Economy
The Forgotten Urbanists of 19th-Century Boomtowns
Before economic-development agencies existed in America, some journalists amassed reams of data and published thousands of pages to promote their home cities.
In the 21st century, cities and states fund professional economic-development agencies to promote local growth and chase tech industries. They partner with private business organizations. They claim the expertise to turn local resources into breakout industries. They mobilize orchestras of economists, planners, data analysts, technical writers, PR professionals, and graphic designers to produce brochures, maps, websites, convention displays, press releases, and tours of local highlights for visiting delegations.
But if you wanted to know about the growth and prospects of Cincinnati in the 1840s and 1850s, there was one person to ask: Charles Cist.