The long, thin province is divided into two departments: Haut-Rhin in the south and Bas-Rhin in the north. Don't let the names confuse you. Haut-Rhin translates to "upper Rhine" and Bas-Rhin is "lower Rhine", but like the upper and lower Nile regions of Egypt, these refer to elevation, rather than a north-south orientation. Bearing this in mind, you can see that Bas-Rhin, which is bordered by Germany on two sides, will have a greater concentration of persons with German ancestry. Haut-Rhin touches Germany and Switzerland, so is more likely to have Swiss connections than Bas-Rhin.
Historically the predominant occupation in the area was agriculture, especially wine- and beer-making. The Germanic influence in the area mean that it produces the most beer of any French province. The two mountain ranges flanking the area give it a fairly sunny and dry climate which is ideal for growing. This, coupled with the French tradition of wine making and drinking, make the area an important producer of white wines. There has also been a history of mining, mainly near the mountains.
By necessity most travel routes run north-south in this area, however by the mid-1800s rail lines stretching east and west wound through the mountains to take emigrants west from Strasbourg to Le Havre. Before their completion, the best option was to follow the river north to Bremen and Hamburg. These three ports were the most popular for emigrants heading to the new world.
