What Does Wikipedia.net Say About Your City?
01-27-2008, 07:03 PM
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Mississauga, ON and Long Island, NY
Posts: 4,868
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Jones beach is considered a world class beach. I've seen it documented somewhere, can't remember where though. Also, there's Fire Island. That's my favorite part of this island, no cars, no crime, feels like you're in a different part of the world.
01-27-2008, 07:20 PM
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Ohio, USA
Posts: 1,931
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
yeaaa boyyyy...
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County.GR6 The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border. With a 2006 population of 332,252, Cincinnati is Ohio's third largest city, behind Columbus and Cleveland, and the 56th largest city in the United States. The much larger metropolitan area which has a population of over 2 million is the second largest metropolitan region in Ohio (20th in the country[2] ) just behind Cleveland. Residents of Cincinnati are called Cincinnatians.
Cincinnati is considered to have been the first major American boomtown rapidly expanding in the heart of the country in the early nineteenth century to rival the larger coastal cities in size and wealth. As the first major inland city in the country, it is sometimes thought of as the first purely American city, lacking the heavy European influence that was present on the east coast. However, by the end of the century, Cincinnati's growth had slowed considerably, and the city was surpassed in population by many other inland cities.
Cincinnati is home to sports teams such as the Cincinnati Reds (the first professional baseball team) and the Cincinnati Bengals (an NFL team), as well as events like the Cincinnati Masters (the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city)[3],and the Thanksgiving day race (the second oldest race in the country-- after the Boston marathon). The city is also home to one of the oldest universities in the country the University of Cincinnati[citation needed]
Cincinnati is also known for having the largest collection of nineteenth-century Italian architecture in the U.S., primarily concentrated just north of Downtown, one of the largest historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Here are some pictures...
WEBN fireworks where literally tens of thousands gather on the OH and KY side of the river to watch 2 barges shoot of ginormous fireworks for about an hr..first one is a photo i took..its a waterfrall of fworks off a bridge...second one is one i found
Our skyline..but you cant see the bengals stadium in this..
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County.GR6 The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border. With a 2006 population of 332,252, Cincinnati is Ohio's third largest city, behind Columbus and Cleveland, and the 56th largest city in the United States. The much larger metropolitan area which has a population of over 2 million is the second largest metropolitan region in Ohio (20th in the country[2] ) just behind Cleveland. Residents of Cincinnati are called Cincinnatians.
Cincinnati is considered to have been the first major American boomtown rapidly expanding in the heart of the country in the early nineteenth century to rival the larger coastal cities in size and wealth. As the first major inland city in the country, it is sometimes thought of as the first purely American city, lacking the heavy European influence that was present on the east coast. However, by the end of the century, Cincinnati's growth had slowed considerably, and the city was surpassed in population by many other inland cities.
Cincinnati is home to sports teams such as the Cincinnati Reds (the first professional baseball team) and the Cincinnati Bengals (an NFL team), as well as events like the Cincinnati Masters (the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city)[3],and the Thanksgiving day race (the second oldest race in the country-- after the Boston marathon). The city is also home to one of the oldest universities in the country the University of Cincinnati[citation needed]
Cincinnati is also known for having the largest collection of nineteenth-century Italian architecture in the U.S., primarily concentrated just north of Downtown, one of the largest historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Here are some pictures...
WEBN fireworks where literally tens of thousands gather on the OH and KY side of the river to watch 2 barges shoot of ginormous fireworks for about an hr..first one is a photo i took..its a waterfrall of fworks off a bridge...second one is one i found
Our skyline..but you cant see the bengals stadium in this..
01-27-2008, 07:44 PM
#14
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Clovis, NM
Posts: 7,063
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Vehicle: 2010 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
QUOTE (Tibbychick @ Jan 27 2008, 08:03 PM)
Jones beach is considered a world class beach. I've seen it documented somewhere, can't remember where though. Also, there's Fire Island. That's my favorite part of this island, no cars, no crime, feels like you're in a different part of the world.
True, I have been to both. Jones beach though is pretty dirty now isn't it? Fire Island is really cool, almost like going back a couple of centuries.
01-27-2008, 07:56 PM
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Mississauga, ON and Long Island, NY
Posts: 4,868
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yeah, I dunno I haven't been there the past few summers. Donald Trump wants to build a huge restaurant there, it's kinda crazy. I like Fire Island better because less people go there and everyone is friendly. I love walking through the dunes and getting so close to the wildlife. Sometimes the deer let you pet them even.
