The lumber mills in Winnfield are closed or barely functioning. (The only activity I could see were a few piles of wood chips for mulch.) The logging trucks, ubiquitous in northern Louisiana and East Texas, are now rarely seen. Things are so bad that D.J.'s, the beer joint across the highway from the timber mill, shut down recently. The door factory I wrote about last year that would provide 200 permanent jobs was built but never opened up for business. The only local auto dealership offers an unlucky combination of GM and Chrysler products. Here's how bad it is: The local Popeye's shut down. When Popeye's shuts down, you know things are bad.But it's not universally bad. Relatives say there is a mini-boom up in Shreveport thanks to a massive natural gas play.
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Meanwhile, much of Winnfield looks the same. There are still nice neighborhoods with beautiful old homes. From what I've seen, these are mostly inhabited by people who have lived in Winnfield all of their lives, and now that they are retired they plan to stay. Unfortunately most of the younger people are leaving, so there isn't much hope for even these nicer neighborhoods.
When harvesting natural resources and state welfare runs dry, flat line occurs in many communities. Particularly in the south.
When Popeys closes down, things are bad. When the check cashing and payday loan places close down, then you know your community is toast.
Holy shite! Popeyes shut down? That's severe. I would have guessed that would be the end result of the housing market bottoming out, though. Who knows when that lumber business will be back -- not soon enough, unfortunately.
"Most of the younger people are leaving"... Yep, it's like that in a lot of rural areas. Can't say I can blame the kids, though, who are faced with meager employment and near-poverty if they stay. It's a shame for the communities as a whole, though, really is.
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