Towns Falter As Local Civic Leaders Fail

""Every small and medium-size town is going through this. Even in New York City there are certain people who help more than others and are involved in more civic giving and volunteer work than others," says Steven Dandaneau, sociology professor at the University of Tennessee and author of "A Town Abandoned: Flint, Michigan Confronts Deindustrialization." "The smaller the community, the bigger the effect," he says.

From Loganville to towns like Sanderson, Texas, and Loup City, Neb., local officials are grappling with the loss of revenue and civic participation from banks that have closed, as well as businesses ranging from car dealerships to local power companies that have either closed or are struggling."