The town that Fetterman saved
-
My little Ohio town was bustling in the 70s, with two major industrials, Galion Manufacturing (they made road graders) and North Electric, which made telecom switching systems (where my dad worked). In the 70s both were bought by international conglomerates who over time moved operations elsewhere (which is why we moved to Florida). By the mid 80s it was dying but still recognizable when my dad and I spent the night there when we were touring colleges in the Midwest.
My sister and I drove through it on the way to see our mom only weeks before she died. We drove by our old elementary school to see them literally demolishing it in front of our eyes.
Today it’s two leading industries are probably meth and opioids.
-
@Axtremus said in The town that Fetterman saved:
How does that compare with the town saved by Oz?
Not very well, I’m afraid.
-
Ladies and gentlemen, I present for you the Mon Valley: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/2d643d7f03304c15a2b6b2e19654c9dc
The Mon Valley consists of a number of once vibrant boroughs stretching along the Mongahela River from West Virginia to Pittsburgh. The most robust of these communities were located in the region just north of Route 70 and 20-30 miles South of Pittsburgh, but all of the towns were/are very similar. These were all hard working blue collar towns that were built around the industries that took advantage of the opportunities presented by the Monongahela river.
The town that I was born and raised in was Charleroi “The Magic City”… The reason it was “The Magic City” was because it had an ideal area for docking barges, was conveniently located for transport from the coal mines, and had a long established Corning glass factory that took up the prime manufacturing spot on the river instead of a steel works… This is vitally important as that means we had no coke ovens. That means our town didn’t stink like shit. The nearest coke oven was across the river and north of us by about 4 miles (Monesson…If you ever watched Robocop, you saw much of the old steel mill there) and an errant wind would occasionally blow the horrible smell over to us, but generally we smelled pretty good. As a result, in addition to our own industries, we also had the majority of steel mill workers from up the river choose to live in Charleroi, and we became the significant center of commerce for the central Valle as well. At the center of everything was the steel industry. While Charleroi had no milk, 60% of our residents worked at the nearby steel mills. Steel was the primary driver for all of the coal and ore barges coming to our dock to load or empty, and it was all of the industrial support services made possible by the steel industry that allowed Corning to be so profitable.
In the 60’s and 70’s Steel ruled the valley. If you had the right connections in 1978, you could drop out of school and get a job at the steel mill starting at $50K. That is NOT adjusted for inflation. There were factory workers in our town making $80-90K a year in 1978. If Steel ruled, the Unions were the Emperor.
The Local Office was the de facto town hall. Yes, there was a town hall but most of the community events were centered around the local hall. Town meetings, beauty pageants, hell, they even sponsored an orchestra that performed at the local.
When the Unions went to war with the Steel Industry in the 80’s, it was a foregone conclusion that the Unions would win. They didn’t. 3 month long strikes turned into perennial unemployment. When some of the laid off steel workers came to work at Corning, they were fired pretty quickly for abhorrently low work ethics. My father and uncle (President of the Corning Union) were disgusted by these guys and their attitudes. And it just got worse. Properties started falling into disrepair and drug and alcohol use increased dramatically. In the late 80’s there was a bar in every corner. With no job prospects, the HS graduates began leaving the area in droves by the early 90’s. It’s called The Great Brain Drain. There has been some mitigation over the last 15 years due to the fracking industry, but the steel unions destroyed that region and tge leftovers are so bitter and resentful that they refuse to take the steps to revitalize the region.
None of that is Fetterman’s fault. He didn’t destroy the Valley or Braddock, but his political allies did. The “worker first” ideology that he espouses is a leftover from the old mills, and if guys like him come to power in the US, you just need to look at Braddock and Charleroi to see the future of the country.
-
The Democrats never did anything for my home town Metropolis. Libertarian vigilantes, on the other hand... they save the place on the regular.
@Horace said in The town that Fetterman saved:
my home town Metropolis
I visited there!!!
