Chapter 7: Megalopolis

This week the topic is Megalopolis, which is the region Rehoboth Beach falls into.  The term Megalopolis was coined by the french geographer Jean Grottmann, and is used to describe the densely populated urban corridor of the northeastern United States.  The five major cities that make up Megalopolis are: Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington D.C. Delaware is not host to any of these cities, but rather located between these major cities and thus it is lumped into the Megalopolis region.  Many of the topics in the chapter have been discussed (climate, historical settlement, summer beach crowds, etc) in earlier blogs, so I will seek to address topics that have not already been mentioned in reference to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.

Much of Delaware falls into the non-urban places in an urban region category.  However, Delaware is still home to urban cities.

Wilmington, DE City Skyline

For example Wilmington, Delaware is is an industrial center, and also the headquarters of the DuPont chemical company.  Fun fact, many companies like to incorporate in the state of Delaware because of its state taxation policies.  Delaware has no sales tax, so the price you see is the exact price you pay.  I have personally waited until I was on vacation to make bigger purchases so i could take advantage of this.  Nevertheless, much of Delaware falls into the non-urban places category.  Rehoboth Beach is more developed than much of the surrounding areas, but it is still not the "urban" setting most people think when they hear the word city.  For this reason, Rehoboth Beach falls more into the category of non-urban places.  In fact, Rehoboth Beach more specifically, would likely classify as a resort community.  These resort communities are very popular along the atlantic coast, and popular destinations for people looking to get away from the Megalopolis cities.

Check out the above video for a brief tour around part of the boardwalk on a hot summer day in July.  Take note of the wide sidewalks perfect for accommodating the large number of vacationers that flock to Rehoboth Beach in the summer.  The boardwalk is a popular place to visit, and spend an afternoon or evening.  If you ever find yourself in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware I recommend checking out the boardwalk.

Rehoboth beach is not a major city in the Megalopolis region; however, the major cities still serve a purpose for residents of Rehoboth Beach and Delaware as a whole.

Philadelphia: One of the major megalopolis cities

Of the 5 cities Megalopolis includes, I have personally been to 4 (still need to make it to Boston one day).  These cities are the location of major airports that I have personally flown into when visiting Delaware.  From Rehoboth Beach, New York is about a 5-6 hour drive, Washington DC and Boston about 4 hours, and Baltimore and Philadelphia are about 2 and half hours away.  Although the drives are quite time consuming, these major cities provide countless opportunities for residents in the surrounding areas.  Ironically, residents of Rehoboth Beach and surrounding non-urban areas take vacations to these major cities to get a taste of the city life.


Overall, Rehoboth Beach is a resort community for many vacationers looking to escape the Megalopolis cities; however, all the surrounding cities provide countless opportunities for residents of Rehoboth Beach too.  Next week the topic will be The Great Lakes and Corn Belt.  Once again, Rehoboth Beach does not fall into this category so we will compare and contrast the two regions.
Until next time,
William