Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Sorry, but it has nothing at all to do with either political party. No one is TRYING to make people remain poor. Anyway we aren't supposed to start discussing political parties in state threads.
As I already said, a large part of it was due to political corruption of local politicians--payoffs, the Mafia. Why did they do such stupid things as build rte 91 in such a DUMB CLUELESS way that it cut off access to the river front, destroyed beautiful places, and is just an overpass to the city? Corrupt politicians.
The people who reside there now have no historical connection to the city so they don't know and they don't care. Even when somebody tries to restore something, they vandalize it. The city is just plain Dead and Gone. At least I think Hartford is trying and maybe it has some redeeming qualities.
Springfield was not like some rundown mill city. Boston, Worcester, and Springfield were Massachusetts' three major cities. Now it's just Boston.
They built Interstate 91 along the riverfront because it was cost efficient. It was significantly cheaper. It had nothing to do with the politicians. They were not the ones who were involved in where the highways were going to be placed. That was decided by those within the automobile industry in the 50's and 60's.
They built Interstate 91 along the riverfront because it was cost efficient. It was significantly cheaper. It had nothing to do with the politicians. They were not the ones who were involved in where the highways were going to be placed. That was decided by those within the automobile industry in the 50's and 60's.
There were several different options. Some of the decision to cut the city off from the waterfront was based upon the facts at that time--like the fact that the CT River was extremely polluted and no one ever thought anyone would want to go near it again. But then when it was cleaned up, people regretted that they could no longer access it.
In 1958, however, Springfield's city planners - believing that the river had become too polluted, and thus no longer useful - campaigned intensely for Interstate 91 to occupy Springfield's riverfront. They boasted that the construction of I-91 on Springfield's riverfront would catalyze economic growth comparable to that experienced during the great railroad expansion of the mid-19th century.
The overall decision to build interstates thoughout the county came from the feds but the decision on where to actually PUT them was local. I remember the controversy about destroying the Barney Mansion in Forest Park, one of my favorite childhood haunts. Yep, they demolished it. Now, if you go to the Barney Mausoleum, you look right down over a cliff onto rte 91! (And of course, the actual mansion and its grounds are gone.) They could have put it on the other side of the river if they had wanted to.
In addition, the loss of Springfield's riverfront and the ugliness of the elevated Interstate 91 contributed to white flight from the city to its suburbs.[68] Indeed, the word "stupid" has been used to describe Springfield's first, and most unfortunate attempt at urban renewal.
I noticed the elevated highway by the river too. The on and off ramps are a mess, and the whole riverfront is now under the shade and noise of the highway. I've lived in many small town poor areas growing up, but they've always been simple and decent and there were still tons of people who looked like they worked fulltime jobs and had families. It's the last 10-20 years I've noticed how poor small townish areas have become overrun by a thuggish low-rent culture regardless of where I am. I'm not talking about major urban ghettos, but non-metro areas all seem to have declined dramatically in their cultural fabric. Not sure why, maybe from media influence.
I noticed the elevated highway by the river too. The on and off ramps are a mess, and the whole riverfront is now under the shade and noise of the highway. I've lived in many small town poor areas growing up, but they've always been simple and decent and there were still tons of people who looked like they worked fulltime jobs and had families. It's the last 10-20 years I've noticed how poor small townish areas have become overrun by a thuggish low-rent culture regardless of where I am. I'm not talking about major urban ghettos, but non-metro areas all seem to have declined dramatically in their cultural fabric. Not sure why, maybe from media influence.
I think it really is a sign of the times. Cities have gone way downhill, some of them may be able to make a comeback. Springfield was ruined so badly that I don't think it can ever come back. They can't put it back to the way it was and they're not going to tear rte 91 down and build another, more sensible highway.
Most of our cities will be for the extremely poor any anyone who can afford it will live elsewhere.
I think it really is a sign of the times. Cities have gone way downhill, some of them may be able to make a comeback. Springfield was ruined so badly that I don't think it can ever come back. They can't put it back to the way it was and they're not going to tear rte 91 down and build another, more sensible highway.
Most of our cities will be for the extremely poor any anyone who can afford it will live elsewhere.
Cities went downhill in the 70s and 80s. I'd argue that now the opposite is happening. Nationally crime is much lower than its early 1990s high and many cities are much better off than they used to be. Boston is much nicer now than it was back then. Lowell is also another city that has seen a large drop in crime and a revitalization in the past 20 years. Springfield has yet to see that sort of revitalization but I'm hopeful that it could happen. Of course rte 91 does not help.
Cities went downhill in the 70s and 80s. I'd argue that now the opposite is happening. Nationally crime is much lower than its early 1990s high and many cities are much better off than they used to be. Boston is much nicer now than it was back then. Lowell is also another city that has seen a large drop in crime and a revitalization in the past 20 years. Springfield has yet to see that sort of revitalization but I'm hopeful that it could happen. Of course rte 91 does not help.
Totally Agree, great comment. Most cities are better now than 25 years ago. Sure a couple have gone downhill but those are few and far between.
Totally Agree, great comment. Most cities are better now than 25 years ago. Sure a couple have gone downhill but those are few and far between.
But the topic was Springfield. Far and few between? Have you been to Hartford lately? There were riots back in the late '60s and it's still a scary place to drive through. Bridgeport? Worcester? How about taking a drive through Baltimore at night? Newark? I think A LOT more have gone downhill than have gotten better. Boston has gotten better but that's not the end all and the be all for most people.