@LuFins-Dad A really good book I read about that area (at least I think it is that area, or maybe just similar type community) is called "Playing Through the Whistle"
"Playing Through the Whistle looks at a community struggling with the collapse of the steel industry. Price traces the decline of Aliquippa, as crime rises and drugs began to wreak havoc. The town tries to find solace in its high school football team."
-
@Horace said in The town that Fetterman saved:
my home town Metropolis
I visited there!!!
@LuFins-Dad A really good book I read about that area (at least I think it is that area, or maybe just similar type community) is called "Playing Through the Whistle"
"Playing Through the Whistle looks at a community struggling with the collapse of the steel industry. Price traces the decline of Aliquippa, as crime rises and drugs began to wreak havoc. The town tries to find solace in its high school football team."
@taiwan_girl said in The town that Fetterman saved:
@Horace said in The town that Fetterman saved:
my home town Metropolis
I visited there!!!
I feel safer already!
-
Quite a different narrative than the one his camp puts out.
I grew up in a town not unlike Braddock. Bustling small businesses lined the streets and everyone shopped there. We did not have a plant in town, but many worked at the steel plant a few miles away and the auto industry plants about 15-20 miles away.
Then the decimation of small town retail and industry hit, like it did everywhere. So my little town turned to tourism, antiquing and the like, and as that faded and got overcrowded to boutique shopping and dining. We have several festivals a year, all successful. The character and architecture of the town has been well preserved and while it has grown, the town has retained its midwest charm.
We have had Republican government since before I was born. Our city and county service departments are exceptionally citizen oriented. everyone you deal with - and I've dealt with them all in varying roles and capacities - will go out of their way to help you, often suggesting solutions and resources you had not thought of.
I suspect my town is a bit of an anomaly, but it is an example of what can be done as times change. It would appear Fetterman did very little of that.
@Mik said in The town that Fetterman saved:
Quite a different narrative than the one his camp puts out.
I grew up in a town not unlike Braddock. Bustling small businesses lined the streets and everyone shopped there. We did not have a plant in town, but many worked at the steel plant a few miles away and the auto industry plants about 15-20 miles away.
Then the decimation of small town retail and industry hit, like it did everywhere. So my little town turned to tourism, antiquing and the like, and as that faded and got overcrowded to boutique shopping and dining. We have several festivals a year, all successful. The character and architecture of the town has been well preserved and while it has grown, the town has retained its midwest charm.
We have had Republican government since before I was born. Our city and county service departments are exceptionally citizen oriented. everyone you deal with - and I've dealt with them all in varying roles and capacities - will go out of their way to help you, often suggesting solutions and resources you had not thought of.
I suspect my town is a bit of an anomaly, but it is an example of what can be done as times change. It would appear Fetterman did very little of that.
Pretty sure I grew up in the same town as you. Only difference is, mine rode the tourism train a little too long and it's due for a bit of a correction. So far they've been lucky, but no one's moving there anymore.
-
Quite a different narrative than the one his camp puts out.
I grew up in a town not unlike Braddock. Bustling small businesses lined the streets and everyone shopped there. We did not have a plant in town, but many worked at the steel plant a few miles away and the auto industry plants about 15-20 miles away.
Then the decimation of small town retail and industry hit, like it did everywhere. So my little town turned to tourism, antiquing and the like, and as that faded and got overcrowded to boutique shopping and dining. We have several festivals a year, all successful. The character and architecture of the town has been well preserved and while it has grown, the town has retained its midwest charm.
We have had Republican government since before I was born. Our city and county service departments are exceptionally citizen oriented. everyone you deal with - and I've dealt with them all in varying roles and capacities - will go out of their way to help you, often suggesting solutions and resources you had not thought of.
I suspect my town is a bit of an anomaly, but it is an example of what can be done as times change. It would appear Fetterman did very little of that.
@Mik said in The town that Fetterman saved:
Quite a different narrative than the one his camp puts out.
