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From what I understand oston was pretty gutted out still in 1992.
-The inner core had been revived (Downtown, Back Bay, West End) but places like JP, Fenway, South End, Allston, Mission Hill, Charlestown, and Roslindale were still pretty rough around the edges. they've all been noticeably gentrified today.
-Roxbury Dorchester and Mattapan suffered form a lot of blight and very very high levels of gun violence. Especially amongst the youth. Many abandoned buildings and vacant lots.
-Housing Projects like Archdale, Franklin Hill, Whittier Street, Orchard Garden, and Mission Main have all been torn down and replaced.
-The Seaport didn't exist and was just a semi-abandoned **** for thugs to steal from.
-Movies like the town were basically accurate, Whitey Bulger was still in town and the Mob/Mafia still had operations.
-We still had Rent Control
-The city was majority white and racial tensions still existed in the open in some areas.Racial fights/graffiti in HS's happened. Public Housing had Just been Desegregated.
-The Big Big had just started so we still had a major highway cutting right through the citys downtown.
Its a much much wealthier and more glamorous city today with a much smaller middle class. The Irish American and Black American populations are much smaller. The influence of both those groups has really waned, especially since 2010. Far fewer kids and it's a much more transient and polished city. Tech came in heavily right after the Great Recession and permanently transformed the city. Many more yuppies, Asian immigrants, and continental African immigrants today. The city is much more representative culturally and politically of its populace. It's also much safer and has greater capacity for hotels/conventions and large events. Charles River and Boston Harbor are much cleaner.
The city was a decidely "lower middle class" populous then the new comers today are upper middle class and upper class.
I moved to Boston in 1992 when I was 32. Beacon Hill and Back Bay were the same as they are in 2022 (Beacon Hill was probably the same in 1822 as well, though Back Bay was not landfilled and built yet :-), Brookline has had some old businesses lost and some new acquired in the past three decades, with a lot of new construction along Brookline Av. The inner core has not been revived, didn't need reviving - it has always been equally alive in my 30 years here. The Seaport was not semi-abandoned 30 years ago but full of tourists, although it has been tremendously built up since then, to the point that you can hardly see the ocean (of which there was a broad view still in 1992). I believe Mafia still exists in Boston, but concentrates on legitimate dealings rather than crime. Boston is probably one city in the nation that has changed the least in the past 30 years (though I had rented for 5 years in Brookline, then 3 years in Beacon Hill, and then lived in my own condo for 17 years in Back Bay, ie, not outside central areas, so wouldn't really know about Dorchester).
I had visited Boston in 1984, and some of the Combat Zone still existed at the border of Chinatown/Bay Village/Back Bay, but it was cleared by 1992 when I moved into the city.
Again, there has been new construction, but I find people's attitudes, city atmosphere, and overall city appearance not substantially changed from 30 years ago.
- Downtown was dead after 5PM, with virtually no permanent population.
- The Penn/Liberty corridor downtown was seedy, with adult theaters, porno shops, and other undesirable businesses.
- Nightlife in the city was concentrated mostly in the Strip District and the South Side.
- The only neighborhoods in the city with money were Squirrel Hill, Shadyside and Point Breeze.
- East Liberty was a ghetto with public housing highrises.
- Lawrenceville was a neighborhood for old people.
- Bloomfield was Italian and loud about it.
- The population was mostly white, except for a handful of black neighborhoods scattered throughout the city.
- The South Hills neighborhoods was mostly white and actually rather racist, fleeing for the nearest suburbs when the black population began to grow.
- The North Side was mostly dead, but the Penn Brewing Company and the renovation of the Mexican War Streets became the first signs of life.
- Riverfront development along the Allegheny River had just begun with the reclamation of Herr's Island.
- Three Rivers Stadium wasted its riverfront location, and the Civic Arena was an example of "urban renewal" failure cutting off the Hill District from downtown.
- The Penguins won the Stanley Cup, the Steelers were back in the playoffs, and the Pirates were still relevant.
