Traces the social and economic evolution of Ciudad Juarez, the largest city on the U.S.-Mexican border and one of the fastest-growing urban centers in the world.

Investigating the personal stories behind the headquarters of the Wal-Mart empire, this examination focuses on the growth of Bentonville, Arkansas--a microcosm of America's social, political, and cultural shift. Numerous personalities are interviewed, including a multimillionaire Palestinian refugee who arrived penniless and is now dedicated to building a synagogue, a Mexican mother of three who was fired after injuring herself on the job, a black executive hired to diversify Wal-Mart whose arrival coincided with a KKK rally, and a Hindu father concerned about interracial dating. In documenting these citizens' stories, this account reveals the challenges and issues facing those who compose this and other "boom towns"--where demographics, the economy, and immigration and migration patterns are continually in flux. In shedding light on these important and timely anecdotes of America's changing rural and suburban landscape, this exploration provides an entertaining and intimate chronicle of the different ethnicities, races, and religions as well as their ongoing struggles to adapt. Emerging as subtle sociology combined with drama and humanity, this overview illustrates the imperceptible and occasionally unpredictable movements that affect the nonmetropolitan environment of the United States.

The seminal history of the iconic Mexican border city by the founder of border studies--Provided by publisher.

"Postcards from the Sonora Border: Visualizing Place through a Popular Lens, 1900s-1950s examines the urban landscapes of Mexican border cities through picture postcards. This volume aims to capture the evolution of Sonora border towns over time, and create a sense of visual "time travel" for the reader by relying on Arreola's personal collection of postcards"--Provided by publisher.

"The twin cities of Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Sonora, for years straddled an indistinct border," but with the maquiladora industry, a crackdown against undocumented immigrants, and drug smuggling, "neither Nogales will ever be the same."--Cover.