[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.