ABSTRACT
European countries seeking to secure a foothold in the New World laid out many of the United States' most important cities. During the second half of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth, the population of many of the well-established coastal cities grew much larger. Overcrowding, racial and ethnic inequality, filth, disease, crime, and pollution made some parts of these cities undesirable places to live. Thomas Jefferson, who articulated the American dream, "envisioned a country ruled by yeoman farmers. Jefferson felt that urbanization, industrial factories, and financial speculation would serve to rob the common man of his independence and economic freedom." American city centers continued to grow and prosper through the early days of the twentieth century. After the end of the Second World War, middle class families began the mentioned exodus to the suburbs and downtowns went through a period of decline, losing a significant portion of their populations.
