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Interstate 70

Interstate 70

Interstate 70 (abbreviated I-70) is a long interstate highway in the United States. It runs from Cove Fort, Utah at Interstate 15 to a Park and Ride in Baltimore, Maryland.

Length

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore, Maryland]]

Major cities along the route


- Grand Junction, Colorado
- Denver, Colorado
- Salina, Kansas
- Topeka, Kansas
- Lawrence, Kansas
- Kansas City, Missouri
- Columbia, Missouri
- Saint Louis, Missouri
- Terre Haute, Indiana
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Dayton, Ohio
- Springfield, Ohio
- Columbus, Ohio
- Wheeling, West Virginia
- Hagerstown, Maryland
- Frederick, Maryland
- Baltimore, Maryland

Intersections with other Interstates

Baltimore, Maryland
- Interstate 15 in Cove Fort, Utah
- Interstate 76 in Arvada, Colorado
- Interstate 25 in Denver, Colorado
- Interstate 225 in Aurora, Colorado
- Interstate 135 near Salina, Kansas
- Interstate 35 in Kansas City, Missouri
- Interstate 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. I-29 Begins/Ends at this downtown interchange
- Interstate 44 in Saint Louis, Missouri.
- Interstate 55 in Saint Louis, Missouri. They stay joined until Troy, Illinois.
- Interstate 64 in Saint Louis, Missouri. They stay joined until East Saint Louis, Illinois.
- Interstate 57 in Effingham, Illinois
- Interstate 74 in Indianapolis, Indiana
- Interstate 65 in Indianapolis, Indiana
- Interstate 675 between Springfield, Ohio and Dayton, Ohio
- Interstate 75 in Dayton, Ohio
- Interstate 71 in Columbus, Ohio
- Interstate 77 in Cambridge, Ohio
- Interstate 79 in Washington, Pennsylvania
- Interstate 76 in New Stanton, Pennsylvania. They stay joined until Breezewood, Pennsylvania.
- Interstate 68 in Hancock, Maryland
- Interstate 81 in Hagerstown, Maryland
- Interstate 270 in Frederick, Maryland
- Interstate 695 near Baltimore, Maryland

Spur routes


- Denver, Colorado - I-270
- Topeka, Kansas - I-470
- Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri - I-470, I-670
- Saint Louis, Missouri - I-170, I-270
- Columbus, Ohio - I-270, I-670
- Wheeling, West Virginia - I-470
- Spur to Washington, D.C. - I-270
- Spur from I-270 in Gaithersburg, Maryland - I-370
- Baltimore, Maryland (decommissioned, now US 40) - I-170

Shunpiking the Pennsylvania Turnpike

Shunpiking the Interstate 70 portion of the Pennsylvania Turnpike via Interstate 68 and Interstate 79 is actually shorter than using the Turnpike. From Hancock, Maryland to Washington, Pennsylvania using the Turnpike the route is 155 miles (250 km), while the Shunpiking route from Hancock, Maryland to Washington, Pennsylvania via Morgantown, West Virginia is 151.8 miles (244 km). The speed limit is also higher on the Shunpiking route as West Virginia has a speed limit of 70 mph (110 km/h).

Notes


- When I-70 leaves the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Breezewood, Pennsylvania, there is a sign of a policeman pointing at you saying, "You! Slow Down!" You then have to drive a few blocks on US 30 before returning to I-70. This is a rare instance of a traffic light on an interstate. This could be fixed by building a direct connection between the PA Turnpike and the freeway section of I-70. However, it is argued that building a direct connection between the two would disrupt the economy in Breezewood, which serves motorists passing through the town.
- I-70 was originally supposed to intersect with Interstate 95 in Baltimore. Due to opposition from environmental groups, this plan was scrapped. The intersection to I-95 and the spur route to downtown (I-170) had already been built before plans were cancelled. The signs for I-170 are now replaced with signs for US 40, and I-70 terminates at the exit for Security Boulevard in the western suburb of Woodlawn. The pavement of the interstate runs into a Park and Ride. The only remaining sign of the planned extension into downtown is an exit ramp to nowhere on I-95.
- The aforementioned I-170 ends shortly beyond the US 1 (Fulton Avenue/Monroe Street) junction. No traffic is allowed on this part of the freeway (all traffic must utilize the exit ramp back to surface streets and US 40), although streetlights and an empty sign bridge serve as proof that I-170 was to be extended beyond this point, along with vacant ramps to/from US 1. After the I-70 extension was scrapped, I-170 was to continue towards I-95 and be renamed I-595. After that plan fell through, US 40 was rerouted to the old I-170 freeway. A ghost ramp onto southbound I-95, the most obvious clue that I-70/I-595 was planned to intersect there, has been demolished.
- At Frederick, Maryland, I-70 split into two branches: I-70N, which led into Baltimore, and I-70S, which took a path into the Washington, D.C. area. I-70N is now I-70, while I-70S has been renamed I-270. The I-70S designation was also used for the current I-70 freeway in Western Pennsylvania. (There are signs along US 40 in Baltimore that still depict the I-70 freeway as I-70N. Trucks are directed onto it via I-695.)
- I-70 went through Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at one point; its original route has been incorporated into I-376, as well as parts of I-76, I-79 and I-279.
- What had been planned as I-470 around Denver, Colorado exists in three sections: CO 470 (main), E-470 (eastern extension) and W-470 (western extension). There are no immediate plans to promote the 470s (as they are called in Denver) to Interstate status.
- The Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70 is the highest vehicular tunnel in the world, and the longest tunnel built under the Interstate program.
- In Kansas City, Missouri, I-670 cuts directly through the downtown while I-70 bypasses the taller buildings a few blocks north. Westbound I-670 is also designated Alternate I-70 making this the only permanent "alternate" interstate in the country. The pair, along with US 71, US 24, US 40, US 169, I-35, and I-29, creates the downtown "alphabet" loop. Most of the interstates in this loop are in their second mile, so all exits (no matter the which interstate carries the road) are numbered 2 and suffixed with every letter of the alphabet except I, O and Z.
- In Saint Louis, Missouri, I-70 spawns two child routes: I-170, or the Innerbelt Expressway, and I-270, or the American Veterans Memorial Highway. In addition to the two child routes, people often confuse Missouri Route 370 to be I-370. The 12-mile (19-km) freeway gives area commuters an alternate route across the Missouri River, allowing them to avoid the congestion on I-70's Blanchette Bridge crossing of the Missouri River. Route 370 runs from I-270 at the Bridgeton/Hazelwood border (at Exit 22B) to I-70 in St. Peters (at Exit 224).
- Some observers reckon the section of Interstate 70 from Missouri to West Virginia as a kind of "Mason-Dixon Line," with the area lying south of this being considered psychographically part of the South.
- The highway gave its name to the "I-70 Killer," a serial killer who committed a string of murders within a few miles of it in several Midwestern states in the 1980s. No suspect has ever been apprehended despite the widespread publicity the murders have generated, including their being featured several times on the television show America's Most Wanted.
- The 1985 World Series between the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals was nicknamed the "I-70 Series" because St. Louis and Kansas City are the two endpoints of I-70 in Missouri.
- Colorado I-70 between the Loveland Pass and Grand Junction, Colorado is one of the few stretches of Interstate that regularly remains closed for days at a time, as it passes through areas of the Rocky Mountains that receive large amounts of snowfall and are notoriously prone to avalanches. Since I-70 is the sole surface road connecting ski resorts such as Keystone and Aspen with Denver, those who can afford to do so usually fly into the ski towns' small airports.
- I-70 through Glenwood Canyon was the last section of I-70 to be completed. The 15 mile (24 km) stretch was completed in 1992 and was an engineering marvel due to the extremely difficult terrain and narrow space in the canyon, which requires corners that are sharper than normal Interstate standards. There are three eastbound and two westbound tunnels, and much of the highway is elevated above the Colorado River. The speed limit in this section is 50 mph (80 km/h) due to the limited sight distance and sharper corners. Great care was taken to not destroy the local ecosystem with the building of the road. All rest areas through this stretch use reclaimed water.
- In Utah, I-70 between the towns of Green River and Salina, a distance of 108 miles (174 km), has no services, the longest such stretch in the interstate system.
- Also on I-70's east end in Baltimore, Maryland, a sign announcing the distances to Columbus, Ohio, Saint Louis, Missouri, Denver, Colorado, and the freeway's western terminus in Cove Fort, Utah, has sprung up in the highway's median [http://www.aaroadtrips.com/maryland050/i-070_wb_exit_087_02.jpg]. This sign was intended as a test of the Clearview typeface used as an alternate to FHWA Series E-Modified, the font currently used on most American highway signs.

