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{{Short description|Community with sudden economic & population growth}}
{{Short description|Community with sudden economic & population growth}}
{{About|boomtowns in demography|other uses}}
{{About|boomtowns in demography|other uses}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2012}}

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[[Image:Kilgore WorldsRichestAcre 061607.JPG|thumb|right|Ornamental oil derricks in [[Kilgore, Texas]], [[United States]]]]


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[[Image:Kilgore WorldsRichestAcre 061607.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|Ornamental oil derricks in [[Kilgore, Texas]], [[United States]]]]
A '''boomtown''' is a [[community]] that undergoes sudden and rapid [[population growth|population]] and [[economic growth]], or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as [[gold]], [[silver]], or [[petroleum|oil]], although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons, such as a proximity to a major [[metropolitan area]], huge construction project, or attractive climate.
A '''boomtown''' is a [[community]] that undergoes sudden and rapid [[population growth|population]] and [[economic growth]], or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as [[gold]], [[silver]], or [[petroleum|oil]], although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons, such as a proximity to a major [[metropolitan area]], huge construction project, or attractive climate.


==First boomtowns==
==First boomtowns==
[[File:Trieste_(28766391880).jpg|thumb|right|[[Trieste]], from the opening of the free port, a boomtown of [[Central Europe]] in the northernmost part of the [[Adriatic]].]]
[[File:Trieste_(28766391880).jpg|thumb|[[Trieste]], [[Italy]], from the opening of the free port, a boomtown of [[Central Europe]] in the northernmost part of the [[Adriatic]].]]
[[File:California Clipper 500.jpg|thumb|300px|[[California]] attracted tens of thousands of gold [[Prospecting|prospector]]s during the [[California Gold Rush|Gold Rush of 1849]].]]
[[File:California Clipper 500.jpg|thumb|[[California]] attracted tens of thousands of gold [[Prospecting|prospector]]s during the [[California Gold Rush|Gold Rush of 1849]].]]
Early boomtowns, such as [[Leeds]], [[Liverpool]], and [[Manchester]], experienced a dramatic surge in population and economic activity during the [[Industrial Revolution]] at the turn of the 19th century. In pre-industrial [[England]] these towns had been relative backwaters, compared to the more important market towns of [[Bristol]], [[Norwich]], and [[York]], but they soon became major urban and industrial centres. Although these boomtowns did not directly owe their sudden growth to the discovery of a local natural resource, the factories were set up there to take advantage of the excellent [[The Midlands, England|Midlands]] infrastructure and the availability of large seams of cheap coal for fuel.<ref>{{cite book| title=Boom town Manchester 1800-1850|authors=Brooks, Ann & Haworth, Bryan |publisher= Portico Library|location= Manchester|date= 1993}}</ref>
Early boomtowns, such as [[Leeds]], [[Liverpool]], and [[Manchester]], experienced a dramatic surge in population and economic activity during the [[Industrial Revolution]] at the turn of the 19th century. In pre-industrial [[England]] these towns had been relative backwaters, compared to the more important market towns of [[Bristol]], [[Norwich]], and [[York]], but they soon became major urban and industrial centres. Although these boomtowns did not directly owe their sudden growth to the discovery of a local natural resource, the factories were set up there to take advantage of the excellent [[The Midlands, England|Midlands]] infrastructure and the availability of large seams of cheap coal for fuel.<ref>{{cite book| title=Boom town Manchester 1800–1850 |author=Brooks, Ann |author2=Haworth, Bryan |publisher= Portico Library|location= Manchester|date= 1993}}</ref>


Another typical boom town is [[Trieste]] in Italy. In the 19th century the free port and the opening of the [[Suez Canal]] began an extremely strong economic development. At the beginning of the First World War, the former fishing village with a deep-water port, which used to be small but geographically centrally located, was the third largest city of the [[Habsburg monarchy]]. Due to the many new borders, World War II and the Cold War, the city was completely isolated, abandoned and shrunk for a long time. The handling of goods in the port and property prices fell sharply. Only when the surrounding countries joined the [[EU]] did Trieste return to the economic center of Europe.<ref>[https://www.dw.com/de/triest-und-die-neue-seidenstra%C3%9Fe/a-55845308 Triest und die neue Seidenstraße]</ref><ref>[https://www.zeit.de/1946/21/triest-ungeloestes-hafenproblem Triest - ungelöstes Hafenproblem]</ref><ref>"Die ÖBB und der Hafen Triest verstärken Zusammenarbeit" In: Wiener Zeitung 18.03.2019.</ref>
Another typical boom town is [[Trieste]] in Italy. In the 19th century the free port and the opening of the [[Suez Canal]] began an extremely strong economic development. At the beginning of the First World War, the former fishing village with a deep-water port, which used to be small but geographically centrally located, was the third largest city of the [[Habsburg monarchy]]. Due to the many new borders, World War II and the Cold War, the city was completely isolated, abandoned and shrank for a long time. The handling of goods in the port and property prices fell sharply. Only when the surrounding countries joined the [[EU]] did Trieste return to the economic center of Europe.<ref>[https://www.dw.com/de/triest-und-die-neue-seidenstra%C3%9Fe/a-55845308 Triest und die neue Seidenstraße]</ref><ref>[https://www.zeit.de/1946/21/triest-ungeloestes-hafenproblem Triest– ungelöstes Hafenproblem]</ref><ref>"Die ÖBB und der Hafen Triest verstärken Zusammenarbeit" In: Wiener Zeitung 18.03.2019.</ref>


