Hickory, NC News & Views | Hickory Hound | June 15, 2025

 

 

This week I did a three deep dives into issues that truly impact the Economic Social and cultural dynamics of our region. Below is a quick summary of each, along with a 500 word synopsis and a link to the full deep dive if you have not already read it.


 The Forgotten Grid: Towns That Industry Left Behind - June 10, 2025 - Drexel, Hildebran, and Valdese once thrived on industry—but global shifts left them behind. Now marked by aging populations, empty mills, and stalled growth, these towns embody the human cost of economic abandonment. This report examines their rise, fall, and quiet resilience—asking whether modern planning will continue to ignore them, or finally bring them back into the fold.

 500 word summary of this article

 

The Center Cannot Hold: Hickory’s Uneven Growth in a Fractured County
- June 10, 2025: Hickory’s downtown revival masks deeper fractures in Catawba County. While new trails and tech jobs signal progress, aging infrastructure, school disparities, and uneven investment reveal a region divided. From Mountain View to Maiden, the foundation is straining. This report examines whether Hickory’s growth story can truly hold—before the cracks at the edges pull the center apart.
500 word summary of this article

 

Keep the Crawdads: Strategic Intelligence Report on Hickory’s Baseball Future - June 12, 2025:  Hickory’s Crawdads face uncertain ownership, regional neglect, and mounting pressure from MLB contraction trends. This strategic report lays out the stakes, from economic impact to civic identity, calling for proactive local action. Lose the Crawdads, and Hickory risks more than a team—it risks surrendering its place in America’s baseball fabric. The time to act is now.
500 word summary of this article.


You Don't Lose Baseball in a Day

Hickory, Don't let the Dads be the next Oakland A's

Hickory, You’re Gonna Lose the Crawdads

 
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 Rachel A.I. on the Hound's message since the reboot - Three Months In: What the Hickory Hound Has Exposed Since Its Return

 

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Not Broken. Not Bought. Not Theirs.
A Field Manual for the Self-Educated Builder

1. You Weren’t the Problem

There are people who were never meant to thrive in the system they were born into. Not because they lacked intelligence or will—but because the structure around them was never designed to cultivate either. If you didn’t fall in line, if you didn’t flatter the right gatekeepers, if your questions cut too deep—you were labeled. Disruptive. Difficult. Broken.

I wasn’t broken. I just wasn’t theirs.

Public school was a machine that punished difference. It rewarded submission and left little room for the curious, the restless, or the strategic. It wasn’t about mastery. It was about conformity. I didn’t evolve into who I am through their system. I have survived it, despite everything it took from me. My education started the moment I stopped seeking their approval.

I live in a cold war with the society that thought it could diagnose me into silence.

2. The System Was Working Exactly As Intended

If it ever seemed like the system failed people like us, it’s because it was never built to serve us in the first place. Its purpose isn’t enlightenment. It’s hierarchy. The goal isn’t to teach—it’s to sort.

What they call "education" is often credential inflation and cultural grooming. They train managers, not builders. Repeaters, not originators. The deeper you think, the harder you fall through their cracks. People stopped learning because the system trained them to believe their degree was the finish line.

The "educated" class talks a lot, but listens little. They confuse resume polish for insight. Meanwhile, the world changes beneath their feet, and they don’t even notice until their institutions start to collapse.

They didn't outgrow the old world. They ignored the new one. And now they think their failure to evolve is your failure.

3. The Tools Finally Came

For most of my life, I could see more than I could say. I had ideas that didn’t fit into their formats, questions they wouldn't tolerate, insights no one had a place for. Then the tools arrived. AI. Open platforms. Self-publishing. The collapse of gatekeepers.

I didn't suddenly become smarter. The world just finally offered tools sharp enough to match my mind. I didn’t get louder. The noise around me finally cracked enough for my voice to get through.

Now I write the truths I was punished for asking. I build frameworks the planners never considered. I analyze the local economy, the cultural decay, the civic breakdown—and I don’t need anyone's permission to do it.

You can call it journalism. You can call it strategy. I call it survival.

4. What I’m Building

The Hickory Hound isn’t a blog. It’s a navigation system. A decoded map for people who know something’s wrong but can't get the signal through the noise. I’m tracking water conflicts, minor league team relocations, collapsing infrastructure, and regional economic patterns because those things matter. Not in theory—in day-to-day life.

