Suburbia's Tide Threatens Identity Of Rural America

Ripple cities: California's new inland empire.

1 minute read

April 28, 2003, 5:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"Today, however, that wall has been breached, as the suburban hordes pour through the pass every weekday evening on their way to new housing developments that stretch to the horizon's blur. From here to the Virginia Piedmont, the ever-expanding suburban surge is reaching a new threshold as it ripples into once-distant towns that have long had their own distinct identity.Nationwide, the trend is producing cultural clashes as these 'ripple cities' struggle to maintain their sense of history while suburbia expands. Yet it is particularly significant here in California, where the growth of the traditionally agricultural Central Valley has the potential to recast the state's political and social calculus."

Thanks to Chris Steins

Monday, April 28, 2003 in The Christian Science Monitor

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