Skip to content
LessonPrint

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

Next set

One paper per student

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425

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.
  • New Orleans
  • Washington, D.C.
  • Pittsburgh
  • Atlanta
  • A.Near the mouth of the Mississippi, where river trade met the Gulf
  • B.Chosen as the national capital, on the Potomac River, in 1790
  • C.Began as the end point of a railroad line and grew as a rail hub
  • D.Where two rivers join to form the Ohio, near coal and iron for steel
2.Draw a line from each one to its match.
  • Salt Lake City
  • Denver
  • New York City
  • Houston
  • A.Grew with oil and a ship channel to the Gulf of Mexico
  • B.A deep, sheltered harbor at the mouth of the Hudson River
  • C.Founded in 1847 by Latter-day Saints in a valley near a great salt lake
  • D.Grew from a gold rush at the foot of the Rocky Mountains

LessonPrint · D2.Geo.6.3-5 · Set 19 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Why These Cities Grew Where They Did

Set 19. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. New Orleans — A (Near the mouth of the Mississippi, where river trade met the Gulf) 2. Washington, D.C. — B (Chosen as the national capital, on the Potomac River, in 1790) 3. Pittsburgh — D (Where two rivers join to form the Ohio, near coal and iron for steel) 4. Atlanta — C (Began as the end point of a railroad line and grew as a rail hub)
  2. 2.1. Salt Lake City — C (Founded in 1847 by Latter-day Saints in a valley near a great salt lake) 2. Denver — D (Grew from a gold rush at the foot of the Rocky Mountains) 3. New York City — B (A deep, sheltered harbor at the mouth of the Hudson River) 4. Houston — A (Grew with oil and a ship channel to the Gulf of Mexico)

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