U.S. Urban System Developments

The urban history of the United States is divided into five phases. Each is characterized by different energy sources and transportation modes which together result in distinctive critical locations and spatial patterns. Where are the sample cities located (consult an atlas)? How do the factors identified "explain" the location of these cities?

Growth Stage	Energy Base	Transport Channel	Critical Location	Spatial Pattern	Sample Cities
BEFORE 1820 LAND	humans, animals, wind, water	dirt roads (horses & wagons), rivers (flatboats), oceans (sailing ships)	seaports on river mouths agricultural villages	dispersed in agricultural areas linear dispersion along trans-shipment points	Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Hartford, Charleston
1820-1840s LABOR	water power, steam engines (wood)	rivers (steamboats), canals (steamboats)	interior ports on rivers, lakes, canals	linear dispersion along major waterways	Cleveland, Buffalo, Pittsburgh
1850-1860s CAPITAL	coal-burning steam engines	iron railroads: extend to individual urban hinterlands only	interior rail nodes at lake, sea, & river ports	urban centers connected to the national markets	Chicago
1870-1920s ENTERPRISE	coal and steam, electricity	steel railroads: connecting the country; specialized cars and fast service	rail centers without regard to water sites	dispersed in western and southern US periphery to access natural resources	Dallas, San Francisco
1930-PRESENT INFORMATION	internal combustion engines, natural gas & oil	many different types of transport, but especially the electronics and internet since the 1980s	highways, airports now follow cities	major new metropolitan centers in the periphery based on amenity resources	Los Angeles, Miami

Answer: plot the sample cities on a U.S. outline map and use a different symbol for each era. The patterns are striking!

Optional reading:
1) article on the history of migration to the U.S. -- past and present.
2) article on recent development in global urbanization, especially in the Third World.
3) map of large cities (over 5 million) in 1950, 200, and 2015 [Source: National Geographic Society, November 2002].
4) graph of the U.S. stock market "crash" during the 1930s Great Depression.

Created by Ingolf Vogeler on 30 March 1996; last revised on 07 March 2005.