If the US Capital Site was Havre De Grace, then what would the DMAs be?

[Hudlander]

I think my question or point was not so clear, in this scenario Havre de Grace WOULD be DC, just like Georgetown IS DC.

So in this case, you feel Baltimore would not have it's own DMA and would not be as big, because in this case, 'DC' would have had a port on the bay; so Baltimore would more or less be like what Newark is to NYC?

Obviously, no doubt there would be an upper bay crossing, in fact that would have happened well before the current Route 50 crossing since people from HDG or 'DC' in this case would need quick access to the eastern shore.

[The_Quiet_One]

Originally Posted by Hudlander

I think my question or point was not so clear, in this scenario Havre de Grace WOULD be DC, just like Georgetown IS DC.

So in this case, you feel Baltimore would not have it's own DMA and would not be as big, because in this case, 'DC' would have had a port on the bay; so Baltimore would more or less be like what Newark is to NYC?

Obviously, no doubt there would be an upper bay crossing, in fact that would have happened well before the current Route 50 crossing since people from HDG or 'DC' in this case would need quick access to the eastern shore.

I think it would come down to the railroad. The opening of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad revolutionized Baltimore. The current DC tried to compete earlier by making the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, but that was mostly a failure. If there was instead a Havre de Grace/DC & Ohio Railroad, then yes, that city would have grown exponentially. Maybe not bigger than Baltimore, but possibly quite close. But because Baltimore had the better port, I think it still would have won the railroad race. I don't think the NYC-Newark comparison is good because NYC has a far, far better port than Newark, geographically speaking. But, historically speaking, it was really NYC's placement on the Hudson River that made it grow so large. It was connected to the Midwest via the Hudson and Erie Canal. Every east coast city in the early 1800s tried making a trade route to the west, first with canals, then with railroads. NYC did it first and reaped the benefits. Baltimore was the first to get over the mountains by railroad. If DC had done it first, it would possibly be the bigger city.