In the mid-19th century, boomtowns were based on natural resources began to proliferate as companies and individuals discovered new mining prospects across the world. The [[California Gold Rush]] of the [[Western United States]] stimulated numerous boomtowns in that period, as settlements seemed to spring up overnight in the river valleys, mountains, and deserts around what was thought to be valuable gold mining country. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, boomtowns called [[mill town]]s would quickly arise due to sudden expansions in the [[timber]] industry; they tended to last the decade or so it took to [[Clearcutting|clearcut]] nearby forests. Modern-day examples of resource-generated boomtowns include [[Fort McMurray]] in [[Canada]], as the extraction of nearby [[oilsands]] requires a vast number of workers, and [[Johannesburg]] in [[South Africa]], based on the gold and diamond trade.
In the mid-19th century, boomtowns that were based on natural resources began to proliferate as companies and individuals discovered new mining prospects across the world. The [[California Gold Rush]] of the [[Western United States]] stimulated numerous boomtowns in that period, as settlements seemed to spring up overnight in the river valleys, mountains, and deserts around what was thought to be valuable gold mining country. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, boomtowns called [[mill town]]s would quickly arise due to sudden expansions in the [[timber]] industry; they tended to last the decade or so it took to [[Clearcutting|clearcut]] nearby forests. Modern-day examples of resource-generated boomtowns include [[Fort McMurray]] in [[Canada]], as the extraction of nearby [[oilsands]] requires a vast number of workers, and [[Johannesburg]] in [[South Africa]], based on the gold and diamond trade.


==Attributes==
==Attributes==
Boomtowns are typically characterized as "overnight expansions" in both population and money, as people stream into the community for mining prospects, high-paying jobs, attractive amenities or climate, or other opportunities. Typically, newcomers are drawn by high salaries or the prospect of "striking it rich" in mining; meanwhile, numerous indirect businesses develop to cater to workers often eager to spend their large paychecks. Often, boomtowns are the site of both economic prosperity and [[social disruption]], as the local [[culture]] and [[infrastructure]], if any, struggles to accommodate the waves of new residents. General problems associated with this fast growth can include: doctor shortages, inadequate medical and/or educational facilities, housing shortages, sewage disposal problems, and a lack of recreational activities for new residents.<ref name="Case Studies on Energy Impacts">{{cite news|work=Case Studies on Energy Impacts|title= No. 2, Controlling Boomtown Development|date= 1976}}</ref>
Boomtowns are typically characterized as "overnight expansions" in both population and money, as people stream into the community for mining prospects, high-paying jobs, attractive amenities or climate, or other opportunities. Typically, newcomers are drawn by high salaries or the prospect of "striking it rich" in mining; meanwhile, numerous indirect businesses develop to cater to workers often eager to spend their large paychecks. Often, boomtowns are the site of both economic prosperity and [[social disruption]], as the local [[culture]] and [[infrastructure]], if any, struggles to accommodate the waves of new residents. General problems associated with this fast growth can include: doctor shortages, inadequate medical and/or educational facilities, housing shortages, sewage disposal problems, and a lack of recreational activities for new residents.<ref name="Case Studies on Energy Impacts">{{cite news|work=Case Studies on Energy Impacts|title= No. 2, Controlling Boomtown Development|date= 1976}}</ref>


The [[University of Denver]] separates problems associated with a mining-specific boomtown into three categories:<ref name="Case Studies on Energy Impacts"/><ref name="Boomtown Growth Management">{{cite book|title=Boomtown Growth Management|authors=Duff, Mary K. & Gilmore, John S. |publisher= The University of Denver Research Institute|date= 1975}}</ref>
The [[University of Denver]] separates problems associated with a mining-specific boomtown into three categories:<ref name="Case Studies on Energy Impacts"/><ref name="Boomtown Growth Management">{{cite book|title=Boomtown Growth Management |author=Duff, Mary K. |author2=Gilmore, John S. |publisher= The University of Denver Research Institute|date= 1975}}</ref>
#deteriorating quality of life, as growth in basic industry outruns the local service sector’s ability to provide housing, health services, schooling, and retail
#deteriorating quality of life, as growth in basic industry outruns the local service sector's ability to provide housing, health services, schooling, and retail
#declining industrial productivity in mining because of labor turnover, labor shortages, and declining productivity
#declining industrial productivity in mining because of labor turnover, labor shortages, and declining productivity
#an underserving by the local service sector in goods and services because capital investment in this sector does not build up adequately
#an underserving by the local service sector in goods and services because capital investment in this sector does not build up adequately


