The Delaware Valley is the valley through which the Delaware River flows. By extension, this toponym is commonly used to refer to Greater Philadelphia or Philadelphia metropolitan area ("the [Lower] Delaware Valley Metropolitan Area"), which straddles the Lower Delaware River just north of its estuary. The Delaware Valley Metropolitan Area is located at the southern part of the Northeast megalopolis and as such, the Delaware Valley can be described as either a metropolitan statistical area (MSA), or as a broader combined statistical area (CSA). The Delaware Valley Metropolitan Area is composed of several counties in southeastern Pennsylvania and southwestern New Jersey, one county in northern Delaware and one county in northeastern Maryland. The MSA has a population of over 6 million, while the CSA has a population of over 7.1 million (as of the 2010 Census Bureau count). Philadelphia, being the region's major commercial, cultural, and industrial center, wields a rather large sphere of influence that affects the counties that immediately surround it.
Some of the Delaware Valley's most well-known contributions to human civilization involve the region's higher education and medical institutions. The Delaware Valley has been influential upon American history and industry. The region are leaders in higher education, biotechnology, medicine, tourism and many others. With a gross domestic product of $388 billion, Philadelphia ranks ninth among world cities and fourth in the nation.
The area has hosted many people and sites significant to American culture and history, particularly in the arts, where Philadelphia alone has more outdoor sculptures and murals than any other American city, politics, including many influential people involved in politics such as Benjamin Franklin and Joe Biden, and the American Revolution. Philadelphia is famously known as "The Birthplace of America" as the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were both drafted and signed there. On December 7, 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the Constitution, and has since promoted itself as "The First State".
The Delaware Valley was home to many other instrumental moments in the American Revolution , including the First and Second Continental Congress, the preservation of the Liberty Bell, the Battles of Germantown, Brandywine, and Red Bank, the Siege of Fort Mifflin, the winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge, the Philadelphia Convention, and many others. Philadelphia was one of the nation's capitals in the Revolutionary War, and served as temporary U.S. capital while Washington, D.C., was under construction.
Today, the area is home to some of the most prestigious universities in the world, such as the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, Villanova University, Saint Joseph's University, and Temple University. The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is consistently ranked as the best business school in the world.
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Geography
In geology and geography, a strict sense of the term would incorporate the Delaware River's main drainage basin, and so encompass major tributaries such as the Schuylkill River and Lehigh River and their valleys or sub-basins. These extensions also apply culturally with decreasing degree gradually decreased by proximal distance because the ease of land travel enables a great deal of daily interaction; for example, the large number of commuters who travel daily 45-90 minutes creates cultural blends and parallel values.
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Population and economy
As of March 2011, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Metropolitan Statistical Area constitutes the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Its CSA ranks 8th.
Based on commuter flows, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) also defines a wider labor market region that adds Berks County, Pennsylvania to the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area, bringing the total metropolitan population to 6.53 million.
Philadelphia's media market ranks fourth, behind New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago, in Nielsen Media Market size rankings. It also borders the New York metropolitan area located directly to the north of this area.
Such educational institutions as Delaware Valley Regional High School in Alexandria Township and Delaware Valley College in Doylestown Township are named after the region. Likewise, Frenchtown's now defunct newspaper The Delaware Valley News was another example of the usage.
