Once a small town sited at Te Papaiōea, a clearing in the bush that cloaked the Manawatū Plains, Palmerston North has always had big-city aspirations. Critical to its growth was the railway that runs through it, farming and education. Originally settled by Rangitāne, today Palmerston North is home to people from many parts of the world. Why they chose to come to the city, and what they did when they got there, is the subject of this richly illustrated and engaging history.