Editor's note: This is the last of a three-part series about economic and community development in Washington County, Md. The county, which includes Hagerstown, shares many demographic similarities with Mercer County.

In the mid-1980s Hagerstown, Md., and the surrounding area were facing a crisis.

Once employing close to 10,000, the Fairchild aviation plant and other manufacturing operations closed, leaving a vapor trail of double-digit unemployment. At about the same time, banking giant Citicorp was looking to create a branch network in the state.

Regulations at the time would have prevented the bank from establishing the large multi-county branch operation it was seeking. But the state offered the bank a deal: Build a credit card call center in Hagerstown, and the government will retool state banking laws to allow your branch operation.

Yearning for new markets, Citicorp agreed.

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