Why did people move to the West in the 1800s?

People moved west for a number of reasons in the nineteenth century, but by far the most prevalent motive was the availability of land. Beginning with the Northwest Territory after the American Revolution and ending with the closure of the frontier on the Great Plains in 1890, Americans sought the cheap land that would afford them (so they hoped) economic independence. The federal government did much to encourage these hopes, most notably with the passage...

People moved west for a number of reasons in the nineteenth century, but by far the most prevalent motive was the availability of land. Beginning with the Northwest Territory after the American Revolution and ending with the closure of the frontier on the Great Plains in 1890, Americans sought the cheap land that would afford them (so they hoped) economic independence. The federal government did much to encourage these hopes, most notably with the passage of the Homestead Act in 1862, which parceled out 160 acre homesteads to people who would settle and farm there. This sparked a large wave of settlers on the Great Plains, formerly inhabited by Native Americans, in the aftermath of the Civil War. Other motives were primarily economic in nature as well. Many Americans moved west to work for the mining companies that formed to exploit the vast mineral resources of the West. Others became loggers, ranchers, or especially railroad workers. Still others came west to take advantage of the business opportunities afforded by this large-scale migration. A minority of people--most notably the Mormons--came west seeking religious freedom, and some others came as missionaries and teachers who worked with Native Americans. But the vast majority of Americans who came west were seeking land to farm.