
The industrial midwest did not participate in the growth of the last 40 years. Once in a while, I wonder what life would have been like if I stayed in my small hometown in Wisconsin. Members of my extended family and friends from school still live there, and I generally visit every year, so I know the progress -- or lack thereof. I find it comforting when I go back that very little changed over the last 40 years. Some of the storefronts are different, but for the most part, the built environment is as it was when I grew up. In many respects, it's the realization of the nimby dream of "preserving neighborhood character." It's like the entire town was…[READ MORE]