Downtown Years

Hi I'm William

Downtown Years tells the stories of the American companies, stores and places you grew up with, from the 1940s to the 1980s.

The bus lines and airlines, the dime stores and lunch counters, the factories that built whole towns, and the decisions that ended them. Every film is researched from the original record: annual reports, newspapers, court papers and the companies' own words.

Alongside the company histories you will find lists, everyday life, food, jobs and the big events of those years.

If you were there, tell us your town and what you remember in the comments.

New films every few days.