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Why These Cities Grew Where They Did is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on why major US cities grew where they did, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.Geo.6.3-5. It prints 2 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 17 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Why These Cities Grew Where They Did

D2.Geo.6.3-5

NameDate

Draw a line from each city to the reason it grew there.

1.Draw a line from each one to its match.
  • Pittsburgh
  • Denver
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Houston
  • A.Where two rivers join to form the Ohio, near coal and iron for steel
  • B.Grew from a gold rush at the foot of the Rocky Mountains
  • C.Chosen as the national capital, on the Potomac River, in 1790
  • D.Grew with oil and a ship channel to the Gulf of Mexico
2.Draw a line from each one to its match.
  • St. Louis
  • Salt Lake City
  • San Francisco
  • Chicago
  • A.A bay harbor that boomed during the California Gold Rush
  • B.Founded in 1847 by Latter-day Saints in a valley near a great salt lake
  • C.On Lake Michigan, where railroads from the East and the West met
  • D.Near where the Missouri River joins the Mississippi, a gateway to the West

LessonPrint · D2.Geo.6.3-5 · Set 17 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Why These Cities Grew Where They Did

Set 17. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Pittsburgh — A (Where two rivers join to form the Ohio, near coal and iron for steel) 2. Denver — B (Grew from a gold rush at the foot of the Rocky Mountains) 3. Washington, D.C. — C (Chosen as the national capital, on the Potomac River, in 1790) 4. Houston — D (Grew with oil and a ship channel to the Gulf of Mexico)
  2. 2.1. St. Louis — D (Near where the Missouri River joins the Mississippi, a gateway to the West) 2. Salt Lake City — B (Founded in 1847 by Latter-day Saints in a valley near a great salt lake) 3. San Francisco — A (A bay harbor that boomed during the California Gold Rush) 4. Chicago — C (On Lake Michigan, where railroads from the East and the West met)

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Geo.6.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.