The Rust Belt is a belt region of the US that refers to a geographical region that stretches from the Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the American Midwest, Middle West, or simply the Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It was officially named the North Central Region by the …Midwestern United States
What does the term Rust Belt mean?
The term "Rust Belt" is often used in a derogatory sense to describe parts of the country that have seen an economic decline; typically very drastic. The rust belt region represents the deindustrialization of an area, which is often accompanied by fewer high-paying jobs and high poverty rates.
How to save the Rust Belt?
Giving Compass’ Take:
- Lincoln Wilcox discusses how tailoring innovation toward job participation will help the Rust Belt’s economy thrive.
- The author notes that innovation needs to motivate individuals to participate in the economy, and then it will see growth and change. ...
- Read about transforming rust belt towns into cities of the future.
Will the Rust Belt ever recover?
Will the Rust Belt ever recover? Yes, the Rust Belt will recover, but the 1950s are gone, man. What cities are dying? 10 American cities that have fallen into decline. St. Detroit, Michigan's population has declined from its peak by 61.4%.
What is state included the Rust Belt?
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Michigan
- Missouri
- New York; Upstate and western regions
- Ohio
- Pennsylvania
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
Where is the Rust Belt in us?
What Are the Rust Belt States? Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin are considered to be the Rust Belt states. These states were the manufacturing center of the U.S., employing a large part of the population in manufacturing jobs.
Why is it called Rust Belt states?
The term "Rust" refers to the impact of deindustrialization, economic decline, population loss, and urban decay on these regions attributable to the shrinking of the once-powerful industrial sector especially including steelmaking, automobile manufacturing, and coal mining.
Which state has the most Rust Belt cities?
One of the most well known Rust Belt cities is Detroit, Michigan. Detroit was once the fourth-most-populated city in the United States....Rust Belt Cities 2022.CityPopulationStateColumbus929,492OhioDetroit624,177MichiganBaltimore578,658MarylandMilwaukee573,700Wisconsin17 more rows
What is the Rust Belt and how did it affect American cities?
The term "Rust Belt" thus refers to a social crisis mostly affecting the cities. During the 1970s and 1980s, rust belt cities experienced deepening unemployment, out-migration of population, loss of electoral votes, and an overall decline in industry and the economy.
Is Chicago a Rust Belt city?
Some major industrial cities of the Rust Belt include Chicago, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Cleveland, and Detroit.
What states have rusty cars?
Cars in these states have been known to have rust build-up more than any other states....These are the states where you should expect your car to rust the most:Connecticut,Delaware,Illinois,Indiana,Iowa,Maine,Maryland,Massachusetts,More items...•
What cities are considered the Rust Belt?
Some "Rust Belt" cities include:Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Erie, Pennsylvania.Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.Youngstown, Ohio.Canton, Ohio.Cleveland, Ohio.Steubenville, Ohio.Toledo, Ohio.More items...
What caused the decline of the Rust Belt?
We argue that the Rust Belt declined in large part due to a lack of competition in labor and output markets in its most prominent industries, such as steel, automobile and rubber manufacturing.
Why is the Midwest called the Rust Belt?
The Rust Belt is a region comprising parts of the northeast and midwest of the continental United States. This region was once the heartland of American industry and the focal point of U.S. manufacturing. Every type of heavy industry, ranging from steel to automobile manufacturing was hosted in the region.
What is an example of Rust Belt?
The "Rust Belt" is the name given to the part of the United States that includes the Midwestern states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, as well as Pennsylvania. The name "rust belt" came from the fact that many industries in this region relied on outdated factories and technology.
Is Philadelphia a Rust Belt city?
Fifteen years ago Philadelphia was yet another Rust Belt city wrestling with decline. Today, as the Pew Charitable Trust's latest State of the City report has shown, the city is on an upward trajectory, adding population in recent years for the first time since 1950, and adding jobs, too.
Is Cincinnati a Rust Belt city?
A commercial real estate blog has named Cincinnati as one of the cities in the nation's Rust Belt that has been most successful in its comeback.
When was the term Rust Belt coined?
The term “Rust Belt” is derived from a statement made to a gathering of steelworkers in Cleveland by Democratic presidential candidate Walter Mondale during the 1984 election campaign.
Who called Rust Belt?
