@sirboozebum I really hope for the people in all those places that went to shit when the factories got closed, that this will bring income and luck to them.
It is interesting that there is a lot of new construction, as it highlights the changing goods that are being produced in the US. I imagine many of those closed down factories in the rust belt/Midwest aren't coming back, as those jobs (machining, welding, stamping, etc.) might still be done in LCC. The new construction $ is likely driven by biopharma, semiconductor, EV, and other high-tech manufacturing as the article starts to imply.
@DefiantTostada
Aah, then I haven't read the article well enough. No those sectors are not likely to have a high percentage of workers from the rust belt/midwest (generalizing here of course).
Yeah in fairness the article is making that leap as well. But the $ to build an EV factory or a semiconductor fab are so mind boggling that it will dwarf the new construction spend on some of the more traditional manufacturing industries. That said, there are some beautiful buildings- now vacant- in the rust belt that I wish would get re-purposed. The urban ones have likely turned into loft apartments by now, but the rural factory buildings may not ever get used again. Those old brick and stone buildings with the slanted skylights are iconic. I'm not sure they'll ever get filled again, unfortunately.
I follow AbandonedAmerica on Mastodon (@AbandonedAmerica / https://www.abandonedamerica.us/) and there are some great places on his photographs, so I get what you are saying. The buildings themselves are beautiful and I really like the stories behind them. What the normal people where experiencing.