Early core areas & agriculture hearths develop where there is

• plentiful food
• diverse terrain
• rich soil easy to till
• adequate rainfall

Rivers provide alluvial soils through yearly floods. Floodplains become agricultural hearths.

Agriculture allowed greater population density and changes in:

• social organization
• specialization
• trade

Hydraulic societies invest heavily in irrigation and terraced fields

The first cities are centers of

• administration
• military
• theology

The original core of Mexico remains dominant

Rivers provide alluvial soils through yearly floods

Water also provides access to trade

World trade centers:port cities and central places

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Industrial location during the industrial revolutions

1790-1840
1st wave:
water, wind, and wood

Why are they there?
Lowell, Mass
Troy, N.Y.
Trenton, N.J.
Georgetown D.C.
Richmond, Va.
Raleigh, N.C.
Columbia, S.C.
Augusta, Ga.

The Fall Line and major cities of the Eastern U.S. http://www.gly.uga.edu/railsback/1122EUSMISR.html

The Fall Line
"River vessels usually cannot travel beyond a fall line and their cargoes must be unloaded there. The falls (see waterfall) also supply water power for the development of industry such as textile and grist mills. For these reasons a fall line often marks a string of developed areas." http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/sci/A0818202.html

Why Virginia's Cities and Towns Are Located Where They Are http://www.virginiaplaces.org/vacities/24river.html

1840-1890
2nd wave:
steel, resources, rails

Railroads and motorized shipping overcome friction of distance overland and sea.

Rise of the manufacturing belt of the Northeast.

1950-1990
4th wave
nuclear power, aerospace, electronics, petrochemicals

Rise of the sunbelt.

• New economic geographies
• New opportunities
• New locational requirements
• New business structures
• New social organization

Production becomes more flexible and footloose

Example: change in automobile production

Multinational / Transnational Corporations have global operations

Global commodity chains

Examples: Mitsubishi and Volksvagen