Why were rivers important for the growth of cities?

 Rivers are used for a source of water, for food, for transportation, and a defensive barrier, and disposing waste.

Explanation:   There are many reasons rivers are important to cities. Rivers have been used as a source of water, for food, for transport, as a defensive barrier, and also as a means of disposing of waste.

they required less loading and unloading

explanation:

the shipping container improved shipping because it cut down on unloading time by three weeks, eliminated wasted space, and allowed ships to carry.

in the 1800s, locomotives powered by steam made transportation faster and cheaper. the resulting rapid growth of railroads led to the connection of the atlantic and pacific railroad in oklahoma city in 1897.

in the last years of the century, the improvement of steam-based engines the expansion and growth of railroads. this growth increased when the companies started to build and expand, such as the atlantic and pacific railroad, which connected new mexico with california, and missouri with oklahoma. many of these new networks were built in oklahoma, and these changes transportation henceforward.