3.2 Where Do People Migrate Within a Country?

Interregional Migration: moving from one region to another

o Interregional Migration in the US
1970: Hugging the coast- Atlantic Coast, early colonies
forming, Appalachian mountains blocked them from going far,
Native Americans occupied rest of US
1800-1840: Crossing the Appalachians- Transportation
improved (esp canals), made it easy for people to travel between
NYC and great lakes, 1840 US had 3,326 miles of canals, people
moved into forests in Mississippi river valleys bc cheap & isolated
1850-1890: Rushing to the gold- Population shifted west due to
gold rush, went all the way to California, people crossed Great
Plains (which early explorers thought was unfit for farming bc dry
conditions)
1900-1940: Filling in the Great Plains- Started to fill in during
gold rush, advances in agricultural technology made it easy to
farm, railroads encouraged people to move to Great Plains as it
was so easy to transport their stuff
1950-2010: Moving South- Many moved south for warmer
climate and more job opportunities, industries moved south
o Russia
Largest country, highly clustered in western, European, part of
the country
Soviet officials wanted people to move north bc rich in natural
resources
Far north=45% of land, less that 2% of population
Government forced people to move north to work steel mills,
mines, etc.
Komsomol- sent young men to work up north and construct
projects during school vacations
o Canada
Three westernmost provinces (Alberta, British Columbia,
Saskatchewan) are destinations for most interregional migrants
within Canada
o China
Estimated 100 people moved from rural to urban areas along east
coast bc jobs
Government had restriction on emigration but its been lifted
o Brazil
Most live in So Paulo & Rio de Janeiro along Atlantic Coast

Intraregional Migration: movement within one region

o Rural to Urban
1800s in Europe & North America: Industrial Revolution
Percentage of people living in urban areas in US increased from
5% in 1800 to 50% in 1920 and 80% in 2010, between 1950 and
2010, percentage increased from 40% to 80% in Latin America,
15% to 45% in Asia, 10% to 40% in sub-Saharan Africa
More than 20 million people are estimated to migrate each year
from rural to urban
o Urban to Suburban
Nearly twice as many Americans migrate from city to suburb each
year as migrate from suburbs to cities
Move to suburbs for family
o Urban to Rural
Counterurbanization: net migration from urban to rural areas