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So I'm reading this thread, laughing hysterically at all the posts, humming a little tune in my head, and generally minding my own business, when I suddenly come across Cleo's post about my own hometown. What a hit - like a bullet from out of nowhere!! But the worst part?? Every word is true.
Also born in Fresno, raised in Chico, educated in the Bay Area, live in LA.
Swamp coolers pumping humidity into the searing heat. We slept on the floor or in the back yard. Remember camping in Ventana wilderness with spiders & criters, looking up into the night sky. Route 99 was a highway that went through instead of around every town : Bakersfield/Visalia/Delano/Fresno/Madera/Merced/Modesto/Stockton. Everything was slower paced with lazy days of swimming and hot nights of love.
Newark, NJ
Camden, NJ
Jersey city,NJ
Irvington,NJ
E.Orange,NJ
Passaic,NJ
Trenton,NJ
They are all crime and drug ridden cesspools. Dirty, nasty, drug infested places that need to be wiped off the map. Although it's not huge Trenton,NJ is the absolute worst city ever. Not only is it a dirty nasty drug and crime infested cesspool, it offers absolutely nothing for anyone, and its the capital of the state. At least some of the bigger cities like LA and NYC offer something. Trenton has no reason to exist, offers nothing, and is completely useless. Not sure how else to say it.
Overpriced - Yuppies die wanting to live here, and raise the rent. This makes it tough on everyone. A tiny apartment in Manhattan now cost a fortune. NYC is a rip off. (NYC may have a lot to do becuase there so many people, but you will never have time to do it all, most people work!)
Overpopulated - WAY too many **** people. The low income areas are like South American slums. Downtown/Midtown you can't help but bump shoulders.
Dirty - Trash everywhere. There is no place you will find nearly as much graffiti. Everything gets covered.
Poverty - Poverty is EVERYWHERE, especially in certain neighborhoods. Some areas are nothing but projects, with a few bum tenements between (Which are sometimes also part of the nearby project!) Lots and lots of poor. The Bronx is the poorest urban county in the nation. Probably the poorest if you include the cost of living.
Very segregated - You have wealthy and genrified areas, mostly White. Then you have ****hole areas that are mostly Latino and Black. One block you are passing wealthy suit wearing men in the shade of 50 story condos. You walk just one block up and the corners are full of street people and the sky is blocked by public housing projects as far as the eye can see (E 96th Street).
****ty schools - The schools are HORRIBLE, especially in low income areas. There are shootings, stabbings, assualts on teachers. Metal detectors, some schools placed inside vacant warehouses (Thanks to the boom in population.). Very high drop out rate, like 2nd or 3rd highest among the largest cities.
Crime - Crime stats don't accuarately reflect low income areas. Safest big city? So why are 20 kids getting wasted in neighborhoods only 20 square blocks. Why are robberies and shootings common as day and night? Crime even infultrates better areas. Purse snatching in the middle of Times Square, broad daylight.
NYC is just such a ripoff. That's why it's the crummiest freaking town.
As for overall dumpy areas nationwide in no order:
Camden, NJ
Compton, CA
Bronx, NY
Brooklyn, NY
Detroit, MI
Newark/Irvington, NJ
Newburgh, NY
I'm sure there's plenty more where that came from...
Have you been to a lot of these places on this list? I have. Some of these places have no redeeming qualities and make most of NYC look like a garden spot. Parts of New York are very beautiful, parts are dangerous hellholes, but much of NYC is far better than it used to be. Crime isn't as rampant and you must admit the city is much cleaner than it was in the Koch years. New areas are being revitalized all the time. Look at the lower east side and hell's kitchen. These areas used to be battlezones but they're hot now.
I won't argue that NYC combines probably the most dangerous people with the most powerful people, sometimes one in the same. Unimaginable wealth and dreaful ghettos though none as bad as I've seen in Brazil or other third world places where people live in places you cannot imagine.
For all the cost, hassle, crowdedness, crime, pollution (though NYC air isn't as bad as you'd think and the water's actually fantastic), general rudeness, and immediate threat of nuclear terror...
It has problems, yeah...
