Economic growth and political change in twelve Sunbelt cities,
assessed by local academics (for the most part) - with an excellent
introductory examination of the Sunbelt phenomenon, by the editors
(historians at Marquette and at Clayton Junior College, Morrow, GA,
respectively). Bernard and Rice trace the origin of the Sunbelt
concept; discuss the difficulty of defining the area ("what does
emerge is a sort of consensual Sunbelt that generally follows the
37th parallel. . ."); and note four common growth factors - WW II
defense spending, "other federal outlays, a favorable business
climate, and an attractive quality of life." Specific mention is
made of the interstate highway system and urban redevelopment,
among federal programs; and of local government latitude (including
an anti-union bias), combined with a "growth ethic," among the
business attractants. The political decline of go-go economic
elites is attributed to suburban fragmentation (more successfully
resisted, however, than in the Northeast) and to minority and
neighborhood politics. To a degree, the profiles of the twelve
cities - Atlanta, Miami, New Orleans, Tampa, Dallas-Fort Worth,
Houston, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Albuquerque, Los Angeles,
Phoenix, San Diego - follow a set pattern; thus, each is at least
minimally informative. Otherwise, they differ considerably: in
vitality and acuity, from the bland account of Miami, the
kneehole-view of Tampa, the opinionizing on Albuquerque, the
pedestrian entries on Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and Phoenix (the
latter particularly superficial), to the dash and sweep and
multifaceted detailing of David Clark's Los Angeles. The coverage
of Atlanta, by editor Rice, and New Orleans, by Arnold R. Hirsch,
combines crisp distinctions and effective personalizing. (Hirsch is
particularly good on activist mayors Morrison, Landrieu, and
Morial.) Though not lively, editor Bernard's wrap-up of Oklahoma
City and David Johnson's of San Antonio are first-rate chronicles
of the workings of business leadership - and, in the latter
instance, its strategic retrenchment under ethnic pressure. The
antiurban complexion of San Diego is well portrayed by Anthony
Corso. Omens for the future: blacks losing ground everywhere;
environmental problems unresolved. At the least: utilitarian
summaries-cum-bibliographies. For students of growth politics and
other subtopics, a reliable overview. (Kirkus Reviews)
Between 1940 and 1980, the Sunbelt region of the United States
grew in population by 112 percent, while the older, graying
Northeast and Midwest together grew by only 42 percent. Phoenix
expanded by an astonishing 1,138 percent. San Diego, Houston,
Dallas-Fort Worth, Tampa, Miami, and Atlanta quadrupled in size.
Even a Sunbelt laggard such as New Orleans more than doubled its
population.
Sunbelt Cities brings together a collection of outstanding
original essays on the growth and late-twentieth-century political
development of the major metropolitan areas below the
thirty-seventh parallel. The cities surveyed are Albuquerque,
Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New
Orleans, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego, and Tampa.
Each author examines the economic and social causes of postwar
population growth in the city under consideration and the resulting
changes in its political climate. Major causes of growth such as
changing economic conditions, industrial recruitment, lifestyle
preferences, and climate are discussed. Particular attention is
paid to the role of the federal government, especially the
Pentagon, in encouraging development in the Sunbelt. Describing
characteristic political developments of many of these cities, the
authors note shifting political alliances, the ouster of machines
and business elites from political power, and the rise of minority
and neighborhood groups in local politics.
Sunbelt Cities is the first full-scale scholarly examination of
the region popularly conceived as the Sunbelt. As one of the first
works to thoroughly examine a wide range of cities within the
region, it has served as a standard reference on the area for some
time.
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