Question

Explain how transportation innovation of the time period affect migration patterns in the United States

Answer 1

People, like water, seek the path of least resistance. If you live in an area that is being over farmed, would you rather move across a high mountain range or a few miles over where the farming is good?
It's not that people are lazy, it just make sense that most migration happens along the lines of the most efficient transportation.
Some examples: before the Erie Canal, people who intended to export crops west of the Appalachians would locate somewhere close to a river system that ended up in New Orleans. With the canal,the port at New York became the prefered port. Stuff didn't have to travel as far and people began to live in areas closer to the canal.
The same holds true with Railroads. Trains made it possible to live in areas that were only accessible by poor roads before.
Check communities along your nearest Interstate hwy. Chances are there is a part of the community that is old and rundown away from that highway. That's the part of town that used to be the route through town.