Hollywood helped people get there mind off the war. Movies back in the USA especially in World War Two let people go see the movies and get there mind off what was going on in the real world. They also used movies in theaters back them to spread ads supporting the war and ways people could help. Hollywood know issues movies to tell stories of what happened in wars from years ago.
With no gold rush, there is no gigantic rush to populate that region. If there aren't enough people then there aren't enough businesses and the economic network is tiny.
