Yellow Pages

City directories perform the function that Google provides today. They contain page after page of local business listings, plus of libraries, churches and much more.

Directories list all kinds of information, from train schedules to firebox locations and government officers. Some include a gazette of general-interest items.


	Pages and Pages of Listings The main section of a directory lists all the individual businesses in a city, by category. The listings for physicians, attorneys and grocers sometimes go on for pages. Searching for a hotel? You can't get phone numbers, price ranges or customer ratings, but at least you'll find addresses. Some states also publish state-wide business directories, often combined with geographical gazettes. Some states also publish state-wide business directories, often combined with geographical gazettes describing natural features, state history and county government services.



	Business Listings Businesses are often small and local, like doctors, grocers, restaurants and druggists, but a range of equipment manufacturers are also represented. Large cities often have their own directories, but state-wide directories are also sometimes published, especially where cities are relatively small and scattered (center).


	Civic Institution Listings The bigger cities offer impressive listings of services and civic institutions, including churches and benevolent societies.



→ City directories have become essential to maintain current listings of the rapidly expanding range of commercial and civic institutions