In 1934, the city was in a lot of debt and could not get Federal grants or loans to finish projects such as the Queens Midtown Tunnel. A mayor named, Fiorello LaGuardia, a non-partisan mayor, brought NYC out of debt and got funds to finish these projects. During the Great Depression, many workers lost their jobs and kept their children in school so that they would one day get office jobs. The Great Depression also raised levels of racial bigotry between different ethnic groups. Blacks lived in Harlem where they experienced the Harlem Renaissance. Much housing discrimination was at work where rents in black areas jumped up by 15-75%.

Harlem developed around this time and became a predominantly black area that was home to the Harlem Renaissance. Chinese people lived in NYC, however, there were not many Chinese females, and as a result, prostitution grew in their area.

Los Angeles developed very differently from Milwaukee, Chicago, and NYC. Like Denver, L.A. was brought to life by the California Gold Rush. Denver was also built up by railroads, as was Chicago. Los Angeles’s geography is variable. The Sierra Nevada Mountains make up an area that is mountainous. California itself has areas that are very contrasting. Mt. Whitney is a mountain peak that is 3 miles high. Less than sixty miles away from that point is Death Valley which is 282 feet below sea level. Los Angeles also has many faults which makes it an area that is very prone to earthquakes. L.A. is not by a body of water as opposed to NYC, Chicago, and Milwaukee. However, like NYC, L.A. grew as foreigners from Mexico, moved into the area to escape the troubles. The Gold Rush sent in a wave of improvements which made the area more attractive to move to. Railroads also helped out in 1876, to bring more people to L.A. A part of L.A. called Chicago Park, was even built on the same layout that Chicago had. L.A. was like New York in that it had a large white population and it was even deemed the “Wall St. of the West” because of its strength in finances and investing. Beverly Hills strongly relates to Brooklyn during their annexations. The people in Brooklyn, when the city was a separate entity, were proud of their white protestant heritage and did not want to be a part of the larger city. As such, the residents of Beverly Hills saw themselves as living on better land and also did not want to be annexed.

After the consolidation of NYC with the surrounding area and Brooklyn, the city boasted a population of 5,047,221. At this point, the city was predominantly white. One-million immigrants entered NYC in 1907. In 1920, a census was taken of the city that showed the highest number of residents living in Manhattan, then Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and then Richmond. In 1891, Ellis Island was in operation to screen immigrants for diseases and to see if they could support themselves.

Health problems arose in the 1800’s from animals in the streets and people dumping their garbage in the streets as well. The water was also not clean nor the sewers adequate. The Metropolitan Health Act was passed in 1866, and it led to cleaner water and better living conditions.

Milwaukee’s landscape was much different from Chicago’s landscape. Milwaukee had hills and bluffs, whereas, Chicago was mostly flat land. Central Park, which is located within NYC, was so hilly and various that it was considered not suited for housing and converted into a park. Milwaukee had clay underneath its soil and it was called the “Cream City” as a result. Like NYC, Chicago, and Pittsburgh, Milwaukee had many rivers, and exclusively like Chicago, was situated next to Lake Michigan. Water sources were an important source of transportation for the flow of goods.

The population of NYC grew by about 3,000 people a year between 1798 and 1822. Another fire occurred in 1818, but the economy quickly recovered. From 1790 to 1800 the population grew from 33,131

Some topics in this essay:
York City, Jacob Leisler, India Company, South America, Stamp Act, Revolution Taverns, City March, York British, Central Park, Eugene Williams, york city, black people, white flight, nyc chicago, world city, people lived, los angeles, manhattan island, india company, west india company, joshua glover, white flight occurred, dutch west india, california gold rush, city world city,