The major cities of Texas have developed through a complex web of politics, society, and economics. To describe and explain the state's urban evolution, the contributors to Urban Texas use comparative and multidisciplinary perspectives that explore the relationships among interest groups and voting; religion, reform, gender, and race; civic clubs and suburbs; infrastructure and land development.

Texas' cities have experienced boom and expansion, bust and depression. They have also been marked by inequity and disadvantage. Today's cities face not only the limits of a period of economic downturn, but also the inheritance of a history of bias and public-sector inactivity. The story of such forces, challenges the myths that surround Texas' explosive growth and probes the staggering costs that growth has entailed.

Char Miller is associate professor of history at Trinity University, San Antonio, where he specializes in nineteenth-and-twentieth century U.S. social and cultural history. He is the author or editor of three other books and numerous scholarly articles.Heywood T. Sanders is associate professor of urban studies at Trinity University. He has published widely on topics in urban politics and policy.

“Well written, authoritative, and worth reading."--I. Cohen, Illinois State University

“Well written, authoritative, and worth reading." --I. Cohen, Illinois State University

“An important and much needed contribution to an area of Texana heretofore left to the devices of political scientists and sociologists." --Gulf Coast Historical Review

“A very interesting and informative study on the history of urban politics and development in Texas. . . . a good read that adds to our knowledge of Texas urban history." --Pacific Historical Review

"Until the recent interest in the Sun Belt, historians, even urban historians, have tended to ignore city developments in Texas. . . . The talent and energy of the eight young scholars involved in this anthology indicate, however, that this neglect will not continue." --David G. McComb

“A novel and interesting anthology concerning the history of Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Galveston, Arlington, and Austin. . . . a significant contribution to a new generation of urban history anthologies." --Fred W. Viehe, Youngstown State University

"Urban Texas is unified by a concern with aspects of elite leadership . . . The collection maintains high quality." --Journal of Southern History

"An obvious selection for college classrooms, the well-structured collection will also serve the non-specialist." --East Texas Historical Journal

“The essays in fact nicely complement each other and are uniformly interesting, well-written, and much to the credit of their authors conscientiously strive to link historical conceptions with current issues. . . . highly [re]commended to those with interests in the rôle of politics in urban development, the municipal reform movement, and in southwestern US cities." --Journal of Historical Geography

“An excellent piece of scholarship . . . a first-rate stable of authors who almost always write clearly and often engagingly. . . . a landmark volume. Every student of Texas history should read this book." --Southwestern Historical Quarterly

“A novel and interesting anthology concerning the history of Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Galveston, Arlington, and Austin. . . . a significant contribution to a new generation of urban history anthologies." --Journal of the West