Delaware Valley

Delaware Valley
Greater Philadelphia
Philadelphia metropolitan area
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD CSA
Center City Philadelphia (in background) and the Schuylkill River (on left) as seen from South Street Bridge in July 2016
Center City Philadelphia (in background) and the Schuylkill River (on left) as seen from South Street Bridge in July 2016
Map
Philadelphia–Reading–Camden, PA–NJ–DE–MD CSA
Country United States
States Pennsylvania
New Jersey
Delaware
Maryland
Principal cityPhiladelphia
Satellite cities and townsCamden
Wilmington
Atlantic City
Reading
Trenton[a]
Vineland
Conshohocken
Dover
Chester
Upper Darby
Media
Middletown Township
Hammonton
Pennsauken Township
Norristown
Doylestown
Cherry Hill
West Chester
Evesham
Washington Township
Millville
Salem
Cape May Court House
Lower Township
The Wildwoods
Brigantine
Ventnor City
Margate City
Ocean City
Sea Isle City
Haverford
Bridgeton
Coatesville
Lower Merion
Gloucester Township
Downingtown
Phoenixville
New Castle
Pottstown
King of Prussia
Bensalem Township
Burlington City and Burlington Township
Middle Township (Cape May County)
Mount Holly
Newark
Hamilton Township (Mays Landing)
Woodbury
Elkton
Cheltenham Township
Abington Township
Bristol Township
Mount Laurel
Northampton Township
Winslow Township
New Hope
Falls Township
Middletown Township (Bucks County)
Egg Harbor Township
Galloway Township
Pennsville
Maurice River Township
Area
 • Urban
1,981.4 sq mi (5,131.7 km2)
 • Metro
5,118 sq mi (13,256 km2)
Elevation0 - 1,080 ft (0 - 329 m)
Population
 (2021 est.)
 • Urban
5,441,567 (5th)
 • Metro density1,217.00/sq mi (469.89/km2)
 • MSA
6,228,601 (7th)
 • CSA
7,366,346 (9th)
 MSA/CSA = 2021, Urban = 2010
GDP
 • MSA$518.5 billion (2022)
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EST)
Area codes215/267/445, 302, 410/443/667, 609/640, 610/484/835, 717/223, 856

The Delaware Valley, sometimes referred to as Greater Philadelphia, Philadelphia metropolitan area, or Philadelphia tri-state area, is a major metropolitan and tri-state region in Northeast United States that centers on Philadelphia, the 6th-most populous city in the United States, and spans part of three states: Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, and Northern Delaware. With a core of metropolitan statistical area population of 6.288 million residents, while the combined statistical area population of 7.366 million (as of the 2020 census), Delaware Valley is the eighth-largest metropolitan region in the United States and the 68th-largest metropolitan region in the world.

In addition to Philadelphia, other major population centers in the Delaware Valley include Reading, Upper Darby Township, and Chester in Pennsylvania; Atlantic City, Camden, Vineland, and Cherry Hill in South Jersey; and Wilmington and Dover in Delaware. As of 2022, the Philadelphia metropolitan area's gross domestic product (GDP) exceeds US$518 billion, making it the tenth-largest metropolitan economy in the nation.[3]

The Delaware Valley has been influential in the nation's history and economy and home to many people and sites significant to American culture, history, and politics. Philadelphia is sometimes known as "The Birthplace of America"[4] in reference to its role as the revolutionary capital during the colonial era in which the Second Continental Congress gathered at Independence Hall and unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence, authorized the formation of the Continental Army, and appointed George Washington its commander to resist the British. After the Continental Army's victory, Philadelphia served as the nation's first capital for most of the 18th century until 1800, when construction of Washington, D.C. was completed. The U.S. Constitution, the world's longest-standing body of federal law, was ratified at Independence Hall in Philadelphia in 1789.

The Delaware Valley is one of the nation's leading regions for academia and academic research with a considerable number of globally-known and highly ranked universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, one of the nation's eight Ivy League universities. Other major universities and colleges in the region include Drexel University, Thomas Jefferson University, Rowan University, Villanova University, Saint Joseph's University, Temple University, Rutgers University–Camden, La Salle University, the University of Delaware, Stockton University, and others.[5]

Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley are a biotechnology hub.[6] As of 2024, metropolitan Philadelphia ranks as one of the Big Five U.S. venture capital hubs, facilitated by its proximity to both New York City's entrepreneurial and financial ecosystems and to the federal regulatory environment of Washington, D.C.[7] Elsewhere in the Delaware Valley, South Jersey has emerged as an East Coast epicenter for logistics and major warehouses.[8]

Culturally, the region is home to the dialect or accent known as Philadelphia English, shares a unique cuisine known as Philadelphia cuisine, has played a formidable role in popular music, and is known for having one of the nation's most passionate and devoted sports cultures centered around its five professional sports teams.


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  1. ^ "Welsh Mountain". Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  2. ^ "MyTopo – Welsh Mountain area". Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Total Gross Domestic Product for Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD (MSA)". fred.stlouisfed.org.
  4. ^ "Words and Their Stories: Nicknames for Philadelphia and Boston". Voice of America. April 3, 2010. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  5. ^ Tucker, Laura (November 25, 2014). "Philadelphia". QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  6. ^ Eramian, Daniel (November 2, 2020). "Is Philadelphia's biotech cluster faltering? Experts say no". STAT. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  7. ^ "Q2 2024". PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor. July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  8. ^ Jon Hurdle (May 13, 2021). "Report details surge in warehouse construction…". NJ Spotlight News. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023. In South Jersey, the area has become the "epicenter" of warehouse construction in the greater Philadelphia region..'Activity in the Southern New Jersey industrial market continues to amaze,' the report said.