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CITY & MUNICIPAL INFORMATION

These sites contain information on government, professional organizations, tourism, "quality of life" and basic reference; some sites are comprised of a combination of these resources.

All sites present information on U.S. cities and municipalities; several also include international city data as a component.


Best Places to Live

• Sponsored by CNN and Money magazine
• Provides "snapshots" for over 1,200 cities/metropolitan areas; helps users to "Find Your Best Place to Live"
• Users may customize city profiles by 40 indicators from the following categories: economy, housing, education, arts, transportation, weather; allows for city comparisons
• May be browsed or keyword searched
• Includes "Cost of Living Calculator" (which provides comparisons between cities) and a "Salary Comparison" calculator; includes information on relocation, real estate values
• Also provides links to business, personal finance and lifestyle sites
• Complements "BestPlaces.net"
• One of the best sites for interactive research on cities


BestPlaces.net

• Compiled and maintained by Bert Sperling for Fast Forward, Inc.
• Provides over 3,000 city profiles with over 10 categories, including housing, crime rates, education, cost-of-living, climate
• "Cost of Living and Salary Calculator" gives comparative information for relocating
• Reviews other city ranking surveys compiled by Forbes, Fortune and Zero Population Growth
• School statistics present data on 87,000 schools in 16,000 districts
• Complements Money's"Best Places to Live"
• One of the best sites for interactive research on cities


City Directories of the United States of America

• Sponsored by the Genealogy Research Associates
• "This web site will attempt to identify all printed, microfilmed, and online directories, and their repositories, for the United States"
• Browse by state, then city; each link includes years covered by the directory, location of its repository, copy order information
• Currently links to 20 repositories, including the Library of Congress, Family History Library, National Archives
• Comprehensiveness of available data varies from state to state
• Includes tips for researching city directories and genealogical sources
• Excellent source for city history


City Journal

• Sponsored by the Manhattan Institute; edited by Myron Magnet
• This New York City-based quarterly journal, which labels itself as "... the nation's premier urban policy magazine" provides analysis and commentary on a wide variety of urban issues, primarily from a conservative viewpoint
• Archived from 1995
• Links to 22 journals and newspapers
• Index of articles may by accessed by author, issue or by topic (currently over 30)
• Includes subscription information
• One of the most comprehensive urban issues/public policy journals; often controversial, always insightful


Citysearch

• Sponsored by Ticketmaster
• This strictly commercial site links to city guides for over 90 American cites and over 40 cities in Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea and Scandinavia
• May be searched by city, neighborhood, state or zip code
• Each guide provides information for the following: local events, restaurants/bars, hotels, visitor information, maps, weather; also provides option of browsing by neighborhood, especially for larger cities
• Not comprehensive, but very useful for up-to-date information on select cities


Community Information by Zip Code

• Maintained by Mary Finley, California State University, Northridge University Library
• Links to websites for the following data by zip code: population, education, health, environment, business, political
• Many sites are oriented toward California data; however, many others link to data which are relevant to the basic data mentioned above
• While this site is not strictly focused on cities/municipal areas as separate, distinct entities, it provides links which are very useful for researching component information


ePodunk: The Power of Place

• Created and maintained by Laurie Bennett, Brad Edmondson and John Decker
• Declaring that " ... There is no such thing as an unimportant community," this sites offers "... in-depth information about more than 25,000 communities around the country"
• While profiles of major cities are available, the emphasis is on small towns and small cities
• Profiles may be searched by community; also may be browsed by state
• A city's profile may include up to 40 basic city facts (population, geography, short description); the primary information concentrates on directory information, with links to historic places, features which make the community unique, tourist data (events, cultural attractions, sports information, etc.), statistical data from the 2000 census, data on the economy
• Topics may be browsed by state for the following: colleges, museums, "claims to fame," historic sites, ranking information, festivals, and more
• Outstanding; it's the best site to consult for communities not often profiled in other similar databases (also excellent for information on major cities)


ERsys — Earth Resource System

• Sponsored by Synergos Technology, Inc.
• Provides detailed profiles based on "maps, charts, reports, links" for over 2,600 American cities
• Profile of each city includes up to 35 topical links for the following categories: "City Facts" (general information), "Local Contacts" (city government, Chamber of Commerce, visitors' bureau), communications, demographics, education, environment, housing, labor, quality of life, transportation, weather
• Links are primarily directory information, maps, statistical tables
• All sources credited; census-derived data is mostly (but not totally) from the 2000 Census; other sources include additional federal government agencies and survey/research material from professional/research organizations
• City information on "post secondary" education includes profiles of colleges/universities within a 50-mile radius; "shopping malls" includes information on mall locations within a 40-mile radius
• Outstanding; this excellent site is one of the best currently available, primarily for its well-chosen links (much more comprehensive and unique compared to similar surveys) and its ease-of-navigability; a "must" for conducting any sort of city/municipal research


Governing: Local Government Links

• Sponsored by "Governing," a monthly publication for state and local government officials; published by Congressional Quarterly, Inc.
• Online supplement to "Governing's" state government links
• "GovLinks" link to city home pages, county home pages, federal governmental sites and to over 100 city/municipal government-oriented sites for professional organizations for officials/administrators, and other sites concerned or involved with various aspects of local government
• One of the best sites for links to official government sites, associations/organizations; well-worth a researcher's time


Local Government and Politics

• Maintained by Grace York for the University of Michigan Documents Center (UMDC)
• One of the best sites for local government and public policy links; resources discussed include websites, print resources and databases
• Provides links to a variety of topics, including city/county directories/websites, associations for local officials, laws/municipal codes, local government reports
• Also links to sites for "think tanks," elections, statistics
• Excellent annotations accompany many links
• Print sources cited may be found in many academic libraries or large public libraries
• Databases are restricted to the University of Michigan community; many may be found in academic libraries or large public libraries
• As with all UMDC sites, this one is very well-organized, thorough and easy-to-navigate; a "must" for anyone conducting research about local government


