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Unit 10: The Age of Oil. Section Two Notes: From Farms to Cities. Life in Rural Texas. Life on farms in rural Texas in the 1900’s: Most family members helped with the farm work. Families worked year round to make a profit.
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Unit 10: The Age of Oil Section Two Notes: From Farms to Cities
Life in Rural Texas Life on farms in rural Texas in the 1900’s: • Most family members helped with the farm work. • Families worked year round to make a profit. • Farmers also raised livestock, fixed fences, and did other chores in the rural areas. • Before the 1930’s, very few rural families had electricity and still used kerosene.
Life in Rural Texas Continued… • They used kerosene lamps and outdoor pumps for water. Most farms had outhouses. • Some technology did make farm life easier, like reapers, threshers, and gasoline-powered tractors. But as production increased, the supply of agricultural goods exceed their demand, so prices dropped. With the freefall of prices, farmers often could not pay off their debts.
Life in Urban Texas Life in cities in urban Texas in the 1900’s: • Unlike in rural areas, cities had technology that made city life appealing, like the new invention of the telephone! • Most Texas cities used electricity on street corners and in buildings by the early 1900’s. Electricity also allowed for the creation and use of street cars. People could travel faster, and even live in the suburbs! • Texas cities grew outward and upward with the construction of skyscrapers!
Life in Urban Texas Continued… • The technology that had the greatest effect in cities was the creation of the automobile. Of course, with their creation, Texans had to deal with building roads and passing laws to protect pedestrians. • With the population of cities booming so quickly, there were often housing shortages in Texas in the early 1900’s.
Industry and the Growth of Cities Industry in cities in Texas in the 1900’s: • In 1920, only about one-third of Texans lived in cities, but between 1910 and 1920, the populations of San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas nearly doubled. • This urbanization, or the development of these cities, was directly related to the growth of industry in those areas.
Industry and the Growth of Cities Continued… • Cattle markets, oil, railroads, textiles, and other industries created jobs that brought people to live in the cities in Texas. • The Houston Ship Channel was built, and it allowed Houston to be a perfect place for the transportation of people and goods. • The Federal Reserve System built a bank in Dallas in 1914, which brought finance-related business to the city that was already known for cotton. • San Antonio grew because of many army and air force bases built there.
Problems with Fast Urbanization Of course, there were some problems with cities growing so quickly: • A lack of an effective sewage system led to a lot of sickness and death. The Texas Department of Health was created to help prevent disease. • Some cities grew so fast that they could not meet the water demands of the citizens. • Fires were also a serious threat in homes that use kerosene, since almost all the buildings were made of wood.
ESPG Push-Pull Factors There were economic, social, political, and geographic reasons that led many people to leave rural Texas for the city. Can you think of one of each? SocialPoliticalEconomicGeographic
Rural Push Factors • Economic: High poverty levels in rural areas (Urban areas had more opportunities for success). • Social: Large population of older citizens, which will cause the population of rural areas to shrink as they die. • Political: Government not creating jobs in that area because they aren’t as needed. • Geographic: Dust Bowl/common droughts, lack of irrigation led to dried up farmland.
Urban Pull Factors • Economic: More job opportunities with a growth rate of 149%. • Social: Higher number of college graduates. If you are one, you will likely make more money! • Political: Military and airbases opened throughout cities in Texas, which provided different jobs. • Geographic: The Texas Oil Boom pulled many people to the cities where the oil was being discovered or refined.
