The is the name of the metropolitan area centered on the city of
Philadelphia in the
United States . The region is named for the
Delaware River which flows through it. The
Office Of Management And Budget officially defines the region as the '''Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington'''
Metropolitan Area .
The Delaware Valley is composed of several counties in
Delaware ,
New Jersey ,
Maryland , and
Pennsylvania , and contains a population of 5.8 million (as of the 2006 Census Bureau estimate). Philadelphia, being the region's major commercial, cultural, and industrial center, maintains a rather large sphere of influence that affects those counties that immediately surround it. The majority of the region's populace reside in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
The Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the
Megalopolis , the name given for a group of metropolitan areas in the northeastern United States, extending from
Boston to
Washington, D.C .
Based on commuter flows, a wider labor market region known as the Philadelphia–Camden–Vineland combined statistical area (CSA) is additionally defined. This wider region adds the metropolitan areas of Vineland and Reading and has a total population of 6.3 million.
Despite the area's size and dominance in 4 states, no state capitals are within the Delaware Valley (Philadelphia) Metropolitan Area. Trenton, the capital of New Jersey, is on the Delaware River and sometimes incorrectly labeled as part of the Delaware Valley, but is part of the New York Metro Area.
The area has extensive
Suburban Sprawl .
King Of Prussia, Pennsylvania , and
Cherry Hill, New Jersey are two of the largest suburban
Edge Cities . Philadelphia's suburbs contain a high concentration of malls including the
King Of Prussia Mall , the largest on the East Coast and the
Cherry Hill Mall in
Cherry Hill ,
New Jersey , the first enclosed mall on the East Coast. Malls, office complexes, strip shopping plazas, expressways, and tract housing are common sites, and more and more are continued to be constructed as these replace rolling countryside, farms, woods, and wetlands. However, recent opposition made by residents and political officials, many acres of land have been preserved throughout the Delaware Valley. Older small towns and large boroughs such as
Norristown ,
Jenkintown and
West Chester remain while engulfed in suburbia. The fastest growing counties are
Chester ,
Montgomery ,
Bucks , and
Gloucester . Many of the counties outside the metropolitan area are also experiencing rapid growth, such as
Lancaster County ,
Lehigh County ,
Northampton County , and
Berks County .
South Jersey is experiencing faster growth than the rest of the state.
The Delaware Valley lost population in the 1970s, but has since rebounded. After each passing decade, the population increases more. It is predicted that the region will grow by as much as 10% from 2000 to 2010, which is faster than the national average. The area boasts safe, prospering suburbs and cities, cleaner air than most
Metropolitan Areas , and cultural and
Ethnic Enclave s. The area boasts a large influx of foreign born residents, hailing from many countries across
Asia ,
Latin America ,
Africa , the
Middle East , and
Europe .
The counties listed below are not physically or officially part of the Delaware Valley, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. However, these counties have seen increased growth and growing links to the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area and the Delaware Valley in recent years. This trend is due to increased economic trade and transportation links to the Delaware Valley. In recent decades, there has also been a rapid trend of out migration from Philadelphia and its suburbs by commuters and others seeking lower housing prices and a lower cost of living, further linking these counties with the greater Philadelphia area.
While unlikely in the near future, it is not impossible to assume that some of these counties will one day be considered part of the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area and the Delaware Valley if rapid population and economic growth continues. For example,
Berks County , which long bordered the Delaware Valley, was recently added to the metropolitan area by the U.S. Census in 2005.
Lehigh and
Northampton County continue to remain distinct, since they receive more migrants from the
New York City metropolitan area than the Delaware Valley.
In contrast,
Mercer County, New Jersey had formerly been part of the Delaware Valley Metropolitan Area. However, it was redesignated as part of the
New York Metropolitan Area in 2000.
Many residents commute to jobs in
Philadelphia ,
Camden ,
Wilmington , and increasingly as far as
New York City , with the help of
Expressway s and
Train s. 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 .
- SEPTA Regional Rail
- --- R1 Airport Route connecting Central Philadelphia with Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia and Delaware Counties and R1 Glenside route serving North Philadelphia and Montgomery County
- --- R2 Marcus Hook/Wilmington/Delaware route connecting the Wilmington, DE area (with limited weekday service to Newark, DE), via Chester City and Delaware County and R2 Warminster route serving southeastern Montgomery County.
- --- R3 West Trenton connecting Central Philadelphia northern to the Trenton, NJ area, serving Bucks County, PA between Jenkintown, PA and Yardley, PA, with the final stop in West Trenton, NJ. R3 Media/Elwyn (southern) route connecting Philadelphia to central Delaware County.
- --- R5 Paoli/Downingtown/Thorndale route connecting Philadelphia with the affluent Main Line area and western Chester County near Coatesville and R5 Lansdale/Doylestown connecting Philadelphia with Lansdale in central Montgomery County and Doylestown in Bucks County.
- --- R6 Norristown route connecting Philadelphia with Conshohocken and Norristown in Montgomery County and R6 Cynwyd route connecting Philadelphia with Bala Cynwyd on the Philadelphia/Montgomery County line.
- --- R7 Trenton Route connecting Philadelphia to the Trenton, NJ, serving Bucks County and R7 Chestnut Hill East line connecting Central Philadelphia with Chestnut Hill area of city.
- --- R8 Chestnut Hill West route connecting Central Philadelphia to Chestnut Hill area and R8 Fox Chase connecting Central Philadelphia with Fox Chase area in Philadelphia.
- 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
- PATCO Speedline connecting Philadelphia to Lindenwold, NJ in Camden County with connections to NJT's Atlantic City Line
Some believe that the term "Delaware Valley" is subtly different than "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 doesn't 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 their view that Philadelphia is the center of the region, and that the suburbs are only relevant as, in GPTMC's terms, "Philadelphia's countryside." Many who work and live in the suburbs and rarely if ever visit the city don't agree and tend to use the term "Delaware Valley," which lacks the dominant city vs. dependent suburbs subtext.
Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation
The Delaware Valley is also sometimes called "the
Tri-State Area ," referring to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.
