Official name	York, Pennsylvania
Settlement type	City
Nickname	The White Rose City
Pushpin map	Pennsylvania
Pushpin map caption	Location in Pennsylvania
Pushpin label position	none
Coordinates display	inline,title
Coordinates region	US-PA
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision type1	State
Subdivision type2	County
Subdivision name
Subdivision name1
Subdivision name2	York
Leader title	Mayor
Leader name	C. Kim Bracey
Established title	Incorporated
Established title1	Laid out
Established title2	- Borough
Established title3	- City
Established date1	1741
Established date2	September 24, 1787
Established date3	January 11, 1887
Unit pref	Imperial
Area total sq mi	5.26
Area total km2	13.62
Area land sq mi	5.20
Area land km2	13.48
Area water sq mi	0.06
Area water km2	0.14
Population as of	2010
Population total	43718
Population urban	99764
Population density km2	3031.75
Population density sq mi	7852.20
Timezone	EST
Utc offset	-5
Timezone dst	EDT
Utc offset dst	-4
Website	www.yorkcity.org

York, known as the White Rose City (after the symbol of the House of York), is a city located in York County, Pennsylvania, United States which is in the South Central region of the state. The population within the city limits was 43,718 at the 2010 census, which was a 7.0% increase from the 2000 count of 40,862. When combined with the adjacent boroughs of West York and North York and surrounding Spring Garden, West Manchester, and Springettsbury townships, the population of Greater York is 99,764. York is the county seat of York County, and is located at . York is currently the 14th largest city in Pennsylvania.

History

A lengthy directory of regional history resources is available at http://www.ydr.com/history/ci_12304563.

18th century

York,also known as Yorktown in the mid 18th to early 19th century, was founded in 1741 by settlers from the Philadelphia region, and named for the English city of the same name. By 1777, most of the area residents were of either German or Scotch-Irish descent. York was incorporated as a borough on September 24, 1787, and as a city on January 11, 1887. During the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), York served as the temporary capital of the Continental Congress. The Articles of Confederation were drafted and adopted in York, though they would not be ratified until March of 1781.

York styles itself the first Capital of the United States, although historians generally consider it to be the fourth capital, after Philadelphia, Baltimore and Lancaster. The claim arises from the assertion that the Articles of Confederation was the first legal document to refer to the colonies as "the United States of America". The argument depends on whether the Declaration of Independence, which also uses the term, would be considered a true legal document of the United States, being drafted under and in opposition to British rule. This does not, however, prevent modern businesses and organizations in the York area, such as the First Capital Dispensing Co., First Capital Engineering and First Capital Federal Credit Union from using the name.

The Conway Cabal, a political intrigue against General George Washington, had its origins in the Golden Plough Tavern in York.

19th century

According to U.S. census reports from 1800 through 1840, York ranked within the nation's top 100 most populous urban areas.

station]] During the American Civil War (1861–1865), York became the largest Northern town to be occupied by the Confederate army when the division of Major General Jubal Anderson Early spent June 28–30, 1863, in and around the town while the brigade of John B. Gordon marched to the Susquehanna River at Wrightsville and back. Early laid York under tribute and collected food, supplies, clothing, shoes, and $28,000 in cash from citizens and merchants before departing westward obeying the revised orders of Robert E. Lee. The sprawling York U.S. Army Hospital on Penn Commons served thousands of Union soldiers wounded at the battles of Antietam and Gettysburg.

In the Postbellum era (1865–1877), York remained a regional center for local agriculture, but increasingly became an important industrial center, with such industries as steam engines, railroad manufacturing, and papermaking coming to the forefront. York also features some unique architecture ranging from colonial era buildings to large gothic churches.

20th century

The York Motor Car Co. built Pullman automobiles on North George St. from 1905 thorough 1917. An early and unique six-wheeled prototype was involved in one of the city's first known automobile accidents. Another model was driven to San Francisco and back over about one month to prove its reliability several years before the creation of the Lincoln Highway which ran through town, connecting New York and San Francisco.

The York area had also been home for more than 100 years to the Pfaltzgraff company, which built its first pottery factory in the area in 1895 and continued manufacturing in York until 2005. Though now produced by The Hershey Company, the York Peppermint Pattie was created in York in 1940.

21st century

The city of York experienced many noteworthy achievements and embarrassments to start the 21st century.

In 2002, the city faced a budget shortfall of $1,000,000. Mayor John Brenner's plan to raise the money by asking York County's 302,000 adult residents to donate $3.32 to the city received national attention. The plan, referred to by some as the "Big Mac" Plan, did not raise all the moneys sought.