The initial increasing population in [[Perth, Western Australia]], Australia (considered to be a modern-day boomtown) gave rise to overcrowding of residential accommodation as well as squatter populations.<ref name="Boomtown 2050">{{cite book|title=Boomtown 2050|author=Weller, Richard |date=2009}}</ref> "The real future of Perth is not in Perth’s hands but in Melbourne (and London) where Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton run their organizations", indicating that some boomtowns’ growth and sustainability are controlled by an outside entity.<ref name="Boomtown 2050"/>
The initial increasing population in [[Perth, Western Australia]], Australia (considered to be a modern-day boomtown) gave rise to overcrowding of residential accommodation as well as squatter populations.<ref name="Boomtown 2050">{{cite book|title=Boomtown 2050|author=Weller, Richard |date=2009}}</ref> "The real future of Perth is not in Perth's hands but in Melbourne (and London) where Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton run their organizations", indicating that some boomtowns' growth and sustainability are controlled by an outside entity.<ref name="Boomtown 2050"/>


Boomtowns are typically extremely dependent on the single activity or resource that is causing the boom (e.g., one or more nearby mines, mills, or resorts), and when the resources are depleted or the resource economy undergoes a "bust" (e.g., catastrophic resource price collapse), boomtowns can often decrease in size as fast as they initially grew. Sometimes, all or nearly the entire population can desert the town, resulting in a [[ghost town]].
Boomtowns are typically extremely dependent on the single activity or resource that is causing the boom (e.g., one or more nearby mines, mills, or resorts), and when the resources are depleted or the resource economy undergoes a "bust" (e.g., catastrophic resource price collapse), boomtowns can often decrease in size as fast as they initially grew. Sometimes, all or nearly the entire population can desert the town, resulting in a [[ghost town]].
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==Examples==
==Examples==
{{more citations needed|section|date=September 2017}}


===Australia===
===Australia===
[[File:Canvas town south melbourne victoria 1850s.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"Canvas Town" – [[South Melbourne, Victoria|South Melbourne]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]]. Temporary accommodation for the thousands who poured into [[Melbourne]] each week in the early 1850s during the [[Victorian gold rush]].]]
[[File:Canvas town south melbourne victoria 1850s.jpg|thumb|"Canvas Town" – [[South Melbourne]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]]. Temporary accommodation for the thousands who poured into [[Melbourne]] each week in the early 1850s during the [[Victorian gold rush]].]]
* [[Ararat, Victoria|Ararat]] (1850s [[Victorian Gold Rush]])
* [[Ararat, Victoria|Ararat]] (1850s [[Victorian Gold Rush]])
* [[Ballarat]] (1850s-1880s [[Victorian Gold Rush]])
* [[Ballarat]] (1850s–1880s [[Victorian Gold Rush]])
* [[Bathurst, New South Wales|Bathurst]] (1850s [[Australian gold rushes]])
* [[Bathurst, New South Wales|Bathurst]] (1850s [[Australian gold rushes]])
* [[Bendigo]] (1850s-1880s [[Victorian Gold Rush]])
* [[Bendigo]] (1850s–1880s [[Victorian Gold Rush]])
* [[Broken Hill, New South Wales|Broken Hill]] (1880s [[silver]]-[[lead]]-[[zinc]] boom)
* [[Broken Hill]] (1880s [[silver]]–[[lead]]–[[zinc]] boom)
* [[Castlemaine, Victoria|Castlemaine]] (1850s [[Victorian Gold Rush]])
* [[Castlemaine, Victoria|Castlemaine]] (1850s [[Victorian Gold Rush]])
* [[Charters Towers, Queensland|Charters Towers]] (1870s gold rush)
* [[Charters Towers]] (1870s gold rush)
* [[Gold Coast, Queensland|Gold Coast]] (1980s-2000s due to internal Australian migration trends)
* [[Gold Coast, Queensland|Gold Coast]] (1980s–2000s due to internal Australian migration trends)
* [[Kalgoorlie, Western Australia|Kalgoorlie]] (1890s gold rush)
* [[Kalgoorlie]] (1890s gold rush)
* [[Melbourne]] (1850s-1880s [[Victorian Gold Rush]] and associated speculative "land boom")
* [[Melbourne]] (1850s–1880s [[Victorian Gold Rush]] and associated speculative "land boom")
* [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]]
* [[Perth]]


