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Well there are some ghost towns that technically would qualify.
It seems quite a few posters use this thread to complain about cities they don't personally like.
I don't care for Houston but its thriving. It gained quite a few people from Katrina, and its population is expanding- one can't tell Houston from its suburbs.
Waco and Galveston have had tragedies but will continue to grow. Jukes you haven't been to Detroit.
Detroit is the clear winner here although Buffalo, Youngstown Ohio and Cleveland are up there.
Detroit and Buffalo lead in abandoned houses. Both have high crime, foolishly high real estate taxes and having talked to both tax assessment departments - its an odd coincidence that they both have an attitude -negative to people. Detroit can't be accessed by email and after waiting 22 min on hold i gave up. This doesn't mean I don't like those places - old buildings are great and its nice to observe what the US looked like years ago.
Objectively however if we are talking about the 20th century to now Detroit and Buffalo WIN or umm lose.
Waco and Galveston are nothing compared to what they once were. Waco was once a very known city around the nation, and even internationally.
Newport, RI has declined as well. Like Nantucket, it is still beautiful, with the Gilded Age "cottages" of the Vanderbilts and other prominent families. But like Boston and Salem, its port has lost its vitality.
Someone finally mentioned it, although it is so far off the radar now that it was only after 50 posts and as an afterthought at that. Prior to the American revolution, Newport, RI was a major seaport that competed with New York, Philadephia and Boston for dominance in the colonys. During the revolution the city was pretty much destroyed and it never came back. Once it was established as a summer resort in the 19th century it's fate was sealed. Only by a twist of fate is it not a major US city.
Someone finally mentioned it, although it is so far off the radar now that it was only after 50 posts and as an afterthought at that. Prior to the American revolution, Newport, RI was a major seaport that competed with New York, Philadephia and Boston for dominance in the colonys. During the revolution the city was pretty much destroyed and it never came back. Once it was established as a summer resort in the 19th century it's fate was sealed. Only by a twist of fate is it not a major US city.
Very true. The same goes for Salem, MA, like I said in my earlier post. Used to be one of America's biggest ports, and now its nothing but Halloween central.
Very true. The same goes for Salem, MA, like I said in my earlier post. Used to be one of America's biggest ports, and now its nothing but Halloween central.
Its true that Detroit has crime. But its still a major U.S. city that gets a lot of attention because of its auto industry, and it has a high population. At least its still thought of.
Newport, RI, has a population of only 27,000, and Salem, MA, is at only a bit over 40,000. Detroit has the possibility in the future of coming back. Newport and Salem don't. There is no way that one of them could become a major city, at least not in the foreseeable future.
FYI, the Capital moved in 1812. I don't know the reasons, but I imagine logistics were part of it, as the state's population began to move west.
The L'Enfant plan only extended as far as Florida Avenue, and included none of the expressways. The Ben Franklin Parkway was built in the early twentieth century as an imitation of the Champs-Elysees.
Certainly the Parkway and to a lesser extent DC's state-named avenues are anathema to walkers, in my opinion. They waste real estate, break up the grid, and generally stink. They create nice views, and if you're in a car and know the city they can speed your trip up, but I'd gladly throw them all out.
Thanks. I only added the expressways because they wouldn't exist without the city. I admire DC (and Center City's) grid but DC isn't walkable. I learned that lesson with a blister on my foot when the day was over.
Its true that Detroit has crime. But its still a major U.S. city that gets a lot of attention because of its auto industry, and it has a high population. At least its still thought of.
Newport, RI, has a population of only 27,000, and Salem, MA, is at only a bit over 40,000. Detroit has the possibility in the future of coming back. Newport and Salem don't. There is no way that one of them could become a major city, at least not in the foreseeable future.
Yes. Buffalo I believe, was 10th largest at one time.
Off the top of my head, other cities that have cascaded greatly from their former prominence are:
Galena, IL
Butte, MT
Cairo, IL
Altoona, PA
Johnstown, PA
Glouster, MA
Troy, NY
Savannah, GA
New Orleans, LA
Youngstown, OH
Rochester, NY
New Bedford, MA
Newark, NJ
Camden, NJ
Gary, IN
Niagara Falls, NY
Pueblo, CO
Pittsburgh, PA
Bridgeport, CT
Flint, MI
East St Louis, IL
Some of those cities have recreated themselves too. Pittsburgh and Troy come to mind.
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