Walter MondaleThe Rust Belt, linguistically speaking, is one of America's newest regions. The name was largely popularized in 1984 by, of all people, Walter Mondale.
Which area is called Rust Bowl and why?
The term "rust bowl" is a reference to the regions that were former steel or manufacturing belts. When manufacturing jobs were moved overseas, once prosperous areas were referred to as the "rust belt" or the "rust bowl." In the U.S., these terms often refer to sections of the Midwest and Northeast.
What region of the US became known as the Rust Belt in the 1970s?
By the late 1970s, economic changes turned America's industrial area into the "Rust Belt." Photo from James Jeffery Higgins. The "Rust Belt" is the name given to the part of the United States that includes the Midwestern states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, as well as Pennsylvania.
What is the Rust Belt?
The Rust Belt is a region of the Northeastern and Midwestern United States that has been experiencing industrial decline starting around 1980. The U.S. manufacturing sector as a percentage of the U.S. GDP peaked in 1953 and has been in decline since, while major U.S. cities in the Northeast and Midwest (such as Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cincinnati, ...
What states are in the Rust Belt?
Since the 1980s, presidential candidates have devoted much of their time to the economic concerns of the Rust Belt region, which contains the populous swing states of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
What are some examples of R&D in the rust belt?
Infotech in particular creates a promising venue for the Rust Belt's revitalization. Among the successful recent examples is the Detroit Aircraft Corporation, which specializes in unmanned aerial systems integration, testing and aerial cinematography services.
Why is the Rust Belt being reinvented?
There have also been attempts to reinvent properties in Rust Belt in order to reverse its economic decline. Buildings with compartmentalization unsuitable for today's uses were acquired and renewed to facilitate new businesses. These business activities suggest that the revival is taking place in the once-stagnant area.
How to reverse fortunes of the former factory belt?
Different strategies were proposed in order to reverse the fortunes of the former Factory Belt including building casinos and convention centers, retaining the so-called "creative class" through arts and downtown renewal, encouraging the "knowledge" economy type of entrepreneurship, etc. Lately, analysts suggested that industrial comeback might be the actual path for the future resurgence of the region. That includes growing new industrial base with a pool of skilled labor, rebuilding the infrastructure and infrasystems, creating R&D university-business partnerships, and close cooperation between central, state and local government and business.
Why is the snow belt called the factory belt?
News media occasionally refer to a patchwork of defunct centers of heavy industry and manufacturing across the Great Lakes and midwestern United States as the snow belt, the manufacturing belt, or the factory belt - because of their vibrant industrial economies in the past.
What are the companies in Pittsburgh that are involved in robotics?
In Pittsburgh, robotics research centers and companies such as National Robotics Engineering Center and Robotics Institute, Aethon Inc., American Robot Corporation, Automatika, Quantapoint, Blue Belt Technologies and Seegrid are creating state-of-the-art robotic technology applications. Akron, a former "Rubber Capital of the World" that lost 35,000 jobs after major tire and rubber manufacturers Goodrich, Firestone and General Tire closed their production lines, is now again well known around the world as a center of polymer research with four hundred polymer-related manufacturing and distribution companies operating in the area. The turnaround was accomplished in part due to a partnership between The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, which chose to stay, the University of Akron, and the city mayor's office. The Akron Global Business Accelerator that jump-started a score of successful business ventures in Akron resides in the refurbished B.F. Goodrich tire factory.
What is the Rust Belt?
The term “Rust Belt” refers to what once served as the hub of American Industry. Located in the Great Lakes region, the Rust Belt covers much of the American Midwest ( map ). Also known as the “Industrial Heartland of North America”, the Great Lakes and nearby Appalachia were utilized for transportation and natural resources.
Why was the Rust Belt created?
The designation “Rust Belt” originated at this time because of the deterioration of the industrial region.
What are the resources of the Midwestern region?
Midwestern America has the water and transportation resources necessary for production and shipment. Factories and plants for coal, steel, automobiles, automotive parts, and weapons dominated the industrial landscape of the Rust Belt. Between 1890 and 1930, migrants from Europe and the American South came to the region in search of work.
What States Are the Rust Belt?
The Rust Belt includes New York in the North East, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri in the Midwest.
Where is the Rust Belt Located?
