Will Midwest towns become obsolete?

[Mary Jay]

Those of you guys who invest in small towns in Midwest...

Do you think those small towns will become obsolete? 

There are  a lot of ghost towns here in Arizona, that are 1 hr away from Phoenix... And that is 1 hour away from megalopolis!

Small towns in Midwest are 2-3 hours away from Kansas Cit, Indianapolis, etc...

My worry is that they will become ghost towns in 20-30 years...

Do you worry about that? Or as long as it cashflows, who cares what happens in 10-30 years?

[Anthony Gayden]

Originally posted by @Mary Jay:

Those of you guys who invest in small towns in Midwest...

Do you think those small towns will become obsolete? 

There are  a lot of ghost towns here in Arizona, that are 1 hr away from Phoenix... And that is 1 hour away from megalopolis!

Small towns in Midwest are 2-3 hours away from Kansas Cit, Indianapolis, etc...

My worry is that they will become ghost towns in 20-30 years...

Do you worry about that? Or as long as it cashflows, who cares what happens in 10-30 years?

This is really an argument for rural vs. urban areas, not necessarily solely concerned with the midwest. There are plenty of smaller towns on the coasts where the exact same could be said. Merely being located on the west coast is not a hedge against rural decline. 

There are a multitude of reasons why these smaller towns will continue to exist. The number one reason is agriculture, and farming. These industries will continue to exist and by their very nature will be located in these rural areas

Aside from that there are those businesses that are considered "unacceptable" and will locate in a rural area, far away from NIMBYs and city regulations. Think meat packing plants, mining operations, oil refining, dairy farms, etc.