did you ever stop to think about a city what made it grow so what made it grow where it is no two cities are exactly alike but all of them grow up pretty much the same way in the beginning crude trails are cut through the wilderness and the junction becomes a logical place to establish a trading post as more and more men use the trails the trading post becomes a trading cent rivers to our trade routes which cause the town to grow the surrounding country may be rich in farmland forests or mineral deposits these add to the wealth of the town and draw people to it factories rise to turn these natural resources into things men by the early trails become roads railroads are built of good the harbor becomes a seaport roads g into wide motor highways finally air trade routes are established to serve what is now john trading center leaving our mythical city let's see how this process of growth has given rise to the principal trading centers of the pacific coast seattle portland san francisco los angeles and san diego seattle is located on puget sound resources these are the things that have made seattle grow the harbor of seattle is the finest m a north west besides serving passenger and freight ships from all over the world it is the center of  giant ship repair and ship building industry yards come products destined for shipment overseas and raw materials from nearby areas being near sources of raw materials seattle has become an important manufacturing center the importance of this industry is evident not only in the lumber mills but throughout downtown seattle where we find the offices of money lumber companies banks which have grown big gun lumber and wholesalers who supply the needs of the lumber camps and sawmills in fact the lumbering industry is so important that it fills two thirds of the freight cars which go out of seattle and it is one of the main causes for seattle's growing to be the third largest trading center on the pacific coast less than two hundred miles south of seattle is another city which is like it in many ways portland has grown of the center of la trade routes leading through the puget sound valley they will amateur valley and the columbia valley ocean ships travel up the columbia and willamette rivers to a fine riverport located about one hundred miles from the sea like the sir the of seattle portland is not only a trading center but the home of a big ship building and ship repair industry in the same way grain elevators flour mills and lumber mills are all familiar sites around portland the dams across the columbia river have also contributed to the growth of portland by providing cheap electric  this has made the area the center of the new electro chemical industry is turning out millions of pounds of aluminum and magnesium last our modern industry adds to the trade of portland which had it beginning even before the days of the oregon trail second largest city of the pacific coast of san francisco most famous as one of the world's great seaports it is also the center of many land trade routes the red central valley of california has also contributed much to the city's growth directly or indirectly this great harbor has created many of the jobs at which the people of san francisco work not only other jobs on the ships themselves but also in the yards which build and repair the ships and on the docks loading and unloading finished products and raw materials these raw materials make other jobs processing coffee and cocoa brought in from south america and refining cane sugar imported from the  in addition many people are employed in shipping and canning the fruits and vegetables raised in the central valley and in the city's meatpacking business all these products flow up through san francisco's land trade routes their trade routes so also made in san francisco linking yet with other cities on the continent and around the world san francisco is built on hills so steep that ordinar importance as a training center in southern california is the leading training center of the west los angles as this famous city also its growth chiefly to the railroads the surrounding agricultural regions and the nearby all fields with these to grow on los angles has also become one of the world's largest cities and in the process of growing it is absorbed many nearby towns within its outer limits the climate has also helped the city to grow not only does the mild weather and the year round sunshine attract tourists and vacationists but years ago it attracted the great motion picture studios to southern california the movies have grown to be a giant industry with the payroll a mess area second only to the petroleum industry only texas produces more r l than the state of the refining and processing of these vast oil resources is the largest industry of los angeles synthetic rubber is now being produced from oil in great new factories with all available as a cheap fuel los angeles has become an important manufacturing center it is the country's largest manufacturer of oil well machinery such is that being installed here it is a leader in the production of airplanes more automobiles are assembled here than in any city except detroit los angeles makes almost as many tires as akron ohio and as much furniture as rapids michigan in the manufacture of clothing it ranks fourth in the nation unlike the other trading centers we have seen los angeles had no ready made natural harbor but at san pedro that handicap has been overcome here a modern harbor has been built to handle outgoing shipments of oil and other products and then coming shipments of lumber and other materials bound for the factories center of air transportation los angeles leads the west passenger travelers been heavy for many years now the airlines are becoming real trade routes especially valuable for shipping perishable goods the last of the major trading centers in san diego which has fewer industries than the others and a limited number of trade routes however like los angeles san diego has a mild climate and so it makes quite a business of catering to tourists the principal industry is canning fish and other products of the sea san diego is the home of the huge naval operating base  training center while this is not exactly an industry it helps to build a city in the same way for it makes jobs and adds to the prosperity of the community and  that while each of the five major trading centers of the pacific coast has its unique characteristics all have grown for the same reasons as the mythical city we started with a number of trade it's came together over land and water and through the air the surrounding country is rich in farmland forests or mineral resources and these give rise to the growth of industrial activity all these things make jobs drawing people from everywhere and building up a city alive with the activity of a giant tradin