Chapter 10 (Florida)

This chapter talks a lot about Florida's population, climate change and water. The only way I was able to connect this chapter with Philadelphia is by talking about the water and climate. Philadelphia do not have oceans but they do have rivers. Florida has a lot of hurricanes which Philadelphia does not but they do get a lot of rain storms which almost feels like a bad hurricane.

There are two major rivers that run through Philadelphia. 
They are: The Delaware River and The Schuylkill River

                                                              The Delaware River

The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States. Its watershed drains an area of 14,119 square miles in five states which are: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware.The river's navigable and tidal section served as a conduit for shipping and transportation that helped the development of industrial cities such as Philadelphia. The photo above is of the Delaware River in Pennslanding. Pennslanding is one place in Philadelphia that a lot of people go to relax or hang out with family and friends. There are also performances and concerts that people have in Pennslanding. I think this was a perfect place for the river to be.


                                                         The Schuylkill River

The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania that William Penn chose in 1682 as one bank of the confluence upon which he founded the planned city of Philadelphia on lands purchased from the native Delaware nation. The river is about 125 miles long. The river runs in five counties of Pennsylvania which are: Philadelphia, Montgomery, Chester, Berks and Schuylkill.  

 
                                                         Hurricanes vs Rain storm
Florida has hurricanes and Philadelphia has rain storms. Living in Philadelphia one thing I did not like was the rain. It rained a lot and it will last all day. One of the worst things to do was get caught in the rain with out an umbrella. People would still go out when there is a rain storm because it is not as bad as being caught in a hurricane.

Source:

www.google.com (Google images)

www.wikipedia.org

Chapter 9 (South Atlantic)

Chapter 9 has a section on Food Geography for the South. It talks about how every region has a dominant food that reflects regional resources, culture, and sense of place. In the South they are known for having the best BBQ's and soul food. Philadelphia is famous for lots of things. Food is one of them. 
 

 Philadelphia is known for many types of food that are not sold outside of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia is most famous for its Philly Cheesesteaks that everyone talks about. There are food brands that Philadelphia carry that no other place has. The foods that really stand out as trademarks of the City would be: Cheesesteaks, Water Ice, Kraft, Soft Pretzels, TastyKakes, Hoagies, Pizza and Herr's Potato Chips.


                                Cheesesteaks is what Philadelphia is most famous for.

                                                     Water Ice (Italian Ice)/ Soft Pretzels

 Pizza: This is a large box and only two slices fits. I love Philadelphia Pizza.

My favorite snack living back in Philadelphia were TastyKakes. Until this day I have my mom send me TastyKakes in the mail. They are delicious!!!!

It is amazing how Philadelphia has so many foods that they are famous for. Even though chapter nine just speaks on the two major foods in the South, I am sure the South are famous for more. 


Source:

Mayda, Chris. A Regional Geography of the United States and Canada: Toward a Sustainable Future. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 2013. Print.  

www.google.com (Google images)

Chapter 8 (Appalachia)

Chapter 8 talks a lot about Mountains which does not relate to my city as much. There are Mountains in the state of Pennsylvania, but just not in Philadelphia. One place that is very known which people from Philadelphia love going to on a short little vacation is called The Poconos. The Pocono Mountains is a place where family from Philadelphia mostly or anyone in Pennsylvania love to go snow tubing, skiing, hiking and camping. The Poconos is located in northeastern Pennsylvania and is an upland of the larger Allegheny Plateau.


                                                            Visiting The Poconos 

A lot of people visit during the winter because they love the snow and all the activities they can enjoy with the snow. 

During spring time people love to go hiking in the Pocono Mountains.

 The site is very beautiful to see. I have visited The Poconos about five times while living in Philadelphia. It is a fun getaway to enjoy with family and friends. The video below shows people snow tubing down a hill. We can see how much fun it must be for those people. Your also able to see how steep the hill is.

                         
                                                                                      

Chapter 8 also talks about primary Industry such as coal and limestone. It mentions a lot about Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Even though it is not Philadelphia it is still within the state of Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh is said to be the largest city near the Appalachian coal fields. The book states, "During the Industrial Revolution, Pittsburgh's steel industry growth was also due to the nearby resources- importing Appalachian coal and Great Lakes ore and limestone" (194). It is very interesting to learn about more cities within the state of Pennsylvania other than Philadelphia.


