USA Continental Transect Study Guide Practice Deck

Comprehensive 300-card practice deck based strictly on the USA Continental Transect Study Guide.

What is a transect in geographical studies?

A transect is a line following a route along which observations are made to see how physical and built environments change.

What route shapes can a geographic transect take?

Transects can be straight, curved, or a mixture of both.

What is a basic transect?

A simple line with observations made along it.

Give an example of a rural transect route.

Along a country road or a river.

What features are recorded along an urban photographic transect?

Land use, building density and height, bridges, schools, and community centres along a street.

What two urban photographic transect examples are cited in Booklet 1?

The Cincinnati example and Sydney options such as St Mary's Cathedral to Oxford Street.

How many stages make up the USA Continental Transect from NYC to LA?

Three stages.

List six physical environment factors observed along a transect.

Elevation/landforms, climate, vegetation, fauna, rivers, and hazards.

List seven human environment factors observed along a transect.

Land use, population density, settlement, building height/density, resource use, political preference, and places of cultural or religious significance.

Which specific election years are mentioned for mapping political preferences along the transect?

The $2016$ and $2020$ elections.

In what visual or textual formats can transect information be presented?

Descriptive summaries, symbols, photographs, or a side-view cross-section with a scale and vertical exaggeration.

What is the route for Stage 1 of the USA Continental Transect?

New York City to Indianapolis to Pittsburgh.

Which five states are crossed during Stage 1 of the transect?

New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana.

What is the approximate distance of Stage 1 of the transect?

Approximately $1050\,km$.

What is the route for Stage 2 of the USA Continental Transect?

Indianapolis to Kansas City to Colorado Springs.

Which five states are crossed during Stage 2 of the transect?

Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and Colorado.

What is the approximate distance of Stage 2 of the transect?

Approximately $1610\,km$.

What is the route for Stage 3 of the USA Continental Transect?

Colorado Springs to Grand Canyon to Los Angeles.

Which five states are crossed during Stage 3 of the transect?

Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California.

What is the approximate distance of Stage 3 of the transect?

Approximately $1330\,km$.

What is the total straight-line distance across all three stages of the USA transect?

Roughly $3990\,km$.

Describe the main geographical path crossed by the transect from East to West.

From the Atlantic coast, across the Appalachians, the Midwest and Great Plains, over the Rockies and desert Southwest, to the Pacific coast.

Where is Manhattan located relative to local bodies of water?

An island between the Hudson River to the west and the East River to the east.

Which major commercial districts are situated in Manhattan?

The Financial District and Midtown.

What makes The Bronx geographically unique among the five boroughs of NYC?

It is north of Manhattan and is the only borough on the US mainland.

Where are Brooklyn and Queens located?

On western Long Island, across the East River from Manhattan (Brooklyn to the south, Queens to the north and east).

Where is Staten Island situated?

The southwestern island at the mouth of the harbour.

How has island geography affected built density in New York City?

Because land is scarce on islands, it led to high density and ever taller buildings.

Which rivers dissect NYC and originally acted as physical barriers?

The Hudson and East rivers.

What economic advantages did NYC's Atlantic location and natural harbour provide?

It made the city one of the world's great ports and gave access to trade.

What environmental hazards affect low-lying areas of NYC?

Flooding during storm surges and strong winds due to its Atlantic location.

Describe the climate classification and seasonal weather of NYC.

Humid subtropical climate with cool, wet winters and hot, humid summers.

How did NYC overcome physical water barriers to allow outward expansion?

Through bridges, tunnels, and freeways.

In what year was the Brooklyn Bridge completed, and what impact did it have?

Opened in $1868$, leading to the development of Brooklyn and beyond.

How did the early 20th-century subway system transform NYC settlement?

It opened up access to the outer boroughs.

Give an example of land reclamation along Lower Manhattan's waterfront.

Battery Park City.

How were land slopes modified in NYC during urban development?

Hills were flattened, especially on the East Side.