01-27-2008, 08:12 PM
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Western PA
Posts: 2,087
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Vehicle: 2001 Tiburon
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh (pronounced /ˈpɪtsbɚg/) is the second largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as well as the 22nd largest metropolitan area in the United States. It is the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Built on land surrounding the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, where they merge to form the Ohio river, Pittsburgh features a skyline of 151 skyscrapers, 446 bridges, two inclined railways and a pre-revolutionary fortification. Residents of the city are called Pittsburghers. The downtown area is located on the triangular parcel at the confluence of the rivers. Pittsburgh is noted for bridges of all types throughout the city and is commonly known as the "The City of Bridges" or "The Bridge Capital" of the U.S.
Though Pittsburgh's economy was traditionally fueled by heavy manufacturing to the detriment of local air and water quality, today it is largely based on healthcare, education, technology and financial services, while Forbes magazine called it one of cleanest cities in the world.Robotics, for example, is such an emergent sector of the local economy that the Wall Street Journal dubbed the city "Roboburgh."
Despite its declining population, Pittsburgh remains the principal cultural and economic influence in the eastern Ohio River Valley. Also, though the city proper is diminishing in population, some areas of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area continue to grow Because of its low cost of living, economic opportunities, education, transportation and medical infrastructure, Pittsburgh is consistently ranked high in livability surveys. In 2007, Pittsburgh was named "America's Most Livable City" by Places Rated Almanac.
Pittsburgh (pronounced /ˈpɪtsbɚg/) is the second largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as well as the 22nd largest metropolitan area in the United States. It is the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Built on land surrounding the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, where they merge to form the Ohio river, Pittsburgh features a skyline of 151 skyscrapers, 446 bridges, two inclined railways and a pre-revolutionary fortification. Residents of the city are called Pittsburghers. The downtown area is located on the triangular parcel at the confluence of the rivers. Pittsburgh is noted for bridges of all types throughout the city and is commonly known as the "The City of Bridges" or "The Bridge Capital" of the U.S.
Though Pittsburgh's economy was traditionally fueled by heavy manufacturing to the detriment of local air and water quality, today it is largely based on healthcare, education, technology and financial services, while Forbes magazine called it one of cleanest cities in the world.Robotics, for example, is such an emergent sector of the local economy that the Wall Street Journal dubbed the city "Roboburgh."
Despite its declining population, Pittsburgh remains the principal cultural and economic influence in the eastern Ohio River Valley. Also, though the city proper is diminishing in population, some areas of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area continue to grow Because of its low cost of living, economic opportunities, education, transportation and medical infrastructure, Pittsburgh is consistently ranked high in livability surveys. In 2007, Pittsburgh was named "America's Most Livable City" by Places Rated Almanac.
01-28-2008, 12:07 AM
#17
Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 86
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Might not be that fancy like all the big American cities, but here goes:
Zoetermeer (pronunciation (help·info)) is a city in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 37.06 km² (of which 2.15 km² is water). With a population of 118,483 on March 1, 2007, Zoetermeer is the third largest city in the province of South Holland, after Rotterdam and The Hague.
The name "Zoetermeer" (which literally translates into English as "Sweet Lake") refers to the former lake at the site of the town.
History
In the 10th century Zoetermeer was a small village, primarily home to farmers and fishermen. Somewhere in the 13th century village centre was formed which still exists to this day as the historic Dorpsstraat. Until the 17th century there was a lake, called the Zoetermeer. Nowadays only a small portion of it remains, as the "Noord Aa" at the northern edge of town. This man-made lake was created when tons of sand were needed as building material for the foundations for new housing development, and the area north of Zoetermeer provided a good source.
Until 1935 the village centre we know today was actually split into two villages, Zoetermeer and Zegwaard. The standard of living at the time was said to be higher in Zoetermeer than in Zegwaard[citation needed]. Nowadays, the name Seghwaert (older way of spelling of Zegwaard) is used for one of the neighbourhoods outside the old village centre.
The old town centreZoetermeer began to grow slightly when the first train service came around 1868. A few decades later the Numico factory started near the station. The real growth started in 1966, when there was an urgent need of houses from people around The Hague. From then they started to build new quarters around the old village centre, so Zoetermeer began to grow and became a city in the meantime.
