ABSTRACT
Foreign migration to the United States played a significant role in the expansion of American cities and the working classes during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Abandoning the economic, political, and religious conditions of Europe, immigrants traveled to America seeking new opportunities. Many located in urban centers because they could not afford the journey beyond port of entry or because they lacked the ability or inclination to farm. Most importantly, newcomers were attracted by the economic and social advantages of urban life. Thus, those cities located on waterways, whether coastal or interior, received the greatest influx of Europeans. 1
