Image: Dan Derozier
Until quite recently, our beloved metropolitan statistical area was but the parti-colored jellyroll of competing fiefdoms you see above. Its many peoples lived lives of fear and isolation, their very existences caught up in a hysteria of annexation and relaxed zoning restrictions that lasted decades. And there things would remain until the dawn of the 21st century—its thirteenth year, to be exact, and the fourth month if you want to get technical.Click to enlarge.