Henslin James M. Sociology: A Down to Earth Approach

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Conflict theorists point out that a declining standard of living poses the threat of po-

litical instability—protests, riots, even revolution—and, in response, repression by the

government. Political instability in one country can spill into others, threatening an en-

tire region’s balance of power. Fearing such disruptions, leaders of the Most Industrialized

Nations are using the United Nations to direct a campaign of worldwide birth control.

With one hand they give agricultural aid, IUDs, and condoms to the masses in the Least

Industrialized Nations—while, with the other, they sell weapons to the elites in these

countries. Both actions, say conflict theorists, serve the same purpose: promoting politi-

cal stability in order to maintain the dominance of the Most Industrialized Nations in

global stratification.

The Three Demographic Variables

How many people will live in the United States fifty years from now? What will the world’s

population be then? These are important questions. Educators want to know how many

schools to build. Manufacturers want to anticipate changes in the market for their prod-

ucts. The government needs to know how many doctors, engineers, and executives to

train. Politicians want to know how many people will be paying taxes—and how many

young people will be available to fight a war.

To project the future of populations, demographers use three demographic variables:

fertility, mortality, and migration. Let’s look at each.

Fertility. The number of children that the average woman bears is called the fertility

rate. The world’s overall fertility rate is 2.6, which means that during her lifetime the av-

erage woman in the world bears 2.6 children. At 2.1, the fertility rate of U.S. women is

considerably less (Haub and Kent 2008). A term that is sometimes confused with fertil-

ity is fecundity, the number of children that women are capable of bearing. This num-

ber is rather high, as some women have given birth to 30 children (McFalls 2007).

The region of the world that has the highest fertility rate is Middle Africa, where the av-

erage woman gives birth to 6.1 children; the lowest is Eastern and Southern Europe, where

the average woman bears 1.4 children (Haub and Kent 2008). As you can see from Table 20.1,

Macao has the world’s lowest fertility rate. There, the average woman gives birth to only

1.0 children. Five of the lowest-birth countries are in Asia. The rest are located in Europe.

The countries with the highest birth rate are also clustered. With the exception of

Afghanistan and Timor-Leste in Asia, all of them are in Africa. Niger and Guinea-Bissau

in West Africa tie for the record for the world’s highest birth rate. There, the average woman

gives birth to 7.1 children, seven times as many children as the average woman in Macao.

To compute the fertility rate of a coun-

try, demographers analyze the govern-

ment’s records of births. From these, they

figure the country’s crude birth rate, the

annual number of live births per 1,000

population. There can be considerable

slippage here, of course. The birth records

in many of the Least Industrialized Na-

tions are haphazard, at best.

Mortality. The second demographic var-

iable is measured by the crude death rate,

the annual number of deaths per 1,000

people. It, too, varies widely around the

world. The highest death rate is 31, a

record held by Swaziland in Africa. At 2,

the world’s record for the lowest death rate

is tied by three oil-rich countries: Kuwait,

Qatar, and United Arab Emirates (Haub

and Kent 2008).

Population Growth 601

demographic variables the

three factors that influence

population growth: fertility,

mortality, and net migration

fertility rate the number of

children that the average

woman bears

fecundity the number of chil-

dren that women are capable

of bearing

crude birth rate the annual

number of live births per 1,000

population

crude death rate the annual

number of deaths per 1,000

population

Country

Number

of Children Country

Where Do Women Give

Birth to the Fewest Children?

Where Do Women Give

Birth to the Most Children?

TABLE 20.1 Extremes in Childbirth

Note: Several other countries also average 1.3 children per woman.

Source: Haub and Kent 2008.

