Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
imals destined for your refrigerator, hogs nowadays are raised in specialized facilities where
they are fattened for market. Central to this process is bringing feed (often by the ton) to the
pigs rather than setting the animals loose in the countryside to forage. Being near the feed
source (corn) holds down transportation costs and contributes to profitability.
Figure 15-5:
The
traditional Amer-
ican “Manufac-
turing Belt” is loc-
ated close to coal
fields.
Proximity to market(s)
Proximity to the market (the purchasers of products) for a business's goods or services may be a key
location factor for some economic activities. The exact meaning of “market” varies from one enter-
prise to the next, however. If you're an ice cream vendor, then your market is people. If you're a
zipper manufacturer, then your market might be companies that manufacture clothing. Here are three
examples that illustrate the potential importance of proximity to market:
Pizza:
Pizza is a fairly low-cost item. Therefore, anybody who wants to make a profit in
this business is going to have to sell a lot of it. An ideal location, therefore, is one that is close
to a large number of people who are likely to want to have a fairly fast dining experience and
not spend a whole lot of money. That could be a busy downtown area, a shopping mall, a
freeway exit, a major highway intersection, or a site next to a college or hospital. (Hold the
anchovies, please!)
Boutiques:
Boutiques typically specialize in high fashion designer wear intended for the
upscale market. Unlike the pizza business, the main location strategy here is to get close to a
particular variety of people (affluent folk) rather than lots of people in general. Locating in or
near a high-income residential neighborhood or in a shopping district that caters to the well-
to-do are good ideas.
Concrete:
Cities typically generate high demand for concrete, which is used for all sorts of
construction projects. Once concrete is made at the plant and transferred to a concrete mixer,
it needs to be delivered and poured at its intended construction site fairly quickly. Also, being
