1. A Profile of the US
A Nation of Cities...
In the 1800s, the US economy was based on
Agriculture.
As innovations improved transportation and
communication, the focus of the economy
shifted to industry, manufacturing, and later,
service industries

2. A Profile of the US
So the population began migrating away from farms
and small towns...
and to moving to larger cities. The US now has
more than 250 Metropolitan Areas (a major
city and its surrounding suburbs).

3. Railroads
Railroads united the country in
the mid to late-1800s allowing for
easier travel for individuals, and
more importantly, transportation
of goods.
Chicago, centrally located
between the east and
west coasts, became a
center of trade and the
largest city in the
midwest.

4. Canals
In the early 1800s, a canal was created
that connected by waterway New York
City and Lake Erie at Buffalo and
Niagara Falls.
Rochester
Buffalo
Cleveland
Toledo
Detroit
This canal allowed for goods to be Saginaw
shipped from the east coast through the Grand Rapids
Great Lakes, all the way to the midwest. Chicago
Cities grew along this trade route, Milwaukee
through New York state and around the Green Bay
Great Lakes. Duluth

5. Automobiles
Automobiles gave
individuals more freedom
for travel. People could
work in a large city and live
in a suburb.
In 1956, The
Federal-Aid
Highway Act
provided funds to
build 4,000 miles
of interstate
highway.

6. Because of improvements in Transportation (and in
Communication), people began to have more freedom in
choosing where to live. Many chose to live in warmer
climates, so cities in the Southeast and desert Southwest
began to grow.
Phoenix, Arizona Miami, Florida Atlanta, Georgia