This book examines how and why local governments are formed in the United States, and the interests that are served by their creation. Instead of lobbying for their interests within the boundaries of existing cities, Americans have increasingly created new "special districts" in the last 50 years. Because of the autonomy that local governments enjoy in the United States, the formation of these gorvernments has an impact on the quality of life for many Americans, creating boundaries, mostly along race and class lines that determine access to education, housing, and basic services. Upper-division undergraduate, and graduate students. Courses in state and local government, urban politics, and intergovernmental relations.