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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 18 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.
  • Atlanta
  • Salt Lake City
  • Detroit
  • St. Louis
  • A.Began as the end point of a railroad line and grew as a rail hub
  • B.Near where the Missouri River joins the Mississippi, a gateway to the West
  • C.Became the center of the car industry in the early 1900s
  • D.Founded in 1847 by Latter-day Saints in a valley near a great salt lake
2.Draw a line from each one to its match.
  • Chicago
  • Denver
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • A.A bay harbor that boomed during the California Gold Rush
  • B.A port on Puget Sound that supplied gold seekers heading to Alaska and Canada
  • C.Grew from a gold rush at the foot of the Rocky Mountains
  • D.On Lake Michigan, where railroads from the East and the West met

LessonPrint · D2.Geo.6.3-5 · Set 18 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Why These Cities Grew Where They Did

Set 18. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Atlanta — A (Began as the end point of a railroad line and grew as a rail hub) 2. Salt Lake City — D (Founded in 1847 by Latter-day Saints in a valley near a great salt lake) 3. Detroit — C (Became the center of the car industry in the early 1900s) 4. St. Louis — B (Near where the Missouri River joins the Mississippi, a gateway to the West)
  2. 2.1. Chicago — D (On Lake Michigan, where railroads from the East and the West met) 2. Denver — C (Grew from a gold rush at the foot of the Rocky Mountains) 3. San Francisco — A (A bay harbor that boomed during the California Gold Rush) 4. Seattle — B (A port on Puget Sound that supplied gold seekers heading to Alaska and Canada)

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