Jeanette Sako GEOG 228 1 26 21 Southern cities in the U S are growing not only because of urbanization but because of better financial opportunities The Jonas et al Palen reading explains how improvements in infrastructure and new industrial spaces can be due to various factors Some of these factors include search for profit competition technological changes etc Jonas 64 Southern cities in the U S are growing due to urbanization and better cost of living and Texas is a great example According to the U S Bureau of the Census southern states start from Delaware and West Virginia over to Kentucky Arkansas Oklahoma and all the states below them While these states are unique in their own ways many share the fact that they have recently been fast growing in terms of population In the Urban Geography text many southern states were described to have improvements in infrastructure massive federal expenditures for regional development and other important innovations over the years Jonas et al 64 Using Texas as an example we can examine some of these technological and economic factors that have been effecting its trajectory According to a San Antonio newspaper called Culturemap millennials are leaving cities like Los Angeles and Chicago and migrating to Texas for job accessibility and better quality of life Rice 1 When we look at some statistics over time we can see that in 1950 there were no metropolitan areas in the South to compete with the population sizes of the North Today there are many large metropolitan areas in the South specifically Texas with population growth some including Dallas Houston Austin The growth of these urban areas can play a large role in the economic transformation of Texas We can attribute this growth to many factors One being a transition of dominating low wage industries to attraction of capital and high skilled labor due to improvements in infrastructure Mcdonald 5 The newness of these changes provide an opportunity for lower costs These kind of changes will structurally affect southern areas by causing population growth When we consider the socio spatial process this urbanization affects the growing society and this new and young society helps the south continue the urbanization We can also consider how the structure of southern cities in the U S differs from other parts of the country For instance weather differences Warmer temperatures have recently been associated with faster population growth and the south is known for this Forgie 1 The South offers more space Decongestion is a major attraction in the south as many northern cities are known for their congestion Another reason may be state income taxes There are numerous states in the South that have no state income taxes Texas Tennessee and Florida are examples Forgie 1 Prices in the U S have risen in just about every area The pandemic has caused a major inflation Cost of living in especially important in the times that we are living If Americans are able to move to the south and receive lower costs better weather less congestion and increasing job opportunity this is one of the best times to do so Sources Jonas Andew E G et al Urban Geography A Critical Introduction Wiley Blackwell 2015 Rice Chantal Texas ranks as the top U S destination for millenials on the move CulturemapSanAntonio 13 April 2021 p 1 John F McDonald Urban Areas in the Transformation of the South A Review of Modern History Urban Studies Research vol 2013 Article ID 376529 14 pages 2013 https doi org 10 1155 2013 376529 Adam Forgie KUTV Where Are Americans Moving Report Shows Migration to Western Southern States KUTV KUTV 18 Jan 2021 https kutv com news nation world where are americans moving report shows migration to western southern states
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