Pittsburgh in 2022
- Downtown has pockets of life after 5PM, and a small but growing downtown population, but still has a dead zone near Grant Street.
- The Penn/Liberty corridor has moved upscale and become an arts and theater district.
- Nightlife in the city is more abundant but more decentralized, and the Strip District is filling in with office and upscale residential development.
- Much of the city's East End has money now, and so does some of the North Side.
- East Liberty has been gentrified, and the public housing highrises have been torn down.
- Lawrenceville has become a bougie "hipster" neighborhood, replacing much of the elderly population.
- Bloomfield has Asian restaurants now.
- The city has a critical mass of Asians now, and a small but rapidly growing Hispanic population, but the black population has decreased as much of it moves out to the suburbs.
- The South Hills neighborhoods have growing populations of Hispanics and refugees from Asian countries.
- The North Side seems next in line for gentrification, spreading out from the Mexican War Streets.
- The Allegheny River has become a recreational destination, with lots of new riverfront developments.
- Heinz Field and PNC Park take advantage of their riverfront locations, and PPG Paints Arena opens up the old Civic Arena site to redevelopment that can reconnect the Hill District to downtown.
- The Steelers and Penguins each have a string of one-and-done playoff appearances, and the Pirates have been mostly irrelevant.
From what I've heard before moving here recently: East Palo Alto, CA was considered a dangerous, poor, and gang-ridden suburb in 1992, and even as late as the early-mid 2010s. In 2022, I'm living in a communal house full of mostly tech workers. Much of the town still lacks sidewalks and has a slightly dilapidated look, but I see infrastructure construction all over the place.
Baltimore's population may have declined, but compared to 1992, the overall vibrancy of the City's core has significantly improved. Harbor East and Harbor Point were abandoned industrial brownfields that are now essentially an eastern extension of the historic CBD. The Metro Subway was extended in the mid 1990s to Shot Tower and Hopkins Hospital. We have a NFL Team again and a better stadium than DC. The only thing within the core that has really declined is Harborplace and the Gallery which are two shopping malls (who cares, things change). Harbor East is becoming the City's new shopping district, and I wouldn't be surprised if by the end of the decade, replaces Towson, Annapolis and Columbia as the region's luxury retail district. Crime is high but the City's finances are stable and improving. The sky is hardly falling as many would lead you to believe.
Yeah right.....this is laughable. Until the squeegee boys are under control, nobody from the suburbs are going to be driving into Baltimore to do any real shopping. There is no way that Baltimore will become "the region's luxury retail district." Being harassed by squeegee boys as your entering/exiting Baltimore would not be worth the hassle!
Even a few days after the murder, the squeegee boys are still harassing citizens, even with police present (see clip):
Memphis isn't that different except for in downtown the rise of South Main and Harbor Town.
South Main is beginning to feel like a genuine neighborhood, filled with new apartment buildings and converted warehouses and lots of restaurants. Now fancy hotels are coming in and they are tying in the riverfront park more directly to the Beale Street/South Main/Peabody area. It's genuinely a cool, urbane place that is directly in downtown.
Harbor Town has thrived on Mud Island with a vibrant riverfront park and is arguably the best place to live in Memphis.
The other big change since the early 90s has been the rise of neighboring DeSoto County, Mississippi. In 1992 there were a few subdivisions and maybe a K-Mart. Today brand-new interstates have been built and there has been tremendous growth in residential areas. They have some of the top schools in the state and are now beginning to build cultural venues in various ways. This will be a place that in another 30 years will show a huge change.
This is true. I never visited Memphis in 1992 (I was in high school) but my dad always called it "dangerous" and a "big city that is scary." LOL
I have visited Memphis in 2017 and again early last year for work. The south main neighborhood feels cool, trendy, urban and cosmopolitan in a low key, friendly vibe. It's becoming a true vibrant fun livable area and Memphis has done great things with it. I think once all of the development in the planning stages happens too, it will become much better. (riverfront redevelopment, the brand new museum, multiple condo, apt and hotel projects)
Some inner city Memphis neighborhoods are still grossly neglected though--and crime, decline, poverty and decay rule.
