RISE AND FALL OF THE RUST BELT, THE

America’s Great Lakes region — rich with coal, iron ore and water — fueled an unparalleled industrial revolution for nearly a century. However, this manufacturing dominance ended in the 1970s, when economic crises, competition and further technological innovation triggered widespread job and factory losses. Populations and cities shrank, and it became known as the Rust Belt. THE RISE AND FALL OF THE RUST BELT charts the growth and decline of this historic region.