As shopping has shifted from conventional retail stores to online ecommerce sites, many retail workers have been left without jobs. Online retailers are breathing new life into past manufacturing communities that need an economic boost by redeveloping existing warehouses.

Large e-commerce warehouses employ 2,000 workers or more, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs since the 2010 recovery. Much of the growth has occurred outside large metropolitan areas, creating big growth in small counties and communities across the US.  These counties provide convenient access to highways and rail lines that lead to some of the nation’s largest cities.

Read more from the NY Times on how the Walmart, Amazon, Zulily and other ecommerce giants are turning submarkets into global hubs.