There are basically seven factors that must be met before an industry can start to take
place in a particular area. Those seven factors are: raw materials, transportation, energy, markets,
labour, capital, and government. The Industrial Heartland is almost like one big industry,
connected in a vast megalopolis. I'll be taking a closer look at these factors and the way this area
meets the locational factors.
The Industrial Heartland is an area that includes: Quebec, Ontario, Michigan, Illinois,
Indiana, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Washington DC,
West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Delaware, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, and Vermont.
Raw Materials(ex. iron ore, coal, limestone etc.) is an unprocessed material used as the
base for primary industry. The Industrial Heartland has many different mining sites throughout it.
(ex-the nickel mine in Ontario, mines in Pittsburgh, Gary, Baltimore, Hamilton, Sault Ste.
Marie....etc.)
Transportation is extremely important in this area.
Most mines and mills are located by
waterways to make transportation readily available for it's transport's. Coal, limestone, and
many other kinds of mines use the Great Lakes to transport, which happens to be in the middle of
the Industrial Heartland. They usually have tons of material to move so water transportation can
carry lots of material, it's cheap, but it's also slow. Another important route in this region is the
St. Lawrence Seaway, which was an significant factor in the decision of industries to locate in this
region. Other main waterways in this region are: Ohio River, Mississippi River, New York State
Barge Canal System, New York Harbour, Philadelphia Harbour, and Baltimore Harbour.
There is also Railway to consider for transportation. They can almost go anywhere in this
region, but they are more expensive than Waterway transport, and not as adaptable as trucks.
Truck hauling...