Overview

"In this absorbing history, Jon C. Teaford traces the dramatic evolution of American metropolitan life. At the end of World War II, the cities of the Northeast and the Midwest were bustling, racially and economically integrated areas frequented by suburban and urban dwellers alike. Yet since 1945, these cities have become peripheral to the lives of most Americans. ""Edge cities"" are now the dominant centers of production and consumption in post-suburban America. Characterized by sprawling freeways, corporate parks, and homogeneous malls and shopping centers, edge cities have transformed the urban landscape of the United States. Teaford surveys metropolitan areas from the Rust Belt to the Sun Belt and the way in which postwar social, racial, and cultural shifts contributed to the decline of the central city as a hub of work, shopping, transportation, and entertainment. He analyzes the effects of urban flight in the 1950s and 1960s, the subsequent growth of the suburbs, and the impact of financial crises and racial tensions. He then brings the discussion into the present by showing how the recent wave of immigration from Latin America and Asia has further altered metropolitan life and complicated the black-white divide. Engaging in original research and interpretation, Teaford tells the story of this fascinating metamorphosis."

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Reviews

An enjoyable, accessible, and comprehensive look at the post-Suburban era. This engaging study will provide the historical perspective we need. -- John D. Fairfield, The Journal of American History A gripping voyage through the history of the revolution that changed America forever. -- Ganna Stembkovska, Journal of American Studies A useful and important work that moves beyond single-city studies to provide a broad national view of metropolitan development. -- Marilynn S. Johnson, Enterprise & Society

An enjoyable, accessible, and comprehensive look at the post-Suburban era. Kentucky Historical Society This engaging study will provide the historical perspective we need. -- John D. Fairfield The Journal of American History A gripping voyage through the history of the revolution that changed America forever. -- Ganna Stembkovska Journal of American Studies A useful and important work that moves beyond single-city studies to provide a broad national view of metropolitan development. -- Marilynn S. Johnson Enterprise & Society

An enjoyable, accessible, and comprehensive look at the post-Suburban era. Kentucky Historical Society Autumn 2006 This engaging study will provide the historical perspective we need. -- John D. Fairfield The Journal of American History June 2007 A gripping voyage through the history of the revolution that changed America forever. -- Ganna Stembkovska Journal of American Studies Vol 42, No 1 A useful and important work that moves beyond single-city studies to provide a broad national view of metropolitan development. -- Marilynn S. Johnson Enterprise & Society Vol 9, No 2

An enjoyable, accessible, and comprehensive look at the post-Suburban era. This engaging study will provide the historical perspective we need. -- John D. Fairfield, The Journal of American History A gripping voyage through the history of the revolution that changed America forever. -- Ganna Stembkovska, Journal of American Studies A useful and important work that moves beyond single-city studies to provide a broad national view of metropolitan development. -- Marilynn S. Johnson, Enterprise & Society

Author Information

Jon C. Teaford is professor of history at Purdue University, and author of, among others, The Twentieth Century American City (Johns Hopkins, 2nd ed., 1993) and The Rough Road to Renaissance: Urban Revitalization in America, 1940-1985 (Johns Hopkins, 1990).

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