When The Urban Frontier was first published it roused attention because it held that settlers made a concerted effort to bring established institutions and ways to their new country. This differed markedly from the then-dominant Turnerian hypothesis that a culture's identity and behavior was determined by its history and experience in a particular social and physical environment. The Urban Frontier is still considered one of the most important books in urban history. This printing of the now-classic Wade volume features a new introduction by Zane L. Miller.