I grew up in a town not unlike Braddock. Bustling small businesses lined the streets and everyone shopped there. We did not have a plant in town, but many worked at the steel plant a few miles away and the auto industry plants about 15-20 miles away.
Then the decimation of small town retail and industry hit, like it did everywhere. So my little town turned to tourism, antiquing and the like, and as that faded and got overcrowded to boutique shopping and dining. We have several festivals a year, all successful. The character and architecture of the town has been well preserved and while it has grown, the town has retained its midwest charm.
We have had Republican government since before I was born. Our city and county service departments are exceptionally citizen oriented. everyone you deal with - and I've dealt with them all in varying roles and capacities - will go out of their way to help you, often suggesting solutions and resources you had not thought of.
I suspect my town is a bit of an anomaly, but it is an example of what can be done as times change. It would appear Fetterman did very little of that.
This is random, but it sounds a lot like Bayfield, WI. Just was visiting there last weekend for an apple festival. It's right on the water, but it's basically a charming older town with beautiful homes and a few main streets with (what seems) to be various flavors of antiques or art shops, and places to eat. I heard from someone who lives there it was dealt a major blow during the pandemic because it's older, liberal residents and the mayor really hammered down with COVID policies. He told me "they nearly killed off the town completely".
-
@Mik said in The town that Fetterman saved:
Quite a different narrative than the one his camp puts out.
I grew up in a town not unlike Braddock. Bustling small businesses lined the streets and everyone shopped there. We did not have a plant in town, but many worked at the steel plant a few miles away and the auto industry plants about 15-20 miles away.
Then the decimation of small town retail and industry hit, like it did everywhere. So my little town turned to tourism, antiquing and the like, and as that faded and got overcrowded to boutique shopping and dining. We have several festivals a year, all successful. The character and architecture of the town has been well preserved and while it has grown, the town has retained its midwest charm.
We have had Republican government since before I was born. Our city and county service departments are exceptionally citizen oriented. everyone you deal with - and I've dealt with them all in varying roles and capacities - will go out of their way to help you, often suggesting solutions and resources you had not thought of.
I suspect my town is a bit of an anomaly, but it is an example of what can be done as times change. It would appear Fetterman did very little of that.
This is random, but it sounds a lot like Bayfield, WI. Just was visiting there last weekend for an apple festival. It's right on the water, but it's basically a charming older town with beautiful homes and a few main streets with (what seems) to be various flavors of antiques or art shops, and places to eat. I heard from someone who lives there it was dealt a major blow during the pandemic because it's older, liberal residents and the mayor really hammered down with COVID policies. He told me "they nearly killed off the town completely".
@89th said in The town that Fetterman saved:
@Mik said in The town that Fetterman saved:
Quite a different narrative than the one his camp puts out.
I grew up in a town not unlike Braddock. Bustling small businesses lined the streets and everyone shopped there. We did not have a plant in town, but many worked at the steel plant a few miles away and the auto industry plants about 15-20 miles away.
Then the decimation of small town retail and industry hit, like it did everywhere. So my little town turned to tourism, antiquing and the like, and as that faded and got overcrowded to boutique shopping and dining. We have several festivals a year, all successful. The character and architecture of the town has been well preserved and while it has grown, the town has retained its midwest charm.
We have had Republican government since before I was born. Our city and county service departments are exceptionally citizen oriented. everyone you deal with - and I've dealt with them all in varying roles and capacities - will go out of their way to help you, often suggesting solutions and resources you had not thought of.
I suspect my town is a bit of an anomaly, but it is an example of what can be done as times change. It would appear Fetterman did very little of that.
This is random, but it sounds a lot like Bayfield, WI. Just was visiting there last weekend for an apple festival. It's right on the water, but it's basically a charming older town with beautiful homes and a few main streets with (what seems) to be various flavors of antiques or art shops, and places to eat. I heard from someone who lives there it was dealt a major blow during the pandemic because it's older, liberal residents and the mayor really hammered down with COVID policies. He told me "they nearly killed off the town completely".
If they saved a single human life, it was worth it.