Our civic class doesn’t want to confront reality. They want applause for incrementalism while the floorboards rot underneath. But I don’t write to flatter the officials. I write to warn the people.

Every story is a pressure point. Every data point is a clue. Every article is a piece of the map for people who still believe in rebuilding, even if they’ve been pushed to the margins.

I’m not here to entertain. I’m here to equip.

5. We Are Not Broken

If you’ve ever been told you ask too many questions, that you care too much, that you expect too much clarity—you’re not alone.

You’re not broken. You’re just not theirs.

The world is changing. The gatekeepers are slipping. The Normies who've always mocked the idea of collapse now live in its early chapters. And those of us who were forced to figure things out the hard way—we're not the problem.

We’re the blueprint.

And we’re not waiting for permission to keep building.

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Hickory, NC News & Views | Hickory Hound | March 29, 2025

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Hickory, NC News & Views | Hickory Hound | June 8, 2025

 

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Communities of the Catawba River: Where Water Becomes Power and Wealth

Lake Norman & Mountain Island Lake

From quiet coves to nuclear cooling towers, this is the Catawba River’s final act before it leaves the region—and it’s anything but neutral.

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Where the Water Pools—and Power Concentrates

Lake Norman is the largest manmade lake in North Carolina, stretching 33.6 miles long with over 520 miles of shoreline. Built between 1959 and 1964 by Duke Energy as part of the Cowans Ford Dam project, it powers the Piedmont through hydroelectricity and cools the turbines at the McGuire Nuclear Station. Mountain Island Lake, just downstream, may be smaller—only 3,281 acres compared to Lake Norman’s 32,510—but its function is arguably more critical: supplying drinking water to over one million residents in Mecklenburg County.

These two lakes do more than hold water—they convert geography into energy, infrastructure, and wealth. And they do it on the backs of communities upstream.

Built for Growth—but Not for Everyone

Lake Norman’s shoreline reads like a directory of Charlotte’s affluence: Cornelius, Davidson, Mooresville, Huntersville. Often dubbed the “Inland Sea,” the lake is surrounded by marinas, country clubs, and sprawling developments that offer waterfront tranquility just 30 minutes from Uptown Charlotte. Beneath the surface, however, lies a buried history—communities that once stood where the lake now sits were flooded in the name of progress, and voices from upstream have long been excluded from conversations about its use.

Downstream, Mountain Island Lake lacks the polish and tourism appeal of its neighbor, but it holds perhaps the most critical role in the chain. Formed in 1924 to power the Mountain Island Hydroelectric Station, this quieter body of water now serves as Charlotte’s lifeline. It is where water pumped from upstream towns becomes utility—filtered, treated, and sent to taps in one of America’s fastest-growing metros. This lake doesn't make headlines, but its strategic importance is profound.

Water Agreements and Interbasin Transfers: Who Decides?

The water that fills Lake Norman and Mountain Island Lake begins its journey in Old Fort and Marion. It moves through Morganton, Hickory, and the town of Catawba—places that built their identity around the river’s strength, only to see it rerouted and repurposed with little voice in the matter. Interbasin Transfers (IBTs), like those sought by Charlotte, have shifted not just the river’s path but the region’s power dynamics.

Charlotte’s growth has increased demand for more Catawba water—creating political tension and legislative pushback. In 2024, lawmakers introduced new restrictions on IBTs, fueled by concerns from smaller communities who fear their resources are being extracted for someone else’s benefit. The water that cools data centers and powers homes in Charlotte still originates upstream, and the imbalance has become impossible to ignore.

Environmental Cost, Economic Disparity

While both lakes are engineered to provide power and utility, they’re also flashpoints for environmental strain. Lake Norman has faced ongoing issues with coal ash contamination and shoreline erosion, driven by dense residential development and runoff. Despite regulations mandating buffer zones and erosion control, the damage is visible—and irreversible in some areas.

Mountain Island Lake, meanwhile, still bears the ecological scars of the decommissioned Riverbend Steam Station, where unlined coal ash ponds leaked arsenic and cobalt into surrounding groundwater. Duke Energy’s cleanup began in earnest only after years of legal and public pressure. Even today, questions remain about how sustainable these reservoirs are in the face of population growth and climate change.

The imbalance isn’t just ecological—it’s economic. Catawba County and Caldwell County host massive server farms powered by energy and cooled with water from these lakes, but the high-paying tech jobs remain in Charlotte. The infrastructure exists here; the wealth does not. The water flows south, and so does the prosperity.

