The American Streetcar

When you think of streetcars, do you picture one of the modern, multi-car, light-rail systems that run through the main streets of large American cities such as Baltimore, Philadelphia, Charlotte, and Los Angeles? If so, you may need to paint yourself a new mental picture.

Light-rail has its origins in the classic trolley or electric streetcar of the early twentieth century. The streetcar itself has roots that date back to 1832, when the first stagecoach body was placed on metal fanged wheels that rolled along a track towed by a team of horses in the budding metropolis of New York City.

Streetcar Suburbs

The history of the streetcar in America ranges from incredible surges in popularity to the demise and near-death of the mass transit rail locked people mover. Once considered a technological advance and cure for urban congestion, the streetcar was (in what some would call a short period of time) supplanted by the next technological marvel of the early twentieth century – the automobile. But this latest savior of American mobility would, by mid-century, clog our congested highways as frustrated commuters sought to travel to and from the outskirts of the suburbs. Ironically, many of these same bedroom communities were created by the quick and massive expansion of the streetcar lines that radiated from city cores in the early 1900s.

Commuting by Car

In the twenty-first century, frustration with car-commuting seems to have started to change some attitudes about suburbs. Wasted time spent in the car reduces one of our most precious assets - our quality of life. Enter, again, the streetcar (or trolley, if you will). The streetcar in America has been and continues to be a necessity in the life of American cities and mass transit commuters. So let's take a walk down memory lane.

Farms and Railroads

Before the invention of the first horse-drawn streetcar in 1832, most Americans lived and worked all within a two-mile radius of where they lived. At the time, the United States was still primarily an agrarian society where people worked and lived off the land around them. They made their way into the local town or county seat by horse-drawn wagon to buy provisions or conduct government business. Long distance traveling required a person to ride a horse or walk - even to get to the nearest railroad station.

The railroad enabled Americans to travel long distances from city to city, but there were not enough local stores to make it feasible for a family to do business or shop in nearby towns during a day trip. The price-per-ticket also put rural residents and laborers out of the market for using the rail. By 1832, the Industrial Revolution was well on its way to changing how many Americans lived, but the common man and his family were limited in how they earned their living out in the country.

So what about city dwellers?

Editor's Note: Part 2 of this multi-part series will run in two weeks (02/11).