What were the two major areas in which the northern states and southern states differed?

The colonies in North America differed in how they survived economically from the northern colonies to the southern colonies. This was mainly due to the climate differences, population, and the types of farming that the north and south had during the colonial era. The north was not completely dependent on farming especially because the farming land was so poor and rocky, so they had to find alternatives to flourish. These alternatives included things such as finding natural resources that did not require farming, such as fish, whales, certain types of trees and animal fur that could be traded for the food that they lacked to farm. In addition to all of this the north was known for all of its manufacturing which they would then sell and trade to Great Britain and to the south in exchange for the necessities that they did not have at the time.(Fogel, Robert William) The south was the exact opposite of the north in terms of how they went about surviving economically. The south farmed on rich farm land which they were fortunate enough to live off at the time, so basically they continued with the Native American ways by living off of the land. The south flourished in the farming aspect of economics by farming things such as indigo, tobacco, cotton, and rice which they could then sell to the north, or trade to the north in exchange for the manufacturing that the north was doing at the time.

Transcontinental railroad was the most effective way to travel.