LINDEN, Tenn. -You wouldn't know it just by looking, but the small town of Linden was once one of the most unemployed places in America.
John Hamm sees it nearly every day through the window of the Commodore Cafe where new jobs are now a hot topic.
"Some people really didn't think it was really happening," said Hamm.
Michigan-based NYX Inc. plans to open a new auto parts facility and bring 400 jobs here over the next 5 years. It will produce molded plastics for a wide variety of automotive manufacturers starting in early 2012.
The new jobs are in addition to the people the company already employs at Bates, LLC in nearby Lobelville.
"We've seen some low times, we've seen some good times. And right now everything seems to be on the upswing for us," said Linden Mayor Jim Azbill who knows they've already come a long way from their peak unemployment rate of nearly 30%. "I think two years down the road if everything else holds together I think we'll be in good shape."
The impact has been obvious to, Dalyn Patterson, who's seen a dramatic drop in makeup sales. She hopes the new jobs mean the community can get back on its feet.
"It will breathe fresh air back to our community. It'll give hope back to families. We've had several that have come close to losing their homes and we've had some that have lost their homes," Patterson said.
Perry County could be on the rise again and it could finally get people talking about the jobs here instead of the layoffs.
"I am happy for the county because, like I said, there are some people here hurting," Hamm said.
According to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Perry County's July unemployment rate was 14.7 percent. It was as high as 29.7 percent in January of 2009.
The $23 million dollar facility won't begin making parts until early 2012. NYX signed a 10 year lease to operate at the old Fisher & Company auto parts plant, which relocated to Mexico in 2008.
NYX will start accepting applications this fall.
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(NewsChannel 5 and The Associated Press.)
