"Rural small towns today might be shaped by Dollar General stores and rusty industrial plants, but many across the US were once lively brick-paved main streets where domestic manufacturing and tight-knit communities flourished. Some of America's small towns have grown in recent years, with young people moving in, while others that prospered a century ago now lie abandoned. But before the economic turmoil, small towns across the US were home to close communities, quaint main streets, and the first automobiles."
"Small mining towns flourished at the start of the 1900s, and many were abandoned by the mid-century. Up until the 1930s, horse-drawn carriages and automobiles could still be seen on the same streets. Today, many of these towns lean on their history as tourist attractions. In some villages and small towns, like Normal, Nebraska, the bank was a building smaller than a house. In Hugo, Oregon, the high school was the size of a midsize church."
Small mining and manufacturing towns thrived during the early 1900s, often featuring brick-paved main streets and close communities. Horse-drawn carriages and early automobiles shared streets into the 1930s. Mid-century industrial decline and offshoring created the Rust Belt, leaving iron, steel, and automobile plants abandoned. Some towns experienced recent modest growth as young people moved in, while others remained abandoned or repositioned themselves as tourist attractions. Local institutions could be very small, such as banks the size of houses or high schools comparable to midsize churches in certain villages.
Read at Business Insider
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