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Refugees the key to a rust belt city lifting itself up

In the American rust belt, it's hard to get much rustier than Utica, New York got. The proud smallish city flew high in the industrial revolution, manufacturing products that were shipped across the country and around the world.

Then came the great move away from manufacturing in the north, and Utica went clunk. The key to the climb back up turned out to be refugees from troubled parts of the world, from Vietnam, Bosnia, Burma, Somalia, Iraq, and other places.

The story is told through three of the refugees in the book City of Refugees: The Story of Three Newcomers Who Breathed Life into a Dying American Town.

Author Susan Hartman visits with details of what she learned in Utica.

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The Jefferson Exchange is Jefferson Public Radio's daily news program focused on issues, people and events across Southern Oregon and Northern California. Angela Decker is the program's senior producer, Charlie Zimmermann is the assistant producer, and Geoffrey Riley hosts the show.