Urbanization and Migration

It Matters Because: Industrialization in the North attracted people from rural areas to the cities where most of the factories were located. This led to the growth of urban areas, or urbanization.

The growth of factories and trade led to urbanization, the process by which large numbers of people become permanently concentrated in relatively small areas, forming cities.

Many towns and cities developed along rivers because factories could take advantage of the waterpower and easily ship goods to markets. Older cities such as New York, Boston, and Baltimore also grew as centers of commerce and trade.

Cities and towns looked different from modern urban areas. They featured wood and brick buildings and unpaved streets. Barnyard animals often roamed freely. There were no sewers to carry away waste, so diseases such as cholera and yellow fever were a threat. Fire was another danger. Sparks from a fireplace could easily ignite wooden buildings. Fires could be disastrous since few cities had organized fire departments.

Yet cities offered many opportunities, such as a variety of jobs and steady wages. As cities grew, residents built libraries, museums, and shops for people to enjoy during their leisure time. For many, the jobs and attractions of city life outweighed the dangers.

Between the years 1840 and 1860, immigration to the United States grew sharply. The greatest number of immigrants came from Ireland. A plant disease, known as the "potato blight" or "potato famine", destroyed most of the Irish food supply in the 1840s.

The people of Ireland faced famine, which is an extreme shortage of food. About 1.5 million of them left Ireland for the United States between 1846 and 1860. Many settled in Boston, New York City, and other Eastern cities. 

The second largest group of immigrants in the United States between 1820 and 1860 came from Germany. Some sought work and opportunity. Others fled to escape political problems at home.

European immigrants brought languages, customs, religions, and traditions to their new country. Some of their ways of living changed American culture. Sometimes, however, their customs and religion also caused conflict.