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.
I’ll take 1992 San Diego over todays any day of the week. Mainly due to less people, and the thought of the Chargers not being here was laughable. Downtown is much better now, but short of that nothing is.
Belltown was a mostly non-vertical neighborhood full of warehouses and bars. South Lake Union was just an industrial site.
I've heard stories that Belltown was a blast back then. One of the few bars left from that time is the Rendezvous on 2nd. Supposedly in the early 90s if you walked into the Rendezvous and ordered a drink they'd basically pour you a tumbler glass full of whiskey. And all the bars had that vibe - definitely a bit scuzzy but pretty wild. A lot of the good music venues were in that area as well.
Question is, any city in the US better and more vibrant in 1992 than in 2022? I am having a hard time think of any.
Memphis is a possibility, for similar reasons as Baltimore, in that the positive improvements are being outweighed by the negative improvements. Similar to how the DC area has gained within Maryland, Nashville has really gained within TN. There's a thread and it seems like there's lots of warm memories of that time. Of course, the nostalgia glasses may be partly to blame. Graceland was surely a lot busier for tourists in '92 than today, since Elvis doesn't seem to attract younger fans like it used to even as late as '92. Neighborhoods like Hickory Hill have declined, and suburban growth is barely positive, with the city continuing its long, slow decline.
In many ways, it's better. Lots of neighborhoods have glowed up. Millennium Park didn't exist, and Navy Pier was a shell of what it is now. Comiskey Park was crumbling. Meigs Field was still a barely used airport for the wealthy instead of a parkland/concert venue. The Riverwalk was barely used. Sears Tower didn't have the Ledge. Hancock building didn't have The Tilt.
And actually, murders in 1992 were 20-30% higher than now. I realize that's hard to believe. Social media, etc. has made sure to let everyone know about the crime here, but it used to be worse.
So the amenities, "nicer" neighborhoods, the wealth, the attractions, have improved.
But at the same time, Chicago has lost some of its social stigma. It's losing ground to Houston and likely will be passed as the 3rd most populous city. The "classic Chicago" icons aren't nearly as prevalent. Haray Caray died in 1998, Oprah has left town, all the John Hughes movies filmed here are a more distant memory. Michael Jordan's reign was in full swing in 1992. None of that has really been replaced. Chicago is a bit more generic as a result, and/or being more known for its murder count than it's celebrities and social importance.
Agree with this, except I don’t think you meant to use the word “stigma,” which implies a “negative reputation.” Chicago has lost some of its “social prestige/reputation.”
Between 1992 and 2022 for Montreal. From the best of my memories
1992 until I moved away in 2000.
1. Although millions of sq. ft of office space were constructed by 1992, with massive office towers downtown, they mostly sat empty. This is due to the recession of 1992 and then the 1995 referendum really killed momentum.
2. The city hit rock bottom between 1995 to 1998. Not only did the city have the lowest population historically, but people left and more businesses left.
3. There was a gang war between the hells angels and mafia, resulting in 100 deaths over a decade.
4. Poverty rate hit 41% in the city of Montreal until the early 2000s.
5. Not much was going on economically, so the city was a nightlife destination (which it was historically) but the 90s were extremely seedy. Strip clubs on every corner, prostitution out in the open, etc.
Montreal when I came back in 2017 and until 2019
I followed a lot of what was going on before I moved back and the boom is what prompted me to leave.
1. There was a new pulse in the city, one of the largest building booms in history unfolded during this time.
2. New office towers went up, new condos went up, more hotels went up.
3. Montreal became a magnet for A.I/Tech/Gaming and international organizations (outside NYC/DC, we have thermoset offices/HQ's than any other city re: international organizations)
4. At the time, stupid and fabricated language politics stopped, everyone got along.
5. Record number of investments in FDI, tourism, airport visitors
6. Brand new festivals and all were the largest in North America or the world.
7. Crime decreased dramatically, new public spaces opened, Montreal became more pedestrian friendly and open.
8. A much more diverse city, with 40% being non-white, 200+ ethnic groups in the city, 150+ languages spoken and the most bi/tri-lingual city in North America.
9. New parks created, the city is greener and the announcement of a new 67 km long heavy rail transit line made Montreal the leader of transit on the continent.
10. Before covid, multiple new projects announced, including 5 new towers of 200 metres and one of 185 metres. This may not be significant elsewhere, but MTL was never a skyscraper city.
11. Downtown population increased dramatically, with the Griffintown area growing by 642% between 2011-2016.
12. The island was growing at about 30,000 people per year, metro between 40-60,000 per year.
MTL during/"post" covid (2020-2022)
1. Sadly, the momentum is gone and a lot of projects are delayed/cancelled.
2. Restrictive laws passed by the provincial government (ban on religious symbols for public sector workers, new strict language requirements) pose a threat of a third exodus, with international students leaving the province and the city has lost a good amount of tech workforce already (Toronto/Vancouver's gain)
3. The roads are in the worst shape I've ever seen, you can tell the city is struggling.
4. Homelessness increased, doubling from 3,000 to 6,000 during peak covid, now down to about 3,500-4,000 homeless people.
5. Like everywhere, housing prices increased dramatically, ranging from 21-35% YoY depending on the area and type of housing.
6. Once the epicentre of covid, we are now the global epicentre of monkeypox.
7. Healthcare system on the brink of collapse, thanks to the underinvestment of the CAQ government and others before them.
