The growth of Philadelphia and its surrounding towns is redefining regional boundaries, writes Sandy Smith for the Philadelphia Magazine. 

Much of this growth is being driven by business and population growth. And as the cities and towns continue to expand, they start to overlap. 

Peter Rotelle, CEO of Pottstown-based Rotelle Development Company, builds custom homes in Chester County, one of the areas where Philadelphia is growing toward another city. He likens these expansions to the behavior of mushrooms. 

“As each mushroom grows, they start to overlap and connect,” he said. “If you put a dime on top of Lancaster, Philadelphia, and Allentown on a map and then, five years later, you put a quarter around them and draw a circle around that and then another five years goes by, you put a half-dollar on top of them, soon, those circles are going to overlap.” 

Currently, the lines of spheres of influence between Philadelphia and West Chester, Exton, and Kennett Square are already blurred. The border is continuing to spread outward, with Elverson, Sadsburyville, and Oxford expected to come under Philadelphia’s circle soon if the expansions continue at their current rate. 

Read more about the suburbs in the Philadelphia Magazine. 

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