Leavenworth, WA.
Late 1800's - early 1920's: Boom town with wealth from lumber and the Great Northern Railroad. Population reached 5,500.
1920's - 1960's: Abandoned by the railroad in 1922, lumber was no longer easy to move to market through here. The town withered and a high percentage of the few who remained teetered on the brink of economic ruin.
Mid 1960's: With the help of ideas from the University of Washington Bureau of Community Development, city leaders decided to re-invent the town as a Bavarian-themed tourist attraction.
Mid 1960's: Already nearly bankrupt, business owners put all they had left on the line -- and borrowed all they could get their hands on -- to rebuild their businesses in line with this theme. They are quite proud of the fact that NO GOVERNMENT MONEY was used for this. All the investment came from the local people.
1970's to present day: Leavenworth is now one of the favorite destinations of folks from Seattle and elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest due in large part to the vision, foresight, willingness to risk it all, and hard work of those responsible for rebuilding and re-branding this town.

Even with this success, it is still a small town (no-doubt that is part of its charm), with current population of about 2,100.

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