A Regional Reckoning Is Overdue

Communities like Hickory, Marion, and Morganton aren’t anti-growth. They simply want a seat at the table. They want infrastructure investments to reflect the burden they carry. They want Duke Energy, Charlotte’s corporate sector, and even state officials to recognize that the lakes at the end of the Catawba, in this region, don’t exist in isolation—they’re the final chapter in a regional story of imbalance.

Lake Norman and Mountain Island Lake represent the culmination of decades of decisions made without upstream consent. They are not just lakes. They are mirrors, reflecting the hierarchy of growth and the politics of power in the Catawba Basin.

If there is to be sustainability—economic, environmental, or regional—it will require more than water-sharing agreements. It will require truth-sharing, benefit-sharing, and a recalibration of who gets to write the next chapter.

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#LakeNorman #MountainIslandLake #CatawbaRiver #CharlotteWaterCrisis #DukeEnergy #EnvironmentalJustice #WaterPolitics #FoothillsCorridor #NCInfrastructure #CharlotteNC #HickoryNC
#InterbasinTransfer #NorthCarolinaWater #RegionalEquity #CommunitiesoftheCatawbaRiver

 ✅ If this resonates with you, share it with someone upstream—or downstream. Leave a comment, message me at hickoryhoundfeedback@gmail.com or follow for more content.

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Communities of the Catawba River: Where Industry Rose and Power Shifted

The Catawba River flows with the memory of work. For decades, it coursed through the engine room of western North Carolina, passing through towns that once stood at the center of industry, innovation, and regional momentum. Morganton, Hickory, and the Town of Catawba are not merely dots on a map—they are milestones in a journey that reveals how prosperity is won, and how influence is quietly lost.

 

Morganton: The Foundry of Foundation

Nestled near the South Mountains and Lake James, Morganton bears the weight of a longer history than most towns in North Carolina can claim. Long before European colonists arrived, this land was home to the Mississippian culture—a place called Joara, where Hernando de Soto’s men built Fort San Juan in 1567. It was the first European settlement in the interior of North America. But Morganton’s modern history was forged in factories. Incorporated in 1784 and eventually becoming the county seat of Burke County, Morganton built its reputation as a center of furniture manufacturing, textiles, and skilled labor.

Today, the echoes of that industrial era are still visible, though the economy has changed. Morganton has embraced revitalization, leaning into its cultural heritage and natural beauty to remain relevant. But the river still runs through it—feeding into a broader regional identity that ties it to Hickory and beyond. What the town now grapples with is not the memory of what it once was, but the uncertainty of what role it can play in a region whose power has shifted downstream.

 

Hickory: The Engine That Stalled

Further east, the City of Hickory stands as a symbol of what western North Carolina once promised. It was here that craft met commerce—where woodworking mastery fueled one of the nation’s most respected furniture industries. Hickory didn’t just grow; it led. With a metro population surpassing 365,000 today, it remains the economic anchor of the Unifour region.

But like many manufacturing towns, Hickory suffered under the weight of globalization and deindustrialization. Its once-bustling factories gave way to empty warehouses, and its skilled labor force faced an uncertain future. Yet, Hickory is nothing if not adaptive. The city invested in fiber-optic infrastructure, recruited data centers, and modernized its hospitals and universities. It launched the City Walk—a pedestrian corridor meant to reshape urban life and attract new investment.

Still, beneath the city’s aesthetic reinvention is a more sobering reality. When Charlotte requested a massive interbasin transfer from the Catawba River nearly two decades ago—33 million gallons a day—Hickory had the means to respond, but not the posture. It invested in image but not in influence. And when the decision passed without significant pushback, it became clear: the city that once defined the region’s economy had lost its regional leverage. The water flows on. So does the power.

 

Catawba: The Forgotten Fulcrum

At the edge of Lake Norman, the Town of Catawba carries a quieter legacy. Incorporated in 1893, this modest community once depended on agriculture and the railroad. Its population has never breached a thousand, and yet, it sits at a critical juncture—close to the river’s path and just west of where Charlotte begins to extend its reach.

Catawba’s story is not about dominance but proximity. As the Catawba River slows into Lake Norman, the conversation shifts from economic development to water politics. And though this town doesn’t drive the policy decisions that govern the basin, it is directly affected by them. The town’s access to natural resources is shaped by deals struck elsewhere. Its future is tied to voices it often cannot hear.