Reference


- 2005 Rand McNally "The Road Atlas 2005" - newest feature- interstate mileage by state

See also

Interstate Highways in West Virginia 70 70 70 70 70 70 70 70 70 70 70

Interstate Highway

The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly called the Interstate Highway System, is a network of highways in the United States. The Interstate Highway System is a separate system within the larger National Highway System. With very few exceptions, Interstate highways are controlled-access freeways, allowing for safe high-speed driving when traffic permits. They are assigned a special level of funding at the federal level. Despite this federal funding, these highways are owned, designed, built and maintained by the state in which they are located, with the only exception being the federally-owned Woodrow Wilson Bridge on the Capital Beltway (I-95/I-495). The highways in the system are typically known as Interstate XX or I-XX; sometimes Interstate Highway XX (IH XX) or Interstate Route XX (IR XX) is used. In some areas the more generic Route XX or Highway XX is used. The system serves all major U.S. cities, and unlike its counterparts in most industrialized countries, often goes right through downtown areas rather than bypassing them. This facilitated the emergence of automobile-oriented postwar suburban development patterns, often pejoratively referred to as "urban sprawl". The system is prominent in the daily lives of most Americans. Virtually all goods and services are delivered via the Interstate Highways at some point. Many residents of American cities use the urban segments of the system to go to and from their jobs. Most long-distance journeys (for vacation or business) of less than 300 miles (500 km) use the interstate highway system at some point. Hawaii has several signed Interstates, but Alaska and Puerto Rico do not. The latter two do have roads designated as Interstates for funding purposes, but they are not currently or planned to be built to Interstate standards. The public controlled-access highways of Puerto Rico are the Autopistas (PR-22, PR-52, and PR-53).

History

Autopistas The interstate system was authorized by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, popularly known as the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act of 1956. It was lobbied for by major U.S. automobile manufacturers and championed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and was influenced by both his experiences as a young soldier crossing the country in 1919 following the route of the Lincoln Highway, and by his appreciation of the German autobahn network. Planning for a system of new superhighways began in the late 1930s, even before federal commitment to build the Interstate highway system came in the 1950s. Construction on the world's first public limited-access highway, the Bronx River Parkway, had begun in New York as early as 1907. By the 1920s, longer highways such as the New York City parkway system had been built as part of local or state highway systems. As automotive traffic increased, planners saw a need for such an interconnected national system to supplement the existing, largely non-freeway, U.S. Highway system.The General location of national system of interstate highways, including all additional routes at urban areas designated in September, 1955 maps what became the interstate system, and is informally known as the Yellow Book. Although construction on the Interstate Highway system continues, it was officially regarded as complete in 1991 (though 1.5 miles of the original planned system remain unconstructed as of 2005 [http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/programadmin/interstate.html]). The initial cost estimate for the system was $25 billion over twelve years; it ended up costing $114 billion, taking 35 years to complete. As of 2004, the system contains over 42,700 miles (68,500 km) of roads, all at least four lanes wide.

Standards

:Main article: Interstate Highway standards The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has defined a set of standards that all new Interstates must meet unless a waiver from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is obtained. These standards have become stricter over the years. One almost absolute standard is the controlled access nature of the roads. Except for a few exceptions, traffic lights (and cross traffic in general) are limited to toll booths and ramp meters (metered flow control for lane merging during rush hours).

Speed limits

Speed limits vary according to location. By initial planning, the Interstate system was designed to provide reasonable road safety at speeds of 75 to 80 miles per hour (120 to 130 km/h) except in limited stretches (such as steep mountain passes or urban cores) where many vehicles cannot maintain such speeds. Many western states had high speed limits. Kansas, for example, had a posted limit of 80 mph (130 km/h)[http://people.smu.edu/acambre/blog/PermaLink,guid,5575625c-bbd4-47a3-be9f-9d5517d3a06f.aspx]. Some states, such as Oregon, defined the limit as whatever was "reasonable and proper", which would not be allowed today (see Montana reference below). In 1974, the federal government enacted 55 mph (90 km/h) as a gasoline conservation measure in response to the 1973 energy crisis. After the end of the embargo this restriction was continued as a safety measure. It was very unpopular, especially in western states. The 55 mph cap was relaxed in 1987 to allow 65 mph (105 km/h) speeds on rural Interstates if the states so chose. During this interim period, some roads (such as I-335 in Kansas) were specifically designated as Interstates to take advantage of this higher speed limit. Shortly thereafter, 65 mph limits were allowed on roads not numbered as interstates but which were built to interstate standards. The 55/65 mph caps were eliminated in late 1995, fully returning speed limit control to the states. Many states maintain several different limits. For example, in California, most interstates are limited to 55 mph within a major city, 65 mph (105 km/h) for most of the suburban highway stretches, and up to 70 mph (115 km/h) throughout the desert and rural stretches of the state. In some states, commercial trucks have a lower speed limit than passenger automobiles. In some mountainous regions, the condition of the roadway mandates a lower speed limit than would otherwise have applied. While some states have maintained the 65 mph limit, other states have increased the limits to 70 or 75 mph (110 or 120 km/h). Generally, the highest speed limits are found in the South and Southwest, while the lowest are found in the Northeast. Soon after the end of the National Maximum Speed Limit, the state of Montana ended daytime speed limits for automobile traffic on Interstate Highways in the state, instead instructing motorists to maintain a "reasonable and prudent" speed. A few years later, the "reasonable and prudent" law was declared unconstitutional for being too vague and a limit of 75 mph (120 km/h) was enacted in its place. Texas recently enacted a law allowing 80 MPH speed limits on certain portions of Interstates 10 and 20 in far west Texas. However, these limits are on hold pending further study by the Texas Department of Transportation.

