Philadelphia
Vibrant and progressive, Philadelphia has been attracting residents since William Penn designed and laid out the city's innovative first urban plan in 1682. Philadelphia is a city famous for "firsts" that include being the home of the United States' first public library, hospital, university, public bank, stock exchange, life insurance company, botanical garden, municipal water system, zoo, World's Fair, art museum and computer. Not too bad for a city that also gave birth to the world's first democracy with the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Independence Hall! Neighborhoods like Germantown, Chestnut Hill, Center City, Old City and Mount Airy have been home to such notable residents as Benjamin Franklin, Bill Cosby, W.C. Fields, Edgar Allen Poe, "Dr. J." Julius Irving, John Coltrane, Will Smith, Patti LaBelle, Kevin Bacon, Grace Kelly, M. Night Shymalan and the fictional but still famous, Rocky Balboa. Today these neighborhoods and many others in the surrounding region offer a fantastic range of housing choices that range from traditional to contemporary, intown to rural, to custom designed home.