===Brazil===
===Brazil===
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===Canada===
===Canada===
* [[Calgary]], [[Alberta]] (during the 1970s [[oil boom]] in the province of [[Alberta]])
* [[Calgary]], [[Alberta]] (during the 1970s [[oil boom]] in the province of [[Alberta]])
* [[Barkerville]], [[British Columbia]]
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* [[Dawson City]], [[Yukon]] (Klondike Gold Rush)
* [[Barrie, Ontario]], residential development and factory retail outlets
* [[Edmonton]], [[Alberta]]
* [[Brampton, Ontario]], residential development and retail
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* [[Dawson City]], [[Yukon]] ([[Klondike Gold Rush]])
* [[Edmonton]], [[Alberta]], railroad, cattle, residential development and retail
* [[Elliot Lake]], [[Ontario]]
* [[Elliot Lake]], [[Ontario]]
* [[Estevan]], [[Saskatchewan]]
* [[Estevan]], [[Saskatchewan]]
* [[Faro, Yukon|Faro]], [[Yukon]]
* [[Faro, Yukon|Faro]], [[Yukon]]
* [[Fisherville, British Columbia|Fisherville]], [[British Columbia]] (gold rush boom town of 1864-1865)
* [[Fisherville, British Columbia|Fisherville]], [[British Columbia]] (gold rush boom town of 1864–1865)
* [[Barkerville]], [[British Columbia]]
* [[Fort McMurray]], [[Alberta]], oil extraction
* [[Fort McMurray]], [[Alberta]], oil
* [[Greater Sudbury]], [[Ontario]]
* [[Greater Sudbury]], [[Ontario]]
*[[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]], [[Nova Scotia]], as a port city during the [[World War I|First World War]], prior to [[Halifax Explosion|The Halifax Explosion]]
* [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]], [[Nova Scotia]], as a port city during the [[World War I|First World War]], prior to [[Halifax Explosion|The Halifax Explosion]]
* [[Kingston, Ontario]], construction of [[Rideau Canal]], penitentiary, post-secondary education, knowledge and services and residential development
* [[Kirkland Lake]], [[Ontario]]
* [[Kirkland Lake]], [[Ontario]]
* [[Mississauga, Ontario]], bedroom community and transportation ([[Toronto Pearson International Airport]])
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* [[Oil Springs, Ontario]]
* [[Niagara Falls, Ontario]], tourism, marriage conduction and tax-free retail
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* [[Oil Springs, Ontario]], oil drilling
* [[Ottawa]], [[National Capital Region (Canada)|NCR]], lumber/federal bureaucracy and high technology
* [[Petrolia, Ontario]]
* [[Petrolia, Ontario]]
* [[Sept-Îles, Quebec|Sept-Îles]], a city in the [[Côte-Nord]] region of eastern Québec, Canada
* [[Sept-Îles, Quebec|Sept-Îles]], a city in the [[Côte-Nord]] region of eastern Québec, Canada
* [[Shawinigan, Quebec|Shawinigan]], [[Quebec]]
* [[Shawinigan, Quebec|Shawinigan]], [[Quebec]]
* [[Sydney, Nova Scotia|Sydney]], [[Nova Scotia]]
* [[Sydney, Nova Scotia|Sydney]], [[Nova Scotia]]
* [[Vaughan]], Ontario, residential development and retail
* [[Yellowknife]], [[Northwest Territory]]
* [[Yellowknife]], [[Northwest Territory]], mining


===United Kingdom===
===United Kingdom===
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* [[Winster]], Derbyshire, England (17th century lead mining community)
* [[Winster]], Derbyshire, England (17th century lead mining community)


===United States===
=== United States ===

[[Image:SanFrancisco1851a.jpg|thumb|right|300px|San Francisco in 1851, during the heyday of the [[California gold rush]].]]
[[Image:SanFrancisco1851a.jpg|thumb|San Francisco in 1851, during the heyday of the [[California gold rush]].]]