Number

of Children

Macao 1.0 Guinea-Bissau 7.1

Hong Kong 1.0 Niger 7.1

Taiwan 1.1 Afghanistan 6.8

Slovakia 1.2 Angola 6.8

Andorra 1.2 Burundi 6.8

Bosnia-Herzegovina 1.2 Liberia 6.8

Germany 1.3 Somalia 6.7

Hungary 1.3 Timor-Leste 6.7

Japan 1.3 Uganda 6.7

South Korea 1.3 Mali 6.6

Migration. The third demographic variable is

migration, the movement of people from one area to

another. There are two types of migration. The first

type occurs when people move from one region to an-

other within the same country. During and after World

War II, in what is known as “The Great Migration,”

millions of African Americans moved from the South

to the North. In a historical shift, many are now re-

turning to the South to participate in its growing econ-

omy, to enjoy its warmer climate, and to renew ties

with family roots (Frey 2004, 2006).

The second type of migration occurs when people

move from one country to another. Demographers use

the term net migration rate to refer to the difference

between the number of immigrants (people moving

into a country) and emigrants (people moving out of a

country) per 1,000 people. Unlike fertility and mortal-

ity, migration does not affect the global population, for

people are simply shifting their residence from one

country or region to another.

What motivates people to give up the security of their

family and friends to move to a country with a strange language and unfamiliar customs? To un-

derstand migration, we need to look at both push and pull factors. The push factors are what

people want to escape: poverty or persecution for their religious and political ideas. The pull fac-

tors are the magnets that draw people to a new land, such as opportunities for education, bet-

ter jobs, the freedom to worship or to discuss political ideas, and a more promising future for

their children. After “migrant paths” are established, immigration often accelerates—networks

of kin and friends attract more people from the same nation, even from the same villages.

Around the world, the flow of migration is from the Least Industrialized Nations to the

industrialized countries. By far, the United States is the world’s number one choice. The

United States admits more immigrants each year than all the other nations of the world

combined. Thirty-eight million residents—one of every eight Americans—were born in

other countries (Statistical Abstract 2009:Table 42). Table 20.2 below shows where recent

U.S. immigrants were born. With the economic crisis, this flow has slowed. Not only are

fewer migrants arriving, but many who have lost their jobs are returning to their home

countries (Barta and Millman 2009).

602 Chapter 20 POPULATION AND URBANIZATION

Current U.S. immigration shows great diversity of origin. These individuals were

part of 3,000 who took their oath of citizenship at Fenway Park in Boston.

TABLE 20.2 Country of Birth of Authorized U.S. Immigrants

Note: Totals are for the top countries of origin for 2001–2008, the latest years available.

South America 716,000

Colombia 201,000

Peru 115,000

Brazil 97,000

Ecuador 89,000

Venezuela 64,000

Guyana 63,000

Argentina 40,000

Africa 632,000

Nigeria 83,000

Ethiopia 80,000

Egypt 55,000

Ghana 50,000

Somalia 46,000

Source: By the author. Based on Statistical Abstract of the United States 2011:Table 50.

North America 2,893,000

Mexico 1,389,000

Cuba 246,000

Dominican Republic 226,000

El Salvador 214,000

Haiti 167,000

Canada 139,000

Jamaica 139,000

Guatemala 138,000

Asia 2,857,000

India 536,000

China 528,000

Philippines 469,000

Vietnam 246,000

Korea 173,000

Pakistan 117,000

Iran 93,000

Bangladesh 75,000

Taiwan 73,000

Japan 62,000

Europe 1,162,000

Ukraine 129,000

Russia 125,000

United Kingdom 125,000

Poland 101,000

Bosnia and Herzegovina 87,000

Germany 63,000

Romania 44,000

Albania 41,000

net migration rate the dif-

ference between the number

of immigrants and emigrants

per 1,000 population

To escape grinding poverty, such as that which surrounds Celia and Angel,

millions of people also enter the United States illegally. Although it may seem

surprising, as Figure 20.8 shows, U.S. officials have sufficient information on

these approximately 12 million people to estimate their country of origin.

