The combination of the dust bowl in the 1930's and the migration west via Route 66 burgeoned Southern California's population. It was during the Dust Bowl that Santa Monica’s population increased by thirty percent, from 37,146 in 1930 to 53,500 in 1940. (Mullins) The great migration westward towards Southern California was a result of migrational chains’ snowball effect for economic intentions. (Carter) Los Angeles County, at the time, was still mainly agricultural, and the “Okies” that moved there were farmers who left the Southwest to find better prospects. Much of the struggle in this period America’s history can be understood through the Grapes of Wrath, a novel by John Steinbeck, where the Dust Bowl had ravaged the lower midwest and the consolidation of farms pushed individual farmers off the land. (Mullins) With Route 66 and the Pacific Coast Highway intersecting in Santa Monica, the City's population grew from 37,146 in 1930 to 53,500 in 1940. (Mullins)
The Los Angeles region at the time was still mainly agricultural and hence, the "Okies", who were mainly farmers more integrated into the lifestyle, unfortunately this was not true for their job prospects as many were seen as outsiders. It is estimated that 95,000 migrant workers eventually settled in the Los Angeles area. (Mullins) |
References:
Carter. The Process of Urbanization. 1995. (accessed February 13, 2014).
Mullins, William. "Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture." Oklahoma Historical Society. http:// digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/o/ok008.html (accessed February 13, 2014).
Carter. The Process of Urbanization. 1995. (accessed February 13, 2014).
Mullins, William. "Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture." Oklahoma Historical Society. http:// digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/o/ok008.html (accessed February 13, 2014).