To keep all the Walmart discussion out of the other threads I thought we could have one just for them.

I am starting to wonder if the days of Walmart might be numbered. When I used to drive to Atlanta (3 years ago) I went through Waycross, GA almost every week. At one time Waycross was a booming town with a surprising large downtown for a community it's size. This was because Waycross was the center of a large farming area and everyone came to downtown to shop. Then Walmart built a store on the edge of town and downtown died. I remember driving through and seeing the Walmart parking lot full and then driving by downtown Waycross and see abandoned building with boarded up windows. It made me sad. Why would people destroy their own town to save a few dollars on stuff that was cheaply made?

My kids have a karate event in Waycross this Saturday so I am taking them up for the day. The wife asked what I was going to do with my few hours of time and I told her I was going to downtown and take some pictures of the old abandoned buildings. Concerned for my safety she asked me to show her the area on Google Earth. To my surprise, downtown Waycross has been revitalized and now looks really nice; on-street parking, businesses in all the store fronts, new downtown streets and sidewalks, pedestrian friendly intersections, historic street light etc... They even have 4 downtown restaurants now. Now my wife is thinking about going with me.

I am starting to wonder if Walmart will be able to survive in small town America if these communities restore the civic pride they once had. All I know is this - for the first time in my life I am actually looking forward to going to Waycross, GA.