Urbanization
and Urban Problems |
Five
major population shifts that have affected urbanization and urban problems
in the U.S. |
|
1. Rural to Urban
Migration: Industrialization of cities from the 1700s to the mid-1800s
attracted young men and women from rural areas to urban centers in the
Northeast.
|
| 2.
European Immigration: The massive wave of immigrants from Europe from
the mid-1800s to the 1920s contributed to explosive growth of urban areas
in the U.S. |
| 3.
African Americans from the Rural South to the Urban North: The "Great
Migration" of African Americans to cities in the Northeast and Midwest
was spurred by racial oppression in the South during the Jim Crow era. |
| 4.
Suburbanization: Following World War II, the availability of affordable
suburban housing and the construction of freeways and the interstate highway
system led to a major shift of the white population to suburban areas. |
| 5.
Snowbelt to Sunbelt Migration: From the mid-20th Century onward,
the Southern and Western regions of the U.S. have experienced rapid urban
growth as jobs and people migrated from the Northeast and Midwest. |
|
U.S.
Population in Millions and Growth by Region, 1970-2000
|
|
Region
of the U.S.
|
1970
|
1980
|
1970-80
Increase
|
1990
|
1980-90
Increase
|
2000
|
1990-00
Increase
|
|
Northeast
|
49.1
|
49.1
|
0.2%
|
50.8
|
3.4%
|
53.6
|
5.5%
|
|
Midwest
|
56.6
|
58.7
|
4.0%
|
59.7
|
1.4%
|
64.4
|
7.9%
|
|
South
|
62.8
|
75.4
|
20.0%
|
85.4
|
13.4%
|
100.2
|
17.3%
|
|
West
|
34.8
|
43.3
|
23.9%
|
52.8
|
22.3%
|
63.2
|
19.7%
|
|
Florida
|
6.8
|
9.7
|
43.5%
|
12.9
|
32.7%
|
16.0
|
23.5%
|
|
| Index Page
|