It's a town which at its height had almost 50,000 people. Most worked in manufacturing jobs until the late 1960s when the unions did their best to drive them out of town, probably driven by a pretentious group of self-important people called the "Committee of 100" who directed the course of the town over the years. In the early 1900s, it was one of the first cities to manufacture cars in the U.S.A. and well-known in Jazz circles, as the recording industry was well-placed here. Seeing as how that might bring corruption, they drove every bit of prosperity out.
Now, most people live on minimum wage and work at a gasoline station, convenience store, restaurant, or Wal-Mart. Those who have money are no better and no smarter but they also live cheaply and hold their position against those who have no position.
There is no Starbucks, although a few people have heard of them because they have them about 60 km away. The shopping mall has more than 30 stores but most are devoid of shoppers much of the time. They just sold part of an arboretum to make way for another clothing store and restaurant.
I might know some of the people but everyone is so withered and torn that I have no idea who they really are. They may not recognise themselves, either.