Counties making up the Delaware Valley
Delaware
- Kent County (Dover Metropolitan Area, in the CSA, not in the MSA)
- New Castle County
Maryland
- Cecil County
New Jersey
- Atlantic County (Atlantic City-Hammonton Metropolitan Area; in the CSA, not in the MSA)
- Burlington County
- Camden County
- Cape May County (Ocean City Metropolitan Area; in the CSA, not in the MSA)
- Cumberland County (Vineland Metropolitan Area; in the CSA, not in the MSA)
- Gloucester County
- Salem County
- Mercer County (Trenton MSA; not in Philadelphia's CSA, considered part of the New York CSA)
Pennsylvania
- Berks County (Reading Metropolitan Area, in the CSA, not in the MSA)
- Bucks County
- Chester County
- Delaware County
- Montgomery County
- Philadelphia County
Principal cities
The following metropolitan areas (MSAs) -- except the Trenton MSA -- are included in the Combined Statistical Area (CSA). Although much of the Trenton MSA (Mercer County) is considered part of the Delaware Valley (from a cultural perspective) and often considered part of Philadelphia's media market area, it is classified as part of New York's CSA (by the federal Office of Management and Budget). The principal cities in each MSA are as follows:
- Philadelphia
- Camden, New Jersey
- Wilmington, Delaware
- Reading, Pennsylvania
- Bridgeton, New Jersey
- Millville, New Jersey
- Vineland, New Jersey
- Atlantic City, New Jersey
- Hammonton, New Jersey
- Dover, Delaware
- Ocean City, New Jersey
- Trenton, New Jersey
Characteristics
The Delaware Valley is home to extensive populations of Irish Americans, German Americans, English Americans, Ukrainian Americans, Italian Americans, Swedish-Americans (which have a museum located at FDR Park in South Philadelphia), Polish Americans, Scottish Americans, Scotch-Irish Americans, Greek Americans, African Americans, Asians such as Chinese, Indian, Korean and Vietnamese, Armenians, Arabs and Turks, and Pakistanis, Israelis (while American Jews form a significant ethno-religious community), Hispanics. Within the Hispanic population, the vast majority are Puerto Ricans, though other groups include Dominicans and Mexicans. There is a significant West Indian community. There is even a small Native American community known as Lenapehoking for Lenni-Lenape Indians of West Philadelphia.
Philadelphia's suburbs contain a high concentration of malls, the two largest of which have at least 5,000,000 square feet (460,000 m2) of office space, and at least 600,000 square feet (56,000 m2) of retail. These are the King of Prussia Mall in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, which is the largest in the United States (leasable sq. feet of retail space), and the Cherry Hill Mall in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, which was the first enclosed mall on the East Coast. Malls, office complexes, strip shopping plazas, expressways, and tract housing are common sights, and more and more continue to replace rolling countryside, farms, woods, and wetlands. However, due to strong opposition by residents and political officials, many acres of land have been preserved throughout the Delaware Valley. Older townships and large boroughs such as Cheltenham, Norristown, Jenkintown, Upper Darby and West Chester retain distinct community identities while engulfed in suburbia. The fastest-growing counties are Chester, Montgomery, Bucks, and Gloucester. Upper Darby, in Delaware County is the largest township in the United States. Sometimes Reading is included in the Delaware Valley Metro Area.
Climate
The Delaware Valley has four distinct seasons with ample precipitation and is divided by the 0 °C (32 °F) January isotherm. Most of Philadelphia and the NJ portion, almost all of the DE and MD portions, part of Delaware County, and extreme southern portions of Bucks and Chester Counties have a humid subtropical climate (Cfa.) The remainder of the Delaware Valley has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa.) Snow amounts may vary widely year-to-year and normally do vary widely within the Delaware Valley. The region has only two ski areas: Bear Creek Ski and Recreation Area in eastern Berks County and Spring Mountain in central Montgomery County.
Using the -3 °C January isotherm as a boundary, all of the Delaware Valley is humid subtropical except for portions of Berks County and higher areas of northern Chester County. The warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) only exists in higher areas of Berks where all monthly temperatures average below 22 °C.
Colonial history
The valley was the territory of the Susquehannock and Lenape, who are recalled in place names throughout the region. The region became part of the Dutch colony of New Netherland after the exploration of Delaware Bay in 1609. The Dutch called the Delaware River the Zuyd Rivier, or South River, and considered the lands along it banks and those of its bay to be the southern flank of its province of New Netherland. In 1638, it began to be settled by Swedes, Forest Finns, Dutch, and Walloons and became the colony of New Sweden, though this was not officially recognized by the Dutch Empire which re-asserted control in 1655. The area was taken by the English in 1664. The name Delaware comes from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, who had arrived at Jamestown, Virginia in 1610, just as original settlers were about to abandon it, and thus maintaining the English foothold on the North American continent.
Transportation
Many residents commute to jobs in Philadelphia, Camden, and Wilmington with the help of expressways and trains. Commutes from one suburb to another are also common, as office parks have sprung up in new commercial centers such as King of Prussia, Fort Washington, Cherry Hill, and Plymouth Meeting.
Commuter rail
Formerly, the region was served by the Delaware Valley Railway.
- SEPTA Regional Rail
- Airport Line connecting Central Philadelphia with Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia and Delaware Counties.
