Lost in Middle America (and What Happened Next) (1999)

Lima, Ohio was once a thriving industrial city. Midway between Dayton and Toledo, its factories turned out locomotives, tanks, automobile and airplane parts, even cigars. But in the post-WW II era, as in so many "Rust-Belt" towns, Lima's industries gradually folded or left town. The city, which once boasted of being "little Chicago," was in danger of becoming a mini-Detroit. In the mid-1990's Lima's new mayor, David Berger, embarked on an aggressive plan to reverse the town's seemingly inexorable decline. Did it work? What can other American cities learn from Lima's experience? Narrated by Hal Holbrook, an Ohio native. Nominated for Emmy awards in cinematography, editing, music and writing.