A growing trend in newer, smaller American communities is to create a nostalgic downtown area for shopping and gathering purposes, as most of these towns are spread out and have no centralized business district. Many of these towns and suburbs were born from corn and wheat fields since after World War II and were not settled according to where the railroad ran, as were much older towns. These towns’ claims to fame are the mega mall and strip malls on every corner that are the enemies of the fire service because of the lightweight construction in these buildings. Wanting to now shift away from the impersonal feel of the mega mall, many of these newer, and some older, towns have begun planning and constructing buildings (mostly lightweight strip malls) that give them an old-town feel and look (photos 1-3).
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