What City or Suburb has gone downhill the most in the last 10-20 years? (middle-class, section 8)
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.
As I cross America by car I like to get off the Interstate and drive through the communities. One thing I have noticed is a large number of towns look like they USED TO BE NICE. Many looked like they had a huge demographic change which brought in a large underclass. Others lost their major employer and people could no longer afford to keep up their homes or even their mortgage. While other towns that were once full of single family homes were flooded with apartments.
Regardless of the reason, what community do you think has gone down hill the most in the last 10-20 physically, culturally and economically?
Detroit must top the list as far as major declining cities are concerned. The collapase of the auto industry there, middle-class flight (both black and white), and political corruption have laid the city low. Its now being run by the state rather than its own elected officials and may have to declare bankruptcy. The hollowing out of Detroit started more than 20 years ago, but there can be little argument that it accelerated in the past two decades.
American cities and their metro areas are for the most part more developed, safer and more affluent than they were 20 years ago. They are actually a remarkable success story of our times, collectively speaking.
AFAIK, there is no American city which has started a new decline over the past 10-20 years.
Basically what happened in the U.S. is virtually every U.S. city entered a period of decline in the 1960s and 1970s. The growing sun-belt cities were the only exceptions, and in those cases, it was because they steadily annexed suburban areas. But every few decades, one or two major cities began recovering. San Francisco and Boston in the 1980s. New York and Seattle in the 1990s. Washington DC and Denver in the 2000s. And so on. The decline in many other major U.S. cities has slowed, and in some cases, seems to be reversing.
A few cities seem to be continuing to decline at a similar rate. Detroit is the largest, but Buffalo doesn't look healthy either. Many smaller cities fall into the same boat as well. But for the most part these declines began back in the 1960s or 1970s, so this isn't a new phase.
For suburbs, there are many going downhill in many areas of the country. They don't make the headlines, however, because they are often small first-ring suburbs which are unknown outside of their metro area. They have the worst of both worlds, as they usually lack the urban amenities that modern gentrifiers want, but the housing is small and old, meaning they don't appeal to contemporary suburbanites.
Due to gentrification, poor people have been pushed out of many urban neighborhoods into more affordable nearby suburban communities (much like what has happened in European cities). This doesn't always make them go "downhill", but an increase in Section 8 housing to a town usually does bring problems with it. It's a phenomenon which is happening all over the country.
It didn't have to die, the suburbs surrounding the place are mostly fine. The political machine that looted that city needs more coverage, so other corrupt political machines looting and destroying other cities can be smoked out.
I'd say Detroit or Oakland. In the past 20 years both cities haven't broken out of the "high crime, high poverty" categories they've been thrown into.
Oakland isn't worse than it was 20 years ago. Detroit is. San Bernardino is worse than 20 years ago. What about Stockton?
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.