* [[Anderson, Indiana]], automotive industry
* [[Anderson, Indiana]], automotive industry
* [[Atlanta, Georgia]] (rapidly rebuilt and became a commercial center in the years following the Civil War)
* [[Atlanta, Georgia]] (rapidly rebuilt and became a commercial center in the years following the Civil War)
* [[Atlantic City, New Jersey]] resort boomtown, 1870-1940
* [[Atlantic City, New Jersey]] resort boomtown, 1870–1940
* [[Basic City, Virginia]], railroads and mining, 1880s-1900s
* [[Basic City, Virginia]], railroads and mining, 1880s–1900s
* [[Beaumont, Texas]], oil
* [[Beaumont, Texas]], oil
* [[Belleville, California]], gold-mining boomtown, 1860-1870
* [[Belleville, California]], gold-mining boomtown, 1860–1870
* [[Birmingham, Alabama]], coal and iron ore, 1880s
* [[Birmingham, Alabama]], coal and iron ore, 1880s
* [[Blackwater, Missouri]], railroads and mining, 1870–1940
* [[Bodie, California]]
* [[Bodie, California]]
* [[Borger, Texas]]
* [[Borger, Texas]]
* [[Buffalo, New York]], shipping via Erie Canal, steel production, 1825-1890
* [[Buffalo, New York]], shipping via Erie Canal, steel production, 1825–1890
* [[Burkburnett, Texas]]
* [[Burkburnett, Texas]]
* [[Butte, Montana]], copper and other resources
* [[Butte, Montana]], copper and other resources
* [[Caldwell, Kansas]]
* [[Caldwell, Kansas]]
* [[Cement, California]], 1902{{nbsp}}1927
* [[Central City, Colorado]]
* [[Central City, Colorado]]
* [[Chicago, Illinois]], railroads, commodity resources, business
* [[Chicago, Illinois]], railroads, commodity resources, business
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* [[Deadwood, South Dakota]]
* [[Deadwood, South Dakota]]
* [[Denver, Colorado]]
* [[Denver, Colorado]]
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* [[Detroit, Michigan]] rise of the automobile industry, 1910–1950
* [[Desdemona, Texas]]
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* [[Detroit, Michigan]] rise of the automobile industry, 1910-1950
* [[Dodge City, Kansas]]
* [[Dodge City, Kansas]]
* [[El Paso, Texas]]
* [[El Paso, Texas]]
* [[Elkhart, Indiana]] recreational vehicle and manufactured housing industry
* [[Elkhart, Indiana]] recreational vehicle and manufactured housing industry
* [[Ellsworth, Kansas]]
* [[Ellsworth, Kansas]]
* [[Endicott, New York]] ([[Endicott Johnson Corporation|shoe manufacturing]] boomtown, 1900s-1920s)<ref>{{cite book|last1=Aswad|first1=Ed|last2=Meredith|first2=Suzanne M.|title=Endicott-Johnson|date=2003|publisher=Arcadia|location=Charleston, SC|pages=43|isbn=9780738513065|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IIgpxZ4gHuYC|access-date=26 February 2015}}</ref>
* [[Endicott, New York]] ([[Endicott Johnson Corporation|shoe manufacturing]] boomtown, 1900s–1920s)<ref>{{cite book|last1=Aswad|first1=Ed|last2=Meredith|first2=Suzanne M.|title=Endicott-Johnson|date=2003|publisher=Arcadia|location=Charleston, SC|page=43|isbn=978-0738513065|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IIgpxZ4gHuYC|access-date=26 February 2015}}</ref>
* [[Fairbanks, Alaska]], during the [[Klondike Gold Rush]] and the building of the [[Trans-Alaska Pipeline]]
* [[Fairbanks, Alaska]], during the [[Klondike Gold Rush]] and the building of the [[Trans-Alaska Pipeline]]
* [[Gary, Indiana]], steel
* [[Gary, Indiana]], steel
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* [[Hancock, Michigan]]
* [[Hancock, Michigan]]
* [[Harrisburg, Illinois]]
* [[Harrisburg, Illinois]]
* [[Holyoke, Massachusetts]], paper, silk and wool textiles, 1860-1914
* [[Holyoke, Massachusetts]], paper, silk and wool textiles, 1860–1914
* [[Houghton, Michigan]]
* [[Houghton, Michigan]]
* [[Humble, Texas]]
* [[Humble, Texas]]
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* [[Jeffrey City, Wyoming]]
* [[Jeffrey City, Wyoming]]
* [[Kilgore, Texas]]
* [[Kilgore, Texas]]
* [[La Paz, Arizona]], gold-mining boomtown, 1862-1864
* [[La Paz, Arizona]], gold-mining boomtown, 1862–1864
* [[Leadville, Colorado]]
* [[Leadville, Colorado]]
* [[Minneapolis, Minnesota]] Lumber Industry 1852-1880
* [[Minneapolis, Minnesota]] Lumber Industry 1852–1880
* [[Newport, Wisconsin]], sprang up because of a bridge expected to be built across the [[Wisconsin River]] there
* [[Newport, Wisconsin]], sprang up because of a bridge expected to be built across the [[Wisconsin River]] there
* [[New Bedford, Massachusetts]], whaling
* [[New Bedford, Massachusetts]], whaling
* [[Nome, Alaska]]
* [[Nome, Alaska]]
* [[Odessa, Texas]], oil
* [[Odessa, Texas]], oil
* [[Ontario, Oregon]], cannabis industry, beginning in the late 2010s<ref name="NYT Cannabis" />
* [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]], steel, trade
* [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]], steel, trade
*[[Pocatello, Idaho]], railroad, 1870s-1920s
*[[Pocatello, Idaho]], railroad, 1870s–1920s
* [[Richland, Washington]]
* [[Richland, Washington]]
* [[Rochester, New York]], starting in the 1820s, with the opening of the [[Erie Canal]]
* [[Rochester, New York]], starting in the 1820s, with the opening of the [[Erie Canal]]
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* [[Seattle, Washington]], became a prosperous port city during the [[Klondike Gold Rush]] in 1897 subsequently after its [[Great Seattle Fire|great fire]] which also brought in an influx of jobs and newcomers
* [[Seattle, Washington]], became a prosperous port city during the [[Klondike Gold Rush]] in 1897 subsequently after its [[Great Seattle Fire|great fire]] which also brought in an influx of jobs and newcomers
* [[Sioux City, Iowa]]
* [[Sioux City, Iowa]]
* [[Sunland Park, New Mexico]], cannabis industry, beginning in the early 2020s<ref name="NYT Cannabis" >{{cite web |last1=Goodman |first1=J. David |title=Marijuana Buyers From Texas Fuel a ‘Little Amsterdam’ in New Mexico |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/07/us/marijuana-new-mexico-sunland-park.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=7 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240107110205/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/07/us/marijuana-new-mexico-sunland-park.html |archive-date=7 January 2024 |date=7 January 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Tombstone, Arizona]]
* [[Tombstone, Arizona]]
* [[Texarkana|Texarkana, TX/AR]]
* [[Texarkana|Texarkana, TX/AR]]
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* [[Batam]], [[Indonesia]], free trade
