ABSTRACT
The late twentieth century has been a transitional time for small town America. National socio-economic patterns affecting such communities include (1) the declining industrial production-based economy that has sustained such communities; (2) the loss of middle-skilled, entry-level jobs as manufacturing and resource-based industries contracted with the growth of global competition; (3) the continuing centralization of community functions and the shift of federally funded, place-oriented programs and services to more densely urban populated areas; (4) the erosion of the local tax base; (5) the shifting land-use patterns resulting from fragmentation of local governance; and (6) the demographic change in which a greater proportion of elderly or poor reside due to loss of population. All these trends have brought about different fortunes to Midwest communities. Under the Big Sort of housing and firms, a town’s positional status on the economic ladder can vary (Holbrook, 2008; Longworth, 2008; Hanlon, 2010; Tumber, 2012; Norman, 2013). As former jobs vanish through global outsourcing, town residents can no longer count on a steady income over time. In today’s competitive global economy, it is more difficult for a majority of Americans, whether residing in urban or rural small town America, to achieve the American Dream.