Catawba is not forgotten by geography. It’s forgotten by the dynamics of decision-making. And it shares that plight with Morganton and Hickory, even if the scale is different.

The River Remembers

The western section of the Catawba River—from the highlands near Morganton to the confluence near Catawba—is not just a series of tributaries. It is a continuum of culture, labor, and value. These communities helped build North Carolina’s industrial backbone. They trained generations of craftsmen, seeded public institutions, and created wealth for people far beyond their borders.

But in today’s policy environment, they are too often treated as peripheral. Decisions about water use, development incentives, and infrastructure investment are now made in Charlotte’s orbit. The river is still theirs—but the influence is not.

Conclusion: A Call for Rebalancing

If the communities of the western Catawba River are to reclaim their place in the regional dialogue, they must act as a bloc—not in nostalgia, but in clarity. They must assert their importance not just through history, but through vision. The river remembers what these cities built. Now they must remember what they’re still capable of.

They sit not at the edge of the story—but at its turning point.

 

Communities of the Catawba River: Where the River Begins

Hickory, NC News & Views | Hickory Hound | May 25, 2025

Catawba River Crisis: Charlotte’s Water Demand and the 25-Year Strain on Catawba County - April 8, 2025

The Catawba River Crisis: A Foothills Fight for the Future - April 16, 2025

 

Can Hickory’s Youth Turn a River Crisis Into a Tech Revolution? - April 22, 2025

#HickoryNC #MogantonNC #CatawbaNC #CatawbaRiver #FoothillsCorridor  #RegionalVoice #TheHickoryHound #CommunitiesOfTheCatawba  #BurkeCounty #CatawbaCounty #WesternNC #NCWater #Deindustrialization #NAFTA #FoothillsCorridor #I40 #DukeEnergy  #WaterGovernance #MountainToMetro #RegionalPlanning #NCWater

Communities of the Catawba River: Where the River Begins

 

Old Fort and Marion 

In the quiet corners of western North Carolina, where the Blue Ridge Mountains give way to wooded ridges and rushing streams, the towns of Old Fort and Marion sit near the genesis of the Catawba River. Though small in size, these communities are foundational to the broader story of the Catawba—geographically, historically, and symbolically. 

Old Fort, with a population of just over 800, lies at the foot of the Swannanoa Gap. It's here, from the mist-laden trails leading to Catawba Falls, that the river begins its descent. This town was once a military outpost on the edge of Colonial civilization, trading ground between settlers and Native peoples, and later a rail town that hoped, but never quite managed, to become a major hub. The Catawba River runs through it in the form of Mill Creek, one of the headwater streams feeding the basin. Though often viewed as peripheral in modern planning, Old Fort is closer to the Catawba's origin than any other municipality. 

 

 

Marion, just down the road, serves as the county seat of McDowell County and a gateway between the mountains and the foothills. It boasts a richer population and a longer commercial lineage than Old Fort, but the two towns are linked by geography, infrastructure, and economic history. Marion has its own greenway that traces the river’s path, and its residents, like those in Old Fort, rely on the health and governance of that water—even as decisions about its allocation are increasingly made farther downstream. 

Both towns sit outside the centers of influence that now determine how the Catawba is distributed and who benefits from its flow. They are not fighting for control—but they are watching the conversation shift. As more people downstream seek access to the river’s limited capacity, towns like Old Fort and Marion are left to wonder how their place in that system will be acknowledged. 

Together, these communities mark the westernmost pulse of the Catawba’s journey. They don't claim control over the river, nor are they the source of its policy, but they represent its beginning—its physical and civic point of origin. As the first part in the Communities of the Catawba River series, this story isn’t about political struggle or environmental crisis. It’s about place. It’s about being at the beginning of something bigger, and wondering, as the river flows eastward: who will remember where it started?

Hickory, NC News & Views | Hickory Hound | May 25, 2025

Catawba River Crisis: Charlotte’s Water Demand and the 25-Year Strain on Catawba County - April 8, 2025

The Catawba River Crisis: A Foothills Fight for the Future - April 16, 2025

Can Hickory’s Youth Turn a River Crisis Into a Tech Revolution? - April 22, 2025

#OldFortNC #CatawbaRiver #CatawbaFalls #FoothillsCorridor  #RegionalVoice #TheHickoryHound #CommunitiesOfTheCatawba  #Headwaters #WesternNC #NCWater #MarionNC #CatawbaRiver #FoothillsCorridor #I40Corridor  #WaterGovernance #MountainToMetro #RegionalPlanning #NCWater

Hickory, NC News & Views | Hickory Hound | May 10, 2025

 

 

The Evidence Is There — If You Can Get to It

Before I share the findings below, I want to be transparent: in the main section every one of the articles cited to validate my research is locked behind a paywall. That’s the reality of our current media ecosystem — quality reporting exists, but access often comes at a cost. I don’t fault the journalists; I fault the system that limits public access to information that should be widely known.

