Small Cities USA

Drawing on an assessment of eighty small cities between 1970 and 2000, Norman considers the factors that have altered the physical, social, and economic landscapes of such places. These cities are examined in relation to new patterns of immigration, shifts in the global economy, and changing residential preferences. Small Cities USA presents the first large-scale comparison of smaller cities over time in the United States, showing that small cities that have prospered over time have done so because of diverse populations and economies. These "glocal" cities, as Norman calls them, are doing well without necessarily growing into large metropolises.

JON R. NORMAN is an assistant professor in the department of sociology and the graduate program in urban affairs and public policy at Loyola University, Chicago. His work has appeared in Sociological Focus, Afterschool Matters, Method and Theory in Religion, and the Journal of Religion and Society.