I agree with you, taking rural Wisconsin as somehow exemplary, I think the author is really just observing the 80 year slow decline of small town America. I liv

I agree with you, taking rural Wisconsin as somehow exemplary, I think the author is really just observing the 80 year slow decline of small town America. I live in a bigger metro of around 1M and though we have never succeeded in bringing downtown back to what it was there are at least 4 distinct layers of neighborhoods- the 1900s streetcar neighborhoods, the postwar suburbs, the 80s developments, and the contemporary (post 2000) redevelopment of the postwar areas. These areas are all being bought up and rennovated rapidly. I would have loved to restore an old bungalow type house but they essentially all are rennovated and sell for a much higher price. There was a lot of development of suburbs and exburbs around the 2000s that has virtually come to a halt. Its all infill developmemt and rennovation now. I live in a 50s house and my sister in a 1910s house and both are fine.