Human Geography and Population¶

Summary¶

This chapter explores how people live across the United States, examining population distribution, urban and rural areas, and major metropolitan centers. Students will learn about America's largest cities, understand the differences between urban, suburban, and rural communities, and explore the bays and coastal features that influenced city locations. This chapter connects physical geography with human settlement patterns.

Concepts Covered¶

This chapter covers the following 17 concepts from the learning graph:

Bays
Chesapeake Bay
San Francisco Bay
Population Density
Urban Areas
Rural Areas
Suburbs
Metropolitan Areas
Major Cities
New York City
Los Angeles
Chicago
Houston
Phoenix
Cultural Regions
Native American Lands
Immigration Patterns

Prerequisites¶

This chapter builds on concepts from:

Introduction to Human Geography¶

Human geography studies where people live and why they live there. It looks at how geography affects people's lives and how people change the land.

Think about where you live. Why did people first settle in that place? Was there a river for water and transportation? Good farmland? Natural resources? Human geography helps us understand these patterns.

Over 330 million people live in the United States. But they don't spread out evenly! Some places are crowded with people, while others are nearly empty. Let's explore why.

Bays and Coastal Settlement¶

Many of America's largest cities were built near bays—protected areas of water along the coastline. Bays provided safe harbors for ships and access to trade routes.

Chesapeake Bay¶

Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary (where rivers meet the ocean) in the United States. It's surrounded by Maryland and Virginia.

The Chesapeake Bay is important because:

It provides a protected harbor for ships
Many rivers flow into it, giving access to inland areas
Baltimore, Maryland grew as a major port here
The bay supports fishing industries (especially blue crabs)
Colonial settlements like Jamestown were founded nearby

San Francisco Bay¶

San Francisco Bay on the Pacific coast is one of the world's great natural harbors. The famous Golden Gate strait connects the bay to the Pacific Ocean.

San Francisco Bay is important because:

It's a protected harbor on the West Coast
San Francisco grew as a major port during the Gold Rush
Silicon Valley developed on the bay's southern shores
Oakland across the bay is a major shipping port
The bay supports diverse wildlife and wetlands

Bay	Location	Major Cities	Why Important
Chesapeake	Maryland/Virginia	Baltimore	Largest US estuary, fishing
San Francisco	California	San Francisco, Oakland	Major Pacific port
New York Harbor	New York/New Jersey	New York City	Gateway for immigrants
Puget Sound	Washington	Seattle	Pacific Northwest trade
Tampa Bay	Florida	Tampa	Gulf Coast port

Population Density¶

Population density measures how many people live in a certain area. It's usually expressed as "people per square mile."

Crowded vs. Empty Places¶

Some places are very crowded:

New York City: Over 27,000 people per square mile in Manhattan!
New Jersey: Most densely populated state (about 1,200 per square mile)

Some places are nearly empty:

Alaska: Only about 1 person per square mile
Wyoming: About 6 people per square mile

Why Density Varies¶

Population density depends on:

Climate: People prefer mild, comfortable climates
Water: People need water for drinking and farming
Jobs: People go where there's work
History: Some places were settled earlier
Geography: Flat land is easier to build on than mountains

Think About It

The entire state of Wyoming has fewer people than many single neighborhoods in New York City. Both are part of the same country!

Diagram: US Population Density¶

US Population Density Map **Type**: microsim **Learning Objective**: Students will identify (L1) densely and sparsely populated areas and explain (L2) why certain areas have more people. **Bloom Level**: Understand **Bloom Verbs**: identify, explain, compare

MicroSim Description: An interactive population density map of the United States using color shading (darker = more people). Students can hover over states or regions to see population density numbers. A toggle switches between state-level and county-level views. Information panels explain why certain areas are dense or sparse.

UI Complexity: Medium - Color-coded choropleth map with hover information and level toggle

Instructional Rationale: Visualizing population density helps students see settlement patterns and understand why some areas attracted more people than others.

