Havre, Montana
In 2018, this tiny Hill County town lost three major stores — Kmart, Sears Hometown Stores, and Herberger’s — and closed its Holiday Village Mall, displacing hundreds of workers. Despite the area’s relatively diverse economy, residents were shaken by the string of closures, according to The Havre Herald’s series “Is Havre Dying or Evolving?” Despite having a median household income of $48,294, this area’s unemployment and poverty rates are both higher than the state average. The Havre Herald, which went out of business a few years later, predicted that Montana’s high quality of life and the proliferation of remote work would aid Havre’s transition.
Havre, Montana
Kalifornsky, Alaska
This census-designated place of approximately 8,100 people, located in the Kenai Peninsula Borough, is primarily supported by the oil and gas industry, similar to the rest of Alaska. Thousands of jobs have been lost in Alaska in recent years as oil companies like BP relocate to areas with better prospects. Kalifornsky’s other major industries are timber and fishing. Even though the median household income in Kalifornsky is a respectable $88,984, houses there are extremely expensive. Another disadvantage is the lack of libraries and post offices in Kalifornsky.
Kalifornsky, Alaska
