Jun 15 2011 03:19 pm
Posted by jennifer.yu1 under Uncategorized
New York City and Pittsburgh
Pittsburg was similar to NYC in that the city was able to take advantage of its geographical location with the Pennsylvania mainline canal, earning the title “Gateway to the West”. Located on one of the world’s biggest coal deposits, the city’s economy was run by factories that manufactured steamboats and household heating. Whereas many Southern rural cities depended on Northern urban cities to import and export goods, this was a city with no such dependency. Also, while NYC’s economy revolved around their trade and commerce, Pittsburg had an additional advantage with its abundant natural resources such as natural gas and petroleum that allowed the city to not function merely as a port but as exporter. The War of 1812 further boosted Pittsburg’s economy. The British cut off their manufactured supplies to America and the country became more dependent on American manufacture, heavily depending on inland trading. Thus, Pittsburg’s manufactured goods became even higher in demand.