Bear with me... I was watching a re-run of an old series of the American programme The Bachelor (reality show - single man seeking love with group of women who he eliminates one by one).
He was a farmer from Arlington Iowa and was really worried about ever finding a wife who'd be willing to live there. He took a woman to this town and THERE WAS NOTHING THERE. The street was deserted, the one bar had long since closed, no open shops, boarded up businesses.
I googled it en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arlington,_Iowa
and the population in 2010 was 429 people !!! And that was a decline of the 492 in the 2000 census. In 1900, 893 people lived there.
The whole thing made me really sad - because the rest of the place (scenery and landscape) was beautiful. He has a thriviing business as a farmer but honestly I can't imagine anyone ever wanting to live there - unless they been brought up there and had an emotional bond. There was nothing.
It made me think that this is more and more the future isn't it. Everyone will be living near the city and the big hypermarket because of the changes in the way we live and want to live - access to amenities and technology.
I just felt so sad about this little dying town. Although this guy probably will be fine relationship wise - because he developed massive US fame as a result of this programme - there will be lots of men and wome in the same position - wanting to stay and keep running a family business (whether a farm or whatever) but struggling to find or meet a partner.
It's so sad.