More changes occurred in America in the late 19th century than any other time period. The country went through rapid expansion - from residents of its land to cuisine to transportation of goods and people. While the last quarter of the 20th century brought many modern conveniences, the century before brought this country things that would be nearly impossible to live without. The development of railroads was the single greatest change in the 19th century. In only twenty-five years, almost 70,000 miles of tracks were laid. This in itself was a great feat, because of all the people and products used in the building of the railroads. In order to build railroads, forests were cut down to lay the track. Iron was needed for pins and also to build the trains. Coal and wood were needed to run the trains, and many people were needed to build the railroads. Railroads enabled people to see places they had never seen before. Before railroads were built, no one would venture much past their nearest town, which was often miles away. It took them days to travel to town in horse-drawn buggies. After railroads were brought to the United States, people could travel halfway across the country in the same amount of time. They were definitely more beneficial for hauling goods than horses and wagons. A horse could only haul a wagon of oats about twelve miles in a day, while railroads could carry many times the size hundreds of miles, all in the same amount of time. Many more goods were produced at this time, because they could be carried all over the country. Railroads changed many daily habits of Americans. Their diet was diversified because foods could be transported to places that it could not be grown. All over America fresh produce was available year-round. Fruits, grains, vegetables, and meats were transported to all parts of the country. People ate foods that they had never even heard of, just because they were not available to their region.
