Town of Empire quickly emptying out (Las Vegas, Reno: for sale, new home, buying)

[Buzz123]

There are other gypsum plants in Nevada. I wonder how they will be affected.

Nevada housing: A gypsum plant darkens, and so does Empire - latimes.com

[JGC97]

I read the story (on the link provided). This is sad. To see our small towns drying up, due to the economy.

What really ticks me off is this gypsum plant (and others in this country) should be able to keep up with the demand of drywall, even in a down economy. We could do it, but do we? Noooooooooo! We have to buy that cheap Chinese toxic crap sold by Lowe's and Home Depot. Man, I tell ya .... if I had the money, I'd get these companies running again and let our American workers make the sheet rock for this country's houses. It might just drive that Chinese crap the heck out of here. (Sorry, I get so passionate about this kind of stuff)

[212david51]

Empire is the last "company town" in the USA. With the closure of the gypsum mine, there is no longer sufficient industry to support the town. A little know impact of this is the number of bodies available to help with Burning Man is going to go WAY down also. (For 2011 they can still hire locals from Empire but they will all be gone by 2012.) They will have to ship in workers from Reno, Sparks, Fernley, etc. That is going to cost more money so you can expect a $25-50 hike in the cost of Burning Man tickets. Also as stores in Empire and Gerlach disappear due to loss of customers, the availability of local supplies for Burning Man is going to get worse. You will either see those running Burning Man setting up stores (and charging through the teeth) or people having to bring in a lot more stuff from a lot greater distance. IMO in 3-4 years Burning Man is going to have to move to an area where a labor force and stores are more in the immediate area. (Such as the Salt Flats near Wells, NV. There is an old Air base there that would be a good place to set up.)

And when the economy starts up, it will be more cost effective to continue to buy the Chinese stuff than to re-establish the work force in Empire and open up this mine. I think the entire area is dead. On the flip side, if you want to buy a square mile of land, it is for sale up there pretty cheap.

[jfkIII]

The women are right...size DOESN'T matter. This is what happens to towns (of any size) that put all their eggs in one basket. It happened to Empire, NV and...Detroit, MI. And it can happen to Las Vegas. All eggs in one basket is never a smart play. It may seem like it when the basket is in demand...but when the bottom of the basket breaks open...then run for the hills!

[MomMom]

[quote=jfkIII;18773180]The women are right...size DOESN'T matter. This is what happens to towns (of any size) that put all their eggs in one basket. It happened to Empire, NV and...Detroit, MI. And it can happen to Las Vegas. All eggs in one basket is never a smart play. It may seem like it when the basket is in demand...but when the bottom of the basket breaks open...then run for the hills![/QUOTE]

Well guess what? The bottom of everybody's basket has broken, in fact the whole country's bottom of the basket has broken..

and Las Vegas (and places like Reno and Laughlin) are still here, drawing the crowds and still accepting all the tourista's "donations", lol.

[MomMom]

Originally Posted by HereOnMars

I read the story (on the link provided). This is sad. To see our small towns drying up, due to the economy.

What really ticks me off is this gypsum plant (and others in this country) should be able to keep up with the demand of drywall, even in a down economy. We could do it, but do we? Noooooooooo! We have to buy that cheap Chinese toxic crap sold by Lowe's and Home Depot. Man, I tell ya .... if I had the money, I'd get these companies running again and let our American workers make the sheet rock for this country's houses. It might just drive that Chinese crap the heck out of here. (Sorry, I get so passionate about this kind of stuff)

Building of new homes will pick up again. These things go in cycles, they always have.

The only reason why that cheap Chinese drywall got to America is the almighty dollar. It's cheaper to buy that foreign stuff than American made. You sometimes forfeit quality when you do that. Hence the class action suit in Florida regarding health issues linked to the Chinese Drywall, and smaller pockets of similiar claims throughout the country.

Sad for Empire though

[Chinga]

Originally Posted by jfkIII

The women are right...size DOESN'T matter. This is what happens to towns (of any size) that put all their eggs in one basket. It happened to Empire, NV and...Detroit, MI. And it can happen to Las Vegas. All eggs in one basket is never a smart play. It may seem like it when the basket is in demand...but when the bottom of the basket breaks open...then run for the hills!

Well all the "eggs" in Vegas are still making money and pulling tourist dollars, so I guess that theory is wrong.

Sure are a lot of people lately trying to "diversify" Las Vegas' economy. Thanks but it will always be a gambling attraction, nothing else works in Vegas.

[JGC97]

Kind of a shame when a homeowner gets sick due to toxic Chinese drywall, though. Especially, after paying top dollar for that house, expecting the builder to use safe materials. This whole Chinese drywall problem is one of the reasons I would never consider buying a new home again. I'll take my chances with a home built in the early to mid 20th century, even if I have to deal with lead paint.

[007 license to sell]

Even though this aritcle isn't about LV I still think it's important to read and see just how bad it is in Nevada.
The bad housing market in Nevada has wiped out an entire town down.

Shuttered Plant Marks The End Of A Nevada Town : NPR Jun 20, 2011 ... Now the town itself, which the company also owns, is closing its doors. ... of the recession, add one entire town: Empire, Nevada. ...
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