Hype for the Future 100K: The History of the Commonwealth of Kentucky

Introduction

Within the late colonial era, the area of present-day Kentucky was largely associated with unauthorized entry and violations of the Proclamation of 1763. However, even prior to the 1783 Treaty of Paris, the western claim by the Commonwealth of Virginia had largely been associated with the emerging Kentucky (or Kentucke) County, Virginia.

Early Modern America

Shortly after the Declaration of Independence of 1776, the emerging westward expansion had largely been restricted to the Appalachian Mountains in the west. However, the Scots-Irish and Germans were amongst the first groups to continue expanding westward, with the 1783 Treaty of Paris effectively defining an even more westerly territorial claim, out to the Mississippi River in the west. Within such a claim was the early Kentucky County, Virginia, associated with the westward expansion of the Virginian claim to the Mississippi River, even if the effective territorial claim was initially restricted to the Tennessee River in the west.

First Counties (1792)

The three original counties of the Commonwealth of Kentucky had been Jefferson, Fayette, and Lincoln Counties, all of which continue to exist albeit in significantly reduced forms to this day. Historically, Fayette County had represented Northern Kentucky and much of the Inner and Outer Bluegrass regions, while Lincoln County had represented the Cumberland Plateau and the surrounding Pennyroyal (Pennyrile) region. Much of the western side of the newfound State would initially become part of Jefferson County.

Hype for the Future 100F: Town of Sparta, North Carolina

Overview

The Town of Sparta is located within Alleghany County, North Carolina, along the Virginia state line to serve as the county seat. Without a significant tourist industry, the community remains even more highly rural than the vast majority of surrounding communities within the most recreational area of the Appalachians and Great Smoky Mountains in particular. Within the Town of Sparta, the only notable point of cultural interest is the Alleghany Historical Museum.

Hype for the Future 99C: Unicoi County, Tennessee

Overview

Within the State of Tennessee and the Grand Division of East Tennessee is Unicoi County, which uses the community of Erwin as the county seat and is firmly located within reach of the Great Smoky Mountains. The Town of Unicoi, located further north and east within the county, serves as home to a local strawberry festival every year.

Hype for the Future 69J: New York and Philadelphia Compared

Introduction

New York and Philadelphia are two of the most substantially populated cities in the Northeast Megalopolis and specifically within the Mid-Atlantic portion of the region. While New York is further north and largely associated with the old New Amsterdam and significant Dutch settlement, Philadelphia is located somewhat further south, along the Delaware River, and traditionally identified as New Sweden prior to Dutch control of the former region as part of the Mid-Atlantic region prior to the Quaker settlement that defines the modern Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Geographies

The City of Philadelphia, nicknamed “Philly” and often abbreviated “PHL,” is identified as approximately the location where the Delaware River flows into the beginning of the Delaware Bay, with the inner city on the west (Pennsylvania) side, the later construct of the Twelve Mile Circle separating the core urbanized area from the modern State of Delaware. The more modern constructs of suburban Philadelphia also extend east across the Delaware into New Jersey, as well as into light sprawl associated with similar Quaker heritage in modern-day Cecil County, Maryland.

While the City of Philadelphia is along the Delaware River and near the mouth of such river, the City of New York is officially located first along the East and Hudson Rivers, then nearby to the New York Harbor, then more to the tune of the particular islands in question. Manhattan remains the primary island, with Staten Island representing a separate borough and Long Island representing Brooklyn and Queens. The Bronx, the northernmost of the Five Boroughs of New York City, is actually located not just further inland, but also within the region largely associated with the mainland and derived from the southern portion of old Westchester County.