Meet the Mayors Database

• Sponsored by the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM)
• Directory of U.S. mayors which may be searched by name or city; browsable by name, state or size of a city's population
• Mayor's profile includes photo, contact information (phone, e-mail), date of next general election, city's website (if available)
• "Cities Online" links to official city homepages nationwide
• Great site for quick information on the nation's mayors


Metropolitan New Economy Index

• Compiled by Robert K. Anderson and Paul D. Gottlieb for the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI)
• This report evaluates the progress of the nation's top 50 metropolitan areas, in regards to their integration into the "new economy" (vs. a traditional industrial-based economy)
• Analyzes the structure, developments and trends of the "new economy," utilizing 16 economic indicators for ranking each metropolitan area and measuring its compliance with "new economy" goals
• The report is organized into five sections: "Knowledge Jobs," "Globalization," "Transformation into a Digital Economy," "Economic Dynamism and Competition," "Technological Innovation Capacity"
• Also provides recommendations for "Economic Development Strategies"
• Includes an incisive "Summary of Results"
• Identifies data sources utilized in compiling the report
• Links to the companion PPI reports "The New Economic Index" and "The 2002 State New Economy Index"
• Comprehensive and insightful, this study is one of the best — if not the best — research reports available on this topic online; highly recommended


Municipal Codes Online

• Maintained by Jeannette Voiland for the Seattle Public Library
• "Links to city and county codes available for unrestricted searching on the World Wide Web"
• Currently links to select municipal codes in 28 states
• Complements "Municipal Code Web Library"
• While not extensive, this site is a good source for code links for a variety of states


Municipal Codes Web Library

• Sponsored by LexisNexis
• Links to municipal codes for over 250 cities in 32 states
• Complements "Municipal Codes Online"
• While not extensive, this site is a good source for code links for a variety of states; however, at least half of the links are to California


MUNISOURCE.ORG

• Maintained by Doug Smeltzer
• Browsable directory of sites concerned with local government worldwide
• Searchable by municipalities/associations or by topic
• Option of adding a link to the database
• Most useful feature is the ability to search for links to municipalities outside of the U.S.


National City Government Resource Center (NCGRC)

• Maintained by Roger L. Kemp
• "A Library of Congress Internet Resources Page"
• Directory of links to American city government and related categories: "General City Links," "Functional City Links," "Other Related Links;" links to over 150 sites
• "General City Links" are primarily sites for civic links and professional associations concerned with general municipal management and public administration
• "Functional City Links" link to sites dealing with specific departments of city government: economic/community development, finance, health/welfare, planning, the environment, public safety, public works
• "Other Related Links" link to sites for research institutes, federal government resources, and municipal search directories (very useful for links to official home pages)
• Also links to "National Think Tanks," "Elections and Voting," "Capitols on the Internet," "Job Opportunities," Roger Kemp's "International City Government Resource Center"
• Outstanding; one of the best sites for links to every type of local government organization and professional association; links to elections/voting, topics are also very useful


Sprawl City

• Created by environmentalist authors Leon Kolankiewicz and Roy Beck, with input from scholars and other professionals with backgrounds in urban planning and environmental studies
• "A website about consumption growth and population growth and their roles in the urban sprawl that destroys natural habitat and farmland around U.S. cities"
• "Sprawl Studies" includes reports/studies on sprawl, including "100 Largest U.S. Cities," and "The Ten Worst Sprawlers"; also includes special reports on Florida's and California's experiences with this phenomenon
• Data sources for reports/studies are largely from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• Also includes "Q&A" and "In the News"
• Links to "Other websites about sprawl"
• A great resource for anyone conducting research in city planning, community development and related topics


State of the Cities Data Systems (SOCDS)

• Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD's) Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R)
• This site "... provides data for Individual Metropolitan Areas, Central Cities and Suburbs"
• Links to federal statistical data for the following: demographic/economic characteristics of the area's population, unemployment rates, employment/wages, crime, local building permits
• Compiled by data obtained from HUD, Bureau of the Census, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Also provides retrospective data from census reports from 1970 to the present
• Best, most direct official source for statistical information on the cities and urban areas


Urban E-Government 2002

• Compiled by Darrell M. West, Center for Public Policy, Brown University
• This latest comprehensive report on city/municipal e-government resources in 2002 analyzes, tracks trends and ranks the progress of e-government resources in the following areas: overview, services provided, privacy, security, disability access, foreign language access, public outreach, e-mail responsiveness
• West has also compiled a companion report, "State and Federal E-Government in the United States"
• Excellent; covers every base; a thorough analysis of this burgeoning government resource


Yahoo! Real Estate: Neighborhood Profiles

• Sponsored by Yahoo! in conjunction with MonsterData, Inc.
• Search by city or neighborhood for statistical information about thousands of municipalities in the U.S.
• May be searched by street address (optional), city, state or zip code
• Under the categories of "Demographics," "Cost of Living," Housing Characteristics," "Quality of Life," this site provides 26 statistical indices for a city or a neighborhood
• Provides data on utility costs, average household expenditures (education, entertainment, transportation, consumer spending), weather, air quality, crime, related factors
• All indices are rated in relation to national averages
• Excellent site for anyone conducting research on cities or considering relocation


Websites discussed on this page are for informational purposes only. Johnson & Wales University Library is not responsible for the accuracy, content, or stability of any websites linked to this page.

Compiled by Rick Keogh 10/03; links last checked 10/07

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