8. Huge population losses between 2020-2021, but this is temporary due to covid measures.
9. Businesses are bouncing back and the city is trying out 24/7 nightlife in certain areas. The first pilot project was a huge success, more will come.
10. The city is investing in even more festivals and is reinventing itself to become the greenest and most dynamic city in North America. Lots of cool projects in the pipeline.
1992: City population about half a million. Downtown dirty, empty, scary after 5. No one cared about the Indians, Cavs played in Richfield. Some underground gay clubs in the Warehouse District. Flats absolutely booming. Wonderful shopping experiences at the Galleria and Tower City. East side neighborhoods mostly destroyed, with Slavic Village, North Collinwood and Little Italy the remaining stable ones. West side neighborhoods mostly stable with some wealth in Edgewater. Tremont, Ohio City, and Detroit/65th working class with significant crime.
2022: City population about 380,000. Downtown beautified with a smaller daytime workforce but far more tourists and residents. East 4th a huge attraction. CSU expansion. Flats destroyed, then partially revived as yuppy paradise minus the 80s/90a charm. Tower City and Galleria vacant. Only Little Italy a truly stable East side neighborhood. Noticeable West side declines outside of Tremont, Ohio City, Detroit 65th, and Edgeawater, and West Park.
Interesting responses about Tucson, Baltimore, and Memphis not changing much or possibly gown down a bit since 1992. I was only just recently in Baltimore last year and Memphis back in February for the first time ever so don't really have a point of comparison for either city.
I liked both (especially Memphis), but they did seem a quite rough around the edges and didn't stray too far from downtown/Edge District in Memphis and the Inner Harbor/Fells Point/Federal Hill in Baltimore. I was in Baltimore during a high point of the pandemic and all the restaurants and shops were closed down and could only drink and eat outside so I will give it a pass, but despite that there was still a fair amount of activity downtown. I was glad the American Visionary Art Museum was open at the very least which was a very interesting museum indeed (they had a most fascinating art exhibit on sleep when I was there).
Downtown Memphis had more construction going on than I really anticipated and was a bit surprised by that, but it was very quiet when I was there despite the weather being super nice. There were only a few other people at Wiseacre brewing when I went, but a decent crowd for the tour of Sun Studio. Got panhandled more in Memphis than anywhere else in the US I have been which was annoying, but didn't detract from my visit too much. Tucson I have not been to and would not have guessed that..
The pros:
- much more affordable in every way
- mostly the same natural offerings as today with 1/3 as many people using them
- still has UT and the state capital and everything that comes with that
- much less traffic than today
- very unique "slacker" vibe with a surprisingly big music and art scenes in fairly small and quite affordable city
- much less corporate, people didn't talk much about work
- while nightlife scene was much smaller it might have been wilder. Better conditions for raves and whatnot
Cons:
- no walkable mixed-use / urban areas
- much better downtown overall today, particularly in the daytime. In 92 nightlife was good but it was a dead business park in the day time.
- much smaller overall, harder to find different types of people and easier to run out of stuff to do
- less diversity, particularly in national origin
- incredibly mediocre job market compared to today
- not as many bike lanes and less transit (though still a decent bus system)
- no freeways outside the city center.
- the other side of the "affordable" coin: large swathes of the city were rundown areas that people with means avoided
- suburbs/exurbs became very conservative much faster than today
- no pro sports teams and SXSW was the only event somewhat relevant nationally
- didn't get a lot of national touring acts
- very small airport
The same:
- Progressive/Hippy capital of the state
- casual business environment relative to other cities
- young, fit city with friendly people that like to party
- better scenery and outdoor options than other cities in the state
- lots of weed
- crappy state government
I’ll take 1992 San Diego over todays any day of the week. Mainly due to less people, and the thought of the Chargers not being here was laughable. Downtown is much better now, but short of that nothing is.
I loved San Diego mid-90's. Many fun weekends there.
Syracuse I’d say is a “it depends on who you are talking to and where in the city”. Downtown is much more active just not necessarily as a retail center, as retail was on its way out Downtown: https://www.nytimes.com/1992/08/21/n...uses-city.html
Some neighborhoods are the same/better(outer neighborhoods) and worse(some have bad concentrations of poverty). Similar with aspects of crime, though homicides this year are more in line with the what the city would get in the 80’s/much of the 90’s(mid teens) and most other categories have gone down.
Nightlife seemed to actually be more spread out and dare I say a bit more varied(or at least openly so, as there is variety, but much of it can be low key).
Destiny USA, currently the 7th or 8th biggest shopping center in the country, was known as the Carousel Center and was only 2 years old in 1992. It was smaller than it is now.
Syracuse University sports were consistently good(Football, Basketball and Lacrosse) and nationally ranked. The University Hill area has also seen quite a bit of development.
There was more manufacturing and insurance employment back then. Now, it is more eds and meds, with some of the other 2 industries holding on and more tech.
The city is more diverse culturally and it is illustrated in public office, school enrollment, as well as leadership positions more so now.
There is more development occurring now, with more on the way.
There are some more school options and the city didn’t offer the Say Yes scholarship for city school students. I’d say the latter was helping to lead to improvements in academic performance(even pre pandemic).
I’d also say that there does seem to be more community involvement in regards to attacking issues, with it coming from natives and those that come to the city/area from elsewhere.
I’ll stop there, but I’d say that while there have been bumps in the road in between, I’d say that there is room for improvement and some things are heading in the right direction.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 07-01-2022 at 05:21 PM..
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.
