The New York Times Magazine profiled Greg O'Connell, a retired cop who is developing this small town in upstate New York. He made a fortune buying up old buildings in Red Hook at bargain prices, before the gentrifiers got there. Now, he's cleaning up Mount Morris, NY trying to revitalize the sagging downtown.

God, I would love to do that. I've had a ball fixing up our old house and getting involved in community life. But I'm still scarred by the real estate bust. I've seen too many people eagerly renovating old buildings and homes only to lose their shirts when it was time to resell. It's hard to establish the community spirit that O'Connell wants to foster when there are too many forces pushing back.