Spanning from New York and Pennsylvania through Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin, along with a sliver of Missouri, the region known as the “Rust Belt” traces the arc of America’s industrial rise and fall.
The term refers to the stretch of cities and towns scarred by factory closures and abandoned warehouses after the decline of U.S. manufacturing. This has led to a massive population decline in what used to be some of the world’s most high-powered cities.
As businesses moved operations elsewhere, workers and families followed, hollowing out once-thriving industrial towns. What remains is a manufacturing legacy now being repurposed for a new economic era. These are the cities looking to grow again, offering both affordability and infrastructure.
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Buffalo, New York
In the early 19th century, Buffalo was a transportation hub providing a link between the Midwest and the East Coast. In 1950, the city’s population peaked at around 580,00 residents. However, currently, the city has a population of approximately 274,000, according to Census Reporter…