The Delaware Valley is a region in eastern Pennsylvania and the surrounding states of Delaware, Maryland, and New Jersey that surrounds the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The region is named after the Delaware River, which flows through the area. With over six million residents as of 2020, the Delaware Valley is the sixth most populous metropolitan region of the nation.
{{Regionlist |region1name = Bucks County |region1color= |region1items= |region1description=
|region2name = Chester County |region2color= |region2items= |region2description=
|region3name = Delaware County |region3color= |region3items= |region3description=
|region4name = Montgomery County |region4color= |region4items= |region4description=
|region5name = Philadelphia County |region5color= |region5items= |region5description=Coterminous with the city of Philadelphia. }}
{{Regionlist |region1name = Burlington County |region1color= |region1items= |region1description=
|region2name = Camden County |region2color= |region2items= |region2description=
|region3name = Cumberland County |region3color= |region3items= |region3description=
|region4name = Gloucester County |region4color= |region4items= |region4description=
|region5name = Salem County |region5color= |region5items= |region5description= }}
{{Regionlist |region1name = New Castle County |region1color= |region1items= |region1description= }}
Located in the Eastern Shore region of Maryland
The Delaware Valley is home to the "birthplace of America," Philadelphia, PA. Sites throughout the valley hosted battles between the British and colonial Americans during the Revolutionary War and Philadelphia itself saw the writing of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America. Philadelphia today is the center of the region with 6.2 million people living within its boundaries. Neighboring Camden, rated the most dangerous city in America, was once an industrial center and today is revitalizing its downtown and waterfront with attractions like a concert arena and an exotic aquarium. Wilmington, DE to the south is the largest city in Delaware and is one of the most important banking cities in the United States.
Dialect in the Delaware Valley sounds much like its New York City counterpart to the north. Many r's are dropped. In Philadelphia, "water" is pronounced as "wooder" or "whudder." Words like "kawfee" and "hawt" with an exaggerated "o" sound have been borrowed by denizens of the New York City area. "Hoagies" refer to sub sandwiches and "steak" may refer to the cheesesteak sandwich.
The major airport in the Delaware Valley with scheduled service to most major cities, and certain international destinations is Philadelphia International Airport (IATA: PHL).
The Delaware Valley is serviced by several interstates including the Pennsylvania Turnpike, Interstate 95, Interstate 76, the Schuylkill Expressway, the New Jersey Turnpike, and the Garden State Parkway.
Amtrak trains stop at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia, with regular fast commuter service to major points along the east coast such as New York City, Washington, D.C., Boston, and Baltimore.
The Delaware Valley is extensively served by both the national rail company Amtrak and the Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). The main rail station in Philadelphia is 30th Street Station. SEPTA commuter rail extends to Marcus Hook, DE and Trenton, NJ. Southern New Jersey is also served by the Delaware River Port Authority's PATCO Hi-Speedline which is a hybrid subway and above-ground system.
Taxis can be hailed in the major cities in the Delaware Valley including Philadelphia and Wilmington. For those adventurous enough to drive in these two large, car-congested cities, parking is scarce and roads can be hectic. Defensive driving is one's best bet in Philadelphia and Wilmington, as drivers are known to be both vocal and ruthless.
In Philadelphia, two subway lines and a subway-surface line cover the city. The Broad Street Line runs north-south and the Market-Frankford Line runs east-west. The subway-surface line parallels the MFL and makes stops at smaller stations than the subway of the same direction.
The King of Prussia Mall, in King of Prussia, is the third largest shopping mall in the United States. It is about 15 miles northwest of Philadelphia. It has more than over 450 retailers and 6 anchor department stores.
Sesame Place, in Langhorne, Bucks County, is a Sesame Street-themed amusement park. It has water rides, parades, roller coasters, live shows, and Sesame characters walking around. It is across the street from the Sheraton Bucks County, and Oxford Valley Mall.
Philadelphia is often cited as one of America's most dangerous cities. Philly may not be as bad as places like Detroit or New Orleans, but many parts of the city (especially North Philly) are notoriously violent. As a rule of thumb, bear in mind that the city's dangerous neighborhoods are of little value to tourists. Meanwhile, Camden, NJ and Wilmington, DE also tend to rank pretty high in most lists of "Dangerous Cities"
On the other hand, the rest of Delaware Valley is very safe, and many Philadelphia's suburbs actually rank among the safest in the land.