Jun 18 2011 03:23 am
Posted by natalia.tatishvili under June 16 Assignment
New York vs. Boston 19th century
New York City had a population of 515,547 in 1850 -- a 65% increase in just 10 years
I will compare and contrast Boston vs. New York in the 19th century. To begin with, both cities were considered as one of the most established cities in the mid –nineteenth century. In this time period, both cities experienced massive migration. According to Chudacoff, “By 1850, there were 135.6 persons per acre in New York, 82.7 in Boston.” (Page 66) Boston’s population grew from 61,392 in 1830s to 177,840 in 1860s. New York’s population grew from 202,589 in 1830s to 813,600 in 1860s (Chudacoff page 61). This data shows us that, Boston grew 3 times and New York 4 times larger in population between 1830s-1860s.Both cities were the financial centers of the United States in the 19th century, and were especially important in funding railroads nationwide. Although, Boston was growing at the fast speed, it wasn’t not nearly as developed as New York. In the 19th century New York was bigger, economically stronger and faster at innovating and applying new technologies. As Chudacoff stated, “By 1833, some eight omnibuses operated on the streets of New York.”(Page85)On the other hand, it took Boston another decade to implement this type of transportation to accommodate growing population. This example shows us how these two cities differ in development aspect.