The Journal of Economic History

Table of Contents - 1976 - Volume 36, Issue 03  

Articles

Urban Growth in the Mid-Atlantic States, 1785–1850

Simeon J. Crowthera1

a1 California State University, Long Beach

Abstract

This article analyzes aspects of secular urban growth in two systems of cities in the mid-Atlantic states. One system centers on New York City; the other on Philadelphia. The author finds that the growth oi New York's hinterland was an important factor in explaining that system's relatively rapid expansion through the War of 1812. In subsequent years, this situation changed; basing his analysis on cross-sectional data, the author shows that relatively simple patterns of development gave way to complex situations shaped by the differential impacts of transportation, manufacturing, and commerce on these two urban systems.