Talking about small towns dying; The area I grew up in Aliquippa, PA has been a ghost town the ENTIRE time i've been alive. My area peaked at 28% unemployment in 1983 when I was 1.5 yrs old.
http://www.ucsur.pitt.edu/files/peq/peq_2008-12.pdf
That's worse than the Great Depression peak of around 25%.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US..._1910-1960.gif
My whole childhood I thought the world was a run down shit hole. One positive thing is I never had these sad feelings for my town dying. It has always been dead.