Experts cannot agree about whether immigrants are a net contributor to

the U.S. economy or a drain on it. Some economists claim that immigrants

benefit the economy. After subtracting what immigrants collect in welfare,

what they cost the medical and school systems, and then adding what they

produce in jobs and taxes, they conclude that immigrants produce more

than they cost (Council of Economic Advisers 2007). Looking at the same

data, other economists conclude that immigrants drain taxpayers of billions

of dollars a year (Davis and Weinstein 2002). Evidence seems strong that

immigrants lower the income of the native-born Americans with whom

they compete (Borjas 2004, 2005, 2006). The fairest conclusion seems to

be that the more educated immigrants produce more than they cost, while

the less educated cost more than they produce.

Problems in Forecasting Population Growth

The total of the three demographic variables—fertility, mortality, and net

migration—gives us a country’s growth rate, the net change after people

have been added to and subtracted from a population. What demographers

call the basic demographic equation is quite simple:

Growth rate = births – deaths + net migration

If population increase depended only on biology, the demographer’s job would be easy. But

social factors—wars, economic booms and busts, plagues, and famines—push rates of birth

and death and migration up or down. As is shown in the Cultural Diversity box on the next

page, even infanticide can affect population growth. Politicians also complicate projections.

Sometimes governments try to persuade women to bear fewer—or more—children. When

Hitler decided that Germany needed more “Aryans,” the German government outlawed abor-

tion and offered cash bonuses to women who gave birth. The population increased. Today, Eu-

ropean leaders are alarmed that their birth rates have dropped so low that their populations will

shrink. With its population dropping, Russia’s leaders are offering cash payments to women

who have children (Chivers 2006).

In China, we find the opposite situation.

Many people know that China tries to limit

population growth with its “One couple, one

child” policy, but few know how ruthlessly

officials enforce this policy. Steven Mosher

(2006), an anthropologist who did fieldwork

in China, revealed that—whether she wants

it or not—after the birth of her first child,

each woman is fitted with an IUD (intrauter-

ine device). If a woman has a second child,

she is sterilized. If a woman gets pregnant

without government permission (yes, you

read that right), the fetus is aborted. If she

does not consent to an abortion, one is per-

formed on her anyway—even if she is nine

months pregnant. No unmarried woman is

allowed to give birth; any unmarried woman

who gets pregnant is arrested and forced to

have an abortion. In some areas, authorities

allow women to have a second child—if their

first one was a girl (Jacobs 2008).

Population Growth 603

India 200,000

Philippines 270,000

Korea 200,000

Ecuador 170,000

Brazil 150,000

China 120,000

Other

countries

1,650,000

Mexico

6,650,000

El Salvador 530,000

Guatemala 480,000

Honduras 320,000

FIGURE 20.8 Country of

Origin of Unauthorized

Immigrants to the United States

Source: By the author. Based on Statistical

Abstract of the United States 2011:Table 45.

The Chinese government uses billboards to remind people of its “one couple, one child”

policy. The fat on the child’s face on this billboard in Chengdu carries an additional

message—that curtailing childbirth brings prosperity, abundant food for all.The portrayal

of a girl baby is part of the government’s attempt to reduce female infanticide.

growth rate the net change in a

population after adding births, sub-

tracting deaths, and either adding

or subtracting net migration

basic demographic equation

the growth rate equals births

minus deaths plus net migration

Although government policies can change a country’s growth rate, the main factor is not

the government, but industrialization. In every country that industrializes, the birth rate declines.

Not only does industrialization open up economic opportunities but it also makes rearing

children more expensive. Children require more education and remain dependent longer. Sig-

nificantly, the basis for conferring status also changes—from having many children to attain-

ing education and displaying material wealth. People like Celia and Angel in our opening

vignette begin to see life differently, and their motivation to have many children drops sharply.

Not knowing how rapidly industrialization will progress or how quickly changes in values and

reproductive behavior will follow adds to the difficulty of making accurate projections.

Consider what the U.S. population might be in the year 2050. Between now and then, will

we have zero population growth? (Every 1,000 women would give birth to 2,100 children,

604 Chapter 20 POPULATION AND URBANIZATION

Cultural Diversity around the World

Killing Little Girls: An Ancient

and Thriving Practice

“The Mysterious Case of the Missing Girls” could have

been the title of this box. Around the globe, for every

100 girls born, about 105 boys are born. In China, how-

ever, for every 100 baby girls, there are 120 baby boys.

