During a large part of our nation's history, farming was the predominant occupation of her people. But things began to change as people shifted away from an agrarian lifestyle in favor of an urban lifestyle. During the last half of the twentieth century, with the growth of technologies, cities, and suburban sprawl, the traditional way of making a living dwindled. Midway through the century, fifty percent of Americans were farmers; at the end of the century, only two percent farmed. During this twentieth-century transition, the population of Loudoun County, Virginia, increased more than six-fold, growing from 22,000 to more than 140,000. Three generations of Polands witnessed the family farm and tranquil community virtually disappear; replaced by suburban sprawl and bedroom communities, with endless traffic, overcrowded schools, revenue problems, and the roar of air traffic from Dulles International Airport. A wealth of vintage photographs, and an index to full names, places and subjects enhance this work. Charles Preston Poland Jr. is a professor emeritus at Northern Virginia Community College and the author of eight books. His teaching has included graduate and undergraduate American and Virginia history courses, including field trip courses to Civil War battle sites. Founder-directors of the Northern Virginia Community College Civil War Museum, Poland, has lectured at colleges, schools, civic groups, Civil War Round Tables, and historical societies. He received the 2012 Outstanding Faculty Award from the Virginia State Council of Higher Education. Charles Preston Poland, Sr. and Charles Preston Poland, Jr. (2012), 2023, 6" x 9", paper, index, 244 pp.ISBN: 9780788429712 101-P2971
