In the early 1990s the journalist and social commentator Joel Garreau coined the term "edge cities" to refer to the growing quasi-urban places that were centered around major suburban freeway interchanges. Some fifteen years later, more and more scholars are interested in the movement towards exurban areas, which in many cases, are further distant than many edge cities. Recently, a team of...

Over the past few years, there have been many long-term research projects dedicated to examining the role that Hispanics play (and will continue to play) in the transformation of American social, cultural and economic life. Located within this broad stream of often well-informed and intelligent research is this very fine volume published by the National Academies in 2006 titled "Hispanics and the...

As part of its ongoing series of Census Briefs, the U.S. Census Bureau released this 12-page document in December 2003 that examines the Arab population around the United States. The document begins with a description of how the Census enumerates which groups tend to identify as being of Arab ancestry, and then proceeds to discuss some of the findings from data gathered in the 2000 Census. Some of...

At the Scout Report we love a good interactive map, and the Opportunity Atlas is a fabulous exemplar. This richly detailed map created by researchers at the US Census Bureau and Harvard University visualizes for general audiences and scholars alike the connections between the economic status of adults and the neighborhoods where they grew up. We were impressed by the design and usability of the...

The U.S. Census Bureau is known for its diverse set of publications that speak to the demographic conditions that exist throughout different regions of the country. Many of these publications are used by policy specialists, planners, and other such types. The Bureau also does a rather fine job providing press releases for news organizations, independent journalists, and the general public. One set...