Title: The Growing Pains of Urbanization, 1870—1900 | U.S. History II: 1877 to Present
Headings: The Growing Pains of Urbanization, 1870—1900
The Growing Pains of Urbanization, 1870—1900
The Growing Pains of Urbanization, 1870—1900
Urbanization and Its Challenges
The Keys to Successful Urbanization
Electric Lighting
Communications Improvements
Intra-City Transportation
The Rise of Skyscrapers
Jacob Riis and the Window Into “How the Other Half Lives”
The Immediate Challenges of Urban Life

Content: At this time, the attractions of city life, and in particular, employment opportunities, grew exponentially due to rapid changes in industrialization. Before the mid-1800s, factories, such as the early textile mills, had to be located near rivers and seaports, both for the transport of goods and the necessary water power. Production became dependent upon seasonal water flow, with cold, icy winters all but stopping river transportation entirely. The development of the steam engine transformed this need, allowing businesses to locate their factories near urban centers. These factories encouraged more and more people to move to urban areas where jobs were plentiful, but hourly wages were often low and the work was routine and grindingly monotonous. Eventually, cities developed their own unique characters based on the core industry that spurred their growth. In Pittsburgh, it was steel; in Chicago, it was meat packing; in New York, the garment and financial industries dominated; and Detroit, by the mid-twentieth century, was defined by the automobiles it built.