We are talking about Springfield. Did you see it in the 50s? 60s? 70s? Worse>>worse>>worse. And now it's probably even worse but few go there to check it out. I'm never going again. I've seen that place crash and burn. Even in the 70s they said it was making a comeback but it never happens and it's so far gone now that it probably never will come back. There has to be a place for the very poor and Springfield has been "it" for a long time now.
People who live in the Boston area usually do not know about the rest of the state and that has been shown over and over on this forum.
But the topic was Springfield. Far and few between? Have you been to Hartford lately? There were riots back in the late '60s and it's still a scary place to drive through. Bridgeport? Worcester? How about taking a drive through Baltimore at night? Newark? I think A LOT more have gone downhill than have gotten better. Boston has gotten better but that's not the end all and the be all for most people.
We are talking about Springfield. Did you see it in the 50s? 60s? 70s? Worse>>worse>>worse. And now it's probably even worse but few go there to check it out. I'm never going again. I've seen that place crash and burn. Even in the 70s they said it was making a comeback but it never happens and it's so far gone now that it probably never will come back. There has to be a place for the very poor and Springfield has been "it" for a long time now.
People who live in the Boston area usually do not know about the rest of the state and that has been shown over and over on this forum.
I am saying few and far between have declined since the 90s. Do you realize that? Most cities are in a better condition crime wise than 20 years ago. There still are many bad areas of cities but those cities were for the most part worse off 2 decades ago.
But the topic was Springfield. Far and few between? Have you been to Hartford lately? There were riots back in the late '60s and it's still a scary place to drive through. Bridgeport? Worcester? How about taking a drive through Baltimore at night? Newark? I think A LOT more have gone downhill than have gotten better. Boston has gotten better but that's not the end all and the be all for most people.
We are talking about Springfield. Did you see it in the 50s? 60s? 70s? Worse>>worse>>worse. And now it's probably even worse but few go there to check it out. I'm never going again. I've seen that place crash and burn. Even in the 70s they said it was making a comeback but it never happens and it's so far gone now that it probably never will come back. There has to be a place for the very poor and Springfield has been "it" for a long time now.
People who live in the Boston area usually do not know about the rest of the state and that has been shown over and over on this forum.
Most of the cities that never recovered are within the Northeast because these cities are the oldest in the nation. Bridgeport, Springfield, Worcester, and Waterbury are the best examples. They were built up because it was heavily industrial with tons of blue collar jobs. Once the highways were built because of the automobile, people began to pack up and leave for the suburbs because being outside of a crowded city meant you were able to have peace and quiet. Only the black and minorites stayed because many of them were too poor and "ghettoized". Once these blue collars job left for cheaper labor down south and out of the U.S. these cities began to crumble. Hartford took a different approach and got lucky enough to become an insurance giant. Aetna, The Hartford, Travelers, United Healthcare, Phoenix Mutual, and MetLife all have a huge presence within the city and almost all of them except MetLife are headquarters there. Nearly 100,000 work in Hartford during the day, mostly in downtown, and all of this traffic brought in a slight Renaissance in the 80's. The Whalers came into town, businesses were showing up left and right, and companies expanded here. The only problem was that the city spent most of their time cashing all their money into downtown. The outer neighborhoods in the North End and South End got nothing! They just rotted away and city leaders didn't care. In the 80's and 90's, there was a huge exodus because of the city's lack of leadership to its residents so they fled to the suburbs. The city lost a lot of tax base and everything began to fall one after another. Hartford got so desperate to retain residents and they set up billboards in Puerto Rico which said, "Come to Hartford and live the good life". That's why there's such a huge population of Puerto Ricans within the city.
Hartford is just a 9-5 city and its the 2nd largest employer in New England after Boston. Springfield hardly has any jobs and the biggest company in town is Mass Mitual which isn't that bad but that's all I can think of. Almost all of the other ones have left the city. Most of these jobs were blue collar jobs. Waterbury is in the same boat. They were the largest brass makers in the world and now all of the companies are gone. Low paying jobs are what most of these residents have and that is what keeps them poor. These poor residents need handouts to stay afloat and all of these handouts is what keeps these cities broke.
Here is a video from the 80's of Hartford. Notice all the urban decay within the outer neighborhoods but the downtown is stacking up all those skyscrapers. I remember when this tower was built back in 1983. CityPlace which is one of the tallest buildings in New England and is still the tallest in Connecticut. Aside from the depressing video, the building is still beautiful 30 years later!
This is pretty amusing. Springfield has issues but it is not nearly as bad as in_new England makes it out to be. You sound like a frightened child who is afraid of the dark. Downtown is as safe as any place in the state. The "thugs" are the minority not the norm. Your silly little story about the pimps and prostitutes is simply not true. Those things just don't happen. And the restaurant you supposedly were at isn't even in Springfield, never was. And the whole mafia thing gives me a chuckle, lay off the Sopranos and Boardwalk empire, they are just tv shows.
I have a hard time believing the OP isn't just trying to troll the board. Unless he really thinks the handful of people he saw represent the whole population of the city. Or the scary looking people in the Malls( of which there is only one in Springfield).
And for the record Springfield is still the anchor of Western Mass. It is a city with issues but it isn't Detroit. It is rising from it lowest point, which was back in the 90's.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Anyway we aren't supposed to start discussing political parties in state threads.
Newark? I think A LOT more have gone downhill than have gotten better. Boston has gotten better but that's not the end all and the be all for most people.