Although Zoetermeer nowadays has the image of a modern city, there are still remains of the past. Like the old village centre with its small houses and the church with late medieval 15th century clock tower (on picture, wooden top from 1642), and the old farms, surrounded by modern houses nowadays.
Lake Dobbe divides the old town from the new city centre, with the medieval village centre on one side of the lake and the modern high-rise and skyscrapers on the other side.
Neighbourhoods
Zoetermeer is a town divided into 10 neighbourhoods. Every neighbourhood has at least one (smaller) shopping mall and a tram station (see above at "Transport").
These neighbourhoods have the following names (in brackets the year the neighbourhood was designated, although some of the neighbourhood already existed before designation):
Aerial view of Zoetermeer.Buytenwegh de Leyens (1974)
Dorp (1962)
Driemanspolder (1965)
Meerzicht (1969)
Noordhove (1986)
Oosterheem (1999)
Palenstein (1966)
Rokkeveen (1987)
Seghwaert (1975)
Stadscentrum (1978)
Economy
Zoetermeer is a so called ICT-city which means Zoetermeer has a modern infrastructure and a lot of schools that offer ICT-related education. Also 20% of the population of Zoetermeer already has an ICT-related job. Siemens and Toshiba also have factories in Zoetermeer. The municipality of Zoetermeer designates a comparatively large part of the budget to computers for schools.
To stress the ICT-tradition of Zoetermeer, the city is the first in the world to have a city hall in Second Life. Zoetermeer is sometimes referred to as Geek town or the Dutch Silicon Valley.
Transportation
A light rail system is reconstructed recently. The former urban railway called Zoetermeer Stadslijn was rebuilt for that purpose. The stadslijn was the only urban railway in The Netherlands and was comparable to the S-Bahn in Berlin or RER in Paris. It had 12 stations in Zoetermeer and runs to and from The Hague Central Station.
The new light rail system is part of the RandstadRail project between The Hague, Rotterdam and Zoetermeer. Besides the rebuild stadslijn, which now has 13 stations, a new line has been constructed called the Oosterheemlijn. This new line leads to a new part of town called Oosterheem, with 30.000 inhabitants when finished the largest quarter of Zoetermeer. The Oosterheemlijn now has three stations, but will be extended to Rotterdam in the future. The RandstadRail has been postponed due to several derailment incidents.
There are two stations in use on the main railway between The Hague and Utrecht. Zoetermeer was one of the first cities in the Netherlands to be connected by a railway in 1868. The old station Zoetermeer-Zegwaard burnt down in 1906 and is now called Zoetermeer-Oost. The newer station called "Zoetermeer" is the main train station nowadays.
The HSL-Zuid, as the Dutch Thalys TGV highspeed railway line from Amsterdam to Paris is called, also runs through Zoetermeer, but does not stop there yet. In the future a new station might be built where RandstadRail, the main railway between The Hague and Utrecht and the HSL-Zuid meet[citation needed].
Zoetermeer is built next to the A12 highway between The Hague and Utrecht.
Religion
Zoetermeer is the only location in the Netherlands that has a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, situated near the old village centre. [1]
Entertainment and recreation
This former new town used to function as a suburb of The Hague, as many residents commuted to work, shop, and even entertain in The Hague. With the growth of Zoetermeer came a large theatre, mega cinema, and other entertainment such as go-karts, laser gaming, survival centre, and a golf centre. Discotheque "Locomotion" is the oldest of them, plus the first mega disco of The Netherlands.
SnowWorld
SnowWorld indoor ski slopeSnowWorld was the first indoor ski slope made of real snow in Europe, when it opened in 1996. It now has three slopes, of which the 200 meter slope is the longest. Plans are being made to build a new 500 meter slope. SnowWorld attracts over a million visitors each year, making it the most important tourist attraction of Zoetermeer.
Dutch Water Dreams
Dutch Water Dreams (DWD) is an artificial Olympic wild water rafting circuit. It is a copy of the one being built in China for the Olympic Games of 2008 and is mainly used for training purposes by European rafting teams. You can also visit DWD for team building or recreation. Besides the rafting circuit DWD also has an indoor wave boarding centre.
Silverdome
Silverdome is an indoor Olympic ice skating track and convention centre. It's used as a training centre for the KNSB, the Dutch Olympic and world championship ice skaters. Outside the skating season it is used as a convention centre and concert hall and even large raves.