The Rust Belt is a belt region of the US that refers to a geographical region that stretches from the Midwest to the Northern states (ending just before the states that make up New England ). In the past, this region became an industrial hub because it was close to the Great Lakes and rivers that companies and factories used to access raw materials.
What Are the Rust Belt States?
Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin are considered to be the Rust Belt states. These states were the manufacturing center of the United States, employing a large part of the population in manufacturing jobs. As manufacturing jobs started moving down south and overseas, the area witnessed large-scale unemployment, decay, and decreases in population as people left to find employment elsewhere.
Where is the Rust Belt?
There is no definitive boundary for the Rust Belt, but it generally includes the area from New York through the Midwest.
Why Is It Called the Midwest?
It is called the Midwest because of the location of those states in the 1800s before the United States expanded to the Pacific Coast. These states were part of the Northwest Ordinance. This term became obsolete once the United States expanded westward, resulting in these states becoming the "Midwest."
What Is the Sun Belt?
The Sun Belt is a region of the United States that extends from the Southeast all the way across to the Southwest. It begins in southern Virginia going down to Florida and then across to southern California. It is termed the "sun" belt because of the warm and sunny climate of the region. The primary states of the Sun Belt are Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah.
How long did the Rust Belt last?
From 1950 to 1980, the Rust Belt faced competitive pressure—domestically and overseas—and had to ratchet down wages and prices, as well shutter many manufacturing jobs. This resulted in almost a two-thirds decline in employment share for the region. 5
Why was the Rust Belt important?
The Rust Belt became an industrial hub due to its proximity to the Great Lakes, canals, and rivers, which allowed companies to access raw materials and ship out finished products.
What industries were in the Rust Belt?
The Rust Belt was home to thousands of blue-collar jobs in coal plants, steel and automotive production, and the weapons industry.
Why are the rust belt states called the rust belt states?
1. The 'rust belt' states earned their name due to industrial decline in the 1970s and 1980s after feeling the benefits of the post-war boom Credit: AP:Associated Press.
Why is the Rust Belt called the Rust Belt?
The region has been called the "rust belt" due to industrial decline in the 1970s and 1980s.
Why are rust belt states important in US elections?
Areas such as Scranton (Pennsylvania), Gary (Indiana), Detroit (Michigan) – names that have become known for industrial decline, population loss and poverty - holds key voters for a presidential election.
What did Donald Trump promise to do with the rust belt?
The President promised to boost American steel production, reactivate domestic manufacturing and bring back jobs.
When did Trump make the rust belt?
In 2016, Donald Trump made the rust belt a central feature of his campaign.
Which states are swing states?
But the belt also travels across "Swing States" - or states that traditionally go between the two parties. Pennsylvania is seen as a valuable swing state with 20 Electoral College votes. The important swing states in the 2020 election are: Arizona. North Carolina.
What is the rust belt?
The Rust Belt is an area that covers the Midwest American states to the Great Lakes. In the past, this region was popular for its production of steel and a booming industrial sector. However, from the mid-20th century, the area experienced de-industrialization, a decrease in its population, and urban decay. De-industrialization was as ...
What states are in the Rust Belt?
The states which are part of the Rust Belt are West Virginia, Indiana, Ohio, western New York, Pennsylvania, Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Iowa, and southeastern Wisconsin.
What are the belt regions of the United States?
The word “belt” is used to refer to an informal geographic area. The United States has about 20 belts including the Rust Belt, Cotton Belt, Bible Belt, Snow Belt, Sun Belt, Lead Belt, Black Belt, ...
Why is the Cotton Belt important?
The name “Cotton Belt” was given to the area because centuries ago, the predominant cash crop grown in the area was cotton. There was high productivity because of the fertile soils, favorable climate, and cheap labor. However, in the 20th century, the production of cotton declined due to the abolishment of the slave trade, soil depletion, social changes, and invasion by the boll weevil among other reasons. Today, the region is used to grow corn, soybeans, wheat, peanuts, timber production, and rear livestock.
What is the main crop grown in the Corn Belt?
The land is level which makes the region suitable for farming. As such the Corn Belt is mainly used for agricultural purposes. However, the main cash crop grown in the area is corn which is used to feed livestock such as poultry and hogs.
What is the Bible Belt?
