Radio Smart Talk for Tuesday, January 17:

The city of Harrisburg has a history as a railroad center of national importance going back to the Civil War.  In the early part of the 20th Century, there were as many as 400 trains coming in and out of Harrisburg each day.

Harrisburg and the region was one of the nation's steel manufacturing centers and as Pennsylvania's capital, it always had a steady economy with low unemployment.

But like many American cities, the loss of manufacturing jobs and residents moving to the suburbs led to decline. 

Efforts to bring Harrisburg back have resulted in some successes, but Harrisburg is best known today for its daunting financial challenges.

The city has faced hurdles before as documented in the new book -- City Contented -- City Discontented: A History of Modern Harrisburg.  The first book published by Harrisburg's Midtown Scholar Press, it is a compilation of columns the late Paul Beers wrote for the Patriot News and Evening News over a 25-year period.  The columns that describe Harrisburg and the region's rich history were edited by Penn State Harrisburg professor and author Michael Barton, who will appear on Tuesday's Radio Smart Talk to discuss the book and Harrisburg's history.

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