<p>this thread is about one question on the sat ii us history. railroads caused the growth of which city: chicago or pittsburgh. use this thread as a poll where you can write what answer you think is right.</p>
<p>I put chicago</p>
<p>Wow, this test has generated so much controversy. I understand the reasoning behind Pittsburgh as a center of steel manufacturing, but I believe Chicago was transformed more so than Pittsburgh with the introduction of railroads.</p>
<p>i put pittsburg</p>
<p>regardless of the correct answer the question sucks lol</p>
<p>Straight from the “American Experiment 2nd Edition” by Gillon:</p>
<p>“Although Illinois had been remote from Americans’ imagination and development plans during the century’s early decades, Chicago became the greatest midwestern city by the late 1850s. Not industrial development but rather distribution and transportation services turned that old Indian trading town into an overnight wonder… nothing about Pittsburgh at all.”</p>
<p>I said Chicago</p>
<p>Chicago</p>
<p>for sure.</p>
<p>Its chicago because of the refridgerated railroad cars expanded the city economically as well as population wise with the onset of them in 1872…</p>
<p>While pittsburg produced steel, railroads didn’t necessarily cause a huge increase in population. Since it was the actual steel industry that increased the populaton, most of the steel produced was being used for ship, buildings, machines, locomotives, etc. Chicago really boomed because of the Railroads because it allowed for farmers and ranchers to bring their food to eastern markets. All pittsburg had for it was the production of steel that was transported over railraods, but it was nothing like Chi-Town in relation to the growth that happened.</p>
<p>The only argument over this was the Eerie canal that caused Chicago’s growth… But that was completed in 1848 and mostly benefited New York. </p>
<p>These are the population figures for chicago from a US census.
1830 100
1840 4,470
1850 29,963
1860 112,172
1870 298,977
1880 503,185
1890 1,099,850
1900 1,698,575
1910 2,185.283</p>
<p>1830-1860 Minimal growth as compared to 1870-1900</p>
<p>This is Pittsburgs</p>
<p>1830 21,568
1840 21,515
1850 46,601
1860 78,000
1870 139,500
1880 235,000
1890 344,000
1900 451,500
*note these numbers are slightly inflated since I got them off of a county’s website that is close to pittsburg and these were the numbers of their town + pittsburgs… But even on wikipedia, (which as the actual numbers), the increase doesn’t match that of Chicago at all.</p>
<p>No where near the increase as chicago.</p>
<p>Chicago. (10char)</p>