CONTENT STATEMENT
Patterns of settlement change over time in terms of functions, sizes, and spatial patterns (e.g., a canal town becomes an industrial city, a rural area becomes a transportation hub, cities merge into a megalopolis).
CONTENT ELABORATION
Human settlements are not static. Their functions can change. For example, a western U.S. boomtown associated with mining in the late 1800s might be a center for tourism today.
Populations of settlements change, both in size and racial or ethnic makeup. Chicago’s population grew from around 30,000 people in 1850 to approximately 299,000 people in 1870, as the city became a major transportation hub. African American and eastern European immigrants made up a larger part of Chicago’s population after the late 1800s.
A spatial pattern is a perceptual structure, placement, or arrangement of objects on Earth, including the space in between those objects. Spatial patterns of settlements also can change. The layout of Cairo, Egypt has changed with the movement of the Nile River, the influence of different cultural groups and the addition of neighboring towns.
EXPECTATIONS FOR LEARNING
Trace a changing functional, size, or spatial pattern of a particular human settlement and explain the reasons for the changes.