Changing Business Opportunities: The Geography Of Rapidly Growing Small U.S. Private Firms, 1982–1992*

The objective of this paper is to analyze the changing geography of the 500 fastest growing small, private companies, as defined by Inc magazine, in the United States from 1982 to 1992. The study focuses on rates of formation of these firms within types of metropolitan region, the impact of economic restructuring, and the locational dynamics of companies within the fastest growing economic sectors. Results suggest that there is little regional or hierarchical logic to the distribution of the firms, that the influence of economic restructuring is clearly evident, and that new rapidly growing high-technology firms are highly concentrated in San Francisco and Los Angeles, while higher-order service firms are dispersing down the urban hierarchy.     

Organizational Dynamics of the U.S. Logistics Industry: An Economic Geography Perspective*

Although the logistics industry provides critical services to all sectors of the economy, few studies exist in economic geography that examine and explain the organizational dynamics of this industry. This article highlights the significance of the logistics industry in contemporary industrialization and argues that an enriched understanding of the interaction between technology and space can be achieved by examining the evolution of an industry that plays a central role in the contemporary economy. We focus on dimensions that are identified as particularly important: organizational, geographic, and risk and security.     

ETHNIC RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION IN BELFAST,NORTHERN IRELAND, 1971–1991*

ABSTRACT. The segregation of Catholics and Protestants varies spatially and temporally in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Using small-area statistics from the censuses of 1971, 1981, and 1991, taken during the recent “Troubles,” a strongly rising level of ethnic segregation is noted for the 1970s, followed by a more gentle rise in the 1980s. Segregation is shown to vary among subunits of the urban area. The basic cause of this segregation is ethnic violence, and the spatial variation in segregation can be attributed to spatial variation in this violence.     

NOTES ON THE RISE OF THE AREA STUDIES TRADITION IN U.S. GEOGRAPHY, 1910–1929*

Area studies emerged as the leading tradition in American geography during the second decade of this century, supplanting the earth science tradition. The man-land tradition, reaching its peak during the second and third decades, never became as dominant as did the area studies tradition, based on a classification of the number of articles published, papers presented at annual AAG meetings, doctoral dissertations, and philosophical and methodological pronouncements by noted figures in American geography.     

Population Estimation Error and Its Impact on 1991–1999 Cancer Rates*

The error of closure in the 2000 census, or the difference between estimated and enumerated populations, poses special problems for public agencies that rely on census data. Nationally and at the state level, populations were only slightly underestimated, but underestimations were high in rapidly growing counties in the South and intermontaine West, as well as in New York City. Race‐specific estimates proved far less reliable, with severe overestimates and underestimates of all racial groups in various counties nationwide. We offer explanations for the estimation error and discuss its impact on cancer rates and trends and its implications for cancer surveillance research.     

CREATING NARRATIVES OF PLACE AND IDENTITY IN “LITTLE SWEDEN,U.S.A.”*

ABSTRACT. In Lindsborg, Kansas—“Little Sweden, U.S.A.”—the streets are lined with shops offering “An Adventure in Swedish Tradition,” and residents put on numerous festivals throughout the year highlighting Swedish folk customs. Such ethnic tourist towns have become increasingly widespread in the United States over the past thirty years. Tourists tend to perceive these places as towns where folk culture has been passed down unchanged for generations, while academics tend to dismiss residents' ethnicity as crass commercialism. Neither view is correct. Ethnicity and tradition are not static but constantly invented and reinvented. Modern folk ethnicity, among European Americans in particular, is simply the most recent incarnation of this process, one that attempts to recover ties to a specific, small‐scale landscape and history. This article explores the changing nature of the narratives of ethnicity and place‐based identity that the residents of Lindsborg have used to create a place for themselves in American society.     

The Landscape of Diversity in U.S. Higher Education Geography

Palynological analyses were completed for the A and B horizons of a forested Mollic Hapludalf to determine type, amount, and distribution of pollen and spores within the soil solum. Hypotheses regarding the origin of pollen and the mechanisms of its movement within soil bodies are also advanced. Pollen downwash within the mineral soil seems to be very slow and confined to the uppermost porous and most homogenized part of the solum. The predominance of non-arboreal pollen at depth was believed to be a result of deposition with the loess parent material. High arboreal pollen frequencies in the upper horizons coupled with increases in non-arboreal types at depth indicate gradual ongoing mixing from the present vegetation into the soil.     