After many years of attempting to secure funding for a stadium and a baseball team to play in it, the first decade of the century saw York realize both goals. In 2007, Sovereign Bank Stadium, home of the York Revolution, opened in the Arch Street neighborhood. The stadium, along with other large projects such as the York County Judicial Center and the Codo 241 luxury apartment lofts, symbolizes York's extensive redevelopment efforts.

York was featured during the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election, when National Public Radio's Michele Norris and Steve Inskeep chose to showcase the city in "The York Project: Race & the '08 Vote." The program was aired as a 7-part series and featured different York citizens discussing race relations, racial perceptions, and the emotions inspired by the 2008 election. Norris stated that York was chosen due to its central location in a battleground state, its rich history (including its strained race relations), and demographics. On June 19, 2009, Norris announced on the air that she was taking time off to write a book inspired by her conversations "with a diverse group of voters" in York.

In 2009, Kim Bracey won the Democratic primary and became the favored candidate for mayor. She won the general election in November and took office on the first Monday in 2010 as the city's first African-American and second woman mayor.

Historic architecture

The city has been called an "architectural museum," because the downtown features numerous well-preserved historic structures, such as the 1741 Golden Plough Tavern, the 1751 General Horatio Gates House, the 1766 Friends Meeting House, the 1863 Billmeyer House, the 1888 Central Market House, and the 1907 Moorish Revival Temple Beth Israel.

Local corporations and industry

York Barbell is a reseller of barbells and other equipment for weight training and bodybuilding, and is the home of the USA Weightlifting Hall of Fame. A large Harley-Davidson motorcycle factory, which employs roughly half of Harley's production workforce, is located in York.

York is home to two major manufacturers of modern hydro-power water turbines, Voith Siemens Hydro and American Hydro, both of which manufacture enormous parts in their plants.

York is headquarters to York International, a Johnson Controls Company and one of the largest suppliers of HVAC systems in the United States. On February 2, 1998, a massive explosion occurred at the York International plant. A spark had set off a leak in the nearby propane storage house. The blast was felt up to 25 miles away, and blew out windows nearby as well as knocking down doors. About 20 people were injured in the blast but only one person was killed, as the explosion fortunately occurred during a shift change.

The Stauffer Biscuit Company (owned by Meiji Seika of Japan since February 2004) is rooted in York and has produced animal crackers since 1871. A major regional department store, The Bon-Ton, is headquartered in York. Just north of York is one of only four Starbucks roasting facilities in the world. York also boasts a BAE Systems facility which assembles various military tanks and equipment.

Geography

York is located at (39.962692, -76.728043).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.3 square miles (13.6 km²), of which, 5.2 square miles (13.5 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (1.14%) is water.

Demographics

[[Image:York-Hanover-Gettysburg CSA.png|thumb|left|300px|Location of the York-Hanover-Gettysburg CSA and its components: ]]

York is the largest principal city of the York-Hanover-Gettysburg CSA, a Combined Statistical Area that includes the York-Hanover metropolitan area (York County) and the Gettysburg micropolitan area (Adams County), which had a combined population of 473,043 at the 2000 census.

As of the 2010 census, the city was 51.2% White, 28.0% Black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 1.2% Asian, and 6.3% were two or more races. 28.5% of the population were of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.

As of the census of 2000, there were 40,862 people, 16,137 households, and 9,246 families residing in the city. The population density was 7,852.2 people per square mile (3,034.0/km²). There were 18,534 housing units at an average density of 3,561.6 per square mile (1,376.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 59.75% White, 25.13% African American, 0.42% Native American, 1.40% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 9.40% from other races, and 3.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 17.19% of the population.

There were 16,137 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.0% were married couples living together, 20.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $26,475, and the median income for a family was $30,762. Males had a median income of $26,792 versus $20,612 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,439. About 20.0% of families and 23.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.8% of those under age 18 and 15.8% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

York is home to the Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center, which brings many nationally acclaimed acts to the York area. Performers here have included Kenny G, Bill Cosby, BB King, Béla Fleck, and George Carlin. The historic Capitol Theatre also features many independent and foreign films, making it the only venue in York (and sometimes the entire Susquehanna Valley) to feature some rare, yet critically acclaimed films. The Strand Studio has also branched out from the recently Renovated Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center. The Studio offers live music, usually jazz & acoustic, for the community.

Today, much of York's culture represents the city's evolving role as an agricultural and industrial center. The historic York Fair, which claims to be the country's oldest, traces its roots to 1765. It runs every year in September for 10 days, encompassing an entire week and two weekends. In addition to typical fair attractions, such as rides, games and contests, it also wins regional recognition for hosting many (usually country) musical artists, such as Alabama, Gretchen Wilson, Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

The fairgrounds, branded the York Expo Center, also hosts the annual National Street Rod Association Street Rod Nationals East, the largest annual street rod event in the Eastern US. The event brings thousands of street rods into the city for a few days in June. On Friday afternoon the city holds a parade through the center of the city for participating vehicles.

