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Statistics wont show it, but Little Rock, Arkansas is very much a dying city. According to census data, the population is holding steady but that is because of the rapid growth on the city's west side. Inner city Little Rock is fast becoming an abandoned wasteland with countless businesses closing and homes abandoned.
Washington, DC in 1950 the population peaked at 802,178 now the population is 591,833 the population increased 3.5%.
Philadelphia in 1950 the population peaked at 2,071,605 now the population is 1,447,395 the population is still decreasing.
Baltimore in 1950 the population peaked at 949,708 now the population is 637,455 the population is still decreasing.
Detroit in 1950 the population peaked at 1,849,568 now the population is
912,062 the population is still decreasing.
Chicago in 1950 the the population peaked at 3,620,962 now the population is 2,853,114 the population is still decreasing.
Cleveland in 1950 the population peaked at 914,808 now the population is 438,042 the population is still decreasing.
New Orleans in 1960 the population peaked at 627,525 now the population is 311,583 the population is still decreasing.
Pittsburgh in 1950 the population peaked at 676,806 now the population is 334,563 the population is still decreasing.
Buffalo in 1950 the population peaked at 580,132 now the population is 276,059 the population is still decreasing.
Aren't most of these cities' metro areas still growing? I believe they are...you could add Atlanta, which peaked in 1970 at 496,000 and then declined for 3 decades before turning things around. Atlanta recently surpassed it's peak population and is now at 538,000 - but the metro area has always continued to grow, even during the decline in the city.
Chicago increased from 1990-2000 as well as in several years since 2000. Washington D.C. has grown by 3.5% since 2000.
East St. Louis was named an All-America City in 1958, having retained prosperity through the decade as its population reached a peak of 82,295 residents (as of 2000, 31,542). Through the 1950s and later, the city's musicians were an integral creative force in blues, rock and roll and jazz. Some left and achieved national recognition, like Ike and Tina Turner, Jackie Joyner Kersee and jazz great Miles Davis, who was born in nearby Alton and grew up in East St. Louis.
The city was dramatically affected by mid-century deindustrialization and restructuring. As a number of local factories began to close because of changes in industry, the railroad and meatpacking industries also were cutting back and moving jobs out of the region. This led to a precipitous loss of working and middle-class jobs. The city's financial conditions deteriorated. Elected in 1951, Mayor Alvin Fields resorted to ill-judged funding procedures to try to buy the city out of its financial morass. The scheme increased the city's bonded indebtedness and the property tax rate. More businesses closed as workers left the area to seek jobs in other regions. Crime increased as a result of poverty and lack of opportunities. The city is also left with expensive clean-up of brownfields, areas with environmental contamination by heavy industry that makes redevelopment more difficult.
Street gangs such as the War Lords, Black Egyptians, 29th Street Stompers and Hustlers appeared in city neighborhoods. Like other cities with endemic problems by the 1960s, East St. Louis suffered riots in the latter part of the decade. In September 1967, rioting occurred in the city's South End. Also, in the summer of 1968, a still-unsolved series of sniping attacks took place. These events contributed to residential mistrust and adversely affected the downtown retail base and the city's income.
The city, now small in terms of population, is still one of the prime examples of drastic urban blight in the country. Sections of "urban prairie" can be found where vacant buildings were torn down and whole blocks became overgrown with vegetation. As East St. Louis has suffered from white flight and disinvestment for many years already, much of the territory surrounding the city remains undeveloped to this day, bypassed for growth in more affluent suburban areas. Thus, many old, "inner city" neighborhoods abut large swaths of corn and soybean fields or otherwise vacant land. In addition to agricultural uses, a number of truck stops, strip clubs, and other semi-rural businesses surround blighted areas in the city as well.
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