The Bible Belt is an area in the southern part of the US. It is known for higher church attendance than any other parts of the US. Most of the people in the Bible Belt region are conservative Evangelical Protestants who influence both politics and society. The highest population of the Evangelical Protestants is found in Tennessee where they constitute 52% of its total population. Areas found within the Bible Belt include Missouri, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Indiana, Oklahoma, Texas, and Southern Virginia among others.
Where is the unchurched belt?
It is located in northwestern and northeastern cities and states of the United States. The area is known for minimum religious participation.
Where is the Rust Belt located?
The Rust Belt is centered in the Great Lakes States of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Unlike other belts, it generally refers to cities within these states that were once centers of steel production.
Why did the Rust Belt decline?
In the 1960s, the Rust Belt began to decline as the manufacturing sector encountered offshoring and increased competition from foreign factories. This decline coincided with the growth of the Sun Belt region to the south.
What are belt regions?
The United States is home to a number of regions that are referred to as “belts.”. These belt regions are defined by shared characteristics, such as religion, climate, or agriculture. Importantly, the belt regions of the United States are informally defined regions, rather than specifically delineated geographical areas.
What states are in the Bible Belt?
The states generally considered to make up the Bible Belt are Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Parts of Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, and West Virginia are also included. The United States is not the only country with a Bible Belt.
What is the Bible Belt?
The Bible Belt refers to a region of the Southeastern United States that exhibits higher church attendance than the national average. Evangelical Christianity is strongly associated with the Bible Belt, and the majority of residents claim that religion is important to them.
Why does corn grow in the Wheat Belt?
To the east of the Wheat Belt, corn supplants wheat as the agricultural staple. Corn does well in the region because of the area’s fertile soils.
Which states grow wheat in the winter?
In these warmer states, winter wheat can be grown. Further north, in Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana, wheat is planted in spring and harvested in fall.
Overview
The Rust Belt is a potentially pejorative term for a region of the United States that experienced industrial decline starting around 1980. The U.S. manufacturing sector as a percentage of the U.S. GDP peaked in 1953 and has been in decline since, impacting certain regions and cities primarily in the Northeast and Midwest regions of the U.S., including Allentown, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Jersey …
Background
In the 20th century, local economies in these states specialized in large-scale manufacturing of finished medium to heavy industrial and consumer products, as well as the transportation and processing of the raw materials required for heavy industry. The area was referred to as the Manufacturing Belt, Factory Belt, or Steel Belt as distinct from the agricultural Midwestern states forming the s…
Geography
Since the term "Rust Belt" is used to refer to a set of economic and social conditions rather than to an overall geographical region of the United States, the Rust Belt has no precise boundaries. The extent to which a community may have been described as a "Rust Belt city" depends on how great a role industrial manufacturing played in its local economy in the past and how it does now, a…
History
The linking of the former Northwest Territory with the once-rapidly industrializing East Coast was effected through several large-scale infrastructural projects, most notably the Erie Canal in 1825, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1830, the Allegheny Portage Railroad in 1834, and the consolidation of the New York Central after the American Civil War. A gate was thereby opened between a vari…
In popular culture
The Rust Belt is depicted in various films, television shows, and songs. It is the subject of the popular Billy Joel song, "Allentown," originally released on The Nylon Curtain album in 1982. The song uses Allentown as a metaphor for the resilience of working-class Americans in distressed industrial cities during the recession of the early 1980s.
The Rust Belt is also the setting for Philipp Meyer's 2009 novel American Rust and its 2021 televisi…
See also
• Decline of Detroit
• Deindustrialization
• Dutch disease
• Early 1980s recession in the United States
• Economy of the United States
Further reading
• Broughton, Chad (2015). Boom, Bust, Exodus: The Rust Belt, the Maquilas, and a Tale of Two Cities. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199765614.
• Cooke, Philip. The Rise of the Rustbelt. London: UCL Press, 1995. ISBN 0-203-13454-0
• Coppola, Alessandro. Apocalypse town: cronache dalla fine della civiltà urbana. Roma: Laterza, 2012. ISBN 9788842098409
External links
• Industrial Heartland map and photographs
• Rust Belt map
• Changing Gears Documentary Film Collection Digital Media Repository, Ball State University Libraries
• Collection: "Rust Belt" at the University of Michigan Museum of Art