[oftenwrong]

Many of those charming small town main streets like the ones in some of the photos, and the independently owned businesses along them, are in decline, if not already dead. Wal-mart and other big, chain businesses, often located down the highway, are getting all the business, so the small businesses in town cannot survive. Recently, I saw an incredible video about a main street in Mississippi that was basically dead, but has been resurrected on a fairly modest budget: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kChc7PVQFwA

[KevinEldon]

I grew up in a small town (rural Tennessee fewer than 10k people) and Walmart is a godsend. Their scale reduces cost and gives easy access to a myriad of products that local mom-and-pop shops could never provide. It's good for people with limited income to get more for less of their money. I know it hurts some local businesses whose models can't keep up, but that's business. The people in my small town were better off because of Walmart. Amazon has taken over where Walmart started; Amazon Prime is a one of the most amazing and practical innovations.

[empath75]

Yeah I was going to say. All those quaint American towns that look like they came out of a time capsule are that way because they've been in decline since those buildings were built and nobody has invested money into new buildings or businesses.

[HeyLaughingBoy]

... or the locals realized that the buildings were beautiful as is and didn't change much. I know a number of towns around here that probably don't look much different than they did 50 years ago and they're thriving.

One of the nice things about small towns is that there's usually available real estate to put up new buildings without tearing down the old ones.

[aclimatt]

You're absolutely right. I recently took a road trip through the South, having never been before, and felt the overwhelming death of these small towns. Cities like Selma, Alabama once had vibrant downtowns, but now almost all of the buildings are boarded up and most people (and businesses) have moved to the suburbs, seemingly driven by Wal-Mart et al.

I'm working on a piece like the OP's actually to show more of these forgotten small towns. I think there's a lot of opportunity still left for some of these historic, beautiful town centers, if only more people (especially from the coasts) knew about them.

[brudgers]

Selma's current economic condition is a function of the decision to terminate Interstate 85 at Montgomery. Its isolation from the interstate highway system makes it unattractive to regional or national businesses and industries.

[throwanem]

God bless Water Valley. My folks used to buy beer there, back when Lafayette County was still entirely dry. We'd stop in Taylor on the way there or home, at Taylor Grocery, and eat what still to this day is some of the best fried catfish I've ever had. Even then, Water Valley seemed like a tired place, like it'd had too much weight too long on its shoulders. Next time I'm home, I'll have to spend some time seeing for myself what it's become - in the meantime, I'll hope it's survived with more of its dignity and sense of self intact than Oxford.