Dual-purpose design

In addition to being designed to support automobile and heavy truck traffic, interstate highways are also designed for use in military and civil defense operations within the United States, particularly troop movements. One potential civil defense use of the Interstate Highway System is for the emergency evacuation of cities in the event of a potential nuclear war. Although this use has never happened, the Interstate Highway System has been used to facilitate evacuations in the face of hurricanes and other natural disasters. An option for maximizing throughput is to reverse the flow of traffic on one side so that all lanes become outbound lanes. This procedure is known as Contraflow, and could be seen in the evacuations of New Orleans, Louisiana and Houston, Texas prior to hurricanes Katrina and Rita, respectively. Several Interstates in the South, including I-16 in Georgia, I-40 in North Carolina, I-65 in Alabama, I-10 & I-59 in Louisiana, and I-59 in Mississippi, are equipped and signed specifically for contraflow, with crossovers inland after major interchanges to distribute much of the traffic. This is however not limited to Interstates; US 49 from Gulfport to Jackson and State Road 528, in Central Florida, have the same setup. A widespread but false urban legend states that one out of every five miles of the Interstate highway system must be built straight and flat, so as to be usable by aircraft during times of war.[http://www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/mayjun00/onemileinfive.htm] However, the Germans in World War II used the Autobahns for just such a purpose.

Terminology

While the name implies that these highways cross state lines, many Interstates do not. Rather, it is the system of interstates that connects states. There are interstate highways in Hawaii, funded in the same way as in the other states, but entirely within the populous island of Oahu. They have the designation of H-X, and connect military bases. Similarly, both Alaska and Puerto Rico have public roads that receive funding from the Interstate program, though these routes are not signed as Interstate Highways.

Primary routes

The numbering scheme for the Interstate Highway System (as well as the U.S. Highway System) is coordinated by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), though their authority is occasionally trumped by a number written into Federal law. Within the continental United States, primary Interstates (also called main line Interstates or two-digit Interstates) are given one- or two-digit route numbers. Most Interstates have two numbers; there are only three one-digit Interstates in the system: I-4, I-5 and I-8. Within this category, east-west highways are assigned even numbers, and north-south highways are assigned odd-numbers. Odd route numbers increase from west to east, and even numbered routes increase from south to north. Numbers divisible by 5 are intended to be primary routes, carrying traffic long distances. For example, I-5 runs from Canada to Mexico along the west coast (the only interstate to do so) while I-95 runs from Miami north to Canada. In addition, I-10 runs from Los Angeles, California to Jacksonville, Florida while I-90 runs from Seattle to Boston. However, not all primary routes traverse long distances. I-45 runs from Galveston, Texas north to Dallas, Texas, a distance of only 284 miles. It is the only primary route that does not cross state lines (see List of intrastate Interstate Highways). It should be noted that I-50 and I-60 do not exist (and there are no even-numbered Interstates between 46 and 62), mainly because they would most likely have passed through the same states that already have US 50 and US 60. AASHTO rules discourage Interstate and US Highways with the same number to exist in the same state, although I-24 and US 24 exist at opposite ends of Illinois. Some planned Interstates do not follow this guideline - I-69 will enter Texas (which has US 69), I-74 will have a multiplex with US 74 in North Carolina, and I-41 will do the same with US 41 in Wisconsin. Several two-digit numbers are shared between two roads at opposite ends of the country, namely I-76, I-84, I-86 and I-88. Some of these were the result of a change in the numbering system in the 1970s; previously letter-suffixed numbers were used for long spurs off primary routes; for example, western I-84 was I-80N, as it went north from I-80. In the 1970s, AASHTO decided to eliminate these; some became additional two-digit routes, while others became three-digit routes (see below). Only two pairs of these exist; I-35 splits into I-35W and I-35E through both the Dallas-Fort Worth and the Minneapolis-St. Paul areas. Strict adherence to the directional nature of the system results in some amusing oddities. For a ten-mile stretch east of Wytheville, Virginia, the driver can be traveling on both North I-81 and South I-77 at the same time (and vice versa) (see also Wrong-way multiplex). For the sake of efficiency, some Interstates double up for short or sometimes long distances, as in the example above. Another notable example are Interstates I-90 and I-94, which double and then separate several times as they criss-cross the upper Midwest and Great Plains.

Three-digit Interstates

Three-digit route numbers, consisting of a single digit prefixed to the number of a primary Interstate highway, are used to designate usually short spur or loop routes from their "parent" route, either directly or via another three-digit Interstate. A route that spurs from its parent and ends at an intersection with no other Interstates is given an odd first digit; a route that returns to its parent is given an even first digit. The number given to the first digit of a route that spurs from the parent and ends at another Interstate depends on the state; some consider these routes spurs and give them odd numbers, while others consider them loop-style connectors and give them even numbers. For instance, I-90 in New York has a full set of three-digit Interstates - I-190, I-290, I-390, I-490, I-590, I-690, I-790, I-890 and I-990. Due to the large number of these routes, they can be repeated in different places along the mainline; no two three-digit Interstates in the same state can share a number. The Minneapolis-St. Paul area has a single loop around the entire Metro area. I-94 intersects the loop in two spots and runs directly through it separating it into a northern and southern half. The southern half of it is labeled I-494 while the northern half of it is labeled I-694. Charlotte, North Carolina has a single loop around the city that intersects with both I-77 and I-85, but the entire loop is known as I-485. The Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area has several spur routes off of I-95. The area has I-195, I-295, I-495, I-795 and I-895. It also has two routes numbered I-395 (in Baltimore and Washington) and two I-695s (one is signed, the other is a secret designation), as well as an unsigned route called I-595. No I-995 exists anywhere. New York City has numerous spur routes off of I-78 and I-95, but none of I-78's spur routes actually intersect with I-78. A three-digit spur off a letter-suffixed two-digit Interstate (see above) was given a number without a letter suffix, except for one case - I-184 in Idaho was I-180N.

Exceptions

:Main article: List of gaps in Interstate Highways Interstate 238 near Oakland, California is one of two major exceptions to the numbering scheme, as no Interstate 38 exists. This number exists because Interstate 238 replaced a segment of California Highway 238, and no appropriate number was available. The other exception is I-99 in Pennsylvania, which was written into law as I-99 by Pennsylvania Congressman Bud Shuster; I-99 (which is also U.S. Highway 220) is west of several Interstates that are numerically less than 99, and was the nearest available unused two-digit number. Some proposed future Interstate routes have been given similarly non-conforming designations by their legislative proponents. For example, backers of the proposed Third Infantry Division Highway, a route in Georgia and Tennessee, have suggested it be named Interstate 3, in honor of the division for which the highway is named [http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-003.html].