- Wilmington/Newark Line connecting Philadelphia to the Wilmington, DE area (with limited weekday service to Newark, DE), via Chester City and Delaware County.
- Warminster Line connecting Philadelphia with southeastern Montgomery County and Warminster in Bucks County.
- West Trenton Line connecting Philadelphia north to the Trenton, NJ area, serving Montgomery and Bucks County, PA between Jenkintown, PA and Yardley, PA, with the final stop in Ewing, NJ.
- Media/Elwyn Line connecting Philadelphia to central Delaware County.
- Paoli/Thorndale Line connecting Philadelphia with the affluent Main Line area and western Chester County near Coatesville.
- Lansdale/Doylestown Line connecting Philadelphia with Lansdale in central Montgomery County and Doylestown in Bucks County.
- Manayunk/Norristown Line connecting Philadelphia with Conshohocken and Norristown in Montgomery County.
- Cynwyd Line connecting Philadelphia with Bala Cynwyd on the Philadelphia/Montgomery County line (limited weekday service)
- Trenton Line connecting Philadelphia to Trenton, NJ, serving Bucks County.
- Fox Chase Line connecting Central Philadelphia with the Fox Chase area in Philadelphia.
- Chestnut Hill East Line and Chestnut Hill West Line connecting Central Philadelphia with the Chestnut Hill area of the city.
- New Jersey Transit
- Atlantic City Line connecting Philadelphia to Atlantic City, NJ with connections to PATCO Speedline in Lindenwold, NJ.
- River Line connecting Camden (NJ) to Trenton (NJ) running along the east bank of the Delaware River.
- MARC
- Penn Line connecting Perryville, MD to Baltimore, MD and Washington D.C., and in the future will connect to SEPTA at Newark, DE.
- PATCO Speedline connecting Philadelphia to Lindenwold, NJ in Camden County with connections to NJT's Atlantic City Line.
Major highways
Pennsylvania
- I-76 (Schuylkill Expressway)
- I-78 / US 22
- I-95 (Delaware Expressway)
- I-176
- I-76 / I-276 / Penna Turnpike
- I-476 (Blue Route)
- I-476 / Penna Turnpike NE Extension
- I-676 / US 30 (Vine Street Expressway)
- US 1 (Lincoln Expressway/Roosevelt Boulevard/City Line Avenue/Kennett-Oxford Bypass)
- US 13
- US 30 (Lancaster Avenue/Lincoln Highway)
- US 202
- US 222 (Outer Bypass/Shillington Bypass)
- US 322 (Conchester Highway/Horseshoe Pike)
- US 422 (Pottstown Expressway/West Shore Bypass)
- PA 12 (Warren Street Bypass)
- PA 61 (Centre Avenue/Pottsville Pike)
- PA 63 (Woodhaven Road/Welsh Road/Sumneytown Pike)
- PA 100 (Pottstown Pike)
- PA 309 (Fort Washington Expressway/Bethlehem Pike/Sellersville-Souderton Bypass)
- PA 611 (Doylestown Bypass)
New Jersey
- N.J. Turnpike
- G.S. Parkway
- A.C. Expressway
- I-76
- I-295
- I-676 (North-South Freeway)
- US 9
- US 30
- US 40
- US 130
- US 206
- US 322
- Route 38
- Route 42 (North-South Freeway)
- Route 55
- Route 70
- Route 73
- Route 90
Delaware
- I-95 / Delaware Turnpike
- I-295
- I-495
- US 13
- US 40
- US 113
- US 202
- US 301
- DE 1
- DE 141
Maryland
- I-95
- US 1
- US 40
- US 222
Delaware River Bridges
- New Hope-Lambertville Bridge
- Scudder Falls Bridge (no toll)
- Delaware River - Turnpike Toll Bridge
- Burlington-Bristol Bridge
- Tacony-Palmyra Bridge
- Betsy Ross Bridge
- Ben Franklin Bridge
- Walt Whitman Bridge
- Commodore Barry Bridge
- Delaware Memorial Bridge
Airports
Major:
- Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), located 15 miles southwest of Center City Philadelphia, is the main international airport serving the immediate Delaware Valley Area
- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), while not in the Delaware Valley, is a major airport serving certain regions of the Delaware Valley, including Bucks County and New Jersey. It is located 60 miles northeast of Center City Philadelphia, and 25 miles northeast of Trenton.
