This was location of most of the original colonies, and it doesn't make sense for any other region to be more urbanized and industrialized. The US didn't inhabit the entire continent at once, instead, they slowly made their way across. Industrialization takes a long time, and it only makes sense that the longest inhabited part of the country would be the most industrialized at that time.
there were two technological innovations that profoundly changed daily life in the 19th century: steam power and electricity. The railroad helped expand the U.S.. The telegraph, the telephone, and the typewriter brought people together that were far away.
