Mill town

A mill town is a community that grew up around one or more mills or factories, usually on a river that was used as a source of power in the days before electricity.

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The term "mill town" can be complimentary or insulting. It is a compliment in that such towns have a clear sense of identity and local history, with personality that a suburb or "edge city" can't match. It is an insult in that the modern economy has passed by many mill towns, leaving them poor with tax rolls weighed by huge, empty factories, the dinosaurs of the Industrial Revolution.

Related Topics:
Edge city - Industrial Revolution

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In recent decades, many mill towns have tried to renovate long-empty mills, which often have high ceilings, huge windows from days when artificial lighting was difficult, and generous floor space. Many have become restaurants, nightclubs, offices or condominiums, a change made easier by the fact that the adjoining rivers which were grossly polluted in the mills' heydey have been cleaned up.

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