Anderson is not alone.

Many communities in the Rust Belt have struggled economically and have gone through an identity crisis as industrial jobs have disappeared.

Anderson also finds itself searching for a new identity. When tens of thousands of General Motors jobs in Madison County vanished, so did the city’s distinction as a manufacturing hub.

The loss of blue-collar jobs is an epidemic not unique to Anderson. The upper-Midwest and middle-Atlantic regions of the country have been particularly hard hit. Cities such as Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Flint, Mich. — all built on the bedrock of blue-collar labor — have suffered three of the four highest percentage metropolitan-area population losses since 2000, according to U.S. Census data.

While Anderson has sought to capitalize on its proximity to Indianapolis and on its auto-parts heritage, other similar cities are searching for their economic niches. Here are the stories of three:

‘Flood city’ makes a comeback

Johnstown, Pa., is no stranger to hard economic times and an identity crisis.

The city lost more than 2,000 lives and had to totally rebuild after the great Johnstown Flood in 1889, only to have devastating floods hit in 1936 and 1977. The latter helped put a halt to a burgeoning steel industry and cost the city 20,000 jobs.

Bob Layo, president of the local chamber of commerce, has seen population defections and changes in the city’s identity.

According to Layo, Johnstown has spent the last few decades working to diversify its economy. He said the city has branched out into new business sectors such as technology and defense contracts.

The largest employer in the area is Conemaugh Health System. Companies such as Lockheed Martin and Gamesa (a Spanish company that is one of the world’s largest wind-turbine producers) are among other major employers in the region.

With fresh industries moving into the area, Layo has seen Johnstown target younger generations by bringing in companies in a variety of industries.

“We’re seeking the 20-40 age group,” he said. “There has been an influx of new workers bringing change.”

This change is evident through the development of tourism in the area, including ski resorts and a whitewater park built on land once owned by the steel industry.

Out with the old in Hamilton, Ohio