Synopsis There was never any doubt about the vitality of Dhaka. The four hundred years have therefore seen its continuous life, intermittent growth and inevitable changes. The social forces which contributed noticeably towards the growth of Dhaka and its immediate neighborhood were in fact urbanizing a much larger territory. The process is still in operation. Notwithstanding the age-old multidirectional riverine connection between Dhaka and neighboring districts, the development of road communication in the post-independent period served as a direct incentive to move towards Dhaka. It did not draw people from its surrounding rural areas simply by offering a better quality of life. The newcomers in the city found poverty as severe and dehumanizing as in the villages. There was a persistent belief that the capital city Dhaka offered relatively quick opportunity of quick and cash income through placement in urban economy as handymen or casual workers in the trade, transport, manufacturing, conservancy or domestic sectors. Of course, admission into such jobs was mostly restricted to immigrants having good references from those already in employment where kinship, cast, and regional, local or religious affiliations operated in a highly discriminatory fashion. Hence, there is concentration of people from specific regions in a particular institution or profession in a highly preferential fashion.