But New York is magnificent. It is still the jewel in the crown, still has much of the best of everything, still has an unparalleled metropolitan society, still has a skyline that just amazes. People can say they love New York and you wouldn't laugh. Nobody can say, "I love Camden," or, "... but Newark has so much culture!," or, "Baywater isn't all bad."
For all the bad, there is a good. Most of the places on this list have no flipside.
Have you been to a lot of these places on this list? I have. Some of these places have no redeeming qualities and make most of NYC look like a garden spot. Parts of New York are very beautiful, parts are dangerous hellholes, but much of NYC is far better than it used to be. Crime isn't as rampant and you must admit the city is much cleaner than it was in the Koch years. New areas are being revitalized all the time. Look at the lower east side and hell's kitchen. These areas used to be battlezones but they're hot now.
I won't argue that NYC combines probably the most dangerous people with the most powerful people, sometimes one in the same. Unimaginable wealth and dreaful ghettos though none as bad as I've seen in Brazil or other third world places where people live in places you cannot imagine.
For all the cost, hassle, crowdedness, crime, pollution (though NYC air isn't as bad as you'd think and the water's actually fantastic), general rudeness, and immediate threat of nuclear terror...
It has problems, yeah...
But New York is magnificent. It is still the jewel in the crown, still has much of the best of everything, still has an unparalleled metropolitan society, still has a skyline that just amazes. People can say they love New York and you wouldn't laugh. Nobody can say, "I love Camden," or, "... but Newark has so much culture!," or, "Baywater isn't all bad."
For all the bad, there is a good. Most of the places on this list have no flipside.
Accually it was more a joke based on facts. The stuff I said is factual though.
BTW, I lived in a 3rd world slum through the begginging of my life. So I can imagine, in fact rememeber. A section of Puerto Rico with shanties and tons of violent crime (If PR was a nation, it would be one of the most violent). Then I moved into a low income section of NYC through the crack epedemic (late 1980's/early 90's). Oddly with all the bull**** you hear on TV, the place I lived in NYC during that period was just as bad, if not worse sometimes. It sure was uglier. Nothing uglier then a bunch of huge PJ's and broke ass tenements.
Things are a lot better now, but now I work in Law Enforcement in a low income section of NYC. Although things are better, it's still pretty bad.
NYC though you have to admit is WAY overrated. Way overpriced too. That's the primary reason I added it to the list. NYC a pretty decent city overall, but far from perfect.
As for many of the places named. Been there sure. Camden, I have family there along with parts of Philly. Newark as well. Newburgh I have a few friends as well. Plenty of other areas too. To me all the ****ty areas are the same.
Newark, NJ
Camden, NJ
Jersey city,NJ
Irvington,NJ
E.Orange,NJ
Passaic,NJ
Trenton,NJ
They are all crime and drug ridden cesspools. Dirty, nasty, drug infested places that need to be wiped off the map. Although it's not huge Trenton,NJ is the absolute worst city ever. Not only is it a dirty nasty drug and crime infested cesspool, it offers absolutely nothing for anyone, and its the capital of the state. At least some of the bigger cities like LA and NYC offer something. Trenton has no reason to exist, offers nothing, and is completely useless. Not sure how else to say it.
You are right about Trenton. I was born and grew up there and remember being able to walk to downtown, go to the stores, etc. It was just a normal city in the early '60s. I lived in east Trenton and many times walked to west Trenton to Cadwallader Park, and this when I was a kid! It's a ghost town now and I haven't been there in decades. All the stores are gone and the only life it has is Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5pm, when the State workers are 'in session'. It is an embarrassment to New Jersey in my opinion.
Fresno's fog isn't just ordinary fog, either, it is a fog and agricultural pesticide soup, it'll kill ya. Get your kids out of the valley if you're downwind!
No one mentioned anywhere in Hawaii as the armpit of America.
Does anyone have anything bad to say about anywhere in Hawaii? If not, Hawaii is lucky to not be on the list.
I have nothing bad to say about Hawaii.
Feel free to express your opinion about Hawaii.
I won't be offended.
Just for the record, I live in Henderson, Nevada which I don't consider an "armpit" but I welcome any opinions about Henderson. I still won't be offended.
I'll just list the bad areas. Most adults know what a bad area is and means (crime