[quote=@Kobayashi]
[@Inda], I have some questions: where is this RP located and when? Like, what would the name of the city or town be??
[/quote]

This is taking place now, in 2016. The "dying city" referenced in the original post is the city where each character is currently living, and is inspired slightly by Detroit, Michigan if you need a reference point. If you do use Detroit as a reference point, do keep in mind in recent years the efforts to revive the city have made it a little more... lively, I suppose is the word?... than what I'm imagining for our fictional city. 

Our city is called Leyden City and is located in Pennsylvania, near the border of New York and only a 2 hour drive away from Lake Eerie (that was not intentional, just a happy accident! lol). 

Leyden City was doing very well during the industrial period of America. The slow death began in the mid-1960s, and sped up considerably by the mid-70s. Now the city struggles with empty and abandoned buildings, low economic growth, homelessness, and crime. There are attempts within the city itself to revive it, but nothing has taken off.

Despite this, there are still some amenities in the city that have managed to hold on and continue working, even if at a lower capacity than before. Maple Grove College is still in operation, and there is a local newspaper (The [i]Leyden City Chronicle[/i]), a collection of public schools, a handful of local restaurants, the usually expected kinds of chain businesses, and quite a collection of local bars. There are old stage theatres, some of which are still running, and a single large, historic movie theatre. A handful of museums of various sorts are also in operation, but are constantly on the brink of shutting down. There is a public transit system that is also barely hanging on.

I am adding this information to the original post. Please be on the lookout there for this added information and a few reference photos if you need them.