Other notable examples


- I-82 lies fully north of I-84, but I-84 was I-80N when I-82 got its number.
- I-85 diverts west of I-75 (intersecting it near Atlanta, Georgia) The following two-digit Interstates change signed direction from their normal (even=east-west, odd=north-south) direction:
- I-69
- I-76 (west) Two-digit interstates in Hawaii, as well as the "paper" interstates of Alaska and Puerto Rico, are numbered sequentially in order of funding, without regard to the rules on odd and even numbers. Business Loop and Business Spur Interstates are not subject to any of the Interstate standards. Their designation is simple - a Business Loop heads into a downtown area from its parent and returns to its parent; a Business Spur ends downtown, occasionally continuing from the end of the main Interstate. Business routes can split from either two- or three-digit Interstates, and can be repeated within a state. In a few cases, where an Interstate has been realigned, the old road has been designated a Business Loop because it is not up to standards.

Financing

About 72% ([http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/ohim/hs03/htm/hf10.htm 2003 FHWA summary]) of the construction and maintenance costs are funded through user fees, primarily gasoline taxes, collected by states and the federal government, and tolls collected on toll roads and bridges. The rest of the costs come out of the federal budget. In the eastern United States, large sections of some Interstate Highways planned or built prior to 1956 are operated as toll roads. The taxes dedicated to the construction and maintenance of highways are often criticized as a direct subsidy from the government to promote and maintain auto-oriented development as we know it today. The dominant role of the federal government in road finance has enabled it to pass laws in areas outside of the powers enumerated in the federal Constitution. By threatening to withhold highway funds, the federal government has been able to force state legislatures to pass a variety of laws. Examples include increasing the legal drinking age to 21, for a number of years reducing the maximum speed limit to 55 miles per hour, passing Megan's Law legislation, lowering the legal intoxication level to 0.08/1000, and other laws. This has proved to be controversial. Those who support this feel that it is a way to provide an impetus to states to pass uniform legislation. Others feel that using highway dollars in this fashion upsets the balance between federal and states' rights in favor of the federal government, and effectively holds funds as ransom in order to coerce state governments into passing laws that would not have otherwised been introduced. As American suburbs push ever outward, the costs incurred of maintaining freeway infrastructure has started to catch up with the economy, leaving little in the way of funds for new interstate construction. This has led to the proliferation of the toll road (turnpike) as the new method of building limited-access highways in suburban areas. Also, some interstates are being privately maintained now (VMS in Texas, I-35) in order to cut rising costs of maintenance and allow state departments of transportation to focus on serving the fastest growing regions in their respective states. The future of the interstate system as we know it is in question. It is entirely possible that parts of the system will have to be tolled in the future to meet maintenance and expansion demands, as is done with adding toll HOV/HOT lanes in certain cities like Minneapolis, Houston, Dallas, and Washington D.C.

Non-chargeable Interstate routes

In addition to Interstate highways financed with federal funds (Chargeable Interstate routes), federal laws allow other highways to be signed as Interstates, if they meet the Interstate Highway standards and that they are logical additions or connections to the System. Called Non-Chargeable Interstate routes, these additions fall under two categories: # Routes that already meet Interstate standards. They can immediately be signed as Interstates once their proposed number is approved. # Routes designated as a future part of the system once they are upgraded to Interstate standards. Until then, it cannot be signed as an Interstate yet.

Signage

dollar Interstate Highways are signed by a number on a red, white and blue sign as shown to the right. In the original design, the state was formerly listed above the highway number, but in many states, this area is now left blank. The sign itself measures 36 inches high, and is 36 inches wide for two-digit interstates, or 45 inches for three-digit interstates. Business Loop and Business Spur Interstates use a special shield where the red and blue are replaced with green; the word BUSINESS appears instead of INTERSTATE, and the word SPUR or LOOP usually appears above the number. The majority of Interstates have exit numbers. All traffic signs and lane markings on the Interstates are supposed to be designed in compliance with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). However, there are many local and regional variations in signage. The state of California is now adapting to an exit numbering system after many years as being the only state in the country that did not use such a system. In most states, the exit numbers correspond to the mileage markers on the Interstates (with an exception being I-19 in Arizona, whose length is measured in kilometers instead of miles). Many northeastern states label exit numbers sequentially, regardless of how many miles have passed between exits. On even-numbered Interstates, mileage increases to the east and decreases to the west; and on odd-numbered Interstates, mileage increases to the north and decreases to the south. In both cases, the exit numbers increase and decrease accordingly.

Interstate oddities


- Vinita, Oklahoma — A McDonalds is built over the top of Interstate 44. It goes from one side of the interstate to the other, passing over the interstate. Customers can sit inside and eat while traffic drives beneath them. It is also purported to be the "world's largest".
- Kearney, Nebraska — The Great Platte River Road Archway Museum is built over top of Interstate 80. The 1,500 ton structure spans 308 feet across the interstate and houses a museum dedicated to frontier culture.
- Reno, Nevada — A Walgreens store sits on top of a segment of Interstate 80 in downtown Reno.
- Newton, Massachusetts — A Star Market supermarket is built over the top of Interstate 90. Traffic reporters refer to this point on the highway as the "Star Market overpass".
- Newton, Massachusetts — A Sheraton hotel is built over the top of Interstate 90.
- Boston, Massachusetts — The Prudential Tower in downtown Boston is built over top of Interstate 90 as well. A less known fact about Interstate 90 is that it is built over what used to be the largest railroad corridor in New England; photos from the 1950s show huge rail yards where I-90 now comes into the city. Many of the oddities on I-90 are the result of deals struck by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, Perini Corporation (which constructed the majority of the highway), and existing buildings at the time of construction. In return for not obstructing the highway project, the MTA went to lengths such as preserving the aforementioned Star Market.
- Atlanta, Georgia — The Civic Center MARTA station is located over the Downtown Connector (Interstate 75/85) at West Peachtree Street, making it the only subway station built over an Interstate highway.
- Illinois — The Illinois Tollway oasis is a type of rest area which spans the top of the interstate highway it is on. There are seven of them which are on the Tri-State Tollway (Interstates 80, 94 & 294), Northwest Tollway (Interstate 90) and the Ronald Reagan Memorial Tollway (Interstate 88). Customers are able to sit inside the Oases and eat while traffic goes by beneath them. This type of development is common in the UK.
- Seattle, Washington — The [http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/parks/parkspaces/FreewayPark.htm Seattle Freeway Park] sits on top of Interstate 5 (NB and SB, including HOV express lanes). The park is connected to the [http://www.wsctc.com Washington State Convention Center] connecting downtown to the [http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/tour/capitol.htm Capitol Hill] and First Hill districts (locally, First Hill is also known as "Pill Hill" as this is Seattle's medical district). The park is multi-level and as such, there are areas where visitors are able to watch traffic pass by.
- Breezewood, Pennsylvania — There is a sign of a policeman pointing at you saying, "You! Slow Down!" You then have to drive a few blocks on US 30 before returning to I-70. This is a rare instance of a traffic light on an interstate.
- Jersey City, New Jersey — Interstate 78 follows a pair of one-way streets for a short distance between the Newark Bay Extension of the New Jersey Turnpike and the Holland Tunnel, which leads into New York City. Along with the aforementioned I-70, this is the only other primary interstate with traffic lights.

