50k seems to be a sort of sweet spot. The city is small enough that most people know all the parts of town. It's large enough to develop sizable communities of special interests, whether ethnic or occupational. There's usually a civic theater company or orchestra, with its own community.
A small city with a military base nearby is even stronger. Enlisted men live on base while most married officers live in town. The officers and their kids have been all over the world, so they contribute a cosmopolitan tone. The wives are encouraged to take part in civic affairs, and they keep social organizations going.
The 2003 special issue of the Indiana Magazine of History is a great share. I don't recall what else is in there, but I recommend the Timothy Mahoney essay. The old Chicago School sociologists and the consensus of urban historians have been preoccupied with urbanization and with urban settlements at the highest scale. While Mahoney's essay is another urbanization study, he has been concerned with the transitions from towns to small cities and from small cities to medium-sized cities. Please let me know if you are interested in discussing this and I will pull up my notes.
50k seems to be a sort of sweet spot. The city is small enough that most people know all the parts of town. It's large enough to develop sizable communities of special interests, whether ethnic or occupational. There's usually a civic theater company or orchestra, with its own community.
A small city with a military base nearby is even stronger. Enlisted men live on base while most married officers live in town. The officers and their kids have been all over the world, so they contribute a cosmopolitan tone. The wives are encouraged to take part in civic affairs, and they keep social organizations going.
The 2003 special issue of the Indiana Magazine of History is a great share. I don't recall what else is in there, but I recommend the Timothy Mahoney essay. The old Chicago School sociologists and the consensus of urban historians have been preoccupied with urbanization and with urban settlements at the highest scale. While Mahoney's essay is another urbanization study, he has been concerned with the transitions from towns to small cities and from small cities to medium-sized cities. Please let me know if you are interested in discussing this and I will pull up my notes.