An invaluable compendium of lifestyle factors in 219 "micropolitan" areas--cities with 15,000 to 50,000 residents and their surrounding regions. Each community is graded in terms of its performance in such categories as climate/environment, public safety, health care, economics, recreation, and housing.

Provides a societal map and a thorough report card of the communities that rank among the best, and worst, of 193 micropolitan locales--cities with 15,000 to 50,000 residents and their surrounding counties--in the United States.

A guide for those wishing to flee large cities. Rates the usual: climate, diversions, education, housing, health care... Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Assesses the quality of life in the states using 125 statistical categories, such as terrain, resources, environment, health, racial equality, arts, business, transportation, and public safety. Each state is rated in every area and ranked from best to worst. Paper edition (unseen), $19.95. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

"A nationwide guide to the best in small-town living"--Cover subtitle.

Lists over 750 sources focusing on the reference needs of adults. The primary objective was to select quality reference tools which cover many different topics. Topics include general works, biography, philosophy, religion, language, literature, visual arts, applied sciences, sports and recreation, home life, social customs and education.

A revealing examination of small-town life More than thirty million Americans live in small, out-of-the-way places. Many of them could have joined the vast majority of Americans who live in cities and suburbs. They could live closer to more lucrative careers and convenient shopping, a wider range of educational opportunities, and more robust health care. But they have opted to live differently. In Small-Town America, we meet factory workers, shop owners, retirees, teachers, clergy, and mayors—residents who show neighborliness in small ways, but who also worry about everything from school closings and their children's futures to the ups and downs of the local economy. Drawing on more than seven hundred in-depth interviews in hundreds of towns across America and three decades of census data, Robert Wuthnow shows the fragility of community in small towns. He covers a host of topics, including the symbols and rituals of small-town life, the roles of formal and informal leaders, the social role of religious congregations, the perception of moral and economic decline, and the myriad ways residents in small towns make sense of their own lives. Wuthnow also tackles difficult issues such as class and race, abortion, homosexuality, and substance abuse. Small-Town America paints a rich panorama of individuals who reside in small communities, finding that, for many people, living in a small town is an important part of self-identity.

The colonias of the U.S.–Mexico border form a loose network of more than 2,500 settlements, ranging in size from villages to cities, that are home to over a million people. While varying in size, all share common features: wrenching poverty, substandard housing, and public health issues approaching crisis levels. This book brings together scholars, professionals, and activists from a wide range of disciplines to examine the pressing issues of economic development, housing and community development, and public and environmental health in colonias of the four U.S.–Mexico border states. The Colonias Reader is the first book to present such a broad overview of these communities, offering a glimpse into life in the colonias and the circumstances that allow them to continue to exist—and even grow—in persistent poverty. The contributors document the depth of existing problems in each state and describe how government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and community activists have mobilized resources to overcome obstacles to progress. More than reporting problems and documenting programs, the book provides conceptual frameworks that tie poverty to institutional and class-based conflicts, and even challenges the very basis of colonia designations. Most of these contributions move beyond portraying border residents as hapless victims of discrimination and racism, showing instead their devotion to improving their own living conditions through grassroots organizing and community leadership. These contributions show that, despite varying degrees of success, all colonia residents aspire to a livable wage, safe and decent housing, and basic health care. The Colonias Reader showcases many situations in which these people have organized to fulfill these ambitions and provides new insight into life along the border.