Quote:
Originally Posted by pj3000
Yeah, I get your points. I guess I wasn’t going by CSA because I don’t think that’s what Steely’s intent is and isn’t describing in his initial post with his examples of Chicago ring cities that have become completely connected/engulfed by the major city’s sprawl. All of his examples are just that.
Atlantic City is nowhere near that in the case of Philadelphia. Nor is Reading, really (not yet, at least... it is connected via the 422 corridor, but not fully surrounded by the “Philly area” by any means). Similarly with Allentown/Lehigh a valley, though even less so. Trenton functions as far more of a “ring city” for Philadelphia than it does for NYC obviously. I just don’t think that CSA classifications necessarily fit for Steely’s example.
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So, in your opinion, Philadelphia has no ring cities? LOL. Surely, as one of the largest and most populous regions in the country, Philadelphia has ring cities.
If you look at a map, Reading, the Lehigh Valley (Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton), Trenton, Atlantic City, Wilmington, and to a lesser extent, Lancaster, quite LITERALLY form a ring around Philadelphia. Rather an oval shaped ring, but a ring nonetheless. Is that not the definition of a ring city?
I guess if you don't want to consider Camden a ring city that's fine, since it's right across the river from Philadelphia.
Wilmington is pretty self explanatory - definitely interconnected to Philadelphia. Ditto for Trenton, despite Trenton not being a part of the Philadelphia Region, which is a crock.
Reading is pretty connected along 422. If you're in Pottstown or at the Philadelphia Premium Outlets, which are still a part of the Philadelphia MSA, you're literally closer to Reading than you are to Philadelphia.
The Lehigh Valley (Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton) is pretty connected along 309 to Philadelphia. There are only 2 gaps in development along 309 from Philadelphia to Allentown, and those two gaps are preserved Natural Lands or State Parks. The first gap in development is between Perkasie/Sellersville, and Quakertown. The second gap in development is between Coopersburg/Center Valley, and Allentown itself.
Atlantic City is definitely the least interconnected, so I can see your point there. There is a commuter rail line that runs between Philadelphia and AC, and it's most connected to Philadelphia along Route 30 and the AC Expressway, but the lack of development between say, Hammonton, and Egg Harbor City is pretty wide. Most of it is also preserved Natural Land, State forest, the Pine Barrens, etc... so it will never be developed.