Indoor Dive
There are plans to build an indoor diving centre in Zoetermeer. With 70 m in diameter and 30 m deep, it will be the largest indoor diving centre in the world. There will be a coral reef and under water caves and a large beach around the edge. 10000 life tropical fish should make it as realistic as possible.
Parks
Zoetermeer has a lot of parks all over the town, the biggest one being the "Westerpark" on the west side of town. It is almost as large as Central Park, New York City. Other notable parks are the "Buytenpark", the "Westerpark", the "Aldo van Eijkpark", the "Binnenpark", the "Van Tuyllpark, the "Hoekstrapark", the "Wilhelminapark", the "Floriadepark", the "Seghwaertse Hout" and the "Seghwaertpark".
At the north side there is a lake, the "Zoetermeerse Plas", often referred to as lake "Noord Aa", because it lies in the Noord Aa Recreational Area. There's a beach along one side of the lake and a marina on the other. Wind- and kite surfing, sailing and fishing are the most popular activities on the lake.
On both the west and east side of the city man made forests are being planted, called "Balijbos" (west side) and Bentwoud (east side). These forests are intended to form a "natural" barrier between the ever growing cities of The Hague and Zoetermeer.
Virtual Zoetermeer
Virtual Zoetermeer is a game made by the municipality of Zoetermeer. It lets you rebuild the city of Zoetermeer. It kind of looks like SimCity and is in Dutch. You can download the game here.
There used to be a castle in Zoetermeer, called Palenstein. You can experience the life in the castle in this game.
Zoetermeer (pronunciation (help·info)) is a city in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of 37.06 km² (of which 2.15 km² is water). With a population of 118,483 on March 1, 2007, Zoetermeer is the third largest city in the province of South Holland, after Rotterdam and The Hague.
The name "Zoetermeer" (which literally translates into English as "Sweet Lake") refers to the former lake at the site of the town.
History
In the 10th century Zoetermeer was a small village, primarily home to farmers and fishermen. Somewhere in the 13th century village centre was formed which still exists to this day as the historic Dorpsstraat. Until the 17th century there was a lake, called the Zoetermeer. Nowadays only a small portion of it remains, as the "Noord Aa" at the northern edge of town. This man-made lake was created when tons of sand were needed as building material for the foundations for new housing development, and the area north of Zoetermeer provided a good source.
Until 1935 the village centre we know today was actually split into two villages, Zoetermeer and Zegwaard. The standard of living at the time was said to be higher in Zoetermeer than in Zegwaard[citation needed]. Nowadays, the name Seghwaert (older way of spelling of Zegwaard) is used for one of the neighbourhoods outside the old village centre.
The old town centreZoetermeer began to grow slightly when the first train service came around 1868. A few decades later the Numico factory started near the station. The real growth started in 1966, when there was an urgent need of houses from people around The Hague. From then they started to build new quarters around the old village centre, so Zoetermeer began to grow and became a city in the meantime.
Although Zoetermeer nowadays has the image of a modern city, there are still remains of the past. Like the old village centre with its small houses and the church with late medieval 15th century clock tower (on picture, wooden top from 1642), and the old farms, surrounded by modern houses nowadays.
Lake Dobbe divides the old town from the new city centre, with the medieval village centre on one side of the lake and the modern high-rise and skyscrapers on the other side.
Neighbourhoods
Zoetermeer is a town divided into 10 neighbourhoods. Every neighbourhood has at least one (smaller) shopping mall and a tram station (see above at "Transport").
These neighbourhoods have the following names (in brackets the year the neighbourhood was designated, although some of the neighbourhood already existed before designation):
Aerial view of Zoetermeer.Buytenwegh de Leyens (1974)
Dorp (1962)
Driemanspolder (1965)
Meerzicht (1969)
Noordhove (1986)
Oosterheem (1999)
Palenstein (1966)
Rokkeveen (1987)
Seghwaert (1975)
Stadscentrum (1978)
Economy
Zoetermeer is a so called ICT-city which means Zoetermeer has a modern infrastructure and a lot of schools that offer ICT-related education. Also 20% of the population of Zoetermeer already has an ICT-related job. Siemens and Toshiba also have factories in Zoetermeer. The municipality of Zoetermeer designates a comparatively large part of the budget to computers for schools.
To stress the ICT-tradition of Zoetermeer, the city is the first in the world to have a city hall in Second Life. Zoetermeer is sometimes referred to as Geek town or the Dutch Silicon Valley.
