Any other cities like Flint?
You know, that were devestated when the major employer pulled out?
I remember hearing about one which Campbell Soup was supposed to have really crippled.
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The Quad Cities (Davenport & Bettendorf Iowa, and Moline, East Moline, and Rock Island Illinois) Once know as the farm capital of the world, world headquarters of John Deere and Company, and the mid 80's much like flint saw numerous tractor companies pull out of here and close their ageing factories and move them to mexico, cities lost about 50000+ residents after Case, International Harvester, Catepillar, Farmall, and Deere all closed factories in the area
sharePittsburgh, PA in the 80's when the steel industry tanked. the resulting economic depression was the backdrop for such memorable 80's films as "Gung Ho" and pre-Scientology Tom Cruise in "All the Right Moves." Also add Youngstown and Steubenville Ohio to the list.
shareI would think you can find about 100 cities like this all in what is now called "The Rust Belt" ...they all are facing similar declines since the fall of manufacturing in the area.
While not quite to this extent, Kenosha, WI has experienced something similar after Chrysler closed a few plants in the area....but, I'm sure you can find hundreds of examples of this in most of the upper midwest....The paper mill industry in Wisconsin is also feeling a similar "crunch" ....although, Flint is still probably the biggest example.
I don't think everything has left there yet, but Toledo looked pretty bad when I drove through this summer. In fact, most of southeast Michigan was depressing to look at, although I didn't get a chance to see Flint.
Also, there are many dying former textile towns in the South where I live that are somewhat similar to the rustbelt towns. However, the region in general is starting to grow, so some of these towns are seeing a sort of revitalization as a suburb. An example would be Rock Hill and Fort Mill, SC. Most of their industry has left but they are being built up (bit by bit) as cheaper alternative suburbs to rapidly expanding Charlotte, NC.
I do love the midwest, however, and I hope that at some point they see a revitalization there as well.
Sugartune is right, Toledo is getting bad along with all of northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. I live in a small town in northwest Ohio, and we've had at least 5 major factories close in the last 10 years or so. One of which my dad worked for thirty years. Now these factories just sit there unused. Luckily for us the area wasnt so depleted my dad couldnt find another job, but alot of the older people who work in these places are forced to retire. Its just a shame this stuff happens but that's life.
shareI wouldn't be suprised to see Ford taken over by Honda and moved outa here. For damn sure Daimler Chrysler will pull out of the Detroit area. GM? Who in the hell knows.
The boom is long gone. My parents always spoke about how the Japanese quietly accepted their defeat but vowed to win the industrial war. Maybe that is true with the German DaimlerChrysler? Well Mitsubishi and DaimlerChrysler are good buddies.
Hell, its a big conspiracy between the Japs and the Germans?
If the auto companies leave the Detroit area; its over. The Tier I & II suppliers will definately follow through. Only people left will be all of the lazy auto workers. On the subject of that - that is a huge reason why **any** company would leave SE Michigan. Everyone here is LAZY. The United Auto Workers is a cesspool of overpaid, underworked, and LAZY employees. Have any of you known a UAW worker? If so - were they sober or not overdosed?
Look at the facts people. It costs almost $94/hr to employ ONE U.S. union autoworker on average. That includes ALL benefits, pay, support, blah blah blah. Drive one mile east to Canada and it drops to the upper $60's to lower $70's per hour. That is HUGE savings. Hence all of the auto plants in Windsor, Oshawa, London,... Go to mehico - its like $40/hr. Guys look at the difference. If you are the head of a company thats playing a financial game with a bad status and forcast, what do you do? What is your job??? --- to keep the company alive!
Look at the big picture and see the reality. The Mexicans and Canadians know how to build cars just as good as the Americans.
Another example - Technical support from India. A few years ago you couldn't understand them on the telephone. Guess what - they have started to speak MUCH better English. The result? - MORE companies outsourcing to them. People - they are on the same playing field. The only argument the "Use American!" lobbiests had was "they can't speak english...". That argument is fading away fast if not not existant anymore. Whats your next argument??? OHHHH you don't have one except for the classic, "save american jobs".
The "Whats in this for me?" attitude we all have in America is finally starting to reach its reprecussions. Why can't WE as AMERICANS get huge contracts from other countries that want to outsource services?
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My solution? KILL THE LAWYERS! Go back to BASICS. Kill the WHINERS!
end of rant ;)
Add East Liverpool Ohio to the list as well (about 30 miles east of Pittsburgh)-- was once the pottery capital of the world (and a large population of steel mill workers) before all the "China" went to China literally. Even Fiesta Ware (the collectible dishes made by Homer Laughlin) is now manufactured across the river in West Virginia (I'm sure Senator Byrd had a hand in that somehow)...
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