![]() Rust Belt states would be wise to produce educational literature covering the basics of the region’s economic recovery, which could then be incorporated into public school curricula. American geography is often not taught beyond elementary school, leaving little awareness of the country’s nuances between regions. In reinventing its public image, states of the Rust Belt should create a coalition that works to educate the public about the region’s continuing resurgence. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection The new Mill 19 development on the former site of the Eliza Furnaces steel mill has repurposed part of a former brownfield for commercial use, while also preserving one of the last remaining steel mill structures in Pittsburgh. Perhaps the Rust Belt stigma is hard to dispel, but it would also be a gross oversight to completely erase industrial history. Most importantly, as its economic recovery continues, we cannot forget that manufacturing made the region powerful in the first place. It has long been time for the region to properly redefine this oppressive image, but today’s Rust Belt is neither stuck in the past nor enraptured with tomorrow - rather, it combines the strengths of yesterday with trust in the future. ![]() “To some, Pittsburgh is still the 1975 Pittsburgh, a steel mill town based on heavy industry, still struggling through the post-Depression,” Peduto said in 2016. Even in an age of rapid economic advancements, the Rust Belt of decades ago still affects how it is perceived today.īill Peduto, former Mayor of Pittsburgh, recognized that some who live outside the region still think of Pittsburgh’s economy as lagging behind that of other cities. Instead of seeing the rise in STEM jobs, they only see the decline of manufacturing. ![]() The sad reality is that many people living outside the region do not understand the extent of the Rust Belt’s economic recovery. Given such widespread success in the growth of service-based jobs, former President Trump’s claim that he would bring back the steel industry to Pittsburgh was puzzling to many citizens. Although economic improvements have not been universal, the region’s comeback continues to evolve. The revival of other Rust Belt cities noted in the Bureau of Labor data reflects a similar trend. The Steel City has switched its economic focus from manufacturing to service-based jobs, especially by becoming a university-centered robotics hub and attracting national technology firms, notably Uber and Google. From 2008 to 2018, Pittsburgh saw a 21% drop in unemployment and a 25% rise in average income among its population. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Pittsburgh has led the way in economic recovery among Rust Belt cities, making it an example that other cities in the region have tried to imitate. Yet despite setbacks, the Rust Belt has made important advancements in restructuring its economy.Īccording to a study based on data from the U.S. From 1950 to 1980, Rust Belt states - Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, among others - lost two-thirds of all their manufacturing jobs, prompting the region’s nickname. The loss of manufacturing jobs was (and continues to be) a nationwide issue, but states that relied on heavy industry as their economic basis were particularly hard hit. Beginning in the late 1970s, the US saw a drop in manufacturing jobs as companies moved their factories out of the country to take advantage of low-wage workers. Many residents of the Rust Belt - including myself - take pride in this union of history and technology, and to us, the region’s name no longer implies a tired stereotype it means an extraordinary comeback story.īut to grasp the Rust Belt’s economic recovery, it is essential to understand what caused its decline. However, the best examples of the region’s rebirth have integrated pieces of its industrial past while also modernizing its economy. As the Rust Belt has worked to reinvent its economy, such misunderstandings have begun to clear up, much like the pollution that once sat heavy in the air across the region. To a casual observer, the term “Rust Belt” may be linked with economic decay - cities past their industrial prime, with falling population and little opportunity for growth. By Andrew McLaughlin, North Allegheny Senior High School
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