 Abbott argued that the municipal politicians were not removed from effects elsewhere in the country like the book implied and that "the book does not clearly describe the actual neighborhood service effect" from politics.Timothy J. Crimmins of Georgia State University wrote that the book had a "clear and concise narrative" and that its interdisciplinary focus is the primary "strength"; other previous works had had individually studied the relevant aspects.He wrote that while Houston's relative size and economic strength was not relevant to the book's content itself, he stated the book makes Houston's economic strength sound more significant than it was, as it had fewer than 25,000 residents circa 1860-1890.