WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following
is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census
Bureau:
GAS LIGHTING
Profile America — Sunday, February 7th. It's better to light a
candle than to curse the darkness. Nearly 200 years ago, it was
even better to light a gas lamp. On this date in 1817, America's
first gas streetlamp was lit in Baltimore, Maryland. The coal gas was supplied
by the nation's first incorporated gas company. Just like today,
startups have their struggles, but by 1850, about 50 urban areas
had gasworks for mostly municipal and business illumination, along
with some private residences. While gas lamps today are mostly
confined to elegant accent lighting, natural gas itself is a huge
energy source in America, heating over 48 percent of the nation's
households. There are over 2,500 natural gas distribution
establishments serving consumers and other users in the U.S., with
annual revenues of around $90
billion. Profile America is in its19th year as a
public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Sources:
First streetlight/accessed 12/2/2015:
http://monumentcity.net/2010/02/18/monument-to-the-first-gas-street-lamp-in-america/
Gas light history/accessed 12/2/2015:
http://eh.net/?s=gas+lighting
Households and heating fuels:
http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_14_1YR_B25040&prodType=table
Natural gas industry establishments/NAICS 2212:
http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=BP_2013_00A1&prodType=table
Natural gas industry revenues/NAICS 2212:
http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ECN_2012_US_00A1&prodType=table
Profile America is produced by the Center for New Media
and Promotions of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are
available as produced segments, ready to air, on the Internet at
http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the
"Newsroom" button).
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SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau