AIR CONDITIONING AND POPULATION GROWTH IN THE SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST
This research examines the influence of air conditioning on population growth in the Southern and Southwestern States of the United States. The focus period in this research begins in 1945 and extends to 1979. A brief history of air conditioning is presented as a part of this study, as is a brief biographical sketch of Willis Carrier who perfected the technological concept of air conditioning to the point where widespread application became practicable.
Following the presentation of the historical and biographical material, the marketing of air conditioning from 1945 through 1979 is examined. Comparisons of the growth of the use of air conditioning in the Southern and Southwestern states and population growth in these states are presented following the examination of the marketing of air conditioning. The final investigative discussion included in this study considers the motivations of people from other parts of the United States to move the Southern and Southwestern states in the wake of the increased use of air conditioning in these states. The research findings are summarized and conclusions drawn from these findings complete the presentation of the study.
The Southern and Southwestern states were defined according to the guidelines of the Bureau of the Census of the federal government. The District of Columbia and 16 states were considered in this research to comprise the South/Southwestern region. The 16 states were Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
A Brief History of Air Conditioning
Attempts to provide some sort of artificial cooling during the summers of the American South began in the 1830s. These early efforts, however, yielded little in the way of practical applications. Renewed efforts to...