Source:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5GYEoxGEgQ

Mayda, Chris. A Regional Geography of the United States and Canada: Toward a Sustainable Future. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 2013. Print. 

www.google.com (Google images)

Chapter 7 (Megalopolis)

Chapter 7 really relates to my city because it has a section on Philadelphia, PA. It describes the historical sites and features. I wanted to start this post off with a short YouTube video that shows many important historical places in Philadelphia.

 

 

Philadelphia was in many ways the nation's first modern city. It was the first city in America to incorporate right-angle grid streets. The text book A Regional Geography Of The United States And Canada by Chris Mayda states, "Philadelphia remained an important port and historical city because of river access to fertile inland and later its proximity to coal fields. Philadelphia's economy features manufacturing, food services, medical research, and fiance. It is also recognized for its educational and cultural centers" (165). I enjoy being from a city that has a lot of history behind it.

Two of Philadelphia's iconic historic sites and features include Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.


                                                               Independence Hall

Independence Hall is located in Philadelphia, PA on Chestnut Street between 5th and 6th Streets. The building was built between 1732 and 1753. It is known primarily as the location where both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted.

                                                                       Liberty Bell

The Liberty Bell is known to be an iconic symbol of American independence. It was placed in the Independence Hall. The Bell was said to had acquired its distinctive large crack sometime in the early 19th century. People claimed that it cracked while ringing after the death of Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835.




 Source:

Mayda, Chris. A Regional Geography of the United States and Canada: Toward a Sustainable Future. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 2013. Print.

www.google.com (Google images)

Chapter 6 (The North Atlantic Provinces And Northern New England)

Chapter 6 has a section on Historical Geography and Settlement. It talks about how the English, Irish, and Scots settled the North Atlantic region. The French Acadians settled the Maritimes. Their cultures imprint has shaped today's landscape. It also explains how the Europeans arrival allowed the natives to stop hunting as much and they were able to start the furs-for-food trade. Philadelphia has similar history as the ones being told in this chapter.


Philadelphia is in the Mid-Atlantic region

-Philadelphia was founded by William Penn. Who later left Philadelphia to return back to England.

-Native Americans were more or less present, either as spectators of the improvements then progressing, or, venders of their game and venison from the neighboring wilds.

-The Swedes and Dutch who were the earliest settlers as neighbors, brought their productions to market as a matter of course.

- Settlements were made outside of these boundaries, and in time they became separately incorporated and had separate governments, making congeries of towns and districts, the whole group being known abroad simply as Philadelphia.

-Philadelphia also had trades with other states on food or anything that was needed.

-Port Richmond occupying the Delaware River front was were they got a lot of shipment in. This began to improve the unproductive land in the vicinity; for the shipping-piers, the coal-depots, the engine-houses, workshops, offices, etc. The coal trade built it up in the first place, but the district is now the center of a manufacturing trade that has but few superiors in the United States.

Source:
  
http://www.ushistory.org/philadelphia/philadelphia.html

Mayda, Chris. A Regional Geography of the United States and Canada: Toward a Sustainable Future. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 2013. Print.  
 
www.google.com (Google images)

Chapter 4 (Population And Consumption)

Chapter four talks about population and shows what country ranks the highest. Philadelphia has always been in the top ten list of largest cities in America. As of today Philadelphia is the fifth largest city in the U.S.  

Below is a chart showing that Philadelphia population is very high verses the other three places listed.This shows how population either increase or decrease through out the years. Philadelphia population has decreased through out the years. It has gone from ranking second to ranking fifth largest city in the U.S. An article I read online called Philadelphia Demographics by Karrie Gavin states, "Center City Philadelphia has the third-largest residential downtown population in the entire country, after only New York and Chicago". 

The same article Philadelphia Demographics explains that it is important knowing that two of the most subjugated ethnic groups in the city during the mid-19th century, African Americans and Irish Americans, today make up the largest ethnic groups in the city. Philadelphia has been considered a largely "black and white" city compared with other major cities for a long time. In Philadelphia the number of Hispanics and Asian Americans has begun to increase over the past two decades.While living in Philadelphia the Hispanic population was beginning to increase.The thing I enjoyed the most about living in Philadelphia was that it was very diverse. Living in California I have not seen too much of diversity. The majority of Hispanics here are mostly Mexicans and in Philadelphia there were all type of Hispanics. There were Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Mexicans and Dominicans. I love living in a city with many different races and cultures because you learn more. The photo below shows how in 2010, Whites and African Americans population in Philadelphia, PA was very high.