Given China’s huge population, this means that China

has several million fewer baby

girls than it should have. Why?

The answer is female infanti-

cide, the killing of baby girls.

When a Chinese woman goes

into labor, the village midwife

sometimes grabs a bucket of

water. If the newborn is a girl,

she is plunged into the water

before she can draw her first

breath.

At the root of China’s sexist

infanticide is economics. The

people are poor, and they have

no pensions. When parents can

no longer work, sons support

them. In contrast, a daughter

must be married off, at great

expense, and at that point, her

obligations transfer to her husband and his family.

In the past few years, the percentage of boy ba-

bies has grown. The reason, again, is economics, but

this time it has a new twist. As China opened the

door to capitalism, travel and trade opened up—but

primarily to men, for it is not thought appropriate

for women to travel alone. With men finding them-

selves in a better position to bring profits home to

the family, parents have one more reason to want

male children.

The gender ratio is so lopsided that for people in

their 20s there are six bachelors for every five potential

brides. Concerned about this gender imbalance, officials

have begun a campaign to stop the drowning of girl ba-

bies. They are also trying to crack down on the abor-

tions of female fetuses.

It is likely that the preference for boys, and the re-

sulting female infanticide, will not disappear until the so-

cial structures that perpetuate

sexism are dismantled.This is

unlikely to take place until

women hold as much power as

men, a development that, should

it ever occur, apparently lies far

in the future.

In the meantime, politicians

have become concerned about a

primary sociological implication

of female infanticide—that large

numbers of young men who

cannot marry pose a political

threat.These “bare branches,” as

they are referred to in China,

disgruntled and lacking the sta-

bilizing influences of marriage

and children, could become a

breeding ground for political

dissent.This threat could motivate the national elites to

take steps against female infanticide.

For Your Consideration

What do you think can be done to reduce female infan-

ticide? Why do you think this issue receives so little

publicity and is not a priority with world leaders?

Sources: Jordan 2000; Dugger 2001; Eckholm 2002; French 2004; Riley

2004; Sang-Hun 2007;Yardley 2007.

This woman in New Delhi, India, is participating in a

protest against sex-selective abortion.

India

China

zero population growth

women bearing only enough

children to reproduce the

population

the extra 100 children making up for those who do not sur-

vive or reproduce.) What percentage of women will go to

college? (Educated women bear fewer children.) How many

immigrants will we have? Will some devastating disease ap-

pear? Because of these many unknowns, demographers play

it safe by making several projections of population growth,

each depending on an “if” scenario. Figure 20.9 shows their

three projections of the U.S. population.

Let’s turn to a different aspect of population, where

people live. Because more and more people around the

world are living in cities, we shall concentrate on urban

trends and urban life.

Urbanization

As I was climbing a steep hill in Medellin, Colombia, in a

district called El Tiro, my informant, Jaro, said, “This used

to be a garbage heap.” I stopped to peer through the vege-

tation alongside the path we were on, and sure enough, I

could see bits of refuse still sticking out of the dirt. The

“town” had been built on top of garbage.

This was just the first of my many revelations that day.

The second was that El Tiro was so dangerous that the

Medellin police refused to enter it. I shuddered for a mo-

ment, but I had good reason to trust Jaro. He had been a

pastor in El Tiro for several years, and he knew the people well. I knew that if I stayed close

to him I would be safe.

Actually, El Tiro was safer now than it had been. A group of young men had banded to-

gether to make it so, Jaro told me. A sort of frontier justice prevailed. The vigilantes told

the prostitutes and drug dealers that there would be no prostitution or drug dealing in El

Tiro and to “take it elsewhere.” They

killed anyone who robbed or killed some-

one. And they even made families safer—

they would beat up any man who got

drunk and beat “his” woman. With the

threat of instant justice, the area had be-

come much safer.

Jaro then added that each household had

to pay the group a monthly fee, which

turned out to be less than a dollar in U.S.

money. Each business had to pay a little

more. For this, they received security.

