Why did immigrants typically settle in cities during the late 1800s?

From Ohio History Central

A number of important forces were at work in the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. American industries underwent tremendous growth during this era, leading to the rise of big business. In addition, millions of immigrants came to the United States during this era, seeking a better life for themselves and their families. One important result of industrialization and immigration was the growth of cities, a process known as urbanization. Commonly, factories were located near urban areas. These businesses attracted immigrants and people moving from rural areas who were looking for employment. Cities grew at a rapid rate as a result.

Unfortunately, urbanization was not always a positive thing. City services had a difficult time keeping up with the tremendous population growth. Cities in the late 1800s and early 1900s often lacked central planning. There were few sewer systems or clean water. Many roads were not yet paved. There were few building codes in place to protect the people living in them, and fire and police services were limited. Cities were rife with political corruption and disease.

As a result of the negative consequences of urbanization, many Progressives began to push for urban reforms. Progressives organized settlement houses in urban areas to provide help for immigrants and the urban poor. They supported passage of laws that would improve living conditions in the inner cities. Progressives also advocated legislation that would reduce the power of city bosses and get rid of corruption within city politics. These reform efforts significantly improved life in cities, although they did not get rid of all of the problems of urban life or end poverty.

In Ohio, a number of cities faced tremendous population growth during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Unsurprisingly, these same cities experienced rapid industrialization during this era as well. Cities such as Toledo, Akron, Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Cleveland experienced growth because of immigration from Europe as well as migration from more rural areas of Ohio and elsewhere. Like other American cities, Ohio cities faced similar problems from urbanization, and Ohio Progressives actively sought to improve conditions in their communities.

See Also

In the late 19th century, immigrants came to the United States in droves. The absolute number of immigrants in the country rose from less than 2.5 million in 1850 to more than 13.5 million in 1910. That boosted immigrants as a share of the population to 15%, from 10%, over the period.

That group of immigrants was similar in many ways to those entering the US today. Most did not speak English, followed different religious practices than the natives, and were fleeing politically or economically treacherous situations. The majority were unskilled laborers, though a small number were highly educated.

According to a recently published study, the immigrants of the late 19th and early 20th century have had a remarkably positive and long-lasting impact on the places where they settled. The research by economists from Harvard, Yale, and the London School of Economics found that, today, US counties that received more immigrants from 1860 to 1920 have “significantly higher incomes, less poverty, less unemployment, more urbanization and higher educational attainment.” For example, they estimate that a 5% increase in the share of immigrants to a county during this period led to a 20% boost to average incomes in 2000.

It’s not just that immigrants went to the most economically promising places, but that the presence of immigrants led to increased economic growth. The researchers demonstrate this through a cleverly identified natural experiment.

At the time, immigrants to the US travelled to their new homes in the interior of the country primarily by railroad. If a town was connected to the railroad, immigrants were more likely to settle there. And although migration was high throughout this period, there were certain years when events, usually political or weather related, made even more people want to leave their home country and come to the US. If a county was first connected to the railroad during one of these boom years, it received an unusually high number of immigrants. Places that were first connected in more subdued years received fewer immigrants. Whether a county was connected to the railroad during a boom year was pure happenstance, the researchers establish, making this a perfect natural experiment to understand the long-term effects of immigration.

The researchers believe the late 19th and early 20th century immigrants stimulated growth because they were complementary to the needs of local economies at that time. Low-skilled newcomers were supplied labor for industrialization, and higher-skilled arrivals helped spur innovations in agriculture and manufacturing.

The data also show that the long-term benefits of immigration did not come at short-term cost to the economy as whole. More immigrants almost immediately led to more vibrant economies. The study has little to say, however, on the short-term impact of immigrants on the wages of natives, a debate that continues to rage today in the US and elsewhere.

Of course, the current economic and political circumstances are quite different from the late 19th century, but there are enough similarities to suggest that the benefits of immigration would hold true in the 21st century and beyond. Even if increasing immigration reduces some local workers’ wages in the short-term, the evidence suggests that descendants of these workers would end up better off.

Why did people migrate to cities in the late 1800s?

Why did immigrants mostly settle in cities?

Where did most immigrants settle in the late 1800s?

Why did most immigrants to the United States in the late 1800s settle in cities and take jobs at factories?