First impressions, are they important (loan, living, centers)

[lepoisson]

Have you ever had a negative first impression of a city/place you visited, then your opinion changed about it later? What about the opposite? Have you had a good first impression of a place, then the place turned out to be terrible?

This has NEVER happened to me. I guess I really need to start listening to my gut first impression.

The last place I lived, I had a negative first impression because of the ratty/dated strip centers, payday loan places on every corner, and crappy used car lots all over town. Well guess what? After living there for two years, the place got even worse than what I saw originally. Couldn't wait to get out of there.

[mhays25]

One example isn't really evidence.

But yes, I've come into a town from the airport or train station, whatever, and then later saw other parts of town. Sometimes it's very different.

[Buckeye614]

A lot of first time visitors to New Jersey come in from Newark airport, the turnpike or on the NJ transit line and get a glimpse of the industrial decay, smokestacks spewing plumes of god know's what into the air and brick walls plastered in graffiti. This is largely where New Jersey's negative reputation derives from and they never get a chance to see pristine beaches, colonial towns, rolling hills, farmland, well to do suburbs etc. that make up most of the state.

So no first impressions are not always accurate or indicative of the larger picture but yes they can be powerful in terms of shaping people's opinions about states/cities.

[Count David]

First impressions are usually clouded by hopes and expectations.

So if I like somewhere at first, I should probably write a note to my future self to warn me.

[bluecarebear]

Rochester. I always heard it was a declining factory town and decided to visit on a whim. I was expecting a "Detroit". First visit I had the complete opposite experience. Rochester impressed me more than Buffalo when it came to appearance. The city seemed to be in better shape and nicer on a whole. I can't wait to go back and visit again.

New York, WV, and Ohio. The states have horrible reputations but I have discovered that Ohio has the nicest people in the country and I relocated from the South. Parts of New York and WV are gorgeous. NY is one of the prettiest states in the US. WV is one of the best outdoor rec areas in the country. There are also tons of things to do in both Ohio and NY. There is always a festival or something going on.