Chapter 9-2: The Rise of the Cities

Between 1880 and 1900, cities grew at a dramatic rate. Owing most of their population growth to the expansion of industry. A steady stream of people from rural (country) areas migrated to the cities during this period.

Industrial expansion and population growth radically changed the face of the cities. Noise, traffic jams, slums, air pollution, and sanitation and health problems became commonplace. Mass transit, in the form of trolleys, cable cars, and subways, was built, and skyscrapers began to dominate city skylines. New communities, known as suburbs, began to be built just beyond the city. Commuters, those who lived in the suburbs and traveled in and out of the city for work, began to increase in number.

Many of those who resided in the city lived in rental apartments or tenement housing. Neighborhoods, especially for immigrant populations, were often the center of community life. In the enclave neighborhoods, many immigrant groups attempted to hold onto and practice precious customs and traditions. Even today, many neighborhoods or sections of some of the great cities still reflect those ethnic heritages.

During the final years of the 1800s, industrial cities, with all the problems brought on by rapid population growth and lack of infrastructure to support the growth, occupied a special place history. For all the problems, and there were many, the cities promoted a special bond between people.