1. Section 1 – The Northeast CHAPTER 9

2. A REGION OF CITIES The northeast of the United States is the most densely populated area of the country The cities of Boston, New York, & Washington D.C. seem to all run together forming a megalopolis The economies of this region are centered around the big cities Historically these cities were built around rivers near the Atlantic for transportation & trade Today that is still important, but manufacturing, finance, communication, & government are what employ most of the people in the area

3. BOSTON Boston is a very important city to us historically because of circumstances surrounding the Revolutionary War It is also a modern city and home to Harvard University, which is our oldest university (1636), & (MIT) the Massachusetts Institute of Technology which are both found in Cambridge Boston has some of the best medical schools and hospitals in this country The use of anesthesia first took place in Boston The universities and scientific companies often work together during research

4. PHILADELPHIA The city of Philadelphia is also important to the story of America since it once was the nation’s capital and the location where the Constitution & Declaration of Independence were written Philadelphia has always been an important shipbuilding center Today the city is well known for industry & transportation of goods It’s factories process food, make medical supplies, & chemicals that are then transported to the world by ship, trucks, and trains Philadelphia is a center for health care because many dental, medical, & pharmacology schools are located locally

5. NEW YORK CITY Our biggest (300 sq. miles), most populated, most influential, and wealthiest city is New York It is home to 8.4 million people and ranks number eight in the world A center for arts, advertising, fashion, and publishing Finance is very important aspect of New York City since this is where Wall Street is located More than 350,000 people work for banks and financial institutions in the city This city, and specifically the twin towers, was targeted on 911 because of it being a center for international trade and containing government agencies Almost 3000 people lost their lives on that day in 2001

6. PORTS OF ENTRY Ellis Island was the processing center for immigrants to the east coast from 1892 through 1954, today it is a national monument New York was not the only place people could enter the U.S. Boston & Philadelphia were ports of entry to many Irish in the 1800’s Many Germans came to America through Philadelphia in the 1700’s These three cities are very diverse to this day because of all of the immigration that has taken place over the years