The changes in the socio-cultural and economic properties of the city after the closure of Keçiborlu Sulphur Enterprise

The purpose of this research is to determine the social, cultural and economic changes happened in Keçiborlu town after the closure of Keçiborlu Sulphur Enterprise. The social and economic level of the city was high when the factory situated in the center of Keçiborlu were in service. Social life was vibrant and town had a dense population because of the labor migration to it. But the development of alternative livelihoods which is one of the basic principles of sustainable development have been neglected and only an economic structure dependent on the mine had developed.The mine workers, technical and administrative staff of the plant were appointed to other cities, due to the closure of the mining plant. Therefore there was a rapid decline in the population of the city. The majority of the employees were retired as well. Finally, the retired population was increased. Other than this facility any business area can not be opened instead of the closed, and mine was the only source of employment in the city. Therefore unemployment problem in the city has grown; local people began to migrate to other centers to find better jobs, the level of welfare of the people has been decreased.To determine the differences between the socio-economic and cultural face of the city during the period of mining and today's, survey techniques were used. To ensure the development of the city, suggestions were given according to the findings.Key words: Mining City, Socio-Economic Cultural Changes