Albany is many things: one of the oldest cities in the country, the capital of New York State, and the home of early America's attempt to unite under Benjamin Franklin's Plan of Union. Located in the Hudson Valley one hundred fifty miles north of New York City, Albany has a natural beauty and a rich human legacy second to none. It grew into one of the country's most important trade, transportation, and military regions during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It became the permanent state capital in 1797 and has long been a major political center, key to New York's growth and prosperity.The year 2002 marks the 388th birthday of the settlement of a Dutch fur-trading fort on the west bank of the Hudson River. The year also marks the 350th anniversary of the founding of Beveryck, the permanent village that became Albany. Then & Now: Albany contains corner-by-corner views from four centuries. It focuses on the history as seen through the architectural transformation of a frontier village to a modern city. It is a pictorial field guide through the city's oldest streets.

Since its founding in 1821, Columbus, Indiana, has changed greatly-from an early agricultural town to a small modern city with varied business and industry. Today Columbus is most famous for its architectural gems from the past half century, but many historic buildings from early Columbus still exist. As Columbus has changed, its buildings have changed as well.

Since its beginning as a ferry crossing in 1757, the city of Lynchburg has covered the hills that rise above the James River. A community that has managed to successfully blend its past with the best that the present has to offer, Lynchburg is truly the "Heart of Virginia."

The borough of Queens, New York, has seen many historical and geographical changes. Marshlands, woods, and farms gave way to factories, thriving communities, and the nation's premier arterial highway system. Queens offers a rare look at New York City's largest borough, featuring many never-before-seen images.

In addition to being the state capital, Richmond, Virginia, was also the capital of the South during the Civil War. After Reconstruction, businesses developed, and the warehouse district Shockoe Bottom was rebuilt, boosting Richmond's economic growth. Today Richmond is a vibrant city that embraces its historical past while looking toward future developments. Then & Now: Richmond uses late-19th-century photographs of Richmond neighborhoods, churches, businesses, and schools, contrasting these historic photographs with contemporary views of the same Richmond sites such as St. John's Church, the Capitol, Broad Street, Main Street, and the Old Stone House. Then & Now: Richmond takes a step back in time and compares the glory of the past with the progress of the future.

Located in the southwestern part of San Francisco, the Sunset District developed late because of its distance from downtown and because of the sand dunes that covered it for thousands of years. After 1900, as public transportation spread and the automobile became available, housing and streets soon began to cover the Sunset District dunes.