Transportation in the Nineteenth Century Roads, rivers, and railroads connected different regions of the United States. These modes of transportation allowed people to move away from the country’s coastlines. Railroads grew quickly in the nineteenth century. Between 1860 and 1880, railroad lines tripled. They went from covering 30,000 miles to 90,000 miles. The Transcontinental Railroad was finished in 1869. This was the first railroad that connected the east and west coasts of the United States. By the year 1900, there was a nationwide network of railroads. This made shipping and transportation easier. Railroads contributed to industrial growth and increased demand for goods.

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In 1960, many railroad companies were having financial trouble because the number of train passengers began declining. By this time, more people were traveling across the country by cars or airplanes.
Many people traveled along rivers on steamboats. By 1830, steamboats were a major mode of transportation.
Although there were not many major roads stretching across the country in the 1800s, there were a few. The National Road stretched from Maryland to Ohio by 1833.
Electric trolley cars were developed in the 1860s. These trolley cars made it much easier for people to travel within large cities.
Unlike traveling by railroad, traveling by automobile allowed people in the twentieth century to go places without being restricted to a schedule. As more people began driving cars, more people began living outside of big cities.