Pennsylvania and Maryland: States with the most similar built environments? (Philadelphia: townhouses, neighborhoods)

[Craziaskowboi]

From what I've observed, most of Pennsylvania and most of Maryland seem to have a very similar built environment: row houses, small or nonexistent front yards, many buildings tight to the roads and sidewalks, etc. I honestly wonder if they share the most similar built environment between two states. Has anybody else noticed the similarities? Are there any states that you think might be more similar than Pennsylvania and Maryland are?

[toobusytoday]

I think most of the East Coast cities and towns that were settled 200+ years ago have similar characteristics. I think Wilmington and NYC have neighborhoods that could be switched out into Philadelphia or Baltimore.

But, I think it should be pointed out that only a very small percentage of the land area in Pennsylvania actually has housing on it. Almost 60% is forested State-by-State Forest Facts and 27% is farmland.Farms - States Listed by Percent of Farmland in State from StuffAboutStates.com

When the homes were built 200+ years ago, they were not that close to the road. The roads themselves were expanded to accommodate carriages and then cars. Certainly homes nowadays, even townhouses are set back quite a bit more, and townhomes are all over the US.

[PreservationPioneer]

Also WV and New York (state).

[eschaton]

I think there's a "rowhouse belt" in the U.S. It roughly includes.

• Sections of Southern New Jersey (Camden mostly)
• Pennsylvania, excluding the Wyoming Valley and Erie
• Maryland (Annapolis, Frederick, Cumberland, Hagerstown)
• Delaware (Wilmington)
• Washington DC
• Alexandria, Virginia
• A western extension to Cincinnati, Ohio and Saint Louis, Missouri

There are outliers, of course. Boston, New York, and parts of Northern New Jersey have some rowhouse architecture, although "triple deckers" and similar multi-family housing is also common. Rowhouses are also seen in very old southern cores (Richmond, Charleston, Savannah, and New Orleans) as well as San Francisco. But the rowhouse is more a distinctive mid-Atlantic housing typology.

[Evergrey]

This legendary discussion should provide some direction:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/penns...lose-road.html

[sp2007]

Wyoming County, PA and Cumberland, MD don't have small front yards at all.

Have you been to England? Some of those small towns, you almost have to walk in the street because the "downtown" bldgs are right on top of you. Its a historical trend.