The Company Town:
The Industrial Edens and Satanic Mills that Shaped the American Economy
by Hardy Green
HT123 .G723 2010
New Book Island, 2nd floor
When you think of Cupertino, CA, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? What about Redmond, WA? Bentonville, AR? If you thought of Apple, Microsoft and Wal-Mart, then you and I are on the same page. These cities have become defined by the companies that claim them as their own. This week’s featured title delves deeper into the relationship between a city and its local economy.
Green, former associate editor at Business Week, tells the story of the ‘company towns’ – the metropolitan areas that major multinational companies call home. He examines the way in which the two entities interact and divides them into two categories: one, in which the two exist in harmony, and the other, described as “Exploitationville,” in which the company only looks to reap the benefits of the city’s generosity. Filled with examples of each, the author tells their stories and the impact these relationships had on the local and national level.
