Like nearly all former U.S. steel towns, Johnstown's mills closed decades ago. Today, the area is trying to reinvent its economy. Companies like Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin have opened plants, but the gains have been sporadic.
Over the past couple of years, the area has hemorrhaged jobs, with the metro area unemployment rate jumping to 10.8% in January.
That has forced residents to move elsewhere in order to look for work. The city of Johnstown has lost population for nine decades, falling by about 70% from its peak in 1920. About 13% of that loss occurred in just the past 13 years.
