Nature's Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West

Formally introduced in 1933, Central Place Theory aims to determine and explain how commerce impacts the number and types of markets that develop in a designated area and the impact these markets have on human settlements. This theory rests on the idea that a city exists as the center of commerce, thus placing other areas at outer limits as determined by market demand.

A commodity market refers to the buying and selling of raw materials to produce larger finished products. The marketplace is often categorized as either a hard commodity, such as natural resources, or soft commodities, such as agriculture. Cronon pinpoints commodity markets of the 19th century as having the most substantial impact on ecological and human communities.

The term “frontier” has long been associated with the vast open spaces of the prairies. More modern definitions suggest that the frontier makes up areas where markets do not tend to reach. Cronon addresses concerns about the ideological, racist, and sexist connotations that come with the term “frontier.” However, Cronon does not believe that a change in the vocabulary will change these perceptions. The frontier is the expansion of metropolitan economy into regions not previously dependent on these markets (15).