Here at Next American City, we appreciate a little qualified competition. And of the many specialty news websites that have launched in Philly in recent years, Hidden City Philadelphia has informed us while keeping us on our toes.

Part news website, part community programmer and event organizer, Hidden City incorporates a strong sense of history into daily reporting on pressing issues in Philly today. Its features include an aggregation of important daily news stories called the Morning Blend, and a number of columns explore everything from “the secret lives of anonymous buildings” to street-level reporting from a historical and architectural perspective. Last week, the site celebrated “Frank Furness Week,” with a series of articles reflecting on the city’s most prized architect. And it was through Hidden City that many Philadelphians got to see the inside of the Metropolitan Opera House, the century-old North Broad marvel, for the first time.

Established with the help of a grant from the Knight Foundation, Hidden City is entering its second year and seeking funding through the crowd-sourcing website Indiegogo. It is about halfway to its goal of $15,000, and depending on readers to help expand its coverage. So, after you buy a subscription to Forefront, we advise you to head on over to Indiegogo and pledge help keep NAC’s friendly competition alive.