Adrian, MI, United States

Capital City

Living on a college professor's salary won't stretch far here, with median household income at just $32,405 in this small Michigan city. The population of 20,645 keeps shrinking, though two colleges - Adrian College and Siena Heights University - inject some youthful energy into an otherwise aging community.

Once the "fence capital of the world" and an early automobile manufacturing hub, Adrian's industrial glory days are long gone. Today it's a modest county seat 30 miles from Ann Arbor, with a demographic mix that's 84% white and nearly 19% Hispanic. The poverty rate hovers around 14%, hitting seniors especially hard at nearly 20% below the poverty line.

What remains are the bones of its 19th century prosperity: America's oldest theater, one of the nation's longest-running community bands (since 1838), and streets lined with sugar maples that earned it the "Maple City" nickname. Mountain bike trails and river boardwalks offer outdoor outlets, but the real estate market reflects the economic reality - housing density is high at 1,129 units per square mile, with 42% of residents living in non-family households.