As we wandered the streets of El Tiro, it

did look safe—but I still stayed close to

Jaro. And I wondered about this group of

men who had made the area safe. What

kept them from turning on the residents?

Jaro had no answer. When Jaro pointed to

two young men, whom he said were part of

the ruling group, I asked if I could take

their picture. They refused. I did not try to

snap one on the sly.

My final revelation was El Tiro itself.

On the next two pages you can see some of

the things I saw that day.

Urbanization 605

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

2000

2020

2040

2060

2080

2100

Year

Millions of People

High

projection

Medium

projection

Low

projection

FIGURE 20.9 Population Projections

of the United States

Source: By the author. Based on Statistical Abstract of the United

States 2002:Table 3.

Note: The projections are based on different assumptions of

fertility, mortality, and, especially, immigration.

Early cities were small economic centers surrounded by walls to keep out enemies.

These cities had to be fortresses, for they were constantly under threat. Pictured in

this 1884 illustration is an attack on Paris in 885.

Kids are kids the world over. These

children don’t know they are poor. They

are having a great time playing on a pile

of dirt in the street.

Almost at the top of the garbage

heap, I saw this boy in front of his

house. His mother hung out the

family’s wash to dry.

This is one of my favorite photos. The woman is happy that she

has a home—and proud of what she has done with it.What I find

remarkable is the flower garden she so carefully tends, and has

taken great effort to protect from children and dogs. I can see the

care she would take of a little suburban home.

A Walk Through El Tiro

Medellin, Colombia

THROUGH THE AUTHOR’S LENS

This is the “richer” area

below El Tiro.As you can

see, some of the residents

own cars.

El Tiro has

home delivery.

An infrastructure has developed to serve El Tiro.This woman is waiting

in line to use the only public telephone.

“What does an El Tiro home look like inside?,” I kept wondering.Then Jaro, my

guide (on the left), took me inside the home of one of his parishioners.

Amelia keeps a neat house, with everything highly organized.

It doesn’t take much skill to build your own house in

El Tiro. A hammer and saw, some nails, and used

lumber will provide most of what you need.This man

is building his house on top of another house.

What do people do to

make a living in El Tiro?

Anything they can.This

man is sharpening a saw

in front of his home.

The road to El Tiro. On the left, going up

the hill, is a board walk.To the right is a meat

market (carnicería). Note the structure

above the meat market, where the family

that runs the

store lives.

In this second part of the chapter, I will try to lay the context for understanding urban

life—and El Tiro. Let’s begin by first finding out how the city itself came about.

The Development of Cities

Cities are not new to the world scene. Perhaps as early as 7,000 years ago, people built

small cities with massive defensive walls, such as biblically famous Jericho (Homblin

1973). Cities on a larger scale appeared about 3500 B.C., around the time that writing

was invented (Chandler and Fox 1974; Hawley 1981). At that time, cities emerged in

several parts of the world—first in Mesopotamia (Iran and Iraq) and later in the Nile,

Indus, and Yellow River valleys, in West Africa, along the shores of the Mediterranean, in

Central America, and in the Andes (Fischer 1976; Flanagan 1990). In the Americas, the

first city was Caral, in what is now Peru (Fountain 2001).

The key to the origin of cities is the development of more efficient agriculture (Lenski

and Lenski 1987). Only when farming produces a surplus can some people stop pro-

ducing food and gather in cities to spend time in other economic pursuits. A city, in

fact, can be defined as a place in which a large number of people are permanently based

and do not produce their own food. The invention of the plow about 5,000 years ago

created widespread agricultural surpluses, stimulating the development of towns and

cities.

Most early cities were tiny, merely a collection of a few thousand people in agricul-

tural centers or on major trade routes. The most notable exceptions are two cities that

reached 1 million residents for a brief period of time before they declined—Changan

(Xi’an) in China about A.D. 800 and Baghdad in Persia (Iraq) about A.D. 900 (Chan-

dler and Fox 1974). Even Athens at the peak of its power in the fifth century B.C. had

only about 250,000 inhabitants. Rome, at its peak, may have had a million people or

more, but as the Roman empire declined, the city of Rome became only a collection of

villages (Palen 2008).

