11 years ago, a textile mill in Kannapolis, North Carolina shut down, leaving thousands without a job. The town survived, because of a Walmart and because an eccentric billionaire turned it into a center for biomedical research.
From the story:
"Today’s Kannapolis does not offer as many good blue-collar jobs as it used to—unemployment still hovers at 10 percent—but it does provide plenty of opportunities for locals to serve as human research subjects. At any given time, Kannapolites can take part in studies of nutrition, longevity, or cognitive or physical performance; eat a standardized diet; or spend time in a metabolic chamber while their vital signs are monitored—sometimes for $30 to $250 and up."