Chapter 5

Today we are talking about Chapter 5 of the book  "Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada" by Stephen Birdsall. 

First, to brighten your day up, I've posted a picture of our favorite place, Pittsburgh. This photo belongs to my friend and is used with permission.

Ah, such a nice day in Pittsburgh. Soon it will get cold and snowy.

Chapter 5, called the North American Manufacturing Core talks about Pittsburgh. How exciting! The North American Manufacturing Core includes some parts of the following states: Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont and New Hampshire. 

But who cares about all of those other states. Let's just focus on Pennsylvania's Pittsburgh.

The book states, "At the end of 2006, Pittsburgh's unemployment was 4.9 percent compared to 7.2 percent for the Detroit metro area." (p. 105)

But, unfortunately, the recession hit in 2008 and now unemployment nationwide is 7.8. (Bureau of Labor and Statistics). However, it is a little lower in Pittsburgh. The rate is 7.5 percent.

The unfortunate news is the rate is 2.9% higher than it was 6 years ago.