Two hundred years ago, the only city in the world that had a population of more than

a million was Peking (Beijing), China (Chandler and Fox 1974). As Figure 20.10 shows,

today the world has over 400 cities with more than a million residents. Behind this surge

lies the Industrial Revolution, which not only drew people to cities by providing work but

which also stimulated rapid transportation and communication. These, in turn, allowed

the efficient movement of people, resources, products, and especially today, informa-

tion—essential factors (called infrastructure) that allow large cities to exist.

The Process of Urbanization

Although cities are not new to the world scene, urbanization—the movement of masses

of people to cities, which then have a growing influence on society—is quite recent in

world history. In 1800 only 3 percent of the world’s population lived in cities (Hauser and

Schnore 1965), but by 2008, for the first time in history, more people lived in cities than

in rural areas. Although urbanization is taking place around the globe, as you can see

from Table 20.3 it is quite uneven.

To understand the city’s attraction, we need to consider the “pulls”

of urban life. Because of its exquisite division of labor, the city offers

incredible variety—music ranging from rap and salsa to death metal

and classical, shops that feature imported delicacies from around the

world and those that sell special foods for vegetarians and diabetics.

Cities also offer anonymity, which so many find refreshing in light of

the tighter controls of village and small-town life. And, of course, the

city offers work.

Some cities have grown so large and have so much influence over a

region that the term city is no longer adequate to describe them. The

term metropolis is used instead. This term refers to a central city sur-

608 Chapter 20 POPULATION AND URBANIZATION

Sources: By the author. Based

on Chandler and Fox 1974;

Brockerhoff 2000; United

Nations 2008.

1800

100

200

300

400

500

700

1900 2000 2025

414

601

600

Year

FIGURE 20.10

A Global Boom:

Cities with Over

One Million Residents

TABLE 20.3 Urbanization and

Industrial Development

Source: By the author. Based on United Nations 2008; Haub and

Kent 2008.

Percent Urban

Least Industrialized Nations 28%

Industrializing Nations 44%

Most Industrialized Nations 75%

city a place in which a large

number of people are perma-

nently based and do not pro-

duce their own food

urbanization the process by

which an increasing proportion

of a population lives in cities

and has a growing influence on

the culture

metropolis a central city sur-

rounded by smaller cities and

their suburbs

rounded by smaller cities and their suburbs. They are linked by transportation and com-

munication and connected economically, and sometimes politically, through county

boards and regional governing bodies. St. Louis is an example.

Although this name, St. Louis, properly refers to a city of 350,000 people in Missouri, it also

refers to another 3 million people who live in more than a hundred separate towns in both

Missouri and Illinois. Altogether, the region is known as the “St. Louis or Bi-State Area.” Al-

though these towns are independent politically, they form an economic unit. They are linked

by work (many people in the smaller towns work in St. Louis or are served by industries

from St. Louis), by communications (they share the same area newspaper and radio and tel-

evision stations), and by transportation (they use the same interstate highways, the Bi-State

Bus system, and international airport). As symbolic interactionists would note, shared sym-

bols (the Arch, the Mississippi River, Busch Brewery, the Cardinals, the Rams, the Blues—

both the hockey team and the music) provide the residents a common identity.

Most of the towns run into one another, and if you were to drive through this metropo-

lis, you would not know that you were leaving one town and entering another—unless you

had lived there for some time and were aware of the fierce small-town identifications and ri-

valries that coexist within this overarching identity.

Some metropolises have grown so large and influential that the term megalopolis is used

to describe them. This term refers to an overlapping area consisting of at least two metropo-

lises and their many suburbs. Of the twenty or so megalopolises in the United States, the three

largest are the Eastern seaboard running from Maine to Virginia, the area in Florida between

Miami, Orlando, and Tampa, and California’s coastal area between San Francisco and San

Diego. The California megalopolis extends into Mexico and includes Tijuana and its suburbs.

