Small rust belt communities continue to struggle in the modern service oriented economy. The great economic booms of the past quarter century have invariably bypassed the minor population centers of this region.

The rust belt itself is an area of both large and small cities and towns, whose economic existence was based almost entirely upon manufacturing and it's coincidental support services. Geographically, it encompasses much of the midwest and continues eastward into Pennsylvania.

As manufacturing operations moved to the southern United States and overseas, rust belt communities entered an economic decline that continues today.

Some larger cities have been able to adapt to a degree. The renaissance of Pittsburgh and Cleveland are good examples. Booms in health care, technological research, and large scale real estate development have helped these cities regain some of their former glory.

Unfortunately, large scale service industries do not necessarily work well in small cities and towns.

These were often physically located to take advantage of river, rail, and highway transportation. They are rarely located near a major airport and generally have outdated infrastructures and housing. With city coffers now depleted from the loss of their former industrial tax base revenue, improvements are often impossible. This is further compounded by limited funding from the state and federal government.

Another major hurdle to economic development is the population itself. High unemployment and underemployment have driven away many of the younger, better educated citizens. Those who remain are mostly from blue collar families who have strong, long term local ties. They are often financially unable to afford higher education. And, can sometimes simply be ill-suited by educational and social background for adapting to corporate culture.

Pedanticism tends to run rampant in community politics, creating a difficult environment for compromise. This is sometimes further complicated by outmoded forms of city government and high taxes.

The problems faced by rust belt cities are numerous. The lack of capital to invest in improvements to infrastructure, an aging blue collar population, and ineffectual local government have created conditions where adapting to the modern, service driven, world economy are often very difficult at best. In the worst cases, simply impossible.

The preceding comments are the opinion of a life long resident of a small western Pennsylvania community. They are not intended to demean the strong work ethic and labor background of most rust belt inhabitants. They are simply the observation of a common man. Some regions have successfully experienced economic recovery. To them, congratulations are in order.