* [[Batam]], [[Indonesia]], free trade
* [[Carbonia, Italy]]
* [[Carbonia, Italy]]
* [[Dubai, UAE]] - due to economic policies favoring zero income taxes, regulation-free banking, [[tax incentive]]s, [[free trade]], real estate investment, pro-[[Western world|Western]] diplomacy (sanctuary for international navy ships to dock at ports).
* [[Dubai, UAE]], oil
* [[Dublin]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]
* [[Dublin]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] - due to catering to genealogical tourism of Americans descended from emigrés from previous centuries
* [[Dunedin]], [[Colony of New Zealand|New Zealand]] due to the [[Otago Gold Rush|1860s Gold Rush]]
* [[Dunedin]], [[Colony of New Zealand|New Zealand]] due to the [[Otago Gold Rush|1860s Gold Rush]]
* [[Bangalore]], India - due to outsourcing of call centers and the IT industry
* [[Bangalore]], India– due to outsourcing of call centers and the IT industry
* [[Hyderabad, India]] - due to outsourcing of call centers and the IT industry
* [[Hyderabad, India]]– due to outsourcing of call centers and the IT industry
* [[New Town, Kolkata|New Town]], [[Kolkata]] - due to growth of IT industry
* [[New Town, Kolkata|New Town]], [[Kolkata]]– due to growth of IT industry
* [[Johannesburg]], [[South Africa]]
* [[Johannesburg]], [[South Africa]] - Gold/silver/diamond rush
* [[Karachi, Pakistan]]
* [[Karachi, Pakistan]] - manufacturing
* [[Kimberley, South Africa]], diamonds and gold
* [[Kimberley, South Africa]], diamonds and gold
* [[Leipzig]], [[Germany]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://info.arte.tv/de/boomtown-leipzig-der-neue-hype-im-osten|title=Boomtown Leipzig - Der neue Hype im Osten|website=ARTE Info|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826140859/http://info.arte.tv/de/boomtown-leipzig-der-neue-hype-im-osten|archive-date=2015-08-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://dima-immobilien.de/2016/04/15/leipzig-boomtown-immobilienmarkt-explodiert/|title=Boomtown Leipzig - Immobilienmarkt explodiert - Dima Immobilien|first=Dima Immobilien|last=<[email protected]>|date=15 April 2016|website=dima-immobilien.de|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510030500/https://dima-immobilien.de/2016/04/15/leipzig-boomtown-immobilienmarkt-explodiert/|archive-date=2018-05-10}}</ref>
* [[Leipzig]], [[Germany]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://info.arte.tv/de/boomtown-leipzig-der-neue-hype-im-osten|title=Boomtown Leipzig – Der neue Hype im Osten|website=ARTE Info|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150826140859/http://info.arte.tv/de/boomtown-leipzig-der-neue-hype-im-osten|archive-date=2015-08-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Immobilien |first=Dima |date=15 April 2016 |title=Boomtown Leipzig– Immobilienmarkt explodiert– Dima Immobilien |url=https://dima-immobilien.de/2016/04/15/leipzig-boomtown-immobilienmarkt-explodiert/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510030500/https://dima-immobilien.de/2016/04/15/leipzig-boomtown-immobilienmarkt-explodiert/ |archive-date=2018-05-10 |website=dima-immobilien.de}}</ref>
* [[Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico]], industrialization due to metallurgic and brewing industries and their related supply chains
* [[Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico]], industrialization due to metallurgic and brewing industries and their related supply chains
* [[Nizhnevartovsk]], [[Russia]], oil
* [[Nizhnevartovsk]], [[Russia]], oil
* [[Novosibirsk]], [[Russia]], planned development as a scientific and industrial center; hosted evacuated population and industry during [[World War II]]
* [[Novosibirsk]], [[Russia]], planned development as a scientific and industrial center; hosted evacuated population and industry during [[World War II]]
* [[Roubaix, France]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Strikwerda |first1=Carl |editor-last1=Sweets |editor-first1=John F. |year=1984 |title=Regionalism and Internationalism: The Working-Class Movement in the Nord and the Belgian Connection, 1871–1914 |journal=Proceedings of the ... Annual Meeting of the Western Society for French History |version=1983/1984 |issn=0099-0329 |page=222 |quote=Contemporaries never tired of calling Roubaix an "American city," because of its raw, fast-growing character, or of referring to Roubaix and its sister cities of Lille and Tourcoing as the "French Manchester."|hdl=2027/mdp.39015012965524 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Clark |first1=Peter |date=January 29, 2009 |title=European Cities and Towns: 400–2000 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FBSGziQyjGsC |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford, UK |isbn=978-0-199-56273-2 |page=246 |access-date=2015-10-01 |quote=Roubaix was another new town, originally a craft village, whose many textile mills attracted a population of 100,000 and generated massive social and environmental problems. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004123625/https://books.google.fr/books?id=FBSGziQyjGsC |archive-date=October 4, 2015 }}</ref>
* [[Roubaix, France]]<ref>{{cite conference |last1=Strikwerda |first1=Carl |editor-last1=Sweets |editor-first1=John F. |year=1984 |title=Regionalism and Internationalism: The Working-Class Movement in the Nord and the Belgian Connection, 1871–1914 |book-title=Proceedings of the Twelfth Annual Meeting of the Western Society for French History |issn=0099-0329 |volume=12 |page=221 |quote=Contemporaries never tired of calling Roubaix an "American city," because of its raw, fast-growing character, or of referring to Roubaix and its sister cities of Lille and Tourcoing as the "French Manchester."|hdl=2027/mdp.39015012965524 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Clark |first1=Peter |year=2009 |title=European Cities and Towns: 400–2000 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FBSGziQyjGsC |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford|isbn=978-0199562732 |page=246 |access-date=2015-10-01 |quote=Roubaix was another new town, originally a craft village, whose many textile mills attracted a population of 100,000 and generated massive social and environmental problems. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004123625/https://books.google.fr/books?id=FBSGziQyjGsC |archive-date=October 4, 2015 }}</ref>
* [[Shenzhen, China]]
* [[Shenzhen, China]]


