This article reports on: (1) the probability of population decreases during the 1960s in midwestern communities grouped by size and proximity to larger urban areas; and (2) an analysis of the socioeconomic factors associated with the level of per capita retail sales in 86 Illinois communities of between 2,500 and 10,000 population. (Author/NQ)

The story of the Houston (Texas) Police Department is a study of times and changes in the fourth largest city in the United States. This history of the Houston Police Department (HPD) examines the Department's beginnings in 1837. The HPD hired its first black officers in 1873. The Department purchased its first patrol car in 1910. In 1930 the…

The people and places of the Old West (Montana, Wyoming, Kansas, Colorado) are found within the pages of four books published between 1994 and 2000. A whole host of settlers, doctors, dentists, butchers, bakers, barbers, and boot makers traveled west during the 1800s to turn an open prairie into a promised land. Short sketches of groups of people…

Describes the development and implementation of a program in which students in Portland, Oregon, learn about architecture, urban history, and urban growth by exploring the city, studying its buildings, examining social, political, and economic influences on the environment, speaking with people in the neighborhoods, and using city resources. (MJL)

Indian segregation in 11 cities in the Southwest in 1970 and 1980 was less than the segregation of either Blacks or Spanish Americans. Indian segregation declined between 1970 and 1980, but the decline was least in cities experiencing the greatest growth in Indian population. (Author/AM)

Officials in eight Virginia localities gave their perceptions of community needs, described external sources of technical assistance, and evaluated the assistance. Analysis revealed a vertical pattern in the network of assistance from public and private agencies and demonstrated that communities are dependent upon the network to maintain…

Students practiced their reading and writing skills as they made inquiries as to how certain towns acquired their unusual names. (Includes information about the names of numerous towns.) (MKM)

This article discusses training programs for environmental technicians at wastewater treatment facilities. Special attention is given to start-up orientation and training. (CS)

State and federal governments in Australia have developed a range of policy instruments for rural areas in Australia that are infused with a new sense of "community," employing leading concepts like social capital, social enterprise, community development, partnerships and community building. This has encouraged local people and…

This article examines the legacy of segregation and desegregation in the town of Parsons, Kansas. We argue that school desegregation, the goal of which was to increase access and equalize educational opportunities for African Americans, did not have that desired affect. Fifty years after the closing of the all-Black Douglass School, Parsons'…

Context and Purpose: Rural households report high fire-related mortality and injury rates, but few studies have examined the risk factors for fires. This study aims to identify occupant and household characteristics that are associated with residential fires in a rural cohort. Methods: Of 1,005 households contacted in a single rural county, 691…

Introduction: Racially segregated schooling, a legacy of Apartheid policies, continues to hamper education in South Africa. Students entering university from suboptimal circumstances are at significant risk of demonstrating poor academic performance and dropping out of their programmes. Attempts to address the educational needs of these students…

The phenomenological methods used to analyze the unique characteristics contributing to the stability of a small mid-western rural town may be useful tools for community researchers, providing an inexpensive, non-technical, humanistic-interpretive research approach. General concepts associated with community success were formulated through direct…