People Moving in America

Long ago, people moved a lot.
They moved to new places.
This is called moving to new homes.

We can look at old maps.
Maps show where people lived.
Maps show how many people lived in each place.
This is called population density.
It means how many people live close together.

The 1920s

In the 1920s, cities got bigger.
Many farms had less work.
Machines could do farm work now.
So farm workers moved to cities.
Many people moved from the South.
They moved to the North.
They moved to the West.
They wanted jobs.

The 1930s

In the 1930s, times were hard.
This was called the Great Depression.
Money was hard to find.
There was also a big dust storm time.
It was called the Dust Bowl.
Wind blew dirt everywhere.
Farms could not grow food.
Families left Texas.
Families left the Great Plains.
They moved to California.
They moved to big cities.

Bugs called boll weevils hurt cotton farms too.
Farmers lost their money.
They moved to cities to find work.

The government helped too.
It built big projects.
One was called the Hoover Dam.
It gave people new jobs.
People moved to where the jobs were.

The 1940s

In the 1940s, there was a big war.
It was called World War II.
Many men went to fight.
Factories needed workers.
They made supplies for the war.
People moved to work in factories.
Many women got new jobs.
They did work that men used to do.

Today

People still move today.
Now, many people move West.
Many people move South.
People move for new jobs.
People move for new homes.

Think About It

People move for many reasons.
Some reasons push people away.
Some reasons pull people to a new place.
Long ago, hard farms pushed people away.
New jobs pulled people to cities.

What do you think will happen next?
Where do you think people will move?