Criticism

In addition to the various economic issues, the system has roused criticism on aesthetic grounds. The efficiency and faster speeds of the system, made possible in part by engineering techniques that often tend to cut through the land rather than merely following it as with the older U.S. Highway, have inevitably resulted in a safer but less-scenic drive. When the cross-country I-40 was finally finished in the late 1980s, by completing the segment between Raleigh, North Carolina and Wilmington, North Carolina, Charles Kuralt stated, "It is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything!"

References

# 65 MPH Approved for Route, Wichita Eagle-Beacon, October 24, 1987 # Field, David. "On 40th birthday, interstates face expensive midlife crisis." Insight on the News, 29 July 1996, 40-42.

See also


- Autobahn
- Freeway
- Gas tax
- Highway patrol
- Non-motorized vehicle access on freeways
- List of roads and highways
- Mile-log
- Parkway
- Ramp meter
- Speed limit
- Toll road
- Traffic light
- United States highway
- National Highway System
- List of major freeway systems
- Controlled-access highway

External links


- [http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/programadmin/interstate.html Interstate Highway information]
- [http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/routefinder/index.htm FHWA Route Log and Finder List]
- [http://www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/septoct00/urban.htm FHWA Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center] - Analysis and History of Interstate Highway System
- [http://www.kurumi.com/roads/3di/ 3-digit Interstate Highways]
- [http://www.aaroads.com/ Pictures of all Interstates]
- [http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=88 One] of 100 milestone documents of American history
- Federal Highway Administration's [http://www.tfhrc.gov/pubrds/summer96/p96su10.htm article on the act]
- Fortune magazine on [http://www.fortune.com/fortune/fortune500/articles/0,15114,574088,00.html history of the Interstate Highway System]
- [http://www.geocities.com/michelleskinnerfreeway Another great Interstate Page], with facts on all 2-digit Interstates and links to their exit lists
- [http://www.ajfroggie.com/triskele Highway Heaven] Contains exit lists for most Interstate highways
- [http://www.triskele.com/fonts/index.html RoadGeek] - A complete set of TrueType fonts for simulating Interstate and other highway signage ja:ドワイト・デーヴィッド・アイゼンハワー全米州間国防高速道路網

Cove Fort, Utah

Cove Fort is a city located in the state of Utah. It was founded by Ira Hinckley (an ancestor of Gordon B. Hinckley) at the request of Brigham Young. One of its distinctive features is the use of volcanic rock in the construction of the walls, rather than the traditional use of wood in many mid-19th century wooden forts, which has allowed the fort to remain standing today.

It is the western terminus of Interstate 70

External links



Park and ride

Park and ride terminals are public transport stations that allow commuters to leave their personal vehicles in a parking lot and transfer to a bus, rail system (usually light rail or commuter rail) or carpool for the rest of their trip. The vehicle is stored in the lot during the day and retrieved when the commuter returns from work. Park and rides are generally located in the suburbs of metropolitan areas or on the outer edges of large cities. metropolitan area Partly because of the concentration of riders, these terminals often have express transit service, with a limited number of stops and possibly taking a faster route if available. The service may only take passengers in one direction in the morning (typically toward a central business district) and in the opposite direction in the evening, with a typically limited number of trips available in the middle of the day. Overall, these attributes vary from region to region; it is often not allowed to park at these locations overnight. Park and ride lots allow commuters to avoid the stress of driving a congested part their journey and/or facing scarce, expensive downtown parking. It is hoped that the lots will reduce both of these problems by making it easier for people to take the bus or train into town. Sometimes, even these lots become too busy, and people sometimes organize to carpool to the station to combat crowding. As of 2005, Norwich has the biggest Park & Ride in the UK, operating from six separate sites around the city. Norwich In the United States it is common for outlying rail stations to include automobile parking, often hundreds of spaces. Boston, for example, has built several large parking facilities at its commuter rail and metro stations near major highways around the periphery of the city: Alewife, Braintree, Quincy Adams, Riverside, Route 128, Wellington, Woburn. The MBTA has almost 46000 park and ride spaces.

Kiss and ride

Woburn.]] Many train stations with good road connections include a separate area where cars can discharge passengers in the morning and pick them up in the evening, allowing the driver, often a spouse and possibly after a kiss, to quickly return to the highway.

Controversy

Park and ride systems are not without their [http://www.ti.org/FS3.html critics], who observe that whatever their effects on congestion, they do little to reduce some forms of air pollution, as automobiles produce the most pollution shortly after they're started (the catalytic converter is ineffective until it is heated). However emission of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, is not reduced by the catalytic converter and is proportional to fuel consumption, and hence distance traveled. Park and rides are ideally suited for zero emission vehicles, which often have reduced range. In addition, some transit operators use park and ride facilities to encourage more efficient driving practices by reserving parking spaces for low emission designs, high occupancy vehicles, or car sharing. Category:Transportation ja:パークアンドライド

Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore is an independent city located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of 2004, the population is 636,251, up from 628,670 in 2002 and the population of the Baltimore-Washington Metroplex as of 2000 is 7.6 million, up from 6.7 million in 1990. It is the largest city in Maryland, named after the founding proprietor of the Maryland Colony, Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. The city is a major part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area and a major U.S. seaport. Because there is also a Baltimore County surrounding (but not including) the city, it is sometimes referred to as Baltimore City when a clear distinction is desired.

