ABSTRACT
Only recently have social scientists, urban planners, and the bestpublic officials begun to think more clearly and systematically aboutthe importance of local communities and their governments. Each of us lives in the United States and in the state of Texas. We all live under the national security umbrella of the U.S. and within the open entrepreneurial culture of Texas. Still, there are vast differences between and among Texas communities. Some Texans live in the impoverished colonias of the lower Rio Grande Valley while others live in the beauty and security of gated communities. Locality, place, and community provide the contexts for our lives.