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[[Category:Types of towns]]
[[Category:Types of towns]]
[[Category:Urban studies and planning terminology]]
[[Category:Urban studies and planning terminology]]
Boom towns are usually established in 5-12 years

Latest revision as of 21:14, 27 June 2024

This article is about boomtowns in demography. For other uses, see Boomtown (disambiguation).
Ornamental oil derricks in Kilgore, Texas, United States

A boomtown is a community that undergoes sudden and rapid population and economic growth, or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons, such as a proximity to a major metropolitan area, huge construction project, or attractive climate.

First boomtowns

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Trieste, Italy, from the opening of the free port, a boomtown of Central Europe in the northernmost part of the Adriatic.
California attracted tens of thousands of gold prospectors during the Gold Rush of 1849.

Early boomtowns, such as Leeds, Liverpool, and Manchester, experienced a dramatic surge in population and economic activity during the Industrial Revolution at the turn of the 19th century. In pre-industrial England these towns had been relative backwaters, compared to the more important market towns of Bristol, Norwich, and York, but they soon became major urban and industrial centres. Although these boomtowns did not directly owe their sudden growth to the discovery of a local natural resource, the factories were set up there to take advantage of the excellent Midlands infrastructure and the availability of large seams of cheap coal for fuel.[1]

Another typical boom town is Trieste in Italy. In the 19th century the free port and the opening of the Suez Canal began an extremely strong economic development. At the beginning of the First World War, the former fishing village with a deep-water port, which used to be small but geographically centrally located, was the third largest city of the Habsburg monarchy. Due to the many new borders, World War II and the Cold War, the city was completely isolated, abandoned and shrank for a long time. The handling of goods in the port and property prices fell sharply. Only when the surrounding countries joined the EU did Trieste return to the economic center of Europe.[2][3][4]

In the mid-19th century, boomtowns that were based on natural resources began to proliferate as companies and individuals discovered new mining prospects across the world. The California Gold Rush of the Western United States stimulated numerous boomtowns in that period, as settlements seemed to spring up overnight in the river valleys, mountains, and deserts around what was thought to be valuable gold mining country. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, boomtowns called mill towns would quickly arise due to sudden expansions in the timber industry; they tended to last the decade or so it took to clearcut nearby forests. Modern-day examples of resource-generated boomtowns include Fort McMurray in Canada, as the extraction of nearby oilsands requires a vast number of workers, and Johannesburg in South Africa, based on the gold and diamond trade.

