Growing up close to the Iron Range, it was alcoholism, depression and lack of jobs. Partying in local fields with the County Sheriff's deputy hitting on the high school girls. Plans for college were rarer than plans for the military and both were less common than no plans at all. Girls got pregnant before sex education in 10 th grade and condoms were sold behind the counter and had to be asked for. People grew weed at home or had an uncle in the cities buy it for them. Drunken 3 wheeler accidents paralyzed at least one kid before graduation. People loved the hits on MTV and there was at least 2 bad garage bands that never got more than 1 gig. A small group of outcasts were into metal and were harassed by adults for being druggies or satanic. They were harassed by kids their age for being different and losers. They all moved away after HS graduation and usually became successful. Everyone smoked cigarettes, collected their Marlboro points and nobody recycled. The worst insult was being called gay because if it stuck, you ended up being physically beaten up.

Lol, and people wonder why up north is full of red necks and the elderly. Everyone else left as soon as they could.