Transitions in the forms of Midwestern county seats on the American frontier

Abstract

In the American Midwest three classes of town forms - central squares, linear and railroad plans - evolved from town planning traditions established on the Eastern Seaboard. The geography of these classes, based on street- and land-use patterns, is identified and interpreted for county seats in two key Midwestern states - Iowa and Minnesota - to determine their origins and the processes by which they were implemented. Planning traditions, physical geography, local government and railroads, all operating within the context of the timing of settlement, shaped the patterns of the forms. Several county seats, representing the three classes, are discussed to evaluate how these factors influenced the forms of the towns. The patterns represent a temporal and spatial shift in the control over Midwestern urbanization from local governments and individuals to corporate entities in the form of town companies, railroads, and land and extractive companies.