Attributes

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Boomtowns are typically characterized as "overnight expansions" in both population and money, as people stream into the community for mining prospects, high-paying jobs, attractive amenities or climate, or other opportunities. Typically, newcomers are drawn by high salaries or the prospect of "striking it rich" in mining; meanwhile, numerous indirect businesses develop to cater to workers often eager to spend their large paychecks. Often, boomtowns are the site of both economic prosperity and social disruption, as the local culture and infrastructure, if any, struggles to accommodate the waves of new residents. General problems associated with this fast growth can include: doctor shortages, inadequate medical and/or educational facilities, housing shortages, sewage disposal problems, and a lack of recreational activities for new residents.[5]

The University of Denver separates problems associated with a mining-specific boomtown into three categories:[5][6]

  1. deteriorating quality of life, as growth in basic industry outruns the local service sector's ability to provide housing, health services, schooling, and retail
  2. declining industrial productivity in mining because of labor turnover, labor shortages, and declining productivity
  3. an underserving by the local service sector in goods and services because capital investment in this sector does not build up adequately

The initial increasing population in Perth, Western Australia, Australia (considered to be a modern-day boomtown) gave rise to overcrowding of residential accommodation as well as squatter populations.[7] "The real future of Perth is not in Perth's hands but in Melbourne (and London) where Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton run their organizations", indicating that some boomtowns' growth and sustainability are controlled by an outside entity.[7]

Boomtowns are typically extremely dependent on the single activity or resource that is causing the boom (e.g., one or more nearby mines, mills, or resorts), and when the resources are depleted or the resource economy undergoes a "bust" (e.g., catastrophic resource price collapse), boomtowns can often decrease in size as fast as they initially grew. Sometimes, all or nearly the entire population can desert the town, resulting in a ghost town.

This can also take place on a planned basis. Since the late 20th century, mining companies have developed temporary communities to service a mine-site, building all the accommodation shops and services, using prefabricated housing or other buildings, making dormitories out of shipping containers, and removed all such structures as the resource was worked out.[citation needed]

Examples

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Australia

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"Canvas Town" – South Melbourne, Victoria. Temporary accommodation for the thousands who poured into Melbourne each week in the early 1850s during the Victorian gold rush.

Brazil

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Canada

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United Kingdom

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United States

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San Francisco in 1851, during the heyday of the California gold rush.

Others

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Brooks, Ann; Haworth, Bryan (1993). Boom town Manchester 1800–1850. Manchester: Portico Library.
  2. ^ Triest und die neue Seidenstraße
  3. ^ Triest– ungelöstes Hafenproblem
  4. ^ "Die ÖBB und der Hafen Triest verstärken Zusammenarbeit" In: Wiener Zeitung 18.03.2019.
  5. ^ a b "No. 2, Controlling Boomtown Development". Case Studies on Energy Impacts. 1976.
  6. ^ Duff, Mary K.; Gilmore, John S. (1975). Boomtown Growth Management. The University of Denver Research Institute.
  7. ^ a b Weller, Richard (2009). Boomtown 2050.
  8. ^ Aswad, Ed; Meredith, Suzanne M. (2003). Endicott-Johnson. Charleston, SC: Arcadia. p. 43. ISBN 978-0738513065. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  9. ^ a b Goodman, J. David (7 January 2024). "Marijuana Buyers From Texas Fuel a 'Little Amsterdam' in New Mexico". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 7 January 2024. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  10. ^ Roberts, Paul (March 2018). "This Is What Happens When Bitcoin Miners Take Over Your Town". Politico. Archived from the original on 9 March 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  11. ^ "Boomtown Leipzig – Der neue Hype im Osten". ARTE Info. Archived from the original on 2015-08-26.
  12. ^ Immobilien, Dima (15 April 2016). "Boomtown Leipzig– Immobilienmarkt explodiert– Dima Immobilien". dima-immobilien.de. Archived from the original on 2018-05-10.
  13. ^ Strikwerda, Carl (1984). "Regionalism and Internationalism: The Working-Class Movement in the Nord and the Belgian Connection, 1871–1914". In Sweets, John F. (ed.). Proceedings of the Twelfth Annual Meeting of the Western Society for French History. Vol. 12. p. 221. hdl:2027/mdp.39015012965524. ISSN 0099-0329. Contemporaries never tired of calling Roubaix an "American city," because of its raw, fast-growing character, or of referring to Roubaix and its sister cities of Lille and Tourcoing as the "French Manchester."
  14. ^ Clark, Peter (2009). European Cities and Towns: 400–2000. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 246. ISBN 978-0199562732. Archived from the original on October 4, 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-01. Roubaix was another new town, originally a craft village, whose many textile mills attracted a population of 100,000 and generated massive social and environmental problems.
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Look up boomtown in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Boom towns are usually established in 5-12 years

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