Urban, Suburban, and Rural Areas¶

People in the United States live in three main types of communities:

Urban Areas¶

Urban areas are cities with dense populations. Characteristics include:

Tall buildings and apartments
Public transportation (buses, subways)
Many businesses, stores, and restaurants
Cultural attractions (museums, theaters)
Diverse population
Higher cost of living

Suburbs¶

Suburbs are communities surrounding cities. Characteristics include:

Single-family houses with yards
Less crowded than cities
People often drive cars
Shopping malls and strip malls
Good schools
Many people commute to city jobs

Rural Areas¶

Rural areas are the countryside, far from cities. Characteristics include:

Farms, forests, or open land
Very low population density
People often know their neighbors
Longer distances to stores and services
Agriculture, mining, or forestry jobs
Quiet, natural settings

Community Type	Population	Transportation	Landscape
Urban (City)	Dense	Walk, subway, bus	Tall buildings
Suburban	Moderate	Car	Houses, malls
Rural	Sparse	Car (long distances)	Farms, forest

Where Do Americans Live?

About 83% of Americans live in urban or suburban areas
Only about 17% live in rural areas
The suburbs have grown fastest since the 1950s

Metropolitan Areas¶

A metropolitan area includes a major city and all the surrounding communities that are connected to it economically. People in the suburbs work, shop, and play in the central city.

The largest US metropolitan areas have millions of people spread across many counties and sometimes multiple states!

America's Largest Metro Areas¶

Rank	Metro Area	Population	States
1	New York	19+ million	NY, NJ, CT, PA
2	Los Angeles	13+ million	California
3	Chicago	9+ million	IL, IN, WI
4	Dallas-Fort Worth	7+ million	Texas
5	Houston	7+ million	Texas

Major Cities¶

Let's explore America's largest and most important cities.

New York City¶

New York City is the largest city in the United States with over 8 million people in the city itself and 19 million in the metro area.

New York City has five boroughs (sections):

Manhattan (the famous island with skyscrapers)
Brooklyn (the most populous borough)
Queens (the most diverse borough)
The Bronx (home to Yankee Stadium)
Staten Island (the most suburban borough)

New York City is famous for:

The Statue of Liberty
Times Square and Broadway theaters
Central Park
Wall Street (financial center)
The United Nations headquarters

Los Angeles¶

Los Angeles is the second-largest city and the center of the entertainment industry.

Los Angeles is known for:

Hollywood and the movie industry
Beaches (Santa Monica, Venice)
Diverse neighborhoods with many cultures
Warm, sunny weather
Traffic and sprawl (the city is very spread out)

Chicago¶

Chicago is the third-largest city, located on Lake Michigan in Illinois.

Chicago is famous for:

Tall skyscrapers (the first were built here!)
Deep-dish pizza
Blues and jazz music
Major transportation hub (railroads, airports)
Lake Michigan waterfront

Houston¶

Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth-largest in the nation.

Houston is known for:

NASA's Johnson Space Center ("Houston, we have a problem!")
Oil and energy industry
The largest medical center in the world
Very diverse population
Hot, humid climate

Phoenix¶

Phoenix is the fifth-largest city and one of the fastest growing.

Phoenix is known for:

Desert location
Very hot summers (regularly over 100°F!)
Sun City and retirement communities
Growing technology industry
Nearby Grand Canyon

Diagram: Major US Cities¶

Major US Cities Interactive Map **Type**: microsim **Learning Objective**: Students will locate (L1) major US cities and describe (L2) what makes each city unique. **Bloom Level**: Understand **Bloom Verbs**: locate, describe, compare

MicroSim Description: An interactive map showing the 20 largest US cities with clickable markers. Students click on each city to see population, region, famous features, and photos of landmarks. A comparison mode lets students compare two cities side by side. Cities are sized by population.

UI Complexity: Medium - Interactive map with city markers, information panels, and comparison feature

Instructional Rationale: Learning about major cities helps students understand where most Americans live and the diversity of urban areas across the country.

Cultural Regions¶

Cultural regions are areas where people share similar traditions, foods, music, and ways of life. These regions don't follow state borders—they're based on shared culture.

Examples of Cultural Regions¶

Region	States Included	Cultural Features
New England	Northeast states	Colonial history, seafood, fall foliage
The Deep South	SE states	Southern hospitality, comfort food, blues
Appalachia	Mountain areas	Folk music, crafts, coal mining heritage
The Southwest	AZ, NM, TX	Hispanic culture, adobe, spicy food
Pacific Northwest	WA, OR	Outdoor culture, coffee, tech industry

What Creates Cultural Regions?¶

Cultural regions form because of:

History: Who first settled the area
Geography: Mountains or rivers that isolated communities
Immigration: Groups who brought their traditions
Economy: Types of jobs (farming, mining, fishing)
Religion: Shared faith communities

Native American Lands¶

Native American lands include reservations where tribes have self-governance and maintain their cultural traditions.

