rust belt
Decaying factory country
A rust belt is any region where heavy industry has declined, leaving behind abandoned factories and economic hardship.
The term evokes the image of rusting machinery and infrastructure.
The northern provinces have become a rust belt as manufacturing moved overseas. (Capitalized Rust Belt is the specific U.S. region.)
Loss of industrial capacity
- unemploymentBeing without paid work
- job lossInvoluntary departure from work
- economic declineFalling prosperity, shrinking output
- brain drainEmigration of skilled workers
brownfields · shuttered · abandoned · vacant · disinvestment · recession · globalization · downsizing
Carbon-hardened iron alloy
- factoryIndustrial production facility
- automotiveRelating to motor vehicles
- assembly lineSequential workstation manufacturing
- foundryMetal casting facility
mill · forge · production · machinery · automation · tooling · welding · fabrication
Joining into one
- steelworkerFactory metal producer
- autoworkerVehicle factory employee
- blue-collarManual labor workforce
- shift workLabor in timed blocks
picket line · collective bargaining · pension · benefits · strike · layoff · seniority · apprenticeship
Rebuilding an existing area
- reinventionComplete self-transformation
- comebackRecovery after decline
- renewalMaking current again
- tech hubRegion dense with startups
startup · gentrification · repurposing · adaptive reuse · urban farming · arts district · investment · green energy
deindustrialization
Loss of industrial capacity
- unemploymentBeing without paid work
- job lossInvoluntary departure from work
- economic declineFalling prosperity, shrinking output
brain drain · brownfields · shuttered · abandoned · vacant · disinvestment · recession · globalization · downsizing · layoffs
steel
Carbon-hardened iron alloy
- factoryIndustrial production facility
- automotiveRelating to motor vehicles
- assembly lineSequential workstation manufacturing
foundry · mill · forge · production · machinery · automation · tooling · welding · fabrication · metallurgy
union
Joining into one
- steelworkerFactory metal producer
- autoworkerVehicle factory employee
- blue-collarManual labor workforce
shift work · picket line · collective bargaining · pension · benefits · strike · layoff · seniority · apprenticeship · trade
redevelopment
Rebuilding an existing area
- reinventionComplete self-transformation
- comebackRecovery after decline
- renewalMaking current again
tech hub · startup · gentrification · repurposing · adaptive reuse · urban farming · arts district · investment · green energy · resilience
- MidwestIndiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota
- economic regionseconomic zones, industrial zones, trade zones, silicon valley, heartland
- industrial declinedeindustrialization, factory closures, factory closure, plant shutdowns, plant shutdown
- industrial townscompany town, factory town, mill town, mining town, steel town
- Midwest Economycorn farming, wheat farming, grain elevators, farm equipment, John Deere
- Midwest historyChicago, Detroit, Great Lakes, Mississippi River, Ohio River
rust beltboomtown
Rapidly growing community
economic powerhouse · economic miracle · tech hub · emerging market · gold rush town
rust beltSilicon Valley
Bay Area tech corridor
Sun Belt · tech corridor · tech hub · innovation hub · knowledge economy
rust beltSun Belt
Warm U.S. southern tier
cotton belt · Bible Belt · Southwest · Florida · Arizona