American Urbanization In The Late 19th Century

Urbanization in America
Urbanization is described as an act or fact of urbanizing or taking on the characteristics of a city. It wasn’t until about thirty years after the civil war that America started seeing signs of urbanization. In the late nineteenth century, America started changing its lifestyle and started going from farming to city life. Cities started growing and more people started living in the cities. The Industrial Revolution of the 19th and 20th century gave people higher expectations to improve the way of living. Jobs along with technology and transportation increased. Cars and railroads were developed which meant people didn’t have to live within walking distance of their jobs anymore. The development of railroads helped goods to be transported into commercial districts. With expansion of jobs, technology, and transportation also came the expansion of properties. Wealthy people started building
While the people in rural areas were tied to their ritual of the harvest season, Middle class urban families were more mobile since they had the money to do so. Lower class men would hang out in saloons because it was the “poor-mans social club”. Because of the congestion and disease associated in city life, people started participation in outdoor activities to improve their health and restore vitality. Planner Frederick Law Olmsted started drawing plans for parks in cities such as Boston, Brooklyn Chicago, and other major cities. Parks were originally created for people to walk and commune with nature which soon offered vigorous forms of exercise for both men and woman. One of the first additions to parks were tennis and croquet courts which required little maintenance and little space. Even more popular than tennis and croquet was cycling which quickly swept the country. Bicycles became very popular with women; it offered exercise, freedom, and access to the