The decline of small towns in America

[mw2530]

Though I don't have any concrete statistics or facts to back up my thoughts, it seems to me through my own observations that numerous small towns across the nation are struggling and falling apart. An exception would be when a small town is near a larger city. Small towns are struggling with the following:
Lack of economic opportunity (jobs)
Young people leave if they have the means to do so and don't come back (Aging population)
Educated people leave the city
Sometimes there are major drug problems throughout the community
Struggling schools
Poverty
Lack of new investments

With the decline in smaller farms, rural communities are struggling. Couple that with the fact that Large corporations seem to be gobbling up smaller ones or putting them out of business. It seems like we hear a lot about the problems of inner cities, but there is not a whole lot of discussion about how many small communities have major poverty issues. There are few jobs and little opportunity so young people get out if they can. But if they can't many turn to drugs because there is little to do in terms of entertainment and there are few job opportunities. And most of the jobs available are low paying.

 

[Gritches]

I live in a small town, and live in an area primarily composed of small towns (farming communities, usually). You've hit upon a lot of the issues facing these communities, and you're right, not a lot of talk about it.

I live in a town of 211, and it still exists because of the bar, the liquor store, and the gas station. That's almost all the money coming into town. Otherwise, there's a number of businesses on main street that operate at a loss because the stores are a hobby for rich farmer's wives.

There's a number of towns nearby about the same size, and it's the same story. The bar, the liquor store, and a gas station. That's like...15 towns nearby. The only real exceptions are towns that house factories; those towns tend to be one giant drug ghetto, because people getting good money from the factory jobs + nothing to do = a flourishing drug trade.

That's basically the two types of small towns I see. bar/liquor store/gas station towns, and factory/drug ghetto towns. It all centers around substance abuse because there's nothing else to do. There's no real good solution that I can see, the hooks are in pretty deep. This is the status quo, and it's what I see going into the forseeable future.

 

[tducey]

Same here in Newfoundland, Canada. The town I live in has 131 people and many are over 65.

 

[FreeDiver]

The only real exceptions are towns that house factories; those towns tend to be one giant drug ghetto, because people getting good money from the factory jobs + nothing to do = a flourishing drug trade.

That's basically the two types of small towns I see. bar/liquor store/gas station towns, and factory/drug ghetto towns. It all centers around substance abuse because there's nothing else to do. There's no real good solution that I can see, the hooks are in pretty deep. This is the status quo, and it's what I see going into the forseeable future.

Did you know that the state of Montanna has the biggest meth problem than any of the other states in the US. Yet, it has the lowest population density of any of the other states in the US.

 

[Progster]

Where I live the same is happening. I live in a small town of about 3000 inhabitants. When I first arrived, it had a lively town centre with shops, cafes and restaurants. Now you see row upon row of closed down, empty shops, with the odd one or two open. Betting shops and pawn shops have sprung up, a sure sign of poverty. The town centre is dead, while discount stores like Lidl are thriving. Unemployment is high, and as there are few job opportunities and little else to do for young people, most leave when they can. Drug abuse is also on the increase. Also, few new houses and businesses are being set up, no investment.

 

[Southern Discomfort]

The problem we have in the South West of England is people coming over from London, buying holiday homes. It's ruining places like Cornwall.

 

[OkRad]

Same here in Newfoundland, Canada. The town I live in has 131 people and many are over 65.

I am considering a move to Newfoundland in the far future. Please do expound....

RIght now I am in a huge city with lots of people and etc. But I just came from a dying town adjacent to more lively one. I like the huge city best, but of the other two, I preferred the dying one because it was a lot more honest. The adjacent one had a lot of bells and whistles but no content. Just a lot of stores. But the university sucked and the health care sucked. Where I am now, there are two of the best universities in the world and one of the best hospitals in the world.

This means it costs a lot but it also means people are very educated so there tends to be more care with things like homelessness, mental illness, autism/aspie etc.

 

[Sherlock77]

I live in a large city of just over one million people... But a few times a year I head off to the Canadian prairies on photography adventures... I have talked to people who live in the small towns of the prairies... Me? I'll keep the big city, I live and play in the inner city and love it!

But from what I've seen, people choose to live in these small towns and you won't find them anywhere near a large city... Most of them really don't care what happens to Main Street, in most places there is a large population centre within an hour drive so they will plan a regular trip to that large population centre for their groceries and errands, then simply drive back to their small town with no real Main Street... However restaurants, bars, and social clubs will exist in some form so that people can socialize within that small town...

One photo from a trip last weekend, of Manyberries, a tiny hamlet in southeastern Alberta, this is their Main Street...

And from what I've heard, urbanization is happening all over the globe, more and more of us are living in large cities, an upward trend that isn't changing

 

[OkRad]

I live in a large city of just over one million people... But a few times a year I head off to the Canadian prairies on photography adventures... I have talked to people who live in the small towns of the prairies...

From what I've seen, people choose to live in these small towns and you won't find them anywhere near a large city... But most of them really don't care what happens to Main Street, in most places there is a large population centre within an hour drive so they will plan (perhaps) a weekly trip to that large population centre for their groceries and errands, then simply drive back to their small town with no real Main Street... However restaurants, bars, and social clubs will exist in some form so that people can socialize within that small town...

One photo from a trip last weekend, of Manyberries, a tiny hamlet in southeastern Alberta, this is their Main Street...

View attachment 47055

And from what I've heard, urbanization is happening all over the globe, more and more of us are living in large cities, an upward trend that isn't changing

I really love your pictures. Thank you for posting!!

 

[Mattymatt]

The decline in small town America is very regrettable and the problem with capitalism and globalization. Well, let's just say virtually unrestrained capitalism which is what is happening in America now. Walmarts, Targets, and the Internet have basically killed off the small town businesses that allowed small towns to thrive. In the aftermath of globalization, small towns are left in microcosmic recessions (cum depression) with problems with methamphetamine and other drugs.

 

[Judge]

The decline in small town America is very regrettable and the problem with capitalism and globalization. Well, let's just say virtually unrestrained capitalism which is what is happening in America now. Walmarts, Targets, and the Internet have basically killed off the small town businesses that allowed small towns to thrive. In the aftermath of globalization, small towns are left in microcosmic recessions (cum depression) with problems with methamphetamine and other drugs.

Actually the repeal of fair trade laws on a state-by-state basis doomed small businesses more than 40 years ago. And in 1975 the federal government eliminated the remainder of such laws standing. Before that even the largest retailer could not legally low-ball prices any more than their smallest competitor.

It's why my aunt chose to close her family electronics business in downtown L.A. in 1975.

 

[DCA]

I think there has been some talk about the decline of small town America, especially in the context of the most recent election.

I live adjacent to the 3rd largest city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia & Pittsburgh) in a zone of merged cities/towns/townships that makes it more like a huge urbanized zone of probably more than 500k people. I couldn't see myself wanting to live or even thrive in small town America. I think the pressure would be even worse to conform & if you didn't care one bit about the local higj school football team? Weirdo...

At least here I can find like minded individuals & safe zones where I can talk about the synergistic bonuses in my 10th level gnome bard without it the fear of too much ridicule...