An unsparing and hilarious account of one man's rediscovery of America and his search for the perfect small town.

Discusses the urbanization of the U.S., the political corruption and other problems associated with this process, and attempts to institute reforms.

The Absolutely Worst Places to Live in America surveyed thousands of Americans to find the fifty dirtiest, smelliest, most miserable cesspools, armpits, and tourist traps that make up this great land of ours. The "winners" of this awful distinction include the likes of: · Atlantic City, New Jersey-Come for the slots. Stay for the gang warfare and fourth-rate prostitutes. · Gary, Indiana-Like a sewer populated by 100,000 people. · Carson City,...

Written by one of this country's foremost urban historians, Downtown is the first history of what was once viewed as the heart of the American city. It tells the fascinating story of how downtown-and the way Americans thought about downtown-changed over time. By showing how businessmen and property owners worked to promote the well-being of downtown, even at the expense of other parts of the city, it also gives a riveting account of spatial politics...

Unpretentious, sophisticated, and always appetizing advice from a celebrated authority For more than thirty years, R. W. Apple Jr. roamed the United States as an eyewitness to history. Here, in Apple's America, his robust enthusiasm for the food and culture of New England, the South and West, the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and his native Middle West carried him to forty great cities, where he proves to be our ideal guide--amused and amusing, knowledgeable,...

"Three of the nation's top scholars, known for tackling key mysteries about poverty in America, turn their attention from the country's poorest people to its poorest places. Based on a fresh, data-driven approach, they discover that America's most disadvantaged communities are not the big cities that get the most notice. Instead, nearly all are rural. Little if any attention has been paid to these places or to the people who make their lives there....