This process of urban areas turning into a metropolis, and a metropolis developing into

a megalopolis, occurs worldwide. When a city’s population hits 10 million, it is called a

megacity. In 1950, New York City was the only megacity in the world, but today there are

nineteen (United Nations 2008). Megacities are growing so rapidly that by the year 2025

there are expected to be twenty-seven. The largest of these are shown in Figure 20.11. As

you can see, most megacities are located in the Least Industrialized Nations.

The Development of Cities 609

FIGURE 20.11 The 20 Largest Cities in the World.

Source: By the author. Based on United Nations 2008:Table 3.

Includes contiguous cities. Los Angeles, for example, includes Long Beach, and New York includes Newark.The populations

are projections for year 2025.

13,800,000

13,700,000

21,000,000

20,600,000

15,800,000

21,400,000

26,400,000

Los Angeles

Mexico City

New York

Lagos

Buenos Aires

13,400,000

Rio de Janeiro

Mumbai (Bombay)

20,600,000

Kolkata (Calcutta)

Sao Paulo

19,100,000

Karachi

16,800,000

Kinshasa

12,100,000

Istanbul

22,000,000

Dhaka

14,500,000

Beijing

22,500,000

Delhi

19,400,000

Shanghai

14,800,000

Manila

12,400,000

Jakarta

15,600,000

Cairo

36,400,000

Tokyo

megalopolis an urban area

consisting of at least two me-

tropolises and their many

suburbs

megacity a city of 10 million

or more residents

610 Chapter 20 POPULATION AND URBANIZATION

U.S. Urban Patterns

From Country to City. In its early years, the United States was almost exclusively rural.

In 1790, only about 5 percent of Americans lived in cities. By 1920, this figure had

jumped to 50 percent. Urbanization has continued without letup, and today 79 percent

of Americans live in cities.

The U.S. Census Bureau divides the country into 274 metropolitan statistical areas

(MSAs). Each MSA consists of a central city of at least 50,000 people and the urbanized

areas linked to it. About three of five Americans live in just fifty or so MSAs. As you can

see from the Social Map below, like our other social patterns, urbanization is uneven

across the United States.

From City to City. As Americans migrate in search of work and better lifestyles, some

cities increase in population while others shrink. Table 20.4 on the next page compares

the fastest-growing U.S. cities with those that are losing people. This table reflects a major

shift of people, resources, and power between regions of the United States. As you can see,

five of the ten fastest-growing cities are in the West, and five are in the South. Of the

ten declining cities, six are in the Northeast, three in the South, and one in the West.

New Orleans, a special case, has not yet recovered from Hurricane Katrina.

Between Cities. As Americans migrate, edge cities have developed to meet their needs.

This term refers to clusters of buildings and services near the intersection of major highways.

These areas of shopping malls, hotels, office parks, and apartment complexes are not cities

in the traditional sense. Rather than being political units with their own mayor or city man-

ager, they overlap political boundaries and include parts of several cities or towns. Yet, edge

cities—such as Tysons Corner near Washington, DC, and those clustering along the LBJ

Freeway near Dallas, Texas—provide a sense of place to those who live or work there.

Within the City. Another U.S. urban pattern is gentrification, the movement of mid-

dle-class people into rundown areas of a city. What draws the middle class are the low

FIGURE 20.12 How Urban Is Your State?

The Rural–Urban Makeup of the United States

Source: By the author. Based on Statistical Abstract of the United States 2011:Table 29.

Note: The most rural state is Vermont (38% urban). The most urban states are California and

New Jersey (94% urban).

The most rural states: 38% to 64% urban

Average states: 65% to 79% urban

The most urban states: 80% to 94% urban

metropolitan statistical

area (MSA)

a central city

and the urbanized counties

adjacent to it

edge city a large clustering of

service facilities and residential

areas near highway intersec-

tions that provides a sense of

place to people who live, shop,

and work there

gentrification middle-class

people moving into a rundown

area of a city, displacing the

poor as they buy and restore

homes