[craigs]

Wasn't the 1980s economic revival in Massachusetts referred to as a "miracle" because it reversed economic decline and population stagnation?

A "miracle" rebound would imply that the Bay State had been a bit rust belty up to that point, perhaps especially away from the glow of the perennial prosperity on State Street, along Route 128, and among the archipelago of military- and university-related enterprises. Places like Springfield, Fall River, Lawrence, etc. were most likely "rust belt" in the recent past, if they aren't still considered so today. All are well past their respective primes, have been for quite some time now, and seem unlikely to recapture their prior prosperity or relevance.