Two more case studies on how to re-invigorate life in smaller towns and cities. Johnstown, PA, a rustbelt city in Western PA, that has declined from a population of 63,000 fifty years ago to just 22,000 today as heavy manufacturing collapsed. Can a ghost town come back to life? From AP:

Decades after heavy industry died, taking much of Johnstown with it, this Rust Belt community appears to be regaining its footing. An aggressive city planner, a creative redevelopment authority and tourism officials are trying to turn Johnstown into a postindustrial tourist center with a vibrant downtown.Since 2004, real estate tax revenues have been flat at about $3.4 million, an indication the city is holding its own after years of declining revenues during the peak of deindustrialization, city manager Curtis Davis said.

The Johnstown Area Heritage Association is helping turn an 1860s-era Cambria Iron Works blacksmith shop, a National Historic Landmark that can’t be destroyed, into a working area for artisans. Along with a steel theater, a children’s museum, an immigration museum and a flood museum, Johnstown will be a “working man’s Williamsburg,” envisions Richard Burkert, the association’s executive director.

In Nelsonville, OH, not far across the Ohio-WV border, the community is investing in the arts to revitalize their town. Final Fridays on the Square has been building a steady flow of energy and excitement in town. Several art galleries are popping up. The Nelsonville Art and Music Festival (May 16-18) brings an eclectic mix of musicians and artists together in a way that has been building buzz in Southeastern OH. 

On the final Friday of every month, except December, galleries and retail shops on Nelsonville’s Historic Square stay open late to feature special art events.

From 6:00 – 10:00 pm, enjoy artists’ demonstrations, art chats, artists at work in their studios and openings of new art exhibits, plays, and musical shows. Watch drum circles, street musicians, dancers, and other sidewalk entertainment amidst artists & craftspersons selling their wares.

Johnstown and Nelsonville are demonstrating that investing in their “quality of place” is turning the tide against their recent economic declines and showing signs that in the new economy it’s critical to attract a new generation of creatives that can generate growth.