Rural Iowa is shrinking. Why one tiny town is betting on a 'sinkhole' to save it.

DYSART, Ia. — The Main Street in Dysart is typical of those you find in other small Iowa communities — except for the giant gorge painted in the middle of the road.

If you squint just right, it seems that the public library, a women's boutique and a Methodist church are about to be sucked into the bottomless pit. Cars parked nearby look ready to roll back into the gap.

But despite the dilapidation the illusion represents, in actuality, it's a step toward preservation for the community of just 1,300.

"We'll try anything in Dysart," said Dwayne Luze, president of the Dysart Development Corporation. "There's definitely a change happening on Main Street right now."

Read more: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2018/07/05/dysart-iowa-small-town-optical-illusion-sinkhole-mary-snyder-behrens/653009002/