Imagine you’re an immigrant to the U.S. in the 1800s. You left a poor village or crowded city in Europe to find a better life in America. Where would you want to go? Would you choose a brand-new kind of place, or would you look for somewhere that reminded you of home?
Most likely, you’d look for a place where you could make a living using skills you brought with you. If you were a farmer, you’d want a place with good soils and plenty of water. What if you wanted to build a sawmill and make boards? You might look for a place where you could use water power from a river.
