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I've been to Cleveland, and maintain my stance the blight there isn't that different or worse than in Memphis...
However, Gary looks scary lol. Definitely appears worse than Memphis...
Memphis is pretty poor overall. Among the largest cities on this list, Memphis has actually gained people in its city limits, while all the others have plummeted.
The blight is head scratching and makes you think it actually speaks to the high poverty and crime of the area, that it is still so blighted while gaining people over the past 50 years. Granted, annexation has largely helped, but it has not experienced the rust belt, major population vacating like the other cities, but still experiences large blight.
I think amongst the bigger cities with this biggest blight issue, they seem to be ranked like this:
First: Detroit by far
(population drop from 1.8 million to 670,000)
Second: St Louis
(population drop from 900,000 to 300,000)
Third: Baltimore
(population drop from 800,000 to 650,000)
Fourth: Cleveland
(population drop from 900,000 to 385,000)
Fifth: New Orleans
(population drop from 625,000 to 400,000)
Sixth: Memphis
(population increase from 390,000 to 655,000, however, mostly result of annexation. The city is experiencing out migration and the city population is stagnant)
Seventh: Buffalo
(population drop from 580,000 to 260,000)
I will say watching Detroit begin it's transformation is fricken cool. While it may have the most blight by far, I also think it has the most potential.
This type of stuff is happening in quite a few places around Detroit. The amount of investments is in the billions for projects underway. Every time I'm in Detroit it blows me away to watch these places that were all but abandoned for decades start to return.
Detroit is definitely improving, esp in areas near or adjacent to downtown and the Detroit River waterfront. But Detroit was so far ahead (or behind, if you will) on this front and the fact there are so many neighborhoods to fix and so much vast wasteland/urban prairies, there are few cities in its league despite blighted areas of Cleveland, St. Louis, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and others...
... one side note: as far as urban suburbs, East Cleveland next door to my hometown Cleveland is as bad as it gets (its even an insult to Detroit to liken it to East Cleveland these days). So much in EC is totally uninhabitable (by humans, at least, rats and vermin, not so much) and streets like the infamous Chapman Ave are downright scary.
Memphis is pretty poor overall. Among the largest cities on this list, Memphis has actually gained people in its city limits, while all the others have plummeted.
The blight is head scratching and makes you think it actually speaks to the high poverty and crime of the area, that it is still so blighted while gaining people over the past 50 years. Granted, annexation has largely helped, but it has not experienced the rust belt, major population vacating like the other cities, but still experiences large blight.
I think amongst the bigger cities with this biggest blight issue, they seem to be ranked like this:
First: Detroit by far
(population drop from 1.8 million to 670,000)
Second: St Louis
(population drop from 900,000 to 300,000)
Third: Baltimore
(population drop from 800,000 to 650,000)
Fourth: Cleveland
(population drop from 900,000 to 385,000)
Fifth: New Orleans
(population drop from 625,000 to 400,000)
Sixth: Memphis
(population increase from 390,000 to 655,000, however, mostly result of annexation. The city is experiencing out migration and the city population is stagnant)
Seventh: Buffalo
(population drop from 580,000 to 260,000)
Memphis is pretty poor overall. Among the largest cities on this list, Memphis has actually gained people in its city limits, while all the others have plummeted.
The blight is head scratching and makes you think it actually speaks to the high poverty and crime of the area, that it is still so blighted while gaining people over the past 50 years. Granted, annexation has largely helped, but it has not experienced the rust belt, major population vacating like the other cities, but still experiences large blight.
I think amongst the bigger cities with this biggest blight issue, they seem to be ranked like this:
First: Detroit by far
(population drop from 1.8 million to 670,000)
Second: St Louis
(population drop from 900,000 to 300,000)
Third: Baltimore
(population drop from 800,000 to 650,000)
Fourth: Cleveland
(population drop from 900,000 to 385,000)
Fifth: New Orleans
(population drop from 625,000 to 400,000)
Sixth: Memphis
(population increase from 390,000 to 655,000, however, mostly result of annexation. The city is experiencing out migration and the city population is stagnant)
Seventh: Buffalo
(population drop from 580,000 to 260,000)
A lot of this out migration is just a result of suburbanization in those areas.
Family size actually plays a part in this, as the days of the big ethnic families in those cities are in the past.
You also had urban renewal, which occurred, while the lack of annexation didn't help make up for the difference that it made.
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