Quote:
Originally Posted by Steely Dan
that's a shift that has always perplexed me because in the northeast the early colonial seaport powerhouses (NYC, Philly, boston) have maintained their stature for centuries. why did the south flip? why isn't savannah a metro area of 4-5 million people today?
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my guess? they were isolated from the northern industrial economic system that was fueled by the workhorses of the industrial midwest, the fruits of which were funneled to the northeast and mid-atlantic coast. the south had no internal engine on the vast scale of the urban midwest to fuel its port cities, with the exception of what st. louis and other river cities sent through new orleans. even then, new orleans had long ceased to be a command and control point for everything the mississippi touched.