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Volga Germans
The growth of American metropolis was contributed largely by the massive influx of immigrants coming into the U.S.. People from various parts of the globe left their homes and migrated to the U.S. fleeing famine, crop failure, rising taxes, as well as job and land shortages 1. Immigration led to the development of urban cities, such as temporary quarters for Volga Germans in Kansas.
1 Chudacoff, Howard P., Judith Smith, and Peter Baldwin. The evolution of American urban society. Routledge, 2016. -
Joining of the Rails at Promontory Port
Cheap steel and federal grants helped in the expansion of railroads. Mass-transit lines radiated out from central cities to surrounding suburbs as Americans were becoming commuters, carted daily between home and job. Railways and electronic trolleys propelled city limits outward drawing industrial jobs into factory centers making life in the big city more alluring 2. 2 Lees, Andrew. Cities perceived: urban society in European and American thought, 1820-1940. Manchester University Press, 1985. -
The Bell Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell invented the first patented telephone and this has allowed for communication to greatly increase in people's homes and work place. This allowed for the development of offices and allowed for people to keep a closer connection to friends and families. However, this also took away the need for the operators and messenger boys that were constantly used to communicate. -
Inauguration of the Telephone Linking
In 1982, Alexander Graham Bell inaugurated the linking of telephone lines between New York City and Chicago. This was a big step in the urbanization of America and allowed people to communicate long distance. -
First Gasoline Automobile
In 1893 the first gasoline automobile was developed successfully in Massachusetts by two bicycle mechanics. This was a big jump into the development of automobiles and would lead to Henry Ford and William Durant being major players in this area. -
Claremont Theatre in New York
Workers were given more free time for leisure activities when industrial employers instituted a Saturday half-day holidays as well as decreasing working hours. People would, therefore, attend vaudeville shows which featured a multitude of acts within cities thereby creating urban entertainment, such as their Saturday half-holiday at Claremont Theatre in New York 3. 3 Goldfield, David R. Encyclopedia of American Urban History. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2007. -
Basketball at Missouri Valley College
People in urban centers began to see the importance of exercise to health hence growing the popularity of sports as leisure activities 4. They participated in most sporting activities as the opening of fields, courts, and gymnasiums took place. As people flocked to see different types of sports, spectator sports became popular among people in the urban centers. 4 Lees, Andrew. Cities perceived: urban society in European and American thought, 1820-1940. Manchester University Press, 2015 -
American worker's houses near the Santa Fe railroad yards in Topeka, Kansas
Commercial builders ceased to erect dwellings for moderate-and low-income households as consumer preferences shifted away from housing to other consumer goods. The growth of the mortgage bond was fostered by the development of large, planned, and well-serviced subdivisions of residential development. The savings of small investors which had previously financed small-scale house building and land speculation were redirected by bonds. Urban housing market had been transformed during this period. -
Growth Despite the Depression
The American economy exhibited impressive growth despite the 1920-1921 depression. Ownership of housing, new household appliances, and cars spread widely through the population in American urban centers 5. A rise in the productivity of labor and capital in the American urban society was brought about by the combination of the adoption of the moving assembly line and the widening use of electricity in production. 5 Starr, Kevin. Americans and the California dream, 1850-1915. OUP USA, 2014.