History

During the 17th century, various towns called "Baltimore" were founded as commercial ports at various locations on the upper Chesapeake Bay. The present city dates from July 30, 1729 and is named after Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore who was the first Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland. Baltimore grew swiftly in the mid-late 18th century as the granary for sugar producing colonies in the Caribbean. The profit from sugar encouraged the maximum possible cultivation of cane and the importation of food. The relatively shorter distance between Baltimore and the Caribbean colonies allowed swift transport and minimized the spoilage of flour. flour One of Baltimore's greatest moments occurred during the War of 1812 when Fort McHenry came under attack by British forces near the harbor after the British had burned Washington, D.C.. Known today as the Battle of Baltimore, American forces won the decisive battles by repulsing a joint land and naval attack by the British forces. They fought to a stalemate at the Battle of North Point after killing the British commander General Ross. British reinforcements were not possible after the British Navy was repulsed by the defenders of the fort, and all forces then withdrew. It was the naval engagement that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem, "The Star-Spangled Banner," the lyrics to the United States national anthem. The battle was memorialized in the Battle Monument which is on the city seal. Battle Monument in the background North of the city]] Baltimore is also the site of the first architectural monument honoring George Washington, a 178 foot doric column erected in 1829 and designed by Robert Mills, who later designed the Washington Monument in Washington D.C. Baltimore became an independent city in 1851, being detached from Baltimore County at that time. During the Civil War, Maryland was officially part of the Union but kept slavery legal. Many, if not most, people in Baltimore at the time were sympathetic to the Confederacy. Pro-Southern sentiment led to the Baltimore riot of 1861 when Union soldiers marched through the city. After the riot, Union troops occupied Baltimore and Maryland came under direct federal administration — in part, to prevent the state from seceding — until the end of the war in April 1865. This was a necessary move by the Union to prevent Washington, DC from being completely surrounded by seceded Confederate territory. The case Ex parte Merryman, written by Supreme Court Justice Roger Taney, dealt with the habeus corpus rights of Marylanders jailed by the Abraham Lincoln Administration. The Great Baltimore Fire on February 7, 1904 destroyed over 1,500 buildings in 30 hours and forced most of the city to rebuild. Immediately afterward, Mayor Robert McLane was quoted in the Baltimore News as saying, "To suppose that the spirit of our people will not rise to the occasion is to suppose that our people are not genuine Americans. We shall make the fire of 1904 a landmark not of decline but of progress." He then refused assistance, stating "As head of this municipality, I cannot help but feel gratified by the sympathy and the offers of practical assistance which have been tendered to us. To them I have in general terms replied, 'Baltimore will take care of its own, thank you.'" (McLane committed suicide on May 30.) Two years later, on September 10, 1906, the Baltimore-American reported that the city had risen from the ashes and "One of the great disasters of modern time had been converted into a blessing." 1906, looking West from Pratt and Gay Streets]] Gay Streets Baltimore is the location of the Baltimore World Trade Center, the world's tallest equilateral five-sided building (the five-sided JPMorganChase Tower in Houston, Texas is taller, but has unequal sides). Baltimore is also the location of Pimlico Race Course, the home of the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. The Preakness has been run since 1873. Baltimore's population peaked at 949,708 in the 1950 Census, which ranked it as the sixth-largest city in the country, behind Detroit and ahead of Cleveland. For the next five decades, the city's population declined while its suburbs grew dramatically. In the 21st Century, the city's population has stabilized and is once again rising, mostly due to revitalization efforts in many city neighborhoods. In 1955 Flag House Courts, a public housing project made up of 3 12-story buildings, was built. The buildings were eventually demolished in 2001. Baltimore has become a prime city for filming movies and television. Many movies such as Hairspray, Ladder 49, Serial mom, Eraser, Enemy of the State, Cry-baby, scenes from 12 Monkeys, True Lies, and the film Hardball were filmed in Baltimore, in fact many scenes from the 1972 cult classic film Pink Flamingos were shot in the city's Waverly and Hampden neighborhoods (the film was made by John Waters, a Baltimore native). Additionally, television shows such as NBC's "Homicide: Life on the Street" and HBO's "The Wire" have also been filmed in the city. In recent years, efforts to redevelop the downtown area have led to a revitalization of the Inner Harbor. In 1979 the Baltimore Convention Center was opened and was subsequently renovated and expanded in 1996. Harborplace, a modern urban retail and restaurant complex, was opened on the waterfront in 1980, followed by the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland's largest tourist destination, in 1981. In 1992, the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball moved from Memorial Stadium to Oriole Park at Camden Yards downtown, and six years later the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League moved next door into the newly renamed M&T Bank Stadium, formerly known as PSINet Stadium until PSINet went bankrupt. On October 2, 1996, Baltimore became the first city in the United States to adopt 311 as a non-emergency "hot line" telephone number, in order to reserve the use of 911 for genuine emergencies. The concept has been highly successful, and numerous other American municipalities have since implemented the practice. A 60-car train derailment occurred in a tunnel in Baltimore on July 18, 2001. The derailment sparked a chemical fire that raged for six days and virtually shut down the downtown area until the heat caused a water main to rupture, largely extinguishing the fire but also causing significant flooding in the streets above. Three weeks later, manhole covers flew into the air as underground explosions along West Pratt Street followed due to residual explosive chemicals from the fire left in the sewers. In 2003, the Baltimore Development Corporation announced that three hotel projects were being reviewed. As of 2005, the 752-room, $305 million Hilton hotel project has received a 9-6 approval vote from the Baltimore City Council on August 15th. A second approval vote is scheduled for sometime in September 2005. The hotel is expected to be built near the Baltimore Convention Center. The City of Baltimore hopes to have it finished and opened by Spring 2008. (See Baltimore Convention Center Hotel Project for more details regarding the convention center hotel.) Also in 2003, Baltimore was affected by Hurricane Isabel from flooding as a result of tidal surge, affecting primarily the Fells Point community and the Inner Harbor and surrounding low areas. Many places were flooded including the sports center ESPN Zone, the Baltimore World Trade Center (which remained closed for approximately a month during cleanup efforts) and most of the Inner Harbor. Water levels rose some 20 feet in areas, flooding underground parking garages and displacing thousands of cubic yards of trash and debris.

Law and government

Baltimore is an independent city; in other words, not part of any county. For most governmental purposes under Maryland law, Baltimore City is treated as a "county"-level entity. Furthermore the United States Census Bureau uses counties as the basic unit for presentation of statistical information in the United States, and treats Baltimore as a county equivalent for those purposes.

Mayor

The current Mayor of Baltimore is Martin O'Malley. A Democrat in a town that has been Democratic for a century and a half, O'Malley has maintained high approval ratings through both of his terms in office. For a full list of mayors that served the city, see: List of Baltimore Mayors

Baltimore City Council

Grassroots pressure for reform, voiced as Question P, restructured the City Council in November of 2002, against the will of the Mayor, the Council President, and the majority of the Council. A coalition of union and community groups, organized by ACORN, backed the effort. The Baltimore City Council is now made up of 14 single member districts and one elected at-large Council President. Sheila Dixon is the current Council President. On November 2, 2004, Dixon won re-election in a two-way contest; Joan Floyd, a Green Party candidate, was the only challenger; the Republicans did not field a candidate.

Federal Government

Baltimore City falls within parts of three Congressional Districts. These are 2nd Congressional District (Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, Democrat), 3rd Congressional District (Rep. Ben Cardin, Democrat), 7th Congressional District (Rep. Elijah Cummings, Democrat).

Crime

According to crime statistics, there were 278 murders in Baltimore in 2004. Though this is significantly down from the record-high 353 murders in 1993, The murder rate in Baltimore is nearly seven times the national rate, six times the rate of New York City, and three times the rate of Los Angeles. While murders have been relatively static, other categories of crime in Baltimore have been declining. However, Baltimore still has much higher-than-average rates of aggravated assault, burglary, robbery, and theft. Though the crime situation in Baltimore is considered one of the worst in the nation, city officials are quick to point out that most violent crimes, particularly murders, are committed by people who know their victims and who are often associated with the illegal drug trade. Statistics compiled by independent groups indicate that many young men in the city are under the supervision of the criminal justice system. While racial disparities in arrest and incarceration rates exist in Baltimore, both young white and black men in the city are arrested and incarcerated at relatively high rates. In an infamous case, community activist Angela Dawson and her family were murdered by firebomb in their Baltimore home on October 16, 2002, in retaliation for Dawson's reporting of criminal activity. In late 2004, Baltimore drug dealers shocked the city when they released an underground DVD entitled Stop Snitching, in which they threatened with violence any citizen of Baltimore who interfered with their business. A strange twist emerged after it was discovered that NBA star Carmelo Anthony, who plays for the Denver Nuggets and had lived in Baltimore as a boy, was unwittingly featured in the video while visiting his old neighborhood. A few months later, in early 2005, the Baltimore Police Department responded to Stop Snitching with a video entitled Keep Talking, in which they urged the public to continue to report illicit activity and announced the arrest of at least two participants in the making and filming of the original DVD.
- http://www.ci.baltimore.md.us/government/police/

Geography and climate

Geography

2005 Baltimore is in the north central part of the state of Maryland, on the Patapsco River, not far from the Chesapeake Bay. It is on the western edge of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, with low hills rising in the western part of the city. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 238.5 km² (92.1 mi²). 209.3 km² (80.8 mi²) of it is land and 29.2 km² (11.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 12.240% water. The Baltimore Washington Metropolitan area Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is the 4th largest in the United States, with a population of 7.6 million.

