The canal produced an immediate effect．Freight costs were cut to about one－tenth of what had been．New York City，which had been smaller than Philadelphia and Boston， quickly became the leading city of the coast．In the years that followed， transportation routes on the Great Lakes were joined to routes on the Mississippi River．Then New York City became the end point of a great inland shipping system that extended from the Atlantic Ocean far up the western branches of the Mississippi．

　　The coming of the railroads made canal shipping less important，but it tied New York even more closely to the central regions of the country．It was easier for people in the central states to ship their goods to New York for export overseas．

　　Exports from New York were greater than imports．Consequently，shipping companies were eager to fill their ships with passengers on the return trip from Europe．Passengers could come from Europe very cheaply as a result．

　　Thus New York became the greatest port for receiving people from European countries． Many of these people remained in the city．Others stayed in New York for a few weeks，months，or years，and then moved to other parts of the United States．For these great number of new Americans New York had to provide homes， goods， and services．Their labor helped the city be come great．

　　摘要

　　How New York Became Americas Largest City

　　New York was once smaller than Philadelphia and Boston，but now it is Americas largest city because of geography，history and economics．

　　New York was located at the seaport where materials were imported to the US and the products of the US were sent abroad across the sea．The city was further developed when the Erie Canal was completed in 1825．This linked Lake Erie to New York via the Hudson River and the cost of transporting goods to those who had settled inland was cut down．In addition， the Great Lakes were soon linked to the Mississippi．Later，railroads tied New York closer to the central states，whose goods were exported via New York．Fewer goods were imported，so cheap passages were available from Europe．New York became the main port for receiving Europeans，many of whom stayed in the city and helped it become great．