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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 21 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
  • Detroit
  • Salt Lake City
  • San Francisco
  • A.Became the center of the car industry in the early 1900s
  • B.Founded in 1847 by Latter-day Saints in a valley near a great salt lake
  • C.Where two rivers join to form the Ohio, near coal and iron for steel
  • D.A bay harbor that boomed during the California Gold Rush
2.Draw a line from each one to its match.
  • New York City
  • Chicago
  • St. Louis
  • Washington, D.C.
  • A.A deep, sheltered harbor at the mouth of the Hudson River
  • B.On Lake Michigan, where railroads from the East and the West met
  • C.Chosen as the national capital, on the Potomac River, in 1790
  • D.Near where the Missouri River joins the Mississippi, a gateway to the West

LessonPrint · D2.Geo.6.3-5 · Set 21 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Why These Cities Grew Where They Did

Set 21. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Pittsburgh — C (Where two rivers join to form the Ohio, near coal and iron for steel) 2. Detroit — A (Became the center of the car industry in the early 1900s) 3. Salt Lake City — B (Founded in 1847 by Latter-day Saints in a valley near a great salt lake) 4. San Francisco — D (A bay harbor that boomed during the California Gold Rush)
  2. 2.1. New York City — A (A deep, sheltered harbor at the mouth of the Hudson River) 2. Chicago — B (On Lake Michigan, where railroads from the East and the West met) 3. St. Louis — D (Near where the Missouri River joins the Mississippi, a gateway to the West) 4. Washington, D.C. — C (Chosen as the national capital, on the Potomac River, in 1790)

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