And once a small town goes below some threshold, it becomes much harder to live there because of the lack of job options (e.g. in a big city you can more easily work as a psychologist, office clerk or barmaid; in a town of 300 people, of which 80 are in retirement, it's a lot less likely).
Also, many old manual jobs are shunned by youngsters, or have been mechanized/automated, so doing "what your grandpa did in the old village", is not generally a realistic option.
And once a small town goes below some threshold, it becomes much harder to live there because of the lack of job options (e.g. in a big city you can more easily work as a psychologist, office clerk or barmaid; in a town of 300 people, of which 80 are in retirement, it's a lot less likely).
Also, many old manual jobs are shunned by youngsters, or have been mechanized/automated, so doing "what your grandpa did in the old village", is not generally a realistic option.