Support independent writing by and for the Rust Belt. Become a member today. »
(Cancel anytime.)
Independent, context-driven regional writing. Support Belt Magazine today. »
(Cancel anytime.)
More Stories
How Malls Shaped the Rust Belt (and Vice Versa)
A conversation with architecture and design critic Alexandra Lange on malls in America.
Home/Lands
Indigenous diasporas and making 'home' in the Rust Belt.
Uncovering America’s First Oil Landscape
In Pennsylvania’s Oil Creek Valley, the messy legacy of the country’s first petroleum boom.
Imagining Queer Appalachian Futures
A conversation with Z. Zane McNeill, editor of 'Y'All Means All.'
Cemetery Bound
One writer's Memorial Day quest to discover his ancestors—and their final resting place.
The Death and Life of the Great Black Swamp
Draining Ohio’s Great Black Swamp was a feat of human effort and engineering. Restoring it will be even harder.
The Rise of Pennsylvania’s Everyday Left
Candidates like John Fetterman and Summer Lee are charting a more progressive future for Democrats.
In the ‘Rubber Capital of the World,’ Health Consequences Linger
In Akron, Ohio, toxic exposures to benzene and asbestos made people sick and cut lives short.
One Woman’s Quest to Defy the Odds of Addiction
Jenny Justice’s daughter died of a drug overdose in 2020. The Illinois mother wants to help others avoid the same fate.
Painting a Future for North Braddock
An upcoming art show asks of Braddock, Pennsylvania, 'Where do we think this is going?'
The End of Green Bay’s Oldest Operating Paper Mill–and Its Union
Georgia-Pacific, a national papermaking giant, plans to close Green Bay’s oldest union paper mill amid a labor revitalization.

Get the latest stories from around the region sent straight to your inbox.

Get the latest stories from around the region sent straight to your inbox.
Support independent, context-driven regional writing.