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I have often wondered how the city would have developed if it had remained the capital and what the repercussions would have been for the rest of the Northeast. Would Philly have attracted the industry that caused it to grow so large or would it have stayed smaller and sleepy (like DC was until WWII). Would government buildings have been built in the classical style and would they be in Center City or removed somewhat to another neighborhood. Would there still be tall buildings? Would Baltimore be better or worse off? How about NYC? Would Georgetown or Alexandria have grown to be major cities? Would Virginia have developed less? Would New Jersey be even more crowded?
I have often wondered how the city would have developed if it had remained the capital and what the repercussions would have been for the rest of the Northeast. Would Philly have attracted the industry that caused it to grow so large or would it have stayed smaller and sleepy (like DC was until WWII). Would government buildings have been built in the classical style and would they be in Center City or removed somewhat to another neighborhood. Would there still be tall buildings? Would Baltimore be better or worse off? How about NYC? Would Georgetown or Alexandria have grown to be major cities? Would Virginia have developed less? Would New Jersey be even more crowded?
That's a really interesting question. It's anybody's guess, but I suspect New York and Philly would have developed into direct polar rivals.... NYC commercial and finacial dominance vying with Philly's role as the seat of government and enchanced international profile. My guess is New York would still be the larger city, but Philly would be slightly larger than it is now and would probably have the UN in addition to the Capitol the White House and various departments of the the Federal government and various embassy's, etc. Philly's east coast footprint would be larger than it is now....NYC Jersey footprint would probably be rolled back somewhat, Philly's influence would probably reach deeper in to Delaware and Maryland, maybe even extreme parts of Northern Va. and West Virginia. And the rest of Pa would probably resent Philly even more than it does now, if you can imagine that.
You could reverse that, too....what if Philly had remained the financial center, and NY had become the political center? Congress....in NYC??? The mind reels....
I wonder if Philadelphia had remained the Capitol City how Baltimore would have fared? Would we be saying the Bosh-Balt corridor instead of Bosh Wash? Here is what I think:
1. Baltimore Metro would be bigger than it is now (with room to expand) but southern Maryland and especially northern Virginia would still be much more rural than today without Washington DC.
2. Northeastern Maryland would be much more developed and Aberdeen, Havre de Grace & Elkton would be bigger than they are now.
3. Philadelphia area highways would be much wider (more than two lanes lol) and mass transit/railroads would have got a lot more Federal money. SE Pennsylvania and Delaware would be much more developed.
4. New York City, not much difference. The city was built on connections to the Midwest (Erie canal), trading, banking and an excellent seaport. It does not matter to NYC where the Capitol is. Which brings us to the last point:
5. Southern New Jersey being even more developed than it is today. Also much wealthier because of government jobs. Between NNJ and SSJ being both so highly developed, New Jersey would be the ultimate urban-suburban complex lol.
Philadelphia in 1800 was the financial,cultural, and political capital of the USA.
I read a couple articles that Pennsylvania thought they had a lock on the permanent US Capitol being built in Philadephia.6 of the the top 10 most populous towns in 1800 were towns that now make up the city of Philadelphia. They made indepth plans for The Capitol to be built in the Germantown/Chestnut Hill neighborhoods.
NY/Va had the key people though and basically Thomas Jefferson/ James Madison from Va. and Alexander Hamilton from NY(the 3 most powerful people in the US at that time got together and hatched a plan to fleece Philadelphia. The political power ended up in VA/MD and the financial power ended up in NYC. Some powerful and rich Philadlephians including Robert Morris and Ben Franklin had just passed away prior to the decision to move the capitol. If the timing was just a bit different the Capitol may very well have ended up in NW Philadelphia.
I wonder if Philadelphia had remained the Capitol City how Baltimore would have fared? Would we be saying the Bosh-Balt corridor instead of Bosh Wash? Here is what I think:
1. Baltimore Metro would be bigger than it is now (with room to expand) but southern Maryland and especially northern Virginia would still be much more rural than today without Washington DC.
2. Northeastern Maryland would be much more developed and Aberdeen, Havre de Grace & Elkton would be bigger than they are now.
3. Philadelphia area highways would be much wider (more than two lanes lol) and mass transit/railroads would have got a lot more Federal money. SE Pennsylvania and Delaware would be much more developed.
4. New York City, not much difference. The city was built on connections to the Midwest (Erie canal), trading, banking and an excellent seaport. It does not matter to NYC where the Capitol is. Which brings us to the last point:
5. Southern New Jersey being even more developed than it is today. Also much wealthier because of government jobs. Between NNJ and SSJ being both so highly developed, New Jersey would be the ultimate urban-suburban complex lol.
Don't you think that Richmond would have been the large city in Northern Virginia if not for D.C.? Keep in mind that Virginia was one of the most populous states in 1800, and without D.C. sucking it dry it might have grown and developed on it's own.
Don't you think that Richmond would have been the large city in Northern Virginia if not for D.C.? Keep in mind that Virginia was one of the most populous states in 1800, and without D.C. sucking it dry it might have grown and developed on it's own.
Maybe a little of course but I would not consider Richmond to be in Northern Virginia. I think Washington DC has at best only a small effect on Richmond, at least as a metro area. Richmond afterall gets much of its wealth from being a state capitol, so she really does not need another city closeby.
Now Washington DC IS sucking the entire country dry but thats through taxes and politics not metro area, lol.
I'm pretty sure Virginia would have stayed a sleepy Southern state with no distinction in character between "down state" and Northern Virginia.
All those insanely rich counties in N. Va/S. Md would be in SE Pa and Southern NJ. Phila metro 10 M +. Baltimore > much more important than Wash/Alexandria who would be similar to Richmond.
Part of the thought process when the decision for the permanent Capitol was made, was that NYC + Philadelphia were too close together which would have caused all kind of logistical problems in case of a future invasion.
Maybe a little of course but I would not consider Richmond to be in Northern Virginia. I think Washington DC has at best only a small effect on Richmond, at least as a metro area. Richmond afterall gets much of its wealth from being a state capitol, so she really does not need another city closeby.
Now Washington DC IS sucking the entire country dry but thats through taxes and politics not metro area, lol.
I have always thought that Richmond's growth was thwarted by it's proximity to Metro D.C.
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