In this book Judith Blau conducts an empirical investigation of cultural institutions and activities in 125 cities in the United States. Her analyses reveal that cultural institutions are more evenly distributed among larger and smaller urban centers and among regions than is commonly thought. Her focus is on establishing the relationship between demographic characteristics and demand for the arts.

1. Culture as structure and meaning; 2. The American cultural landscape; 3. Reproduction and decline; 4. Co-ocurrence, tipping in, and bridging; 5. Organizational assembly and disassembly; 6. Increasing returns on diminishing artists; 7. A little more on the hobby horse; 8. Masses and classes; 9. The transformation of American culture.