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I find the Rust Belt cities to be jewels. They are gritty, historic, industrial gems. They are 100% real all American cities and they're not overrun by chain businesses. People tend to be down-to-Earth and yet so crazy. Sports are a way of life in those cities and they're known for great American food and beer.
Rust Belt cities such as Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, and Rochester are real, dangerous, watch-your-back but architectural masterpiece and classic cities. Every time I walk into old buildings in those cities I imagine that place bustling in the 20s with class and jazz playing in the background.
I'd like to move into one of these places for maybe a year after college to experience urban reality.
I'd like to move into one of these places for maybe a year after college to experience urban reality.
Based on what you said in the gritty cities thread, (i.e. Cleveland, among others, isn't coming back any time soon) I think you should move to Cleveland. I think your perceptions might change if you spent more time there.
Also, as a resident of Youngstown, it's my opinion that rust belt cities aren't more dangerous than any other city in the U.S., unless you go looking for trouble.
I think it depends where you are coming from. Sitting in the booming New York Metro area all I see is the latest round of endless sprawl now carving across central NJ towards Philly, just starting to go to rural Litchfield county in CT and most worrisome to me - into the beautiful Poconos of PA and the mid Hudson valley. Florida? North Carolina? Texas? California. These are other areas of the country are "sprawling" the same way.
Those rustbelt cities you mentioned? They are like in a time capsule - they will come back. But when they do I hope we will have learned to design our cities and countryside alot better.
Yes, I am very interested in the rustbelt cities. Even if the stereotype isn't true, they always seem so dark and gloomy, yet gritty and beautiful. I once got lost in a suburb of Pittsburgh--Braddock. The town has one of the last steel mills in the Pittsburgh area. It was depressed, with whole bombed-out row houses and even vacant theaters along main street--it was very sad. The only sound there was the clanging of this massive mill (it is nearly a mile long). It was depressing and yet exciting and interesting.
What these cities need to come up with is some serious planning. They have some great architecture, street systems and infastructure already in place and nice countryside around them. Sometimes a little spark might just set the ball rolling.
I think this is starting to happen to Cleveland. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - small as it seems might just be the ticket. People feel a bit more pride for living there - and other improvements they been doing like cleaning up the Cuyhoga River or Lake Erie are all slowly adding up.
When I was a kid in the 80s NYC was a disaster area. Crime was out of control, morale was pretty bad - if you lived in the city it was because you were poor (at least in the outer boroughs). Wellthingshave changed alot (well mostly hehe) in just 20 years! And I see the same things going on Chicago, San Fran & Boston and starting to see progress in Philadelphia and other places. Cities are coming back and I have strongly believe it will happen to some of those great cities you mentioned.
I think it depends where you are coming from. Sitting in the booming New York Metro area all I see is the latest round of endless sprawl now carving across central NJ towards Philly, just starting to go to rural Litchfield county in CT and most worrisome to me - into the beautiful Poconos of PA and the mid Hudson valley. Florida? North Carolina? Texas? California. These are other areas of the country are "sprawling" the same way.
Those rustbelt cities you mentioned? They are like in a time capsule - they will come back. But when they do I hope we will have learned to design our cities and countryside alot better.
That's true for the cities, but the urban areas of the "rust belt cities" are normally a fairly small area of what is modern "rust belt metros".
Look at the size of them:
Suburban detroit contains 83% of the total population of the metro, and 96% of the metros land area.
Suburban Cleveland contains 83% of the total population of the metro, and a fraction of the entire built area.
The cities are very unique for being in the USA, but today some 80-90% of an industrial cities built area is normally suburban spraw like we see all over the USA. Some of these industrial cities have very rich and lavish suburban areas. Detroit's suburbs are quite rich.
Here are some pics I found of the suburbs....although they might not be pretty, it's not what people think of as "detroit" or "cleveland". Most people live in areas like this
That's true for the cities, but the urban areas of the "rust belt cities" are normally a fairly small area of what is modern "rust belt metros".
Look at the size of them:
Suburban detroit contains 83% of the total population of the metro, and 96% of the metros land area.
Suburban Cleveland contains 83% of the total population of the metro, and a fraction of the entire built area.
The cities are very unique for being in the USA, but today some 80-90% of an industrial cities built area is normally suburban spraw like we see all over the USA. Some of these industrial cities have very rich and lavish suburban areas. Detroit's suburbs are quite rich.
Here are some pics I found of the suburbs....although they might not be pretty, it's not what people think of as "detroit" or "cleveland". Most people live in areas like this
Excellent point. The Detroit and Cleveland areas in particular have large suburban areas. Mind you I do not dislike the suburbs - I live there! I just do not like endless unplanned sprawl which eats up the last of the open land around our cities.
My point is that some of the rust belt cities and their suburbs have had their growth slowed down compared to the booming south for instance. This gives time for them to get some serious long term planning done - unfortunately we have a serious lack of good leadership in this country atm.
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