California Urban, Financial, and Geographic Information (1920–1940)

Sarah Quincy, Vanderbilt University

2024-09-16

This collection compiles historical data on California cities spanning primarily 1920 to 1940, integrating demographic, geographic, economic, and financial information to support research on urban development, banking, and social inequality during the interwar period. It includes census-based city-level summaries from 1920, 1930, and 1940; GIS files mapping the presence or absence of Bank of America branches; historical banking records detailing branch openings, balance sheets, and building and loan associations; city-level housing and property value assessments; per capita income indicators; and geographic crosswalks linking census enumeration districts across time. Together, these data enable analyses of financial access, institutional expansion, and the effects of the Great Depression across diverse California communities.