The York County Heritage Trust (YCHT) is a not-for-profit educational institution that preserves and uses its collections, historic sites and museums to inspire people to explore the history and culture of York County, Pennsylvania. YCHT maintains eight historical sites that preserve and present 300 years of York County's rich and diverse history. The YCHT was founded in 1999 after a merger of the Historical Society of York County and the Agricultural and Industrial Museum of York County (AIM). Currently, the YCHT historical sites include the Worker's House (c. 1875), Golden Plough Tavern (c.1741), the Barnett Bobb Log House (1812), the Bonham House (c.1885) and old Eastern Market House (c.1886). In 1992, AIM acquired an industrial complex consisting of six buildings (c.1874 to 1955); three of the buildings were renovated and now house the industrial portion of the collection. The YCHT also hosts a variety of events throughout the year.

York City Recreation and Parks helps sponsor the Olde York Street Fair each year on Mothers Day, the second Sunday of May – a tradition since the early 1980s. In recent years more than 150 art, craft and food vendors have lined Market and George streets. Average attendance was 60,000 people as of 2004, according to city officials.

The New York Wire Company, located in York, holds the world record for the loudest music without amplification from a non-musical instrument. Every Christmas Eve the company uses a boiler to create pressure then releases it through a series of tubes using a device much like a slide whistle. The music is 140 dB loud and can be heard 10 to 12 miles away with proper weather conditions. Various Christmas music is played for a short time around midnight. It is thought that the tradition was started around 1925.

The alternative rock band Live is from York. Many of Live's songs are about the town including "Shit Towne" from their most successful album Throwing Copper.

Education

York and the surrounding area are served by the York City, Dallastown, Eastern York, West York, Central York, York Suburban, Southern York County, Red Lion, Northeastern York, Dover, and South Eastern, public school districts. Of the several private Christian schools in the area, the largest is York Catholic High School. In 2009 Helen Thackston Middle School opened on East Philadelphia Street.

The city is home to York College of Pennsylvania, which was originally founded in 1787; Penn State York; YTI Career Institute (YTI), which hosts many technology and businessed based accredited majors; Yorktowne Business Institute (YBI) & School of Culinary Arts, which offers accredited degree and diploma programs in the Business, Medical and Culinary fields; York Time Institute; HACC's York Campus; and The Art Institute of York-Pennsylvania, formerly Bradley Academy for the Visual Arts.

Sports

Baseball

The city of York has a single professional sports team, the York Revolution, which plays in the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. After 36 years without professional baseball, the Revolution arrived in 2007 to fill the void left by the departed York White Roses. The Revolution are named after the city's colonial past, when the Continental Congress met in York and passed the Articles of Confederation during the Revolutionary War. The Revolution continue the old baseball rivalry between York and the nearby city of Lancaster. The Revolution play at Sovereign Bank Stadium in York's Arch Street neighborhood. The stadium features a plaza and statue in honor of MLB Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson, a one-time member of the aforementioned White Roses, with whom he made his professional baseball debut in 1955. Robinson currently serves as a special assistant and advisor to Opening Day Partners, the group largely responsible for bringing professional baseball back to York.

Sovereign Bank Stadium has the distinction of having the tallest wall in baseball. At 37 feet, 8 inches, the left field wall of York's ballpark surpasses the height of the Green Monster at Fenway Park, the home of the Boston Red Sox.

Football

The people of York (the White Rose City) and the similar city of Lancaster (the Red Rose City) across the Susquehanna River often engage in rivalry and competition that has its roots in the Wars of the Roses. Both cities take their names from the English cities, York and Lancaster, from which the opposing royal houses took their names in the 15th century wars.

The War of the Roses All-Star Game is played in York every year over the weekend of Thanksgiving. The game pits the best high school football players in their senior seasons from the York-Adams League against a similar team from the Lancaster-Lebanon League. As the game only involves seniors and occurs during the first weekend of the PIAA District 3 football playoffs (players on teams which qualify for the playoffs do not participate), it is the final high school football game for each of the participants.

Former Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, and San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Chris Doleman graduated from York's William Penn High School. York was the birthplace of former New York Giants Linebacker Andre Powell, former Miami Dolphins Running Back Woodrow (Woody) Bennett, former Los Angeles Raiders and Atlanta Falcons Tackle/Guard Lincoln Kennedy and former Atlanta Falcons Safety Omar Brown.

Other sports

The Bob Hoffman Auditorium at York Barbell hosts a variety of powerlifting, Olympic lifting, strongman and bodybuilding competitions and shows.