Female Farmers in Canada, 1971–1986*

The discussion of agricultural restructuring has often failed to include farm women, particularly those who own and operate their own enterprises. Accordingly, this research presents an overview of Canadian female farm operators, who are a growing component of the farm operator population. Using previously untabulated data from the 1971, 1981, and 1986 censuses of agriculture and population, the study draws comparisons to male farmers in Canada and female farmers in the United States. The census data show that the socioeconomic and farming profile of Canadian female farmers differs from that of their male colleagues, and that the differences in certain key characteristics (such as farm size, sales, and commodity type) are becoming more noticeable over time. This raises questions about whether female operators are in danger of becoming marginalized from mainstream production, and whether their needs as a minority group among agricultural producers are being recognized.     

VOODOO,ZOMBIES, AND MERMAIDS: U.S. NEWSPAPER COVERAGE OF HAITI*

ABSTRACT. Newspaper articles in the United States paint a picture of Haiti as a failed state, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. These articles place the blame of the country's problems entirely on Haiti itself, with little regard for the outside forces that also contributed to the country's present‐day state. This study is a critical geopolitical analysis of Haitian representation in U.S. newspapers. I empirically examine a year's worth of articles from 2004 written in five major U.S. newspapers. From these articles I analyze both the words used to describe Haiti and the emerging media frames. Critical studies have shown that representation in the media can greatly impact the conventional wisdom surrounding a place and legitimize social inequalities. By understanding the images used to describe Haiti, I hope to develop a means of rethinking popular perceptions of the country. I argue that only then can the problems of Haiti be more effectively addressed and a new dialogue created, one that encompasses the entire story of this Caribbean country.     

Electoral Geography of the Sino-Thai in Thailand's National Elections, 1979–1995

Comparison of Thai and Sino-Thai participation and success rates from the seven elections taking place since 1979 show Sino-Thai participation comparable to their proportion in the country's population. Assimilationist government minority policy and electorate acceptance have served to integrate this group into the mainstream political system. There is no pattern of support for a particular political party and there are no indicators of a separate Sino-Thai political element. Their highest success rates, however, occur in regions of the country that have historically had small Sino-Thai populations. This appears to be the result of factional politics and of monetary and organizational resources needed to garner votes at the provincial level.     

An All-Season Synoptic Climatology of Air Pollution in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region*

The potential exists for widespread air quality problems in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. Climate and weather are major factors governing the behavior of air pollution, and thus there is a need for greater understanding of border-region air pollution climatology. This paper presents a synoptic climatology of the 850 mb atmospheric circulation for the U.S.-Mexico border region, and an accompanying analysis of relationships between synoptic conditions and ground-level ozone. The synoptic methodology employs high-pass filtering to enable comparisons of all seasons, and it uses modified multiple k means clustering to identify six characteristic circulation patterns. The climatology succinctly summarizes important spatial and temporal complexities of border region circulation, including various pressure configurations, the seasonality of those patterns, and associated weather conditions across the region. These results are linked with ozone data for four border-region cities, and the subsequent findings highlight systematic seasonal and region-wide variations in ozone pollution corresponding to patterns of controlling climatic factors. Three high-ozone scenarios are identified, each of which selectively affects a different area or time of year.     

Business Services,Productivity, and Wages: Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Michigan Counties, 1977–1997

This article investigates the growth of business services (SIC73) in Michigan and models the relationship between the industry and local economic conditions in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties. The research makes four conclusions. First, SIC73 measures explain variance in manufacturing productivity. Second, SIC73 indicators explain variation in manufacturing and overall wages. Third, these relationships vary between metropolitan and nonmetropolitan counties. Despite growth in rural regions, SIC73 indicators more effectively predict wages and productivity in metropolitan counties. Hence, the localized benefits associated with SIC73 industries are more strongly associated with metropolitan economies. Fourth, the interdependencies that have developed between SIC73 industries and the manufacturing sector decrease over time in both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan contexts. The article concludes with suggestions for future research.