Source:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Philadelphia

http://philadelphia.about.com/od/governmentcivicissues/a/Philadelphia-Demographics.htm (Article)

www.google.com (Google images)

Chapter 3 (Sustainability)

Chapter three has two main sections that I can talk about with Philadelphia. They are water and energy supply.
                                                                        
                                                                         Water

This chapter talks about how there is no life with out water and how freshwater is in short supply. For more than a century, the City of Philadelphia has been working to protect water resources through environmental planning and natural area set-asides. The greater Philadelphia area is heavily urbanized and older parts of the city are drained by an aging combined sewer infrastructure. The City has faced a number of water quality challenges in the last few decades as they have addressed various requirements of the Clean Water Act. An article called "A Cleaner Philly Starts In The Water" states, "Water utilities across the country are confronting new and complex environmental challenges while also trying to meet customer expectations and federal regulations for a safe and affordable water supply. Philadelphia has a rich history of innovation regarding water treatment" ( Ezra 1). In 1996, staff at the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) undertook an effort, led by Howard Neukrug, to evaluate the infrastructure needs associated with controlling 16 billion gallons of combined sewer flows per year. PWD questioned whether, after expending the time and money necessary to implement conventional solutions, local waterways and streams would be healthy.


                                                                          Energy

In 2008, the Philadelphia government consumed 3.64 trillion Btus of energy at a total cost of $82.5 million. Greenworks Philadelphia’s target is to reduce consumption by 30 percent from this level by 2015. By making this happen will save the City an estimated $36.3 million in 2015. Retrofitting municipal buildings, creating target energy budgets for City departments and developing energy conservation education for City employees will help the City reach this target. Philadelphia has many goals they want to achieve to better energy source within a certain amount of years.


Source:

Ezra. "A Cleaner Philly Starts in the Water." The Energy Co-op. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2013.

www.google.com (Google images)

Chapter 2 (The Nonhuman World)

Chapter two talks about climate change. Philadelphia, Pa has four seasons and the weather is always changing. A lot of people in Philadelphia enjoy having different seasons. I used to love Christmas time because it would always snow. Growing up in the east coast made me appreciate weather changes.The four types of seasons Philadelphia has are:

1) The first season is Fall which starts on September 23rd. This is when the weather cools down but is not too cold. The temperatures in fall are usually around 60-70 degrees. Fall season is very beautiful because it is when the trees blossoms. Every tree has leaves that are a different color.

2) The second season is Winter which starts on December 23rd. During winter season it gets really cold. The temperatures can drop to 10 degrees. One beautiful part about winter is the snow. Even though it is really cold and you have to wear layers of clothes to keep warm, the snow makes winter seem amazing.

3) The third season is Spring which starts on March 21st. Everyone in Philadelphia loves spring because this is the one season that is actually warm. It is not too cold or not too hot.This is the time where families love going to parks and being out doors.

4) The fourth season is Summer which starts on June 21st. Summer in Philadelphia is not as pleasant as many people would think. This is when temperatures are above 100 degrees and the humidity is very bad. My summer experiences back home was not good because I was always sweating and it is very sticky. I did not enjoy humidity. There is always bad heat waves in Philadelphia. This makes people want to stay indoors near their air conditioners.

Source:

www.google.com (Google images)

Chapter 1 (Regions And Ecoregions)

Philadelphia has four major regions which are listed in the photo below. 

They are:

1) Lehigh Valley

2) Southeast PA

3) Southwest PA

        4) Susquehanna Valley

 

Philadelphia also has many different regions within the neighborhoods. Below is a non-exhaustive list of Philadelphia neighborhoods, organized by the regional areas used by GeoHistory.org.            

 1) Center City: Downtown Philadelphia                               

    
2) North Philadelphia: A lot of subways and buses run in North Philadelphia

  

3) South Philadelphia: Where the best Philly cheesesteaks are to be made

4) West Philadelphia: This area uses trolleys instead of regular buses

5) The Northeast: There are two airports for Philadelphia. The one in the Northeast is very small.

6) Southwest Philadelphia: Philadelphia International Airport 

Source:

www.GeoHistory.org

www.google.com (Google images)