York is home to the "Plywood Hoods", a group of BMX freestylers, including Kevin Jones, who gained broad acclaim in the 1980s and 1990s.

York is also the home of the York County Silver Bullets semiprofessional football team (Colonial Football Alliance). In their 2006 inaugural season they had a record of 5 and 5, gaining a playoff berth only to lose in the first round.

"The Pogo Squad", a group of about twelve extreme pogo performers, is located in York. They participate in area events, including the York St. Patrick's Day Parade, and perform shows. A photo of one member's pogo stunt against a sunset background won first place out of over 800 entries in a 2007 York newspaper photo contest.

York was home to the Thunder D'ohm Skateboard Park, now defunct. There are plans to build a new park to be entitled "Reid Menzer Memorial Skatepark", named for a York Catholic High School student who was killed riding a skateboard like a streetluge.

York US30 was a drag strip just outside of York. It held the 1965 Super Stock championships – "the largest one day drag race" in the United States. An annual Musclecar Madness event is held in York to commemorate the defunct strip.

Media

York is unusual in that it supports two daily newspapers, despite its relatively small size. The York Daily Record/Sunday News is published mornings, seven days a week, and The York Dispatch is published Monday through Friday afternoons. The Daily Record/Sunday News currently has the lead in terms of circulations of the daily newspapers.

The York area is part of the Susquehanna Valley (Harrisburg/Lancaster/Lebanon/York) media market. Of the major television network affiliates in this media market, only one, the Fox affiliate WPMT, has its base of operations in York. Other stations in the market include NBC Affiliate WGAL, from Lancaster, ABC affiliate WHTM-TV, CBS Affiliate WHP-TV, CW Affiliate WLYH, and PBS member WITF-TV, all from Harrisburg. It is also not uncommon for York residents to receive some stations from the Baltimore, Maryland media market, due to its proximity to the south of York.

York has a Public, educational, and government access (PEG) cable tv station called WRCT (White Rose Community Television) which used to be YCAT (York Community Access Television).

The pop music radio station, WSBA AM 910, achieved high ratings in not only York, but also in nearby Harrisburg and Lancaster, during the 1960s and 1970s. WSBA, now a news-talk station, was well-known for being the flagship station of Susquehanna Broadcasting, which had its corporate offices in York, as well.

York's "98 YCR" was once a very popular pop music station with DJ Captain Connors. The radio station has since switched formats to classic 60s, 70s, and 80s music. Now calling itself "The Peak" 98.5 "York's Classic Hits", WYCR remains popular, but with older generations.

Other radio stations in York include WVYC, WARM FM, WQXA FM, and WOYK.

FM stations in the greater York, Pennsylvania metropolitan area include:

{| class=wikitable border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" |- !Callsign || MHz || Band || "Name" Format, Owner || City of license || HD-Radio || Multicasting |- | WDCV | align=right | 88.3 | FM | Indie/College Rock, Dickinson College | Carlisle | - | - |- | WXPH | align=right | 88.7 | FM | WXPN relay, University of Pennsylvania | Harrisburg | - | - |- | WSYC | align=right | 88.7 | FM | Alternative, Shippensburg University | Shippensburg | - | - |- | WITF-FM | align=right | 89.5 | FM | NPR | Harrisburg | Yes | Yes |- | WJTL | align=right | 90.3 | FM | Christian | Lancaster | - | - |- | WVMM | align=right | 90.7 | FM | Indie/College Rock, Messiah College | Grantham | No | - |- | WJAZ | align=right | 91.7 | FM | WRTI relay, Classical/Jazz, Temple University | Harrisburg | No | - |- | WWKL | align=right | 92.1 | FM | "Hot 92", Rhythmic/CHR | Palmyra | Yes | No |- | WSJW | align=right | 92.7 | FM | Smooth Jazz | Starview | No | - |- | WPOC | align=right | 93.1 | FM | Country | Baltimore, MD | Yes | Yes |- | WTPA | align=right | 93.5 | FM | Classic Rock | Mechanicsburg | Yes | No |- | WDAC | align=right | 94.5 | FM | Christian | Lancaster | Yes | Yes |- | WRBT | align=right | 94.9 | FM | "Bob" Country | Harrisburg | Yes | Yes |- | WSOX | align=right | 96.1 | FM | Oldies | York | Yes | No |- | WLAN | align=right | 96.9 | FM | "FM 97" Top 40 | Lancaster | No | - |- | WRVV | align=right | 97.3 | FM | "The River" Classic Hits and the Best of Today's Rock | Harrisburg | Yes | Yes |- | WIYY | align=right | 97.9 | FM | "98 Rock" Rock | Baltimore, MD | Yes | Yes |- | WYCR | align=right | 98.5 | FM | 98.5 The Peak | York | No | - |- | WQLV | align=right | 98.9 | FM | "Love 99" Adult Contemporary | Millersburg | No | - |- | WHKF | align=right | 99.3 | FM | "Kiss-FM" CHR | Harrisburg | Yes | Yes |- | WVYC | align=right | 99.7 | FM | Indie/College Rock, York College | York, PA | No | Yes |- | WFRE | align=right | 99.9 | FM | "Free Country" | Frederick, MD | Yes | Yes |- | WQIC | align=right | 100.1 | FM | Adult Contemporary | Lebanon | - | - |- | WROZ | align=right | 101.3 | FM | "The Rose" Adult Contemporary | Lancaster | Yes | No |- | WARM | align=right | 103.3 | FM | "Warm 103" Adult Contemporary | York | Yes | No |- | WNNK | align=right | 104.1 | FM | "Wink 104" Hot AC | Harrisburg | Yes | No |- | WAYZ | align=right | 104.7 | FM | Country | Hagerstown, MD | No | - |- | WQXA | align=right | 105.7 | FM | "105.7 The X" Hard Rock | York | No | - |- | WMHX | align=right | 106.7 | FM | "Mix" Adult Hits | Hershey | No | - |- | WGTY | align=right | 107.7 | FM | "Great Country" | Gettysburg | No | - |- |}