Understanding Reservations¶

There are over 300 Indian reservations in the United States
Reservations are sovereign nations within the US
Tribes have their own governments, laws, and sometimes courts
The largest reservation is the Navajo Nation (Arizona, New Mexico, Utah)

Largest Native American Reservations¶

Reservation	Location	Tribe	Size
Navajo Nation	AZ, NM, UT	Navajo	27,000 sq miles
Uintah and Ouray	Utah	Ute	6,800 sq miles
Tohono O'odham	Arizona	O'odham	4,460 sq miles
Pine Ridge	South Dakota	Lakota Sioux	3,500 sq miles

Native American Heritage

Native American peoples have lived on this land for thousands of years before European settlers arrived. Today's reservations are just a small portion of their original territories.

Immigration Patterns¶

Immigration is when people move to a new country to live. The United States has always been shaped by immigration.

Waves of Immigration¶

Period	Who Came	Where They Settled
1600s-1700s	British, Dutch	East Coast
1840s-1860s	Irish, German	East Coast, Midwest
1880s-1920s	Italians, Eastern Europeans	Northeast cities
1900s-present	Mexicans, Central Americans	Southwest, California
1970s-present	Asians	California, major cities

How Immigration Shaped Cities¶

Immigration created diverse neighborhoods in American cities:

Chinatowns in San Francisco, New York, and other cities
Little Italy neighborhoods in many eastern cities
Hispanic barrios in southwestern cities
Korean, Vietnamese, and other Asian communities

Today, about 14% of Americans were born in another country. Cities like Miami, Los Angeles, and New York have very diverse populations from all over the world.

Key Takeaways¶

What You Learned

Bays provided protected harbors that helped cities like San Francisco and Baltimore grow
Population density varies greatly—from crowded cities to nearly empty rural areas
Most Americans live in urban or suburban areas, not rural areas
The five largest US cities are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Phoenix
Cultural regions share traditions, food, and ways of life
Native American reservations are self-governing lands
Immigration has shaped America's diverse population

Review Questions¶

Why did many large cities develop near bays?

Large cities developed near bays because:

Bays provide protected harbors where ships can dock safely
Ships could bring goods and people for trade
Rivers flowing into bays gave access to inland areas
The water provided food (fish, shellfish)
Bays made good military defenses

Examples include San Francisco (San Francisco Bay), Baltimore (Chesapeake Bay), and New York (New York Harbor).

What is the difference between urban, suburban, and rural areas?

The three types of communities differ in many ways:

Urban (cities): Dense population, tall buildings, public transit, walking, many businesses and services close together
Suburban: Moderate density, single-family homes with yards, people drive cars, shopping malls, residential neighborhoods around cities
Rural: Sparse population, farms and open land, long distances between places, agriculture and natural resource jobs

Name the five largest cities in the United States and one thing each is known for.

The five largest US cities are:

New York City - Financial center (Wall Street), Statue of Liberty
Los Angeles - Entertainment industry (Hollywood)
Chicago - Skyscrapers, deep-dish pizza
Houston - NASA Space Center, oil industry
Phoenix - Desert climate, retirement communities

What is a cultural region? Give an example.

A cultural region is an area where people share similar traditions, foods, music, and ways of life. Cultural regions don't follow state borders—they're based on shared culture.

Example: The Deep South includes parts of several southeastern states. People there share traditions like Southern hospitality, comfort food (biscuits, fried chicken, sweet tea), blues and country music, and a slower pace of life.

What are Native American reservations, and what is the largest one?

Native American reservations are lands where Native American tribes have self-governance. Tribes have their own governments and can make many of their own laws.

The largest reservation is the Navajo Nation, which covers about 27,000 square miles across parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It's larger than 10 US states!

How has immigration shaped the population of the United States?

Immigration has shaped America in many ways:

Different waves of immigrants came from different places over time
Immigrants created diverse neighborhoods (Chinatowns, Little Italy, Hispanic barrios)
About 14% of Americans today were born in another country
Cities like Miami, Los Angeles, and New York are very diverse
Immigrants brought their food, music, languages, and traditions
America is sometimes called a "nation of immigrants"