Climate

Baltimore has a humid subtropical climate. It gets hot summers, cool winters, generally high humidity, and annual precipitation of around 42 inches a year. Summers bring high temperatures typically in the upper 80s to low 90s Fahrenheit, with lows in the mid to upper 60s. Winter can be varied, with Indian summers of 60 to 70-degree days leading to chilly days with highs in the 30s to low 40s. Winter lows tend to hover in the low 30s to upper 20s, with occasional dips into the high 10s. It is almost never below 10 degrees in the city, although as one moves west, away from the Chesapeake and higher in elevation, the climate becomes more continental and winter lows can dip to the single digits. Snowfall is sporadic at best, not occurring every year and blaketing the city in white some years once or twice. Spring and fall have the most pleasant weather, with highs from the 50's to 70's. Sometimes severe thunderstorms occur in the spring and summer, and they usually have heavy rain, lightning, and high winds. Tornadoes and hurricanes are both very rare in Maryland. The city limit is in USDA Zone 8.

Transportation

Public transit in Baltimore City is provided by the Maryland Transit Administration. Baltimore City has many bus routes, a light rail system, and a subway line. Additionally, MARC commuter rail connects Washington, DC's Union Station with the city's two rail stations, Camden Station and Penn Station. The major highways serving the city are I-695 (the Baltimore Beltway), I-95, I-83 and I-70 (its eastern terminus is just beyond the city limits)With 4 underwater tunnels Ft Mchenry and Baltimore Harbor twin tunnels.

Airports


- Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport - Located in neighboring Anne Arundel County
- Martin State Airport - (general aviation) - Located in Baltimore County

Demographics

In the 1830, 1840, and 1850 censuses of the United States of America, Baltimore was the second largest city in population. It was among the top 10 cities in population in the U. S. in every census up to the 1980 census. As of the census of 2000, there are 651,154 people, 257,996 households, and 147,057 families residing in the city. The population density is 3,111.5/km² (8,058.4/mi²). There are 300,477 housing units at an average density of 1,435.8/km² (3,718.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 31.63% White, 64.34% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 1.53% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. 1.70% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 257,996 households out of which 25.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 26.7% are married couples living together, 25.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 43.0% are non-families. 34.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.42 and the average family size is 3.16. In the city the population is spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 82.9 males. The median income for a household in the city is $30,078, and the median income for a family is $35,438. Males have a median income of $31,767 versus $26,832 for females. The per capita income for the city is $16,978. 22.9% of the population and 18.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 30.6% of those under the age of 18 and 18.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. List of Baltimore neighborhoods

Education

Colleges and universities

Baltimore is the home of several places of higher learning, both public and private. Among them are:

Private


- Baltimore Hebrew University
- Baltimore International College (BIC)
- College of Notre Dame of Maryland
- Johns Hopkins University (JHU)
- Loyola College in Maryland
- Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)
- Peabody Institute
- Sojourner-Douglass College

Public


- Baltimore City Community College (BCCC)
- Coppin State University
- Morgan State University
- University of Baltimore (UB)
- University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB, and occasionally UMAB) As well as those located within the city, several are located in the suburbs that surround the city. Major ones include:
- Goucher College, in Towson (private)
- Towson University, in Towson (public)
- University of Maryland Baltimore County, in Catonsville (public)
- Villa Julie College, in Stevenson and Owings Mills (private)

Public schools

The city's public schools are operated by the Baltimore City Public School System.

Media

Newspapers


- The Baltimore Sun
- Baltimore City Paper
- The Baltimore Afro-American

Television


- WBAL-TV
- WBFF
- WJZ-TV
- WMAR
- WNUV
- WUTB

Radio


- WBAL
- WERQ
- WHFS
- WIYY
- WLIF
- WPOC
- WRBS
- WSMJ
- WYPR

Museums and Attractions

WYPR
- American Visionary Art Museum
- Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum
- Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption
- Baltimore Museum of Art
- Baltimore Museum of Industry
- Baltimore Maritime Museum
- Great Blacks In Wax Museum
- B&O Railroad Museum
- Dime Museum
- Druid Hill Park
- Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum
- Fort McHenry National Monument
- Harborplace
- Lacrosse Foundation Hall of Fame Museum
- Maryland Science Center
- National Aquarium in Baltimore
- National Museum of Dentistry
- Pimlico Race Course
- Star Spangled Banner Flag House and 1812 Museum
- USS Constellation
- Walters Art Museum
- Westminster Hall and Burying Ground

Sports teams


- Baltimore Orioles (Major League Baseball)
- Baltimore Ravens (National Football League)
- Baltimore Bayhawks (Major League Lacrosse)
- Baltimore Blast - (Major Indoor Soccer League)
- Baltimore Pearls - (American Basketball Association)

Defunct (or moved) Sports Teams

Football


- Baltimore Stallions - (Canadian Football League )
- Baltimore Stars - (United States Football League)
- Baltimore Colts - (National Football League)

Basketball


- Baltimore Bullets - (National Basketball Association)
- Baltimore Claws - (American Basketball Association)
- Baltimore Bayrunners - (International Basketball League)

Soccer


- Baltimore Bays - (North American Soccer League)

Hockey


- Baltimore Blades - (World Hockey Association )
- Baltimore Bandits - (American Hockey League)
- Baltimore Clippers - (American Hockey League, Eastern Hockey League, Southern Hockey League)
- Baltimore Skipjacks - (American Hockey League, Atlantic Coast Hockey League)

Lacrosse


- Baltimore Thunder - (National Lacrosse League) - moved to Pittsburgh, then D.C.; now Colorado.

Sister Cities

Baltimore has ten sister cities, as designated by [http://www.sister-cities.org/ Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI)]: Cadiz (Spain), Gbarnga (Liberia), Alexandria (Egypt), Genoa (Italy), Kawasaki (Japan), Luxor (Egypt), Odessa (Ukraine), Pireaus (Greece), Rotterdam (Netherlands), and Xiamen (China).

