). The number of adult education programs at these schools continues to expand, making many of them ideal choices for aspiring adults looking to return to school, attend school for the first time now that their kids are grown, change careers or just enrich their life through higher education.

Philadelphia was also the site of the nation's first public grammar school, founded in 1689 and currently known as the William Penn Charter School, as well as the nation's first public library, first nursing school and first dental school.

Other historical firsts for Philadelphia include ( http://web.ask.com/ ):

• The Free Library of Philadelphia, founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1731
• The Pennsylvania Hospital - the first hospital in America - was founded by Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Bond, and opened its doors in 1751
• The first volunteer fire department, the Union Fire Company, was founded in Philadelphia in 1736 by Benjamin Franklin.
• The first stock exchange in the United States was the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, which organized in 1790.
• The first mint in the United States opened in Philadelphia in 1792. For the first time, standardized coins were issued for the new nation.

Philadelphia today offers a variety of historical attractions that provide a rich background for any student taking advantage of one of the city's fine schools:

Independence Hall
If you're looking for a roll call of important historic events, few buildings can boast the record of Independence Hall. Not only was the Declaration of Independence signed here in 1776, the Articles of Confederation were ratified in 1781 and the Constitution setting out the new nation's basic laws was adopted in 1787. Independence Hall's charming steeple once held the Liberty Bell as well.

Liberty Bell
The Bell is inscribed: "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof - Lev. XXV, v. x. By order of the Assembly of the Province of Pensylvania [sic] for the State House in Philada." It weighs an impressive 2,000 pounds and is made of 70 percent copper, 25 percent tin and small amounts of lead, zinc, arsenic, gold and silver. It was meant to hang in Independence Hall but cracked shortly after arriving from London, so it was recast in 1753 using metal from the original. However, in 1846 it began to crack again and despite repairs, was permanently removed from service that year after another crack. A new center for the Liberty Bell opened recently and displays the Bell beautifully with Independence Hall visible behind it. http://www.nps.gov/archive/inde/liberty-bell.html

Betsy Ross House
Another must-see is the house of the woman who stitched the very first American flag. Her house was built in 1740 and visitors can enjoy a self-guided tour of the nine rooms. John and Betsy Ross lived there from 1773 to 1786.

Constitution Center
Another recent addition to Philadelphia's appreciation of its historic past, this center opened in 2003 (on July 4th of course) and provides visitors with the opportunity to come face-to-face with the Constitution. It is designed to express the living, dynamic nature of the Constitution and remind visitors of the way the document changes over time to meet the needs of America's citizens.

This is only a small selection of the attractions that make Philadelphia such a fascinating place to study and visit.

Sources:
(http://www.ushistory.org/philadelphia)