Sister cities

York is officially twinned with: - Arles, France — since 1954 - Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany — since 1981

Transportation

York is served, through public transportation, by Rabbit Transit, which operates multiple bus routes in the city and the surrounding suburbs. In 2006 a rabbitEXPRESS bus route was established to transport commuters to Harrisburg and back, making six round trips weekdays. Rabbit Transit introduced a new route on February 2, 2009 that provides three daily round trips between York and Timonium, Maryland. The $5 fare each way covers 80% of the operating costs.

In addition to Rabbit Transit the city has a Greyhound/Trailways bus depot where service through Harrisburg to Syracuse, or to Baltimore and Washington, D.C. is provided by Greyhound Lines. Service through Lancaster to Philadelphia and New York City is provided by Capitol Trailways.

Rail enthusiasts have suggested commuter rail service could be started between York and Philadelphia with much of the necessary infrastructure already in place, using SEPTA's system. Transportation planners say this is too expensive, with bus and van services more feasible. The former Pennsylvania Railroad station for York now lies along the York County Heritage Rail Trail across from the baseball park.

York does not have any commercial airports, though the small York Airport (THV) is located 7 miles southwest in Thomasville. Many residents use either Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) or Harrisburg International Airport (MDT).

Lancaster, 24 miles to the east, has frequent Amtrak train service to Philadelphia.

See also

List of people from York, Pennsylvania

References

External links

York Daily Record/Sunday News

Directory of York County regional history sites

City of York (official site)

York Race Riots of 1969

York County Heritage Trust

from Wikitravel

York County USGenWeb Project

Category:Former capitals of the United States Category:Cities in Pennsylvania Category:Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Category:County seats in Pennsylvania Category:Populated places established in 1741 York Category:Populated places in York County, Pennsylvania

Name	Gavin DeGraw|Background = solo_singer
Birth name	Gavin Shane DeGraw
Born	February 04, 1977
Height	5'11"
Origin	South Fallsburg, New York, United States.
Genre	Rock, pop rock, blue-eyed soul
Instrument	Vocals, piano, guitar
Voice type	Tenor
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician
Years active	2001–present
Label	J RecordsSony Music Entertainment
Url	Official website

Gavin Shane DeGraw (born February 4, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is probably most well-known for his songs "Chariot", "Follow Through", "I Don't Want to Be" (which is featured as the theme song for the TV drama One Tree Hill), and "In Love with a Girl."

Early life

DeGraw grew up in the Catskills in South Fallsburg, New York. His father was a prison guard and his mother was a detox specialist, which he mentions in his song "I Don't Want to Be". He is mostly of Russian and Irish ancestry. DeGraw began singing and playing piano at the age of eight. . He also has two siblings, both older, named Joey and Neeka. It was at his brother's advice that he began writing his own songs. Joey DeGraw is a musician as well, currently touring to promote his own music.

Career

Originally, DeGraw started in Manhattan clubs alongside local pianists Andrew West and Lenny Revell, drawing several of his home town fans. He got his big break when "I Don't Want to Be" was chosen as the theme song for the teen drama One Tree Hill. The song has also been performed on American Idol, Australian Idol, Canadian Idol, Idol Sweden, and Idol Norway by various contestants during different seasons. Two of DeGraw's other songs, "Follow Through" and "Chariot," have also achieved popularity and radio play. His song "We Belong Together" was also featured in the 2006 film Tristan and Isolde. In 2004, DeGraw released an acoustic version of his album Chariot called Chariot Stripped. DeGraw and his band recorded the album live in the studio, in only one take on the vocals, seeking an intimate effect.

