I would enjoy comparing the poorest towns pre-NAFTA and post-NAFTA. I'd bet in most cases the hollowing out of middle class manufacturing jobs enhanced their decline.
I can speak pretty specifically for the Somerset area. At one time Coleman Trailers was a very large employer in the area. They built Coleman Trailers and made their sleeping bags. Not sure when but probably late 90's they moved the sleeping bag operation to Mexico and then in 2011 laid off 300 employees when they quit building the Trailers there.
Another was the Walmart that was built out by 219. Sure it added jobs to Walmart but was also a large reason that the JCPenny, Newberry's and other clothing shops in uptown Somerset went out of business.
Uptown Somerset is a dilapidated shell of what it was in the 80's and 70's.
Anything new that comes in seems to get squeezed into that area by 219.
I blame a lot of the current blight in Somerset on the County Commissioner's and their lack of foresight and their inability to clean up the turnpike exchange area.
I think they sell as much Heroin and Meth in the Parking Lot of that Turkey Hill as they do gasoline.
Last edited: