"This single volume, comprehensive survey of American urbanization offers readers a basic chronological organization while integrating political, social, and economic history throughout."--BOOK JACKET.

"Focusing on the history of urban people, on the ways people relate to their urban world, and on the ways in which they shape it, authors Howard P. Chudacoff and Judith E. Smith emphasize the practical details comprising the fabric of daily life as they ask questions such as: Why do people go to the city? What do they find there? How do they cope? What do they contribute? How are they rewarded?"--BOOK JACKET.