Secondary:
- Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE)
- Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE)
- New Castle Airport (ILG)
- Reading Regional Airport (RDG)
- Atlantic City International Airport (ACY)
Colleges and universities
Delaware
- Delaware College of Art and Design
- Delaware State University
- Goldey-Beacom College
- University of Delaware
- Wesley College
- Widener University School of Law
- Wilmington University
New Jersey
- Rider University
- Rowan University
- Rutgers School of Law-Camden
- Rutgers University (Camden)
- Stockton University
- The College of New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Culture
Sports teams
Listing of the professional sports teams in the Delaware Valley
- National Basketball Association (NBA)
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Major League Baseball (MLB)
- Philadelphia Phillies
- Minor League Baseball (MiLB)
- Lakewood BlueClaws
- Reading Fightin Phils
- Wilmington Blue Rocks
- National Football League (NFL)
- Philadelphia Eagles
- National Hockey League (NHL)
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Major League Soccer (MLS)
- Philadelphia Union
- Arena Football (AFL)
- Philadelphia Soul
- NBA G League
- Delaware 87ers
Media
The two main newspapers are The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News, owned by the Philadelphia Media Network. Local television channels include KYW-TV 3 (CBS), WPVI 6 (ABC), WCAU 10 (NBC), WHYY-TV 12 (PBS), WPHL-TV 17 (MyNetworkTV), WTXF 29 (FOX), WPSG 57 (CW), and WPPX 61 (Ion). Radio stations serving the area include: WRTI, WIOQ, WDAS (AM), and WTEL.
Area codes
- 215/267: The City of Philadelphia and some of its northern suburbs
- 610/484: Southeastern Pennsylvania outside Philadelphia, including the western suburbs, the Lehigh Valley, and most of Berks County
- 856: Southwestern New Jersey, including Camden, Cherry Hill, and Vineland
- 609: Central and Southeastern New Jersey, including Trenton, Atlantic City and the Jersey Shore
- 302: Delaware
- 410/443/667: Eastern half of Maryland, including Cecil County
- 717: South Central Pennsylvania, including Western Berks County
Congressional districts
The following congressional districts of the United States House of Representatives are located partly or entirely in the Delaware Valley CSA. Italicized counties are not part of the CSA.
- Delaware:
- Delaware's at-large congressional district: Kent County, New Castle County, and Sussex County
- Maryland:
- Maryland's 1st congressional district: Baltimore, Caroline, Carroll, Cecil, Dorchester, Harford, Kent, Queen Anne's, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester counties.
- New Jersey:
- New Jersey's 1st congressional district: Burlington County, Camden County, and Gloucester County
- New Jersey's 2nd congressional district: Atlantic County, Burlington County, Camden County, Cape May County, Cumberland County, Gloucester County, Ocean County, and Salem County
- New Jersey's 3rd congressional district: Burlington County and Ocean County
- Pennsylvania:
- Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district: Delaware County and Philadelphia
- Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district: Montgomery County and Philadelphia
- Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district: Berks County, Chester County, Lebanon County, and Montgomery County
- Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district: Berks County, Chester County, Delaware County, Lancaster County, and Montgomery County
- Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district: Bucks County and Montgomery County
- Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district: Montgomery County and Philadelphia
- Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district: Berks County, Dauphin County, Lebanon County, Lehigh County, and Northampton County
- Pennsylvania's 16th congressional district: Berks County, Chester County, and Lancaster County
Additionally, the Delaware Valley is represented in the United States Senate by the eight Senators from Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Lexicon note
Some believe that the term "Delaware Valley" is not entirely a synonym for "Greater Philadelphia". "Greater Philadelphia" implies that the region is centered on the city in an economic and cultural context, while "Delaware Valley" is a more generic geographic term that does not imply that any part is of more consequence than any other. Several organizations, such as KYW Radio and the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, consciously use the term "Greater Philadelphia" to assert that Philadelphia is the center of the region, referring to the less urbanized areas as "Philadelphia's countryside". Others note that the customary media usage of the term omits the majority of the length of the Delaware River's valley that is not in metropolitan Philadelphia.
WPVI-TV uses the slogan, "The Delaware Valley's leading news program" for their Action News broadcast, since that program has led the ratings for news programs in the Philadelphia market for over 30 years.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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