But downtown and areas surrounding Memphis and downtown are way, way better today.
For the better in Atlanta. Atlanta in 1992 was more gritty and not walkable at all. Midtown was full of surface parking lots but it was more party town with a lot of gay clubs and bars. There was freaknik as well and you had thousands of black college students flooding the city. Buckhead was a super party town as well. It was a more party-focused city but much more dangerous.
Atlanta is a lot more walkable now, many of the surface parking lots in midtown have buildings on them now. You can live car-free in midtown if you want. The northern burbs continue to evolve and are some of the nicest suburbs in the country. There's the beltline spurring a lot of development surrounding the city. Crime rose after the pandemic but it's nowhere near 1990s bad.
Here is an aerial photo comparing Atlanta of 1987 versus early 2022:
That 87 vs 22 shot is jaw droppingly dramatic. WOW! I was visiting Atlanta regularly in the mid to late 80s and remember as a kid the IBM Tower going up and thinking "NYC is coming to Atlanta" (in the form of a cool skyscraper--then the city's tallest).
I lived in Atlanta in the late 90s/early 2000s, during the height of the 24/7 club "backstreet" in midtown. There was another 24/7 club there too, I think "club anytime" was the name. Midtown was a total party destination for gays/trans/questioning/druggies/those looking to forget about things. Grittier, lower key in a way, not corporate and very low density.
- Downtown was dead after 5PM, with virtually no permanent population.
- The Penn/Liberty corridor downtown was seedy, with adult theaters, porno shops, and other undesirable businesses.
- Nightlife in the city was concentrated mostly in the Strip District and the South Side.
- The only neighborhoods in the city with money were Squirrel Hill, Shadyside and Point Breeze.
- East Liberty was a ghetto with public housing highrises.
- Lawrenceville was a neighborhood for old people.
- Bloomfield was Italian and loud about it.
- The population was mostly white, except for a handful of black neighborhoods scattered throughout the city.
- The South Hills neighborhoods was mostly white and actually rather racist, fleeing for the nearest suburbs when the black population began to grow.
- The North Side was mostly dead, but the Penn Brewing Company and the renovation of the Mexican War Streets became the first signs of life.
- Riverfront development along the Allegheny River had just begun with the reclamation of Herr's Island.
- Three Rivers Stadium wasted its riverfront location, and the Civic Arena was an example of "urban renewal" failure cutting off the Hill District from downtown.
- The Penguins won the Stanley Cup, the Steelers were back in the playoffs, and the Pirates were still relevant.
Pittsburgh in 2022
- Downtown has pockets of life after 5PM, and a small but growing downtown population, but still has a dead zone near Grant Street.
- The Penn/Liberty corridor has moved upscale and become an arts and theater district.
- Nightlife in the city is more abundant but more decentralized, and the Strip District is filling in with office and upscale residential development.
- Much of the city's East End has money now, and so does some of the North Side.
- East Liberty has been gentrified, and the public housing highrises have been torn down.
- Lawrenceville has become a bougie "hipster" neighborhood, replacing much of the elderly population.
- Bloomfield has Asian restaurants now.
- The city has a critical mass of Asians now, and a small but rapidly growing Hispanic population, but the black population has decreased as much of it moves out to the suburbs.
- The South Hills neighborhoods have growing populations of Hispanics and refugees from Asian countries.
- The North Side seems next in line for gentrification, spreading out from the Mexican War Streets.
- The Allegheny River has become a recreational destination, with lots of new riverfront developments.
- Heinz Field and PNC Park take advantage of their riverfront locations, and PPG Paints Arena opens up the old Civic Arena site to redevelopment that can reconnect the Hill District to downtown.
- The Steelers and Penguins each have a string of one-and-done playoff appearances, and the Pirates have been mostly irrelevant.
