156	Perspectives in American History

the interior than did that of any of its competing towns: hence die
larger "service sector."

To compare Philadelphia and New York is to raise an obvious

^jflsrinn- ^arly ip the nineteenth century New York passedPhil-

adelphia, to become die principal port and largesr Hfy in the UnJtedT

the earl

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ilrcadv

larger and busier than Philadelphia but lost that edge by 1750 and

vf5The_amwer probably lies in the difference between immediate and"
ultimate geographic advantage. In the long run New York had
more advantageous situation than Philadelphia, pa
the construction of railroads, for die Hudson is

than the Delaware and with its tributary the Mohawk opens up_a .
^arger and richer hinterland. This, however, was well in the future
in 1740. The valley of die MoTTawk and western New York were
closed to significant European settlement by hostile Indians ana

^their French allies. The valley of the Hudson soudi ot' Albany was
safer but was geographically confined and had only limited agri-
cultural possibilities. What counted in die 1740*5 was die immediate
hinterland of the two ports, the areas within a fifty- or sixty-mile
radius — and by this criterion Philadelphia was better endowed. In
addition to the Hudson Valley, New York could draw on Long
Island and adjacent parts of New Jersey and Connecticut (subject
to competition from Newport) but this added up to less dian Phil-
adelphia's western breadbasket. Between 1730 and 1780 the popu-
lation of New York province increased from 48,594 to 210,541
(333 percent) while Pennsylvania increased from 51,707 to 327,000
(533 percent) ?Jhe slower growth of New York City is die sloweTj

-glow ill ufltsregion.       ____    /"—— — —— —— ————— " —

"ever, be a slig. t pro-Philadelphia bias in ac-
counts that compare die growdi of Philadelphia with that of New
York. Bridenbaugh (Appendix B; ) suggests that Philadelphia'in
1775 was 60 percent larger than Now York City (40,000:25,000).
However, in 1790 the first census (Appendix B2) showed Phila-
delphia only 28 percent larger dian NJew York (42,444:33,131).