Quote Originally Posted by artificer View Post
The US USED to have a lot of mills, most jobs were shipped overseas in the mid 90's when cheap labor really 'came online'. North Carolina was especially hard hit.
North Carolina only had such a fabric presence by stealing it away from New England. Until the 1960's, New England was the textile center of the US. When the new tax codes of the 1970's, which benefitted companies which relocate with tax reduction, they fled south, the Carolinas mostly. But once you convince a company that moving for tax purposes is a good move, and reward them, they cannot help but have new wandering eyes.

North Carolinas skill in stealing away the fabric mills was also the skill that taught the mills to jump ship, which of course hurt them in the long term.