I have seen Pittsburgh exactly twice now: once, at night in 1973, as my Mom, a cousin of mine and I were driving cross-country to a conference Mom was attending in Atlantic City; and the second time in 2020, when my boyfriend dragged me along on.a cross-state trip to help him inspect a house he was buying in Arnold with an eye on fixing it and flipping or renting it. (He has done neither and plans to sell it instead, as it's gained value just sitting there.)
We did spend time in the Strip District, and I thought the folks who turned that old Pennsylvania Railroad freight terminal into shops did a bang-up job (and, of course, we had Primianti Bros. sandwiches).
But what really impressed me was Oakland, the university district. I would trade all of University City in West Philadelphia for Forbes Avenue in Oakland in a heartbeat. I haven't run across an urban university district that urbane anywhere else outside the vicinity of Columbia University in New York's Morningside Heights. (Well, maybe Harvard Square in Cambridge matches those two, but it's a bit lower-rise.)
My take: The high-tech ecosystem spawned by Pitt and Carnegie Mellon have brought Pittsburgh itself back from the undead, and the benefits are spreading throughout Allegheny County. But this hasn't translated to a reversal of fortune for the Land-of-the-Forgotten counties surrounding Allegheny, where they still haven't figured out what will replace the departed steel mills yet.
Baltimore's population may have declined, but compared to 1992, the overall vibrancy of the City's core has significantly improved. Harbor East and Harbor Point were abandoned industrial brownfields that are now essentially an eastern extension of the historic CBD. The Metro Subway was extended in the mid 1990s to Shot Tower and Hopkins Hospital. We have a NFL Team again and a better stadium than DC. The only thing within the core that has really declined is Harborplace and the Gallery which are two shopping malls (who cares, things change). Harbor East is becoming the City's new shopping district, and I wouldn't be surprised if by the end of the decade, replaces Towson, Annapolis and Columbia as the region's luxury retail district. Crime is high but the City's finances are stable and improving. The sky is hardly falling as many would lead you to believe.
"Luxury Retail District" and Towson/Annapolis/Columbia? For true "luxury" shopping you pretty much have to go to Tysons or DC CityCenter (which basically took all the shops from Friendship Heights).
That being said the immediate Inner Harbor area will come back one way or another - it's arguably in worse shape right now in 2022 anyway as there's absolutely no reason for people to go there other than maybe the Aquarium (Which you can access from Harbor East). Federal Hill to the South (and Riverside/Locust Point) and Harbor East (extending to Fells Point or even Canton further east) have improved a lot since 1992, but immediate Inner Harbor (the area centered around Light/Pratt) and downtown? Not so much...
One place that remains as seedy as ever in Baltimore is "The Block" .
Most of the Shawmut Peninsula outside the Beacon Hill and the very center of the Financial District-to Faneuil Hall, was pretty rough/shady in Boston. North End saw a big turnaround in the mid 90s, the Chinatown and leather District started around then too and is ongoing until today. North Station/west End area also was rejuvenated post-Big Dig.
For the better in Atlanta. Atlanta in 1992 was more gritty and not walkable at all. Midtown was full of surface parking lots but it was more party town with a lot of gay clubs and bars. There was freaknik as well and you had thousands of black college students flooding the city. Buckhead was a super party town as well. It was a more party-focused city but much more dangerous.
Atlanta is a lot more walkable now, many of the surface parking lots in midtown have buildings on them now. You can live car-free in midtown if you want. The northern burbs continue to evolve and are some of the nicest suburbs in the country. There's the beltline spurring a lot of development surrounding the city. Crime rose after the pandemic but it's nowhere near 1990s bad.
Here is an aerial photo comparing Atlanta of 1987 versus early 2022:
I moved to Atlanta in 1993 and what I liked back then was the big vibes it was getting due to the build up to the 1996 Olympics, the music scene was very strong, the Braves were just getting really good and Ted Turner's empire was at its height of popularity. Downtown wasn't great then and from what I seen this century, not really much change other than due to Centennial Park and the Aquarium.
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