In the mid 1800s it has been determined that transportation advancement has a drastic effect on our lives even today. 'bfajjj'jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj- jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj- jjjship goods, canals were created. One famous canal is the Erie Canal. This Canal in New York opened the East Coast to new markets in the west. It also cut transportation costs and accelerated the flow of goods. This particular canal prompted a canal boom. After the Erie Canal, many other canals popped up all across America. Many states invested directly in the building of canals to increase their own markets. In 1820, steamboats came into play. These new boats had a very large cargo capacity, which increased the flow of goods. These boats also brought people and news into the west along with its precious cargo. Another means of shipping and transportation was railroads. Railroads connected the West to the Northeast. The Northeast received Midwest grains from railroads, rather than all of the grain going to the south by barge. Railroads brought on a resemblance in ethnicity and cultural values in the Northeast and Midwest due to all of the people who used trains as transportation. The South developed differently though, relying on crops and agriculture while the North had large cities, factories and a very high average income. While transportation was being revolutionized in America, the growth of towns were occurring too. The expansion of trade and industry led to a very dramatic increase in the urban population. The most rapid growth occurred along rivers were trade was happening. The most growth was in cities where their
