Rural+and+Urban+Life

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If we go back to 1871 we'd find a Canada that was mostly rural. That is, over 80% of Canadians lived in the "country", not cities or towns. As the years passed, more and more Canadians emigrated to the cities. As steam- and gasoline-powered farm machinery slowly replaced much of the human labour required on farms, less work was available in rural areas. Young people had to move to towns and cities to find jobs. Between 1871 and 1931 Canada's population gradually shifted from being mostly rural to mostly urban. This process of urbanization changed people's lives profoundly, especially in the fields of education, employment, leisure, and consumerism.

 Years  1871-81% Rural, 19% Urban  1881-75% Rural, 25% Urban  1891-68% Rural, 32% Urban  1901-62% Rural, 38% Urban  1911-54% Rural, 46% Urban  1921-50% Rural, 50% Urban  1931-48% Rural, 52% Urban

Questions 1
1. What decade had the greatest amount of change? Does this makes sense to you? Why or why not?

Life in Towns and Cities
 People who abandoned their farms and came to the city soon realized that they were no better off. At least on the farm they could grow their own food, or trade some cream from their cows for vegetables from another farmer. By contrast, urban areas ran largely on a cash economy. This meant that people had to have cash to buy the things they needed to survive. For most people, having a job was the only way to get cash. But jobs were in short supply, and more and more people were competing for each opening. Many unemployed workers ended up standing in bread lines like those described at the beginning of this chapter. With so many people chasing fewer jobs, workers had to accept pay cuts imposed by their employers.

===**Questions 2 ** === 2. If you were alive in the 1930s in Canada, would you prefer to live on a farm or in the city? Why? <span style="background-color: #d9d8d8; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">3. How do you think workers felt about their situation in 1933? Explain.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">So, we have people moving FROM the countryside because their jobs are being taken by mechanization (farm tractors etc). What did they have waiting for them in the cities? Well, factories had been popping up throughout Canadian cities as first steam power, and then electricity found it's way into industry. These factories can still often be seen today, usually empty as the majority of manufacturing jobs have been taken away and moved overseas. Brantford has several empty factories from this time period. In fact, Brantford was a destination for those who lived in the countryside who left. Companies like Massey-Harris, Brantford Bicycle Company and others were magnets for out-of-work farmers.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">This trend has continued as well. There are many "ghost" towns in Ontario and other parts of Canada. These towns fade away as the young people move to the cities to find work. Farming is more mechanized than ever, so this is not likely to reverse.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Interested in ghost towns in Canada? Check out this LINK to find a list of many of the ghost towns in Canada. Maybe some are near your home?

<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">Questions 3 <span style="background-color: #e1dfdf; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%;">4. Find a ghost town that interests you and write a description of the (former) town. Include your reason(s) for choosing it.