ABSTRACT

This chapter presents the geography of entrepreneurship, mainly for 1851–1911. Mapping and tables demonstrate the concentration of business and entrepreneurs in different locations and the enduring presence of industrial districts. Also important were the role of urban centres, ports, commercial and administrative centres and some resorts. A new classification of the geography of the country is presented based on factor analysis. The factor differences by sector are analysed and provide new insights into industrial districts; they also provide a classification structure that can be used by others. The geography is also shown to change, with urban areas becoming increasingly significant and rural entrepreneurship declining as the national market became more integrated. The chapter also demonstrates changes in occupational diversity of entrepreneurs over the period, and between urban and rural locations. Classifications over 1851–1911 are also briefly compared with later analyses by Moser and Scott.