Eugene P. Moehring

Referencing the City: Encyclopedias and Urban History

Works featuring substantial compilations of facts about American cities date from the early nineteenth century. City guidebooks, gazetteers, and other publications have provided much information. However, the preparation by academic scholars of exhaustive reference works about individual cities in an encyclopedic format is a relatively new trend in urban history. Kenneth T. Jacksons volume on New York and Leonard and Dale Pitts survey of Los Angeles are recent examples that make varying contributions to the field.

Resort City in the Sunbelt: Las Vegas, 1930-1970@@@Sacred Places: American Tourist Attractions in the Nineteenth Century

This is an account of Las Vegas, from the building of the Hoover Dam to the construction of the MGM Grand Hotel. It traces the citys development, focusing on issues common to sunbelt cities across the United States, such as underfunded social services and a mania for low taxes.