Description
Book SynopsisThe award-winning author of Texas, a Modern History and Galveston: A History presents the first comprehensive narrative of urban development in Texas from the Spanish Conquest to the present.
Trade Review"Individuals interested in knowing more about the various pathways to modern Texas cities will find much worthy of exploration in McComb’s new book." * Texas Books in Review *
"After finishing the book the reader will no longer be able to ignore the many contributions that the cities of Texas have made to the state...a valuable addition to the scholarship of the urban Southwest and should be read by those interested in Texas and its transformation from a rural to an urban state." * Annals of Wyoming: The Wyoming History Journal *
"[An] intriguing synthesis." * Pacific Historical Review *
"The broad, efficient sweep of McComb's writing style is remarkable...The book represents a major accomplishment in Texas historiography and is highly readable. If you read one work in 2017 that examines the entire state, McComb's study would make a fine choice." * Central Texas Studies *
"Military towns, railroad outposts, lumbering centers, river communities, and port cities all get coverage in
The City in Texas . . . [A] solid introduction to Texas urban history." * The Journal of Southern History *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Theories, Definitions, Historians
Part One: First Things
1. The Lay of the Land
2. The Influence of the Native Americans
3. The Towns of the Spanish Empire in Texas
4. The Coming of the Americans
5. The Towns of the Texas Revolution
Part Two: The Dirt Road Frontier, 1836–1900
6. Major Events
7. The Dirt Road
8. Migration: Gone to Texas
9. The Evolution of San Antonio
10. The German Towns of Texas
11. The Coastal Ports
12. The River Ports
13. The Political Towns
14. The Military Towns
15. The Railroad Towns
16. The Lumber Towns
17. The End of the Dirt Road Frontier
Part Three: The Amenities of City Life, 1900–1950
18. The Rural to Urban Shift
19. The Great Galveston Storm
20. Spindletop and Beaumont
21. The Oil Towns
22. The Elite Rule of the Cities
23. The World War I Era
24. The Entrancement of the City
25. The Great Depression
26. World War II
27. The Immediate Postwar Years
Part Four: Great Texas Cities, 1950–2012
28. Population and Urban Expansion
29. Suburbs and Subdivisions
30. Segregation and Integration
31. The Hispanic Identity
32. John F. Kennedy and Dallas
33. The Voting Rights Act and the Cities
34. Land Transportation
35. Airlines and Airports
36. Urban Excellence in Texas
37. Houston, a Renaissance City
38. The Infrastructure for Excellence
39. The City and the State: A Conundrum
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
Index
