Additional study: Cities in the usa
Read about famous cities in the USA, summarize the information you’ve got and retell it
Philadelphia - historical city of independence
Philadelphia which was founded in 1682 by William Penn, prominent statesmen, was a large city in colonial America. Even now some parts of the old city remind one of the past. Visitors can walk the old streets; see old houses and public buildings.
Here in 1774 the first Congress of delegates from all colonies was held. Among the delegates were men of great fame, such as George Washington and John Adams, the first and second presents of the USA. The main decision of the first continental congress was to unite the efforts of all colonies against Great Britain.
The second continental congress, held in Philadelphia a year later, decided to organize an army to defend the colonies. George Washington was chosen commander-in-chief and the War for Independence began. The congress named a committee of five to draw up the Declaration of Independence. The work was actually done by Thomas Jefferson, then 33 years old. On July the 4, 1776 the Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. Celebration of the fourth of July as Independence Day began the next year.
Philadelphia was the city where the US constitution was adopted in 1788-1789. In 1790 the first Congress met in Philadelphia and decided that Philadelphia would be the capital of the USA while the federal capital in Washington, D.C. was being built. It remained the capital for the next ten years.
Capital of the usa. Washington
The beautiful city of Washington D.C. is the capital of the United States and the centre of its government. The capital was named after the first president George Washington and was founded in 1790. It is situated on the Potomac River in the District of Columbia. Washington is not the largest city in the USA. It has a population only 900 000.
Washington D.C. has nothing characteristically American in it, as its conception is purely French. It has long wide avenues, gardens, beautiful parks and no skyscrapers at all.
Washington is the residence of the President and the Congress of the USA. The White House is the President's residence, the Capitol — the seat of the American Congress. The largest and the tallest among the buildings is the Capitol with its great House of Representatives and Senate Chamber.
There are no skyscrapers because no other building must be taller than the Capitol. All American presidents except George Washington (the White House was not yet built in his time) have lived in the White House. It was built in 1799.
Washington is a large scientific and cultural centre, where there are many research institutes, five universities, the National Academy of Science and the Library of Congress.
There is one more well-known building in Washington — Pentagon, the residence of the US Military department. It is situated in the suburbs to the south of the Potomac.
Capital of the World. New York.
There is a proverb that Paris is the capital of Europe and New York is the capital of the world. Of course after well-known events of 11 of September New York lost a lot of its power but anyway it remains one of the biggest cities of America.
New York is the largest city in the USA and the biggest seaport. It is the business centre of the United States. New York is situated in the mouth of the Hudson river.
In comparison with such ancient historical cities as, say, Rome, London, Moscow or Paris, New York is quite young. It was founded in 1613 by Dutch settlers. There are five districts in the city. Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Richmond. Manhattan is the central and the oldest part of the city. It is the district of business and finance. It is here in Wall Street that many business offices, banks and the world famous New York stock exchange are situated. The New York stock exchange dominates business life of many countries.
The total area of New York is 365 square miles or 900 square kilometers. Its population together with the population of its suburbs amounts to 16 million people.
Among the inhabitants of New York one can meet people of almost all nationalities. They settled here during the immigration in the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century.
A traveler who visits New York for the first time wonders at the modern architecture. The Statue of Liberty, which is on Liberty Island, was a present from France in 1876 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of American independence. This statue and a few 18th and 19th century churches, hospitals, newspaper offices and other buildings are the only examples of "old" architecture in New York. Wherever your eyes travel, everywhere you can see sky-scrapers.
New York, one of the USA leading manufacturing cities, is the home of great firms and banks. The most important branches of industry are those producing vehicles, glass, chemicals and all kinds of machinery. The city has very busy traffic. Its streets and highways are full of cars and buses.
The mouth of the Hudson River makes an excellent harbor for numerous passengers and cargo ships from all over the world.
Speaking about New York one can't but mention the outstanding role, the city plays, in the cultural life of the country. New York has many museums and art galleries which have collected works of art of many peoples and of all times. Many of them are on constant display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of Art.
Most of the theatres and cinemas are in or near Broadway, the longest street and the biggest shopping district in New York. The Metropolitan and Modern Arts Museums attract many visitors.
Anchorage. The Russian soul.
The history of America is the history of immigrants. They had brought their own culture and rules to the territories where they inhabited. It is very interesting to see America like a mosaic of different cultures, and without the every part of that mosaic it cannot be the full picture. But for us, for Russian people, the most interesting part of America is of course Alaska. There we feel the presence of Russian spirit.
On March 30, 1867, the United States purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million, about two cents an acre. On January 3, 1959, Alaska, with a land mass larger than Texas, California and Montana combined, became the 49th state in the union. It is a large state.
The name "Alaska" is taken from the Aleut word that refers to an object to which the sea is directed, in this case the mainland. The biggest city of Alaska is Anchorage. Anchorage has a maritime climate modified by its 61 degree north latitude and by continental influences. Summers are cool and winters are cold too.
However, Anchorage does not experience the seasonal temperature extremes of interior Alaska or the north-central U.S. Total precipitation for Anchorage is only 15.91 inches per year. Total snowfall averages 69.3 inches.
LA. City of Angels
Los Angeles - the City of Angels - is a city built on dreams. The dream of the immigrant seeking a new beginning, the dream of Hollywood with its promise of a life of glamour and riches, the dream of wide open spaces and sunny golden days.
In the Bunker Hill/Historic Core Angels Walk you will experience these dreams in the L.A. that exists today, in an L.A. that thrived almost a century ago and in an L.A. that existed only in imagination.
You'll see a Victorian's view of what a futuristic building would look like in the year 2000 and its splendors will take your breath away. Hear water fountains crash like ocean waves in a dramatic water garden that covers more than an acre.