With many boarded up homes and businesses the city of Braddock has seen its population shrink by the thousands after the steel mills closed.

Now Braddock is getting nationwide attention, as the poster child for all that can go wrong with the economy.

A story in the New York Times suggested economic conditions can't get much worse anywhere in the country than they are in Braddock.

Braddock was once a thriving steel town of 18,000. Only about 3,000 people live in the borough today where there are a lot of empty houses and closed down storefronts.

Braddock's mayor said he doesn't mind talking about the situation because he thinks Braddock and other nearby communities such as Rankin can greatly benefit from any economic stimulus package that Congress passes.

John Fetterman points out that the old Carrie Furnace steel plant site is 160 acres of a shovel-ready area for development.

Fetterman said communities such as Braddock helped make America during the heyday of steel making and he'd like to see the country remember that.

"It really is more of a message to the whole community country wide saying, 'Hey this stimulus package that's coming through is going to provide a lot of bricks and mortar help to get the economy going.' But also from a social justice and equity standpoint, allow some of these projects in communities that have been allowed to quote, unquote fail in some regards, to help get back up on their feet," Fetterman said.

Fetterman said he believes Braddock is an area ripe for development and he's started a nonprofit organization with $50,000 of his own money to refurbish some old buildings.