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 22 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.
  • San Francisco
  • Chicago
  • Detroit
  • New Orleans
  • A.A bay harbor that boomed during the California Gold Rush
  • B.Near the mouth of the Mississippi, where river trade met the Gulf
  • C.On Lake Michigan, where railroads from the East and the West met
  • D.Became the center of the car industry in the early 1900s
2.Draw a line from each one to its match.
  • Pittsburgh
  • New York City
  • Salt Lake City
  • Washington, D.C.
  • A.Where two rivers join to form the Ohio, near coal and iron for steel
  • 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.Chosen as the national capital, on the Potomac River, in 1790

LessonPrint · D2.Geo.6.3-5 · Set 22 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Why These Cities Grew Where They Did

Set 22. Prints on its own sheet.

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