Not So Golden After All

5

Life in the ‘Burbs—Where There Is No There There

In Los Angeles, by the time you’re thirty-five, you’re older than most of the buildings.

—Delia Ephron, screenwriter

Ever since the earliest days of the Republic, Americans have had a special relationship with their local governments. Close to home, presided over by neighbors, and within physical proximity of most citizens, local governments have been viewed as the true laboratories of representative democracy.¹ Seemingly, there are few barriers to citizen participation at the local level. There ...