Easy Text: Major Cities in the USA

The five major cities in the USA are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Philadelphia.

New York was the entry port for immigrants to the USA. In the 1800s and early 1900s, they came to Ellis Island in New York harbour. New York is a multicultural city and a center for culture and finance. Fifth Avenue and Wall Street are famous streets in New York.

Los Angeles was founded in 1781 and grew during the Gold Rush of 1849. It has a warm, sunny and relatively dry climate. Important industries include manufacturing and tourism. It is the center for the film industry, best known as Hollywood. It has urban problems like pollution, slums and overcrowded schools.

Chicago is situated on the shore of Lake Michigan. The summers are hot, the winters cold and windy, which has given Chicago the nickname 'the Windy City'. Chicago produces steel and metal products, and is a center for printing and publishing. It is home to the world’s first skyscraper and is also the home of former President Barack Obama.

Houston is a port city linked to the Gulf of Mexico by a long channel. Today, it is a center for the oil industry and for aerospace research and development (NASA).

The City of Philadelphia was founded in 1681. Both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed here. It is situated on the Delaware River with one of the largest freshwater ports in the world. Some of the industries are clothing, printing and publishing, food production, and production of electrical machinery.