Cykros on Nostr: When they were built, those rivers were the best way to move resources into and out ...
When they were built, those rivers were the best way to move resources into and out of the city, often by barge or steamboat. Also, they used to be heavily relied on for waste removal, though thankfully in the last century or so people realized that maybe it was a better idea not to dump toxic sludge into them and have a bright orange river flowing through your neighborhood.
I also think you'd find the further west you go in America, the fewer rivers you'll find in cities, as they're newer, and other transportation methods were often relied on (or there's just fewer rivers and they had to build SOMEWHERE). Cities along rivers is hardly unique to America though; see London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Cairo, Khartoum, and a whole bunch of cities along the Ganges in India and the Yangtze in China, just to name a few examples.
I also think you'd find the further west you go in America, the fewer rivers you'll find in cities, as they're newer, and other transportation methods were often relied on (or there's just fewer rivers and they had to build SOMEWHERE). Cities along rivers is hardly unique to America though; see London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Cairo, Khartoum, and a whole bunch of cities along the Ganges in India and the Yangtze in China, just to name a few examples.