Transportation
A light rail system is reconstructed recently. The former urban railway called Zoetermeer Stadslijn was rebuilt for that purpose. The stadslijn was the only urban railway in The Netherlands and was comparable to the S-Bahn in Berlin or RER in Paris. It had 12 stations in Zoetermeer and runs to and from The Hague Central Station.
The new light rail system is part of the RandstadRail project between The Hague, Rotterdam and Zoetermeer. Besides the rebuild stadslijn, which now has 13 stations, a new line has been constructed called the Oosterheemlijn. This new line leads to a new part of town called Oosterheem, with 30.000 inhabitants when finished the largest quarter of Zoetermeer. The Oosterheemlijn now has three stations, but will be extended to Rotterdam in the future. The RandstadRail has been postponed due to several derailment incidents.
There are two stations in use on the main railway between The Hague and Utrecht. Zoetermeer was one of the first cities in the Netherlands to be connected by a railway in 1868. The old station Zoetermeer-Zegwaard burnt down in 1906 and is now called Zoetermeer-Oost. The newer station called "Zoetermeer" is the main train station nowadays.
The HSL-Zuid, as the Dutch Thalys TGV highspeed railway line from Amsterdam to Paris is called, also runs through Zoetermeer, but does not stop there yet. In the future a new station might be built where RandstadRail, the main railway between The Hague and Utrecht and the HSL-Zuid meet[citation needed].
Zoetermeer is built next to the A12 highway between The Hague and Utrecht.
Religion
Zoetermeer is the only location in the Netherlands that has a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, situated near the old village centre. [1]
Entertainment and recreation
This former new town used to function as a suburb of The Hague, as many residents commuted to work, shop, and even entertain in The Hague. With the growth of Zoetermeer came a large theatre, mega cinema, and other entertainment such as go-karts, laser gaming, survival centre, and a golf centre. Discotheque "Locomotion" is the oldest of them, plus the first mega disco of The Netherlands.
SnowWorld
SnowWorld indoor ski slopeSnowWorld was the first indoor ski slope made of real snow in Europe, when it opened in 1996. It now has three slopes, of which the 200 meter slope is the longest. Plans are being made to build a new 500 meter slope. SnowWorld attracts over a million visitors each year, making it the most important tourist attraction of Zoetermeer.
Dutch Water Dreams
Dutch Water Dreams (DWD) is an artificial Olympic wild water rafting circuit. It is a copy of the one being built in China for the Olympic Games of 2008 and is mainly used for training purposes by European rafting teams. You can also visit DWD for team building or recreation. Besides the rafting circuit DWD also has an indoor wave boarding centre.
Silverdome
Silverdome is an indoor Olympic ice skating track and convention centre. It's used as a training centre for the KNSB, the Dutch Olympic and world championship ice skaters. Outside the skating season it is used as a convention centre and concert hall and even large raves.
Indoor Dive
There are plans to build an indoor diving centre in Zoetermeer. With 70 m in diameter and 30 m deep, it will be the largest indoor diving centre in the world. There will be a coral reef and under water caves and a large beach around the edge. 10000 life tropical fish should make it as realistic as possible.
Parks
Zoetermeer has a lot of parks all over the town, the biggest one being the "Westerpark" on the west side of town. It is almost as large as Central Park, New York City. Other notable parks are the "Buytenpark", the "Westerpark", the "Aldo van Eijkpark", the "Binnenpark", the "Van Tuyllpark, the "Hoekstrapark", the "Wilhelminapark", the "Floriadepark", the "Seghwaertse Hout" and the "Seghwaertpark".
At the north side there is a lake, the "Zoetermeerse Plas", often referred to as lake "Noord Aa", because it lies in the Noord Aa Recreational Area. There's a beach along one side of the lake and a marina on the other. Wind- and kite surfing, sailing and fishing are the most popular activities on the lake.
On both the west and east side of the city man made forests are being planted, called "Balijbos" (west side) and Bentwoud (east side). These forests are intended to form a "natural" barrier between the ever growing cities of The Hague and Zoetermeer.
Virtual Zoetermeer
Virtual Zoetermeer is a game made by the municipality of Zoetermeer. It lets you rebuild the city of Zoetermeer. It kind of looks like SimCity and is in Dutch. You can download the game here.
There used to be a castle in Zoetermeer, called Palenstein. You can experience the life in the castle in this game.