A fascinating and detailed look at sixteen communities in Pima County that experienced the boom and bust of the mining industry since the 1800s. Conveyed from a cultural historian's perspective, the stories of these communities are told with a goal of promoting preservation of the remnant railroads, schools, post offices, hotels, saloons, and other artifacts from this chapter of our history in Pima County.

The study finds that if minority families owned homes at the same rate as whites of a similar age and income, there would be an additional 3.5 million homeowners today. A major factor contributing to this gap is that minority and lower income famimlies experience continuing, and in many cases growing, inequalities in obtaining the financing necessary to purchase a home.