Since 2004, his profile has grown, bringing him to other states as he tours the country. He made his television debut on Final Call with Carson Daly. DeGraw has also appeared on television shows including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Show With David Letterman, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Live with Regis and Kelly. Recently, he has been seen in cameos on Dead Like Me, What I Like About You, and American Dreams. He also appeared in One Tree Hill, singing I Don't Want to Be and Chariot at Karen's Cafe. DeGraw has released a number of music videos as well, including I Don't Want to Be, Follow Through and Chariot. The latter was directed by Zach Braff, who also directed music videos for Joshua Radin. DeGraw has toured with such acts as Sister Hazel, Barenaked Ladies, Howie Day, Michael Tolcher, Butterfly Boucher, The Allman Brothers Band, Marc Broussard, Saving Jane, Jason Mraz and Maroon 5.

He and his brother opened The National Underground in December 2007, a New York City music venue that is a roots rock Americana music bar located in Manhattan's Lower East Side, at 159 East Houston Street between Allen Street and Eldridge Street. The venue offers music, food, and drink. The idea for the venue came about because the brothers wanted a place where they could hang out on a regular basis, and where other musicians could come in and listen and learn. "We were picky about the quality of musicians that played there," Gavin DeGraw says. "We wanted a place where the players were so good, other musicians were like, 'Wow! I really respect what they're doing.'"

According to DeGraw's official site, he returned to the studio on September 1, 2006 to begin recording his next album. Gavin DeGraw was released on May 6, 2008, peaking at #7 on the US Billboard Chart. The first single, "In Love with a Girl" was released on February 5, 2008. The second U.S. single "Cheated On Me" was released in September 2008, while the rest of the world saw the release of "She Holds a Key". The worldwide third single is "I Have You to Thank".

Gavin Degraw's third album, Free was released March 31, 2009. DeGraw made Free in less than two weeks at the Brooklyn studio of his producer Camus Celli. The first single, "Stay", was released through DeGraw's website on March 11.

DeGraw's song "Follow Through" (from his 2003 album release Chariot) was featured on an advert for Carte D'or ice cream in both the UK and Italy from 2008 to 2010.

DeGraw's song "More Than Anyone" (also from the album Chariot), was featured on an episode of the television series What I Like About You.

According to DeGraw, his next album Sweeter will release on August 9 and will feature tracks co-written with other artists. The first single "Not Over You" will be released on iTunes in June. The track was co-written and produced by Ryan Tedder.

DeGraw will be touring the U.S. as a supporting/opening act for Maroon 5 and Train over July and August.

Band Members

Current

Billy Norris - guitar, background vocals (2009-present)

Tony Tino - bass, (2009-present)

Ian O'Neill - drums, background vocals (2011-present)

Jimmy Wallace-Keys, acoustic guitar, vocals (2007-2008, 2011-present)

Previous

Brian Dennis - guitar, background vocals

Casey Twist - bass, background vocals

Jimmy Wallace - organ, keyboards, background vocals

Joey "Coach" Hanna - drums, background vocals

Joey DeGraw - guitar, background vocals

Johnny "Tsunami" Andrews - guitar,background vocals

Alvin Moody - bass, background vocals

Whynot Jansveld - bass, background vocals

Matt Flynn - drums

Discography

Albums

Singles

Compilations

"We Are the Champions", from the album (2005)

"Jealous Guy", from the album One Tree Hill, Vol. 2: Friends with Benefit (2006)

"Follow Through", from the album "Bath and Body Works, PS: I Love You" (2009)

Awards and nominations

References

Billboard Artist Chart History - retrieved March 15, 2009.

External links

Gavin DeGraw's official website

Gavin DeGraw collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive

Music videos at AOL Video

Exclusive Gavin DeGraw Interviews at OurStage.com

Category:1977 births Category:American male singers Category:American rock guitarists Category:American rock pianists Category:American rock singer-songwriters Category:American singers Category:Berklee College of Music alumni Category:Ithaca College alumni Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Russian descent Category:American musicians of Irish descent Category:American musicians of Russian descent Category:Living people Category:Musicians from New York Category:People from the Catskills Category:People from Fallsburg, New York

