How did the Great Lakes- St. Lawrence Setway influence the development of cities in the region?

The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System provided residents along the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes dramatically improved access to better markets, including international ones. In its first year of operation, more than twenty-five million tons of products traveled along the seaway.The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River have been major North American trade arteries since long before the U.S. or Canada achieved nationhood. Today, this integrated navigation system serves mariners, farmers, factory workers, and commercial interests from the western prairies to the eastern seaboard

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