America’s oldest stock exchange isn’t on Wall Street — it opened in Philadelphia in 1790
- Two years before New York’s Buttonwood Agreement
- A chocolate tycoon who gave away his entire fortune
- The Milton Hershey School has run tuition-free since 1909
- The Keystone State, 2nd to ratify the Constitution (1787)
How Pennsylvania’s digital economy grew
Pennsylvania becomes the 2nd state
Ratifying the Constitution just five days after Delaware.
America’s first stock exchange, not the one you think
Founded in 1790 as the Board of Brokers of Philadelphia, the exchange predates New York’s 1792 Buttonwood Agreement by two years — a fact most people get backwards. Nasdaq bought it for $652 million in 2008, and it lives on today as Nasdaq PHLX, one of the largest US options markets, still headquartered in Philadelphia.
The billionaire who gave it all away
Unable to have children, Milton and Catherine Hershey founded a school for orphaned boys in 1909. After Catherine’s death, Milton placed his entire fortune — roughly $60 million in company stock — into trust for it in 1918. That trust still holds majority voting control of The Hershey Company today, and the Milton Hershey School remains 100% tuition-free, serving over 2,000 students — likely the wealthiest K-12 institution in the country.
How Pennsylvania businesses buy websites
Philadelphia and Hershey get the headlines, but most of Pennsylvania’s businesses are the trades and shops serving Pittsburgh, Philadelphia’s neighborhoods, and towns across the rest of the state.
Trades and home services
Pennsylvania’s cities are spread across the state — say plainly which one you actually serve.
Professional and B2B services
A finance and manufacturing economy rewards clarity about exactly what you do.
Shops and hospitality
Clear hours and location, readable on a phone, win the quick local search.
How well do you know Pennsylvania’s digital economy?
3 quick questions. Get all 3 right and you win a 10% off discount code. Every answer is somewhere on this page.
Pennsylvania quiz · 1 of 3
Which US stock exchange is actually the oldest — founded two years before the NYSE?
Why FastSites works here
A state whose most famous businessman gave everything away to build something that would outlast him understands the value of getting the fundamentals right. A clear one-page site, live in days, at a published price, is that same discipline for a small business.