Name	Barack Obama
Alt	A portrait shot of a serious looking middle-aged African-American male (Barack Obama) looking straight ahead. He has short black hair, and is wearing a dark navy blazer with a blue striped tie over a light blue collared shirt. In the background are two flags hanging from separate flagpoles: an American flag, and one from the Executive Office of the President.
Order	44th
Office	President of the United States
Vicepresident	Joe Biden
Term start	January 20, 2009
Predecessor	George W. Bush
Jr/sr2	United States Senator
State2	Illinois
Term start2	January 3, 2005
Term end2	November 16, 2008
Predecessor2	Peter Fitzgerald
Successor2	Roland Burris
Office3	Member of the Illinois Senate from the 13th District
Term start3	January 8, 1997
Term end3	November 4, 2004
Predecessor3	Alice Palmer
Successor3	Kwame Raoul
Birth name	Barack Hussein Obama II
Birth date	August 04, 1961
Birth place	Honolulu, Hawaii
Filename	President Obama on Death of Osama bin Laden.ogv
Title	President Obama on Osama bin Laden's Death
Description	President Obama announces the death of Osama bin Laden on May 1, 2011.
Filename2	050111 Osama Bin Laden Death Statement audioonly.ogg
Title2	President Obama on Osama bin Laden's Death
Description2	audio only version

Osama bin Laden

to monitor the progress of Operation Neptune Spear.]]

Starting with information received in July 2010, intelligence developed by the CIA over the next several months determined what they believed to be the location of Osama bin Laden in a large compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, a suburban area 35 miles from Islamabad. CIA head Leon Panetta reported this intelligence to President Obama in March 2011. Bin Laden's body was identified through DNA testing, and buried at sea several hours later. Within minutes of the President's announcement from Washington, DC, late in the evening on May 1, there were spontaneous celebrations around the country as crowds gathered outside the White House, and at New York City's Ground Zero and Times Square. Reaction to the announcement was positive across party lines, including from predecessors George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and from many countries around the world.

2010 midterm election

Obama called the November 2, 2010 election, where the Democratic Party lost 63 seats in, and control of, the House of Representatives, "humbling" and a "shellacking". He said that the results came because not enough Americans had felt the effects of the economic recovery.

Cultural and political image

invited then-President-elect Barack Obama and former Presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter to a meeting in the Oval Office on January 7, 2009.]] Obama's family history, early life and upbringing, and Ivy League education differ markedly from those of African-American politicians who launched their careers in the 1960s through participation in the civil rights movement. Obama is also not a descendant of American slaves. Expressing puzzlement over questions about whether he is "black enough", Obama told an August 2007 meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists that "we're still locked in this notion that if you appeal to white folks then there must be something wrong." Obama acknowledged his youthful image in an October 2007 campaign speech, saying: "I wouldn't be here if, time and again, the torch had not been passed to a new generation."

Obama is frequently referred to as an exceptional orator. as President of the United States on January 24, 2009, discussing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.]]

According to the Gallup Organization, Obama began his presidency with a 68% approval rating before gradually declining for the rest of the year, and eventually bottoming out at 41% in August 2010, a trend similar to Ronald Reagan's and Bill Clinton's first years in office. He experienced a small poll bounce shortly after the death of Osama bin Laden, which lasted until around June 2011, when his approval numbers dropped back to where they were prior to the operation. Polls show strong support for Obama in other countries, and before being elected President he has met with prominent foreign figures including then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Italy's Democratic Party leader and then Mayor of Rome Walter Veltroni, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

According to a May 2009 poll conducted by Harris Interactive for France 24 and the International Herald Tribune, Obama was rated as the most popular world leader, as well as the one figure most people would pin their hopes on for pulling the world out of the economic downturn.

Obama won Best Spoken Word Album Grammy Awards for abridged audiobook versions of Dreams from My Father in February 2006 and for The Audacity of Hope in February 2008. His concession speech after the New Hampshire primary was set to music by independent artists as the music video "Yes We Can", which was viewed by 10 million people on YouTube in its first month and received a Daytime Emmy Award. In December 2008, Time magazine named Barack Obama as its Person of the Year for his historic candidacy and election, which it described as "the steady march of seemingly impossible accomplishments".

On October 9, 2009, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that Obama had won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples". Obama accepted this award in Oslo, Norway on December 10, 2009, with "deep gratitude and great humility." The award drew a mixture of praise and criticism from world leaders and media figures. Obama is the fourth U.S. president to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and the third to become a Nobel laureate while in office.

A 2010 Siena College poll of 238 Presidential scholars found that Obama was ranked 15th out of 43, with high ratings for imagination, communication ability and intelligence and a low rating for background (family, education and experience).

Family and personal life

, as they wave from the South Portico of the White House to guests attending the White House Easter Egg Roll.]]

