ABSTRACT
A multitude of crosscurrents sifted the population back and forth within an aggregate westward shift of settled country. The vigorous formation of towns was important in settling western lands, as evidenced by the impressive early growth rates of cities like Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Chicago. Cities west of the Allegheny Mountains benefited, as did rural western areas, from the long-distance in-migration of people from the East and from Europe. Biographical sketches in local county histories offer some details of individual migrations between specific places, but they are neither complete nor representative of all socioeconomic sectors of the population. Iowa was a classic battleground for central-place competition, owing to rapid settlement aided by the expansion of railroads. Iowa was settled primarily by native-born Americans from the states due east of it and to a lesser extent by European-born migrants who came directly or indirectly to the state.