What invention made skyscrapers feasible in NYC, leading to modern pencil towers?

The hydraulic lift.

How many securities jobs exist in NYC's financial sector?

Over $180,000$ securities jobs.

What proportion of NYC workers are employed in finance?

One in ten workers.

Where would the NYC metro area economy rank globally if it were an independent country?

It would be the 8th-largest economy in the world.

What was the total city product of New York City in 2022?

It exceeded \text{US}\\n$678\text{ billion}.

Name four major TNCs headquartered or operating in NYC cited in Booklet 1.

JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, and American Express.

List seven famous tourist destinations in NYC mentioned in the study guide.

Broadway, Times Square, Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, Fifth Avenue, the 9/11 Memorial, and world-class museums (the Met, MoMA, the Guggenheim).

What proportion of New York City's total population is foreign-born?

$36\%$ of the population.

Where do the wealthy elite in NYC concentrate, and how much do they spend on penthouses?

They concentrate in the Upper East and Upper West Sides, spending tens of millions on penthouses.

What economic factors drew migrants to NYC starting in the 19th century?

Jobs and economic opportunity resulting from the 19th-century industrial boom.

Name five established minority groups in NYC that offer support to newcomers.

Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cuban, Caribbean, and African American communities.

What push factor drove Puerto Rican migration to NYC?

Economic hardship caused by the Great Depression in Puerto Rico.

What push factor drove Cuban migration to NYC starting in 1959?

Political change following Fidel Castro's revolution in $1959$.

What push factor drove Dominican migration to NYC in 1961?

The assassination of Rafael Trujillo in $1961$.

What travel factor facilitated post-WWII migration to NYC?

Cheaper air travel after WWII.

Which neighbourhood is known as the heart of Black New York and urban Black culture?

Harlem (along with Bedford-Stuyvesant).

Which regions do foreign-born immigrants living in Harlem originate from?

Africa, the Caribbean (e.g. Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad), and Latin America.

Which religious tradition is described as central to African American identity in Harlem?

Christianity.

Name two specific NYC neighbourhoods that serve as Latinx hubs.

Washington Heights and East Harlem/El Barrio.

In what year was the first Puerto Rican Day Parade held in NYC?

$1958$.

Define gentrification.

The arrival of wealthier people in an existing urban district, with rising rents and property values and changes to the district's character and culture.

Why is gentrification often viewed negatively?

Because it can displace poorer communities, raise rents, and threaten local small businesses and cultural traditions.

How much faster did Chelsea rents rise compared to the Manhattan average since 2009?

Rents rose $10\text{ times}$ faster than the Manhattan average.

How many Black residents did Bed-Stuy lose in a decade despite gaining 8,000 total residents?

Bed-Stuy lost about $22,000$ Black residents.

What urban park was the catalyst for gentrification in West Chelsea?

The High Line park.

Between which two groups is social tension visible in West Chelsea?

Long-term public housing residents (Chelsea-Elliott) and wealthier newcomers (e.g. students at the Avenues private school).

What cultural institutions are threatened by rising rents in Washington Heights?

Bodegas, hair salons, and taxi services.

What was the record penthouse sale price in Manhattan in 2019?

\text{US}\\n$238\text{ million}.

What is the median household income in Manhattan?

$\$85,066$.

What is the median household income in Staten Island?

$\$82,166$.

What is the poverty rate and median income in the Bronx?

Poverty rate is $24.4\%$, and median income is $\$41,895$.

List the poverty rates for the Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island, and Queens.

Bronx $24.4\%$, Manhattan $16.3\%$, Staten Island $10.6\%$, Queens $10.3\%$.

What percentage of Black and Latino New Yorkers live in poverty compared to White New Yorkers?

$22\%$ of Black and $25\%$ of Latino New Yorkers live in poverty versus $12\%$ of White New Yorkers.

What percentage of White New Yorkers are higher income compared to Black and Latino New Yorkers?

Over half ($>50\%$) of Whites are higher income, compared with $23\%$ of Black and $18\%$ of Latino New Yorkers.