That’s the world we live in—information that affects your job prospects, your kid’s future, or your community’s survival is often hidden behind a subscription button. So unless you’ve got an account with The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Bloomberg, Reuters, or The New York Times, you’ll have to take my word for what’s inside. Or better yet—read the work I’ve already made free to the public.

So, if you want to verify these insights for yourself, you may need to lean on your local library, educational institution, or a subscription service — or you can trust that I’ve done my homework.

What I’m showing here isn't just theory. It's confirmation. Confirmation that what I’ve laid out in my soon available books The Foothills Corridor and The Shrinking Center — the deindustrialization, the slow grind of reinvention, the fragility of our middle class — is now being recognized on a national scale. These are issues I spoke of years ago.

News  and Views

Big US cities are sinking. This map shows where the problem is the worst. - USA Today - Doyle Rice - 5/8/25 -  A new study shows 28 major U.S. cities are sinking — Houston fastest, San Antonio most at-risk structurally. Charlotte, our regional giant, made the list. The causes? Groundwater overuse, building weight, and poor land management. The result? Flood risk, infrastructure damage, and a reminder that environmental instability is accelerating just as our region grapples with economic fragility. This connects directly to the Catawba River Water Crisis — one that still lacks a proactive response from state leadership...         Why it matters: If our land is physically sinking beneath us, and our economic foundation has already crumbled once before, we can't afford to ignore converging crises. It's not just climate. It’s policy. It's planning. Or the lack thereof.

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The Main Section:

I’m currently working on two books: The Foothills Corridor and The Shrinking Center. Both explore how deindustrialization dismantled the economic base of western North Carolina—and what it will actually take to build something better.

Some claim we’ve recovered. Others say we’re on our way. But where we stand now is clear: we’re plateaued in a stalled, brittle version of progress that amounts to a “new normal.” It’s not enough.

Real recovery will require reindustrializing our economy around modern, precision-based manufacturing—something I publicly called for in The Wall Street Journal back in 2009. It will also demand cultivating a creative economy rooted in entrepreneurship, design, technology, and culture—all themes I began writing about over a decade ago and have pushed consistently ever since on this site.

The core argument is simple: we cannot revitalize by appearance alone. We need structural renewal—hard infrastructure, broadband, workforce development, and scalable industries that create real middle-class jobs. I’ve laid out these strategies for years. If I have anything to say about it, we will achieve them. But I also know this mission is bigger than me. It will take others to help carry it forward.

To underscore how accurate these claims remain today, I’ve compiled five recent national news articles—all published within the past two weeks—that directly support what’s laid out in The Foothills Corridor and The Shrinking Center. Each confirms a different part of the story: the aging population, the broadband imperative, the limits of cosmetic revitalization, the labor mismatch in high-tech manufacturing, and the shrinking middle class.

You may not be able to access these sources without a subscription—but the relevance is clear.

 
The Foothills Corridor is a strategic, sobering, and deeply personal chronicle of western North Carolina’s economic unraveling and future potential. Authored by James Thomas Shell, it documents the region’s collapse under globalization and civic erosion, then outlines a path toward renewal through local grit, infrastructure, and innovation. Divided into themed sections, it blends historical analysis, regional data, and tactical foresight to serve as both a reckoning and a roadmap for rural reinvention.

The Shrinking Center explores how Hickory, North Carolina reflects the broader erosion of the American middle class. Through historical analysis, economic data, and regional comparisons, James Thomas Shell dissects the collapse of industrial job centers and the uneven attempts at recovery. The manuscript connects Hickory’s trajectory to towns across the South, Midwest, and Northeast, revealing shared struggles, unique adaptations, and the broader implications for policy, workforce development, and middle-class survival in post-industrial America.

