Steel Town Trying to Rebound From Decades at the Bottom

[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/03/12/art.braddock.cnn.jpg caption=" Braddock, Pennsylvania, has suffered since the steel mills went out of business in the 1970s and 1980s."]

What happens when business and government turn their collective back on a town and just walk away? Braddock, Pennsylvania, is what happens. Braddock, Pennsylvania, has suffered since the steel mills went out of business in the 1970s and 1980s.

When steel was king, the population of Braddock surged to more than 20,000 people. With its proximity to Pittsburgh and its location on the Monongahela River, it was an ideal location for a steel town.

When steel mills began closing in the 1970s and 1980s, Braddock was not immune. In 1982, Braddock's main mill, the Carrie Furnace, closed its doors, putting thousands of people out of work.

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