Daily camera., 1899-08-16
GROWTH OF CITIES.
Peculiarly Il American Tsvns In
Spreading Out
ne TssaA q DIalAa.s ops,~usos L
Noasly Always In the NoRtA-
W00t-IAstaAoes In he
DAG Cities.

Anyone who has Travelled extensively
in this country knows that the ten
dency OF growth in residences in cities
is toward the north and northwest.
Fifty years ago Capitol Hill was the
social center Of Washington. Within a
quarter of mile of Congress resided
many of its most influential members,
as well as the diplomatic corps and the
extremely fashionable set. One by one
the families began settling elsewhere.
Every visitor to the capital city knows
that the eastern and northeastern part
are high, well drained and beautifully
situated for residence purposes. Yet the
movement WAS west and northwest and
has continued to this day, until the
initials n. w. attached to the card of
a citizen means he is living in the fash
ionable quarter. True, few of the
CIDER families still cling to the hill, but
they are but handful compared with
those who lived there even 20 years ago.
Possibly the white house being in the
western part of the city may have drawn
the smart set" westward. But the
movement did not stop in the vicinity
of the white house. 1t has kept on and
on, the social center being fully half
mile to the northwest of the presidents
home.
In the early part Of the century Eell's
wealthiest families, many Of whose
heads were shipowners living within a
stones throw of the wharves where
their vessels brought cargoes from all
parts Of the world. AS the city in
creased in size the residence center
changed in a westward and northern
direction, finally settling in the neigh
borhood of Mount Vernon place. From
there it gradually spread out, taking
west and northwest direction, until
about ten years ago, when it shifted
to the north. and has been steadily
growing in this direction since. The
country to the east and northeast Of the
city forms a natural park in the beauty
of its scenery, and is admirably adapted
for dwelling purposes. yet it has been
neglected, and the movement of the
higher grade of population has been
confined principally to the west of q
line drawn through the center Of the
city. Substantial houses built by the
pioneers now contain the families Of la
borers, and the foreign part of the pop
ulation is in the south and east parts.
The growing of Philadelphia in a
northward direction may have been IA
vored by nature, as the country along
the Schuylkill is perhaps the best
adapted for suburban towns. To the
southwest of the city, however, can be
found town sites and dwelling sites As
attractive as directly west. Travellers
entering the city, however, note the
long stretch of suburbs, having from
few hundred to 10000 residents each,
branching out from the city proper in
a westerly direction. The growth
toward this point of the compass has
been fully five times as great as to
the southwest. Along one railroad line
alone series of 80 towns have been
built up within distance OF as many
miles from Fairmount park, lying 30
closely together that in many cases four
or five really form or" community.
A half dozen other large cities can
be cited where the people seem to prefer
the west and northwest parts as the
places increase in population, although
nature has favored the south and east
as we'll. Atlanta, Ga, is another sam
pie of this development. For the last
20 years Buffalo has grown steadily
westward aud northward, spreading
Iout along the Niagara river toward Nj
lagara falls, and leaving the south and
east parts to be settled by the masses
and to be given up largely to manufac-
turing. The city of Cleveland is an
other example, while Chicago of late
years has been also developing in the
same way. OF course the growth OF
New York city is affected largely by
its water boundaries, and the same ap-
plies to Brooklyn and Jersey City. The
development of Manhattan island must
extend northward. But although the
part of Harlem toward the East river
) Is as favorable for the construction OF
the finer residences and apartment
houses as that adjacent to the North
river, it is q well-known fact that the
very close to Central park, and that
far more money is being spent in build
ings for residential purposes in the
Northwestern than in the eastern part
Some of the cities on the Atlantic
coast have been forced to grow north
and west because Of the water front OF
the east and south, but many other
places have had equally attractive sur
roundings on all sides, but have de.
yeloped in the north and west direc-
tions. One reason for this drifting OF
population may be due to imitation
which IL one Of the characteristics OF
American people. The many thousands
who have moved west from New Eng.
land and the middle states may have
followed the custom of their ancest ors
in picking out the northwest simply
from custom, as they have initiated the
eastern part Of the country in Other
ways. There IL also 9 possibility that