Sunbelt Cities: Politics and Growth Since World War II

Abstract

Between 1940 and 1980 the Sunbelt stretching from coast to coast below the 37th parallel increased its population by 112.3%. Most of this increase is the result of a mass movement of northern Americans to these emerging metropolitan regions. Of the 98 Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas (SMSAs) in the sunbelt all but 8 exceeded the 9% growth rate for all SMSAs and all but 13 surpassed the 10.9% overall rise in national population during 1970. This represents one of the greatest population shifts in American history. This book complies essays about 12 metropolitan areas singled out by size regional importance and historical significance. These 12 SMSAs are: 1) Atlanta 2) Miami 3) New Orleans 4) Tampa 5) Dallas-Fort Worth 6) Houston 7) Oklahoma City 8) San Antonio 9) Albuquerque 10) Los Angeles 11) Phoenix and 12) San Diego. Each chapter is devoted to a particular area and calls for careful attention to the causes of economic growth and the reasons for political changes. They provide readers with convenient introductions to the histories of these major Sunbelt cities and their suburbs demonstrate significant comparisons and contrasts about what caused the Sunbelts rise and what political impact it has had and give a general overview of the past 40 years. The Sunbelt idea is a mix of economics conservative politics and demographic change generally associated with the observation that in recent years the Southeastern and Southwestern sections of the country have been growing and prospering more than the Northeast and Midwest. The reasons for the growth of these SMSAs are: 1) defense spending (especially that generated by World War II) 2) other federal outlays 3) favorable business climate and 4) an attractive quality of life. However recent detractors have insisted that the quality of life is worsening in the Sunbelt at a rate commensurate with the in-migration of millions of newcomers. Other problems such as minority politics and neighborhood power are fairly new to the Sunbelt. In the long run the historical development of the Sunbelt cities has been significantly different from that of the metropolitan areas in the Frostbelt.