Why did plantation sdevelop instead of towns in most parts of the South during the 17-18th centuries?

Question

Why did plantation sdevelop instead of towns in most parts of the South during the 17-18th centuries?

Answer 1

The plantation was like a factory today.  Everybody who lived there had a job to do.  Yes, they were slaves and did not have there freedom, but the owner of the plantation had to keep them healthy so there would be productivity.  There were no need for towns, the plantation was the town.

Answer 2

Slaves outnumbered the general population.  Lots of these areas were newly settled, and European migration was just getting started.

Answer 3

For one thing there were not enough people for urbanization.  For another, the plantations were created to provide raw materials for the more populous markets of Europe. In those days, America was a British and French colony. It's only purpose was to produce goods that could not be produced in Europe. It was only when the population of America increased that the idea of an American nation occured to anyone.

It was similar to the Californian and Alaskan God Rushes.  Nobody gave a d**n about California or Alaska - it was about getting their riches out for use elsewhere.