Baltimore, 1730 – 1830: Location Of Opportunity
...now known as Maryland was organized as a colony. The region’s economy revolved around growing and exporting tobacco. Since tobacco was typically produced on large plantations that were virtually self-sustaining, this economic system did not require towns or infrastructure beyond the unimproved roadways needed to move the product from the plantation to the nearest shoreline for loading onboard waiting ships. The entire region was sparsely populated by affluent individuals who had been granted large tracts of land and received favorable dispensation from the colony’s proprietor, Lord Baltimore. Thus, as the American colonies became more prosperous, certain well placed individuals were poised to develop and exploit Maryland’s untapped resources.
Any accounting of the economic development of Maryland, and the sudden and explosive growth of the port of Baltimore, mentions several key factors. Two of these factors center on a change in the economic focus of the region. By the middle of the eighteenth century, the demand for tobacco in Europe began to taper off. At the same time, the demand for wheat and flour began to rise. This demand was initially domestic, brought on by increasing population. Soon, production exceeded the region’s needs and the high quality flour produced from the wheat grown in Maryland, eastern Virginia and southern Pennsylvania, became an important export commodity.
Below the soil that proved so suitable for growing wheat lay rich deposits of iron ore. This mineral resource was prevalent throughout the region. There was great demand in England and continental Europe, as well as the colonies, for pig iron. Here again, there was an international as well as a domestic market for this commodity which added to the economic potential of the new town.
A locale suitable for establishing a seaport usually supported a shipbuilding industry...
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