ABSTRACT
Workers in each of cities of urban America, whether native-born or immigrant, experienced significantly greater mobility than did their counterparts in other American cities studied to date. It seems reasonable, therefore, to hypothesize that mobility was greater in developing industrial communities than in stabilizing communities. In 1875, a wealthy speculator discovered oil in the immediate vicinity of Warren, Pennsylvania. His discovery and those that followed led to the development of an oil related economy and to a sustained period of economic expansion and urbanization. In order to understand why changes in the composition of the working force occurred one really needs to know why some people stay, why others leave, and why new people enter a community. Married people moved up in occupational position between 1890 and 1900 but slipped downward between 1900 and 1910. Taxable estate was always insignificant while savings account ownership was sometimes significant.
