CITY DIRECTORIES are publications that were put out in communities mostly so people could locate each other. They are like a pre-Yellow Pages and pre-White Pages combo, though a lot of abbreviations are used and since people paid to be listed, the emphasis seems to be mostly on professions - business - work. Retired persons and widows are usually listed as "at home." I've noticed listings that are all male but on the census you find the women in the family were not listed in the directory. On occasion you will notice that a young woman who has just become a marriageable adult has herself listed as well; she wanted the young men to know where she lived if they wanted to look her up.
CITY DIRECTORIES ARE GOOD TO USE TO FIND INFORMATION BETWEEN CENSUS such as addresses.
While most City Directories were published for smaller towns, I've found some that were for a series of towns linked by a railroad line, you could say along a transportation route where people had businesses.
If you are working with a common surname, or immigrant families who not only had common surnames but also common first names, finding the profession and address may help you narrow it down to the family you seek.
