The Growth of American Cities From Colonial Times to the Early 20th Century
Introduction
The growth of urban areas in the American history has had different driving forces and circumstances interacted in over 225 years. The effect has been to a point where 80% of the Americans now live in metropolitan areas that occupy approximately 20% of the total land area or even less. The amount of intensively developed land in these metropolitan areas is also less. Urbanization in American cities started slowly, and it rapidly accelerated in the second half of the 19th century, and then it went on progressively throughout the next 100 years (Wirth 3). As provided in this investigation, both reasons and forms of urbanization have however changed substantially over time. The paper describes urbanisation and its growth in America through the 19th century to 21st century.
Urbanization in the 19th Century
In 1800, the new republic of the United States was largely agricultural based. Five cities were situated along the eastern seaboard which held populations that slightly exceeded 20,000. These cities were Charleston,
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The owners of factory constructed their plants along waterways to utilize the water for industrial transport, drainage, or processes. Industrial workers often lived in residences close to their places of work. It is for this reason that low-income housing was developed. They were not costly as they were located in damp lands. Particularly, these places were prone to unhygienic settings. Conversely, prime residential areas such as St. Louis, Providence, or Cincinnati occupied the hills, which were drier and had good outlooks (“Urbanization of America”.). Up and down, the valleys between hills were positioned the residential places of artisans and labourers, frequently in two or three-story buildings with resident quarters back or above and with shops at the