In a 2006 interview, Obama highlighted the diversity of his extended family: "It's like a little mini-United Nations", he said. "I've got relatives who look like Bernie Mac, and I've got relatives who look like Margaret Thatcher." Obama has seven half-siblings from his Kenyan father's family – six of them living – and a half-sister with whom he was raised, Maya Soetoro-Ng, the daughter of his mother and her Indonesian second husband. Obama's mother was survived by her Kansas-born mother, Madelyn Dunham, until her death on November 2, 2008, two days before his election to the Presidency. In Dreams from My Father, Obama ties his mother's family history to possible Native American ancestors and distant relatives of Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Obama's great-uncle served in the 89th Division that overran Ohrdruf, the first of the Nazi concentration camps to be liberated by U.S. troops during World War II.

Obama was known as "Barry" in his youth, but asked to be addressed with his given name during his college years. Besides his native English, Obama speaks Indonesian at the conversational level, which he learned during his four childhood years in Jakarta.

, Djibouti in 2006]]

jersey from Steelers owner Dan Rooney, who campaigned for Obama in 2008 In 2009, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the all star game while wearing a White Sox jacket. He is also primarily a Chicago Bears fan in the NFL, but in his childhood and adolesence was a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and recently rooted for them ahead of their victory in Super Bowl XLIII 12 days after Obama took office as President.

In June 1989, Obama met Michelle Robinson when he was employed as a summer associate at the Chicago law firm of Sidley Austin. Assigned for three months as Obama's adviser at the firm, Robinson joined him at group social functions, but declined his initial requests to date. They began dating later that summer, became engaged in 1991, and were married on October 3, 1992. The couple's first daughter, Malia Ann, was born on July 4, 1998, followed by a second daughter, Natasha ("Sasha"), on June 10, 2001. The Obama daughters attended the private University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. When they moved to Washington, D.C., in January 2009, the girls started at the private Sidwell Friends School. The Obamas have a Portuguese Water Dog named Bo, a gift from Senator Ted Kennedy.

Applying the proceeds of a book deal, the family moved in 2005 from a Hyde Park, Chicago condominium to a $1.6 million house in neighboring Kenwood, Chicago. The purchase of an adjacent lot and sale of part of it to Obama by the wife of developer, campaign donor and friend Tony Rezko attracted media attention because of Rezko's subsequent indictment and conviction on political corruption charges that were unrelated to Obama. Their 2009 tax return showed a household income of $5.5 million—up from about $4.2 million in 2007 and $1.6 million in 2005—mostly from sales of his books.

Obama tried to quit smoking several times, sometimes using nicotine replacement therapy. Michelle Obama said he successfully quit in early 2010.

Religious views

As he described in The Audacity of Hope, Obama is a Christian whose religious views developed in his adult life. He wrote that he "was not raised in a religious household". He described his mother, raised by non-religious parents (whom Obama has specified elsewhere as "non-practicing Methodists and Baptists"), to be detached from religion, yet "in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I have ever known". He described his father as "raised a Muslim", but a "confirmed atheist" by the time his parents met, and his stepfather as "a man who saw religion as not particularly useful". Obama explained how, through working with black churches as a community organizer while in his twenties, he came to understand "the power of the African-American religious tradition to spur social change".

Obama was baptized at the Trinity United Church of Christ in 1988 and was an active member there for two decades. After a prolonged effort to find a church to attend regularly in Washington, Obama announced in June 2009 that his primary place of worship would be the Evergreen Chapel at Camp David.

Notes

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References

Further reading

Curry, Jessica. "Barack Obama: Under the Lights", Chicago Life, Fall 2004. Retrieved on January 14, 2008.

Graff, Garrett. "The Legend of Barack Obama", Washingtonian, November 1, 2006. Retrieved on January 14, 2008.

Koltun, Dave (2005) "The 2004 Illinois Senate Race: Obama Wins Open Seat and Becomes National Political "Star"" in "The Road to Congress 2004" Editors: Sunil Ahuja (Youngstown State University) and Robert Dewhirst (Truman State University), Nova Science Publishers, Hauppauge, New York, Binding: Hardcover Pub. Date: 2005, ISBN 1-59454-360-7

Lizza, Ryan. "Above the Fray", GQ, September 2007. Retrieved on October 27, 2010.

MacFarquhar, Larissa. "The Conciliator: Where is Barack Obama Coming From?", New Yorker, May 7, 2007. Retrieved on January 14, 2008.

McClelland, Edward, Young Mr. Obama: Chicago and the Making of a Black President, Bloomsbury Press, 2010.

Zutter, Hank De. "What Makes Obama Run?", Chicago Reader, December 8, 1995. Retrieved on January 14, 2008.

External links

;Official

President Barack Obama White House official website

* Full transcript and video of President Obama's inaugural address (from whitehouse.gov)

BarackObama.com (official website)

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