In 2000, what proportion of NYC residents lived in poverty and near poverty?

$17.3\%$ lived in poverty, with a further $45\%$ in near poverty.

What was NYC's minimum wage in 2023?

\text{US}\\n$15 per hour.

What is the average salary in NYC's securities industry?

Over \text{US}\\n$400,000.

What percentage of NYC residents rent their homes?

$67.2\%$ rent.

What percentage of NYC residents are 'rent burdened'?

$53\%$ of renters.

What defines a 'rent burdened' household?

Spending over $30\%$ of household income on rent.

Define the 'American Dream'.

The belief that anyone, regardless of birth or class, can achieve success through hard work, sacrifice, and risk-taking in an upwardly mobile society.

Which historic document forms the conceptual foundation of the American Dream?

The Declaration of Independence ('Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness').

What did NYU researcher Michael Hout discover regarding American social mobility?

That parents' jobs matter more than previously thought, giving the US less social mobility than assumed.

How much income and wealth do Black families hold per $100 held by White families in the US?

Black families earn $\$57.30$ per $\$100$ of White family income and hold only $\$5.04$ per $\$100$ of White wealth.

Define the term 'Rust Belt'.

A region from the Great Lakes to the upper Midwest that experienced economic decline, population loss, and urban decay as manufacturing shrank.

In which decade did the term 'Rust Belt' become popular?

In the $1980\text{s}$.

Name nine states contained within the Rust Belt region.

New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin.

Name four Michigan cities and seven Ohio cities listed as part of the Rust Belt.

Michigan: Detroit, Flint, Saginaw, Pontiac. Ohio: Cleveland, Dayton, Youngstown, Toledo, Akron, Canton, Cincinnati.

Which primary heavy industries drove the Rust Belt economy during its peak?

Steel, coal, automobile manufacturing, and general heavy manufacturing.

Name five key historical industries based in Dayton, Ohio.

Cash registers (NCR), cars/parts (GM, Delphi, Dayco), paper (Mead), business forms (Standard Register, Reynolds and Reynolds), and aviation.

List five key causes of economic and population decline across the Rust Belt.

Transfer of manufacturing west/overseas, increased automation, decline of US steel/coal, foreign competition, and restructuring toward services.

Explain the reinforcing cycle of economic decline and urban decay.

Economic decline causes population loss/suburbanisation, which lowers tax revenue, leading to urban decay, which deters new investment.

By what percentage did Dayton's population drop between 1960 and 2010?

Fell from $262,332$ to $141,527$, a decline of about $46\%$.

Define urban decay.

The sociological process by which a city or part of it falls into disrepair, characterized by depopulation, abandoned buildings, high unemployment, crime, and poverty.

Why was Dayton considered an industrial juggernaut around 1900?

It claimed more patents per capita than any other US city in $1900$.

What major automotive invention is associated with Dayton's Charles Kettering?

The automobile self-starter.

How many manufacturing jobs were lost at NCR in Dayton since the early 1970s?

Nearly $15,000$ manufacturing jobs.

How did regional General Motors employment in Dayton change after 1990?

It employed over $20,000$ regionally in $1990$ and fewer than $12,000$ later.

How did Dayton's White population share change between 1960 and 2010?

It fell from $78.1\%$ in $1960$ to $51.7\%$ in $2010$.

What was Dayton's median household income and poverty rate in 2000?

Median income was $\$27,523$, with $23\%$ below poverty overall and $32\%$ of under-18s.

What proportion of the metro area lived in the city of Dayton in 2000 versus 1930?

Only about $20\%$ in $2000$, compared to $74\%$ in $1930$.

How many abandoned properties were estimated in Dayton, Ohio?

An estimated $7,000$ abandoned properties.

How much money was spent on property demolition in Dayton since 2009?

$\$5.2\text{ million}$ to raze $475$ properties, and over $\$18\text{ million}$ since $2009$ for $2,000+$ buildings.