During the nineteenth century and into the beginning of the twentieth (also known as the Gilded Age), American cities began to blossom into diverse settings that developed new lifestyles, innovations (and inventions) and much more. Railroads and mass transits (commuting) made transportation of people and goods into the city more efficient, especially for people in the West and the South. American cities also began developing great pieces of architecture such as skyscrapers and dumbbell tenements that were work places and homes for many natives and immigrants. Additionally, the arrival of immigrants of into the land of the free provided for cheap labor for employers, contributed immensely to the cities’ population and allowed for the development of new culture in the …show more content…
Engineering advancements of skyscrapers and bridges produced mesmerizing beauty that attracted many Americans and immigrants towards those areas, essentially contributing to the population growth similar to how transportation brought people to the cities. However, though the developments of skyscrapers and bridges painted a pleasant image of American cities, the mass residential housing (slums) presented a more contradictory portrait. Typically, these unhealthy and insanitary tenements built alongside great architectural projects usually resided New Immigrants and poor Americans from the West and the South. Though many of these areas were crowded and displeasing environments, different cultures and traditions developed, making living situations a more homely area, especially for the New Immigrants. In addition, despite the unpleasant living conditions, these tenements also provided homes for people leaving or escaping their current home(s), allowing people of many different backgrounds to begin new lives in the land of full of