The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1899-08-24
HOW CITIES GROW.
In Many of the Larger Ones the Resi-
dences Spread Out Towards
the Northwest.

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
citizen means he is living in the fash
ionable quarter. True, few of the
older families still cling to the hill, but
they are but handful compared with
those who lived there even 20 yearsago.
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 Fell's
Point, Baltimore, was the home of the
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
| oh ~ in nd nd ba,t.,
direction, finally settling in the neigh
korhood of Mount Vernon place. From
there it gradually spread out, taking
a 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
fGr dwelling purposes, yet it has been
eglected. and the movement of the
higher grade of population has been
confined principally to the west of
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 Schuyllill 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
a few hundred to 10000 residents each,
branching out from the city proper in.
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 a series of 80 towns have been
built up within a distance of as many
miles from Paramount park, lying so
closely together that in many cases four
or five really form one community.
A half dozen other large cities can
be cited where the people seem to prefer
the west and northwest parts as abe
places increase in population, although
nature has favored the south and east
as well. Atlanta, Ga, is another sam
pie of this development. For the last
20 years Buffalo has grown steadily
westward and northward, spreading
out along the Niagara river toward Nj
agara 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 10y
its water boundaries, and the same APP
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 a well-known fact that the
social line is drawn north and south
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 on
the east and south, but many other
places have had equally attractive sur
roundings on all sides. but have de-
veloped in the north and west direc-
lions. One reason for this drifting of
population may be due to imitation,
which is 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 ancestors
in picking out the northwest simply
from custom, as they have initiated the
eastern part of the country in other
ways There is also a possibility that
in choosing places for living Americans
have, unconsciously, perhaps, endeav-
ored to follow the example of London.
The West end is famous throughout the
world as the fashionable quarter OF the
British metropolis, and undoubtedly
the same term which is used to deSig-
nate fashionable centers in American
| cities has been borrowed from across