Economic hard times in small town America

Eddie tells Jonny Dymond the last few years have been a hard slog

President Obama's plan for a major jobs initiative cannot come soon enough for the 14 million Americans out of work, many of them in smaller communities such as Rocky Mount, North Carolina.



Eddie sat in the shade on a warm, sunny morning and remembered what Rocky Mount's Main Street used to be like.



In his mid-60s now, his 10 years running the town's chamber of commerce are almost up. In his office, a stiff straw hat with a cheery motto sits atop a cardboard box of belongings that is ready to leave when he does.



The local chamber is on the first floor of the restored railway station, a place with more than a hint of museum to it.



Troubled town



The railroad first reached this town on Christmas Eve 1839. Today the lines, like most of the American network, are mainly used by freight trains, 50 or 60 a day here. Passenger trains don't make it past the single digits.Before the freight trains come, a long, lonely hooter sounds that reverberates around the cities, towns and countryside of America, warning anyone foolish enough to hang around the tracks, that they had better get off some time real soon.



Then the bells ring on the crossings, and along Main Street the crossing gates come down, and great trains make their long trundle through the town - five minutes of containers or coal going south, orange juice going north.



Once the train would have picked up tobacco from the town - an early market for bright-leaf had been based here and on it the fortunes of the town had first been made.



On one side of the tracks lived the black tobacco pickers - on the other the white businessmen.



Main Street ran up the middle, divided by the railway line and the freight trains that moved up and down it.



The town is in trouble now. It started with the hurricane of 1995, Floyd, which saw so many leave and not come back.



Then the great recession of the last couple of years roared in and sucked life out, doubling the unemployment rate and more.



The textile factories closed up and went offshore, a big bank left, the headquarters of a restaurant chain found somewhere else to go.



Just four years ago, mused Eddie, a local magazine did a seven page spread on Rocky Mount. He laughed, as if to say "imagine that".



Empty shops



It had been a hard slog, these last few years, trying to boost business. Now he is stepping down from the chamber of commerce - it is time to take it easy for a bit.



"Main Street," said Eddie, waving his hand up along the railway tracks, "is nothing now, go take a look".



"Wrong Way" says the sign at the start of the street. Dust and decay sit in the otherwise empty shop displays.