Decline of Grantville

The town of Grantville, Georgia has been a ghost town since 1980, when the West Point Pepperill cotton mill was shut down. Once, the economy there was booming, but now there is a lack of any sort of businesses. In recent years, small town charm has kept it alive, but it’s still not a very well known town. While locals commonly know of the area as the only place one can buy bottles of alcohol, but the death of the textile industry in the area just killed the entire economy.

Tourism

But now tourists are pouring into this small town in order to see the place which was featured in last season of The Walking Dead. This television series deals with the post-apocalyptic conditions of the world after the undead have risen and taken over. Therefore, a ghost town becomes a very appropriate place to set such a scene, since there are many run-down buildings and derelict structures in the area.

The locals seem to have high hopes for such a popular TV show deciding to air with their town as the setting. The mayor really believes that it might draw enough new businesses, as they lack pharmacies, daycares, and grocery stores. Nevertheless, Grantville has had other filming experience, namely the shows ‘Lawless’ and ‘Broken Bridges’. These didn’t do nearly as much to the popularity of the town. Now, tourists from New York to Indiana gather to eat out and watch episodes of the television show.

Locals Getting Involved

The locals have also been getting quite involved. Some have memorized lines from the shows, and business owners are trying their best to cater to the new visitors this show has brought to their town. Perhaps many of the locals are becoming part of the fandom because it’s their hope for a way out of their own little “apocalypse,” – little towns like these generally don’t get a lot of attention from the media, and when moviemakers come the place generally doesn’t even get much attention afterwards. However, a lot of it is probably genuine fandom – the show has a massive viewership due to its appeal to multiple generations. Nevertheless, the locals really do play their part.

The Show

The TV show “The Walking Dead” is an AMC show, which is currently returning for its fourth season. The show’s main character has woken up from a coma to find that the world had changed drastically in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. He goes off to try and find his family, and encounters a number of survivors who, like him, are struggling to fend off the endless hordes of flesh-eating “walkers”. The show is based on the comic series of the same name.

Future Spinoffs

AMC has revealed that they are likely to release a spinoff of the show, with little information about what it’s to contain. However, it will be a show featuring the same post-apocalyptic setting, with completely new characters and events. They are planning on beginning airing the first season in 2015.