It is commonplace to think that cities in
the United
States of America are very similar. The stereotypes express
that they have skyscrapers, fast food restaurants, shopping
centers and a boring history. Comparing the characteristics
of New Orleans and Philadelphia demonstrates that this popular belief is
not always true. Both cities are very different, unique
and special.
Historically, both cities have different
colonial roots. While New
Orleans was
founded in 1718 by French conquerors that came from Canada, Philadelphia was founded in 1682 by English Quakers that came from
the other side of the Atlantic. After the English regime was overthrown, Philadelphia became the capital of the United States (1776-1800), and was the most representative place
of America’s freedom and independence. On the
contrary, New
Orleans was ruled and governed by the French from
1718 till 1763, then by the Spanish from 1764 till 1802,
then returned to the French for a period of one year, and
finally, in1803, was annexed to the United States in the famous Louisiana Purchase” signed by Thomas Jefferson, third President
of the United States.
Both cities have different environmental
characteristics due to the fact of their geographical locations. New Orleans is situated in the east bank of the Mississippi River, in the south of the country, very close to the Gulf of Mexico. It has humid weather characterized by spontaneous
tropical storms and hurricanes, and is surrounded by swamps
and marshes. The vegetation is a little bit tropical and
even the oak trees keep their green color in the winter months.
All year long, New
Orleans’ sky
is so blue that one would like to melt in its deepness. On
the other hand, Philadelphia is placed in the north east of the country, close
to the Atlantic Coast, between two rivers: the Delaware and the Schuylkill. Its weather is dry and cold all year, except for
the summer, when it turns very warm and humid. The chestnut
trees are naked in the winter with out any green color and
shiver with the strong wind that comes from the north. Due
to the big amount of factory chimneys that always are making
white clouds, Philly’s sky never turns deeply and clearly
blue.
Culturally, even though both cities belong
to the United
States of America and
possess a big African American population, they strongly
differ from each other. From the music to the food, both New
Orleans and Philadelphia have something unique to show. While Philadelphia is very famous because of its food trucks, cheese
steaks and hip hop, New
Orleans is
recognized by its Cajun and Creole food, the jazz and the
blues.
In conclusion, historic, geographic and
cultural differences make these two cities unique and different.
Even if they are situated in the same country, each one has
its own taste and style. It’s a perfect example of
the saying, “Even though all fruits come from the same
tree, each one has a different flavor,” and human civilizations
and settlements follow suit.