h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

FWR:

Lovely shot of this rather sad looking old building. The textures are fantastic in monochrome, broken glass and warped wood always give drama to a black and white shot.

The old (also rather sad and neglected looking) tree echoes the sense of abandonment. Really nice shot.

DG: Venus is an interesting place. This was close to where we saw the Amish farmer with the old-country wagon.

Venus is an unincorporated community in Northwestern Pennsylvania.
http://www.bestplaces.net/people/zip-code/pennsylvania/venus/16364

Population 1,243
Median age 43

If there are abandoned stores, maybe that's a sign that the community was once bigger....

Or that everyone shops at Walmart now. Even the K-Mart went out of business. But you're probably right: these towns have waxed and waned over the last century and a half.

Here's a glimpse of Venus by video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSPsr6g79Ao

I love the boxy style of houses and churches in that video, Dmitri. We have many buildings in that style around here, and I never get tired of them.

Poor rural areas abound in places like southern Vermont. Rural slums. The economy becomes precarious enough that the cost of transportation overwhelms people's slender budgets. Maybe they'd like to keep up their houses, but who has the money?