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Though often thought to be dying, villages have shared in the recent economic and population trends of nonmetro America. Changes in population, in the number of retail and service establishments, and in the number of manufacturing establishments have reflected the rural revival of the 1970's and subsequent decline. The principal role of the village seems to be changing. Small towns now serve primarily as residential rather than also as commercial and manufacturing centers. A troubling fact for the future of the village is that data on population and retail service and manufacturing establishments showed lowest growth or absolute decline following 1980.