See also


- Cemeteries in Baltimore
- Enoch Pratt Free Library
- List of famous people from Baltimore
- List of Mayors of Baltimore
- Music of Baltimore
- Baltimorese
- Baltimore Police Department

External links


- [http://www.ci.baltimore.md.us City of Baltimore Website]
- [http://www.baltimore.org/ Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association]
- [http://baltimorewritersproject.com/nicholas/blog/index.php?category=4 City Politics Blog]
- [http://www.baltimoredevelopment.com/ Baltimore Development Corporation] Category:All-America City Category:Cities in Maryland
- Category:Independent cities in the United States ja:ボルチモア simple:Baltimore

Denver, Colorado

The City and County of Denver is the largest city and capital of the state of Colorado in the United States of America. It is located on the plains just east of the Rocky Mountains and forms the heart of the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area. The central downtown district is on the east side of the South Platte River, near its confluence with Cherry Creek, approximately fifteen miles from the foothills. Denver is the county seat of, and shares the same borders with, Denver County — one of the few consolidated city-counties. According to 2005 census estimates, the population of the city was 560,400, while that of the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area was about 2,830,000, making it the 23rd-largest metropolitan area in the United States.[http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/phc-t29.html] Denver is nicknamed "The Mile-High City" because its official elevation, measured on the fifteenth step of the state capitol building's west side, is 5,280 feet (1,609 m) above sea level. The elevation, as surveyed at the Denver International Airport, is 5,431 ft (1,655 m). Also, a row of seats in the upper deck of Coors Field, home of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies (NL), is marked in purple (one of the team's colors) to indicate that the row is one mile above sea level. Denver has also been known historically as the Queen City of the Plains because of its important role in the agricultural industry of the plains regions along the foothills of the Front Range. Several US Navy ships have been named USS Denver in honor of the city.

History

Denver was founded in the Kansas Territory in 1858. On November 22 of that year, General William Larimer, a land speculator from eastern Kansas, placed cottonwood logs to stake a square-mile claim on the hill overlooking the confluence of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek, across the creek from the existing mining settlement of Auraria. Auraria The site was accessible to existing trails and had previously been the site of seasonal encampments of the Cheyenne and Arapaho. Larimer, along with associates in the Denver City Land Company, sold parcels in the town to merchants and miners, with the intention of creating a major city that would cater to new emigrants. The name "Denver City" was chosen to honor Kansas territorial governor James W. Denver, in order to ensure that the city would become the county seat of then Arapaho County, Kansas. Ironically, when Larimer named it after Denver, he was unaware that James Denver had already resigned as governor. In the first few years, while the town grew, land parcels were often traded freely for grubstakes and in the course of gambling by miners in Auraria. The city was incorporated on November 7, 1861, several months after the formation of the Colorado Territory. Denver was the county seat of Arapahoe County, Colorado until the creation of Denver County in 1902. Denver was selected to host the 1976 Winter Olympics to coincide with Colorado's centennial anniversary, but Colorado voters struck down ballot initiatives allocating public funds to pay for the high costs of the games, so they were moved to Innsbruck, Austria. The movement against hosting the games was based largely on environmental issues and was led by then State Senator Richard Lamm. Lamm was subsequently elected as Colorado governor in 1974. On April 20, 1999, the Columbine High School massacre occurred at Columbine High School, which is located southwest of Denver in an unincorporated area in suburban Jefferson County; the school has a Littleton address. The cheeseburger was allegedly invented in Denver by Louis Ballast who operated the Humpty Dumpty Barrel drive-in. He applied for a patent on his now famous invention in 1935. It has been speculated that he wasn’t the first person to add cheese to a hamburger, but nobody has an earlier patent, and no evidence to debunk his claim has emerged.[http://www.magazineusa.com/us/info/show.aspx?unit=originals&doc=32] Denver was an important place for the "beat generation." Beat icon Neal Cassady was raised on Larimer Street in Denver, and a portion of Jack Kerouac's beat masterpiece On the Road takes place in the city, and is based on the beat's actual experiences in Denver during a road trip. Beat poet Allen Ginsberg lived for a time in the Denver suburb of Lakewood, Colorado, and he helped found the Buddhist college, Naropa University or the "Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa" in nearby Boulder, Colorado.

Geography and climate

Denver is located at 39°43'35" North, 104°57'56" West (39.726287, -104.965486) in the Colorado Front Range region. It has the Rocky Mountains to the west and the great plains to the east. great plains According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 401.3 km² (154.9 mi²). 397.2 km² (153.4 mi²) of it is land and 4.1 km² (1.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.03% water.

Climate

Denver has a semi-arid climate characterized by dry winters, wetter springs, low-humidity summers, and pleasant falls. While Denver is located on the Great Plains, the weather of the city and surrounding area is heavily influenced by the proximity of the Rocky Mountains to the west. In the winter, the storms that dump huge amounts of snow in the mountains get blocked by the towering Front Range mountains. So, Denver tends to have dry winters that receive less snow than one may expect. In the late spring and early summer, the warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico influences the area and thunderstorms are prevalent, especially in the afternoon. Late summer thunderstorms are also common, fueled by tropical moisture from Mexico called the "monsoonal flow." The climate, while considered mild compared to the mountains to the west and the plains further east, can often be very unpredictable. An often-repeated saying of Denverites is "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes." Measurable amounts of snow have fallen in Denver as late as Memorial Day and as early as Labor Day, although trace amounts have been recorded in June. September snowstorms of two feet or more have occurred. Denver averages 15.4 inches (391 mm) of precipitation per year. The average annual snowfall is around 60 inches. Although Denver's Convention and Visitor Bureau claims Denver receives over 300 sunny days a year [http://www.denver.org/StaticPage.aspx?PN=climate], the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says Denver receives about 250 days of sunshine a year [http://ols.nndc.noaa.gov/plolstore/plsql/olstore.prodspecific?prodnum=C00095-PUB-A0001#TABLES]. January's average daily high is 43° F with a daily low of 15°F. July's average high is 88°F with a low of 59°F. [http://www.crh.noaa.gov/cgi-bin-den/showProduct.pl?title=Denver's+Climatological+Normals+And+Means&product=normals.html&backto=2]

Neighborhoods

Denver has 79 neighborhoods that the City and community groups use for planning and administration. Although the City's delineation of the neighborhood boundaries is somewhat arbitrary, often the City's definitions of its neighborhoods correspond to those used by Denverites to describe a particular place. Denver also has a number of neighborhoods not reflected in the City's administrative neighborhoods. Sometimes these neighborhoods reflect the way people in an area identify themselves; sometimes they reflect how others, such as real estate developers, have defined those areas. Among the neighborhoods commonly spoken of are historic LoDo (short for "Lower Downtown"), part of the City's Union Station neighborhood; Capitol Hill, Washington Park; Uptown, part of the North Capitol Hill neighborhood; Curtis Park, part of the Five Points neighborhood; Alamo Placita, the northern part of the Speer neighborhood; and the Golden Triangle, roughly the Civic Center neighborhood.

Demographics

As of the census of 2005, there are an estimated 560,400 people, 239,235 households, and 119,378 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,396.5/km² (3,616.8/mi²). There are 251,435 housing units at an average density of 633.1/km² (1,639.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 51.9% White, 11.1% Black or African American, about 2.2% Native American, 2.81% Asian American, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 15.59% from other races, and 3.75% from two or more races. 31.68% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 239,235 households out of which 23.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.7% are married couples living together, 10.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 50.1% are non-families. 39.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.27 and the average family size is 3.14. In the city the population is spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 36.1% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 102.1 males. The size of