 

1. Youth Outmigration: The Vanishing Future

Source: Rural America Is Losing Young People. Can It Recover?
Publication: Wall Street Journal
Date: May 2, 2025
Referenced in: The Shrinking Center – Section: Youth Outmigration and Aging

The Wall Street Journal confirms what I documented: young adults are leaving small cities like Hickory in large numbers. Nationally, 40–60% of rural youth leave for education or work and don’t return. The Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton metro area has a median age of 43.4, significantly older than the U.S. average. Even within Hickory city limits, the median age is 37.7 and rising. In The Shrinking Center, I show how this demographic shift is hollowing out our civic base, school systems, and future workforce.

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2. Broadband and the Digital Lifeline

Source: Broadband Expansion Fuels Economic Growth in Rural South
Publication: Forbes
Date: April 28, 2025
Referenced in: The Foothills Corridor – Chapter 12: Trails, Broadband, and Food Hubs as Infrastructure

Forbes highlights how fiber infrastructure is revitalizing parts of the rural South—something I detailed years ago. Hickory is home to major manufacturers like CommScope and Corning, which together produce a large share of the country’s fiber-optic cable. In 2021, CommScope donated $275,000 for free Wi-Fi in Union Square. Meanwhile, BEAD federal funding is driving high-speed expansion across North Carolina. In The Foothills Corridor, I connect this infrastructure to workforce opportunity, showing how digital access isn’t just convenience—it’s survival.

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3. Downtown Revitalization: Surface Without Substance

Source: Small Cities Bet on Downtown Revival to Stem Decline
Publication: Bloomberg
Date: April 30, 2025
Referenced in: The Foothills Corridor – Chapter 10: City Walk, Riverwalk, and the Hickory Bet

Bloomberg suggests that walkable downtowns and beautification projects are reversing decline in small cities. I disagree—at least in how it played out here. Hickory’s $40 million bond funded City Walk, Riverwalk, and other surface-level improvements. But as I argue in Chapter 10 of The Foothills Corridor, these projects were not backed by economic anchors. I was critical of the approach when it launched and remain so now. Walkability without workforce, retail without reinvestment—it’s a tourist shell if you don’t fix the foundation.

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4. Advanced Manufacturing: A Narrow Lifeline

Source: Manufacturing Rebound in the South Faces Labor Challenges
Publication: Reuters
Date: May 5, 2025
Referenced in: The Shrinking Center – Section: Diversification into Technology

Reuters reports that manufacturing is returning to the South—but finding skilled labor is tough. That echoes what I said in The Shrinking Center. Hickory didn’t just lose jobs; it lost a generation of industrial know-how. The shift from furniture to fiber optics brought more technical, higher-paying roles, but fewer of them—and most required specialized training. While CommScope and Corning gave us a foothold in the tech sector, I’ve cautioned that unless we invest deeply in training and talent pipelines, this rebound risks being too small and too late.

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5. Middle-Class Squeeze: A National Mirror

Source: Middle Class Squeeze: Why Small-Town America Is Falling Behind
Publication: New York Times
Date: May 7, 2025
Referenced in: The Shrinking Center – Bonus Essay / Prompt #11

Prompt #11 in The Shrinking Center asks a simple question: What does Hickory tell us about the American middle class? The New York Times provides the national backdrop. It reports that the share of Americans in middle-income households fell from 61% in 1971 to 50% by 2015—and Hickory reflects that same fall. Over 50% of our manufacturing jobs disappeared between 2000 and 2009. Wage growth stagnated. And our civic institutions weakened. This wasn’t just economic—it was cultural. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Hickory isn’t the exception. It’s the early warning.

Notes:

• Time Frame: All articles are from the past two weeks (April 25–May 9, 2025), ensuring recency.
• Validation: These sources do not always mention Hickory directly but corroborate the broader economic, demographic, and policy trends (e.g., deindustrialization, broadband expansion, downtown revitalization, youth outmigration) that the documents attribute to Hickory and its peers. This approach is necessary given the specificity of Hickory’s story and the short time frame for recent articles.

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Hounds Notes:

Hickory, NC News & Views | Hickory Hound | May 4, 2025 - Contains Vol.1 of Faces of the Shrinking Center

Faces of the Shrinking Center, Vol. 2 - The Quiet Collapse of America’s Middle Class

Faces of the Shrinking Center, Vol. 3 - The Quiet Collapse of America’s Middle Class

I will continue with the Shrinking Center Archetypes in the next article.

I have started a Substack. I hope you will sign up. There is a link at the top right of this page.

🔗 Subscribe to **The Hound’s Signal – Post-Press America** on Substack for regional, state, and national commentary: https://hickoryhound999.substack.com/