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Historical definition: Boston to DC. Amended for modern times will come to include Portland, ME to Norfolk, VA. The census designated areas already border from Norfolk to Richmond, and Richmond to DC. The culture and distance argument doesn't quite hold up because the distance between Baltimore and Philly is the same as between DC and Richmond. And you can't say the culture of Boston is the same as DC. Heck I'v heard a million times that Baltimore culture is completely different from DC's, and they're only separated by 38 miles! Between Boston and New York is a little sketchy for unbroken urbanism, but the metros of Hartford and Providence do border to complete the string. If you look at nightime images of the east coast, there is a pretty definable string of lights from Norfolk to north of Boston.
There's pracitcally nothingbetween Richmond and DC after PWC. It's a dramatic disconnect and cultural shift. Remember Newark (DE) and Wilmington are between Balt. and Philly.
There's pracitcally nothingbetween Richmond and DC after PWC. It's a dramatic disconnect and cultural shift. Remember Newark (DE) and Wilmington are between Balt. and Philly.
The only part of that corridor that I would say has "practically nothing" would be Quantico Marine Corps Station. Stafford and Fredericksburg are very much exurbs of DC. There is a bit of a gap between Fredericksburg and Ashland, but there is a gap between Hartford and Worcester.
I say Richmond and Hampton Roads may not be in the middle of BosWash, but they are a part of the NE corridor.
The southern extent of this megalopolis goes as far south as Fredericksburg, VA, as far north as Portsmouth, NH and the extreme southern portion of Maine (about as far as Cape Neddick,ME..not anywhere near Portland) and as far west as Manchester,NH, Springfield,MA, Poughkeepsie,NY, Allentown,PA, Reading,PA, Frederick,MD, and Winchester & Culpeper,VA. I wouldn't stretch it any further than that... at least in our lifetimes.
The only part of that corridor that I would say has "practically nothing" would be Quantico Marine Corps Station. Stafford and Fredericksburg are very much exurbs of DC. There is a bit of a gap between Fredericksburg and Ashland, but there is a gap between Hartford and Worcester.
I say Richmond and Hampton Roads may not be in the middle of BosWash, but they are a part of the NE corridor.
Yeah, and it ends at F'burg (where the South begins). Besides proximity the cities/urban areas/suburbs also share characteristics. None of the cities in Hampton Roads and Richmond share that much with any city north of it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WanderingImport
The southern extent of this megalopolis goes as far south as Fredericksburg, VA, as far north as Portsmouth, NH and the extreme southern portion of Maine (about as far as Cape Neddick,ME..not anywhere near Portland) and as far west as Manchester,NH, Springfield,MA, Poughkeepsie,NY, Allentown,PA, Reading,PA, Frederick,MD, and Winchester & Culpeper,VA. I wouldn't stretch it any further than that... at least in our lifetimes.
I agree. Maine is a bit of a stretch, I said Manchester, but Portsmouth makes sense I guess. Frederick can only be included since it's a DC suburb, and I would say that it's the furthest West the corridor extends. Beyond that is the Rust Belt in SW PA, W. MD, and the WV Panhandle.
I think it's useful to think of the core, the fringe, and the penumbra of the BosWash corridor. I think the core would be the metros of Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, and DC.
Fringe would be, say, Albany, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Hagerstown, Richmond, Norfolk, where much of the economy depends on providing services to the core corridor. The fringe are might be intercommutable at least with the edge cities of the core metros - lets say for example, I know couples living in Gettysburg where one works in Harrisburg and the other in Gaithersburg. I'm not sure where Hartford, Springfield, Providence, Wilmington would fall between "core" and "fringe."
Then the penumbra would be areas beyond the fringe where land values and some services (such as truss and pallet manufacturing, landfills, weekend resorts, etc.) are affected by proximity to the corridor, but beyond the range of normal commuting. Places I'd put in the penumbra would be Staunton VA, Elkins WV, Cumberland MD, State College PA, Glens Falls NY, perhaps all of Vermont.
This is very good, however, id put
-Baltimore as a major core area
-Cumberland MD away from the penumbra ~ prices are not effected by the Bal/Wash metro
-Hagerstown under the last category, Frederick is more of the fringe
I'm sure my definition can only go in depth with Maryland, while my general definition in other states is much more broad:
I'd honestly define it as the name literally suggests....Boston to Washington DC. I guess you could arguably include some New Hampshire towns like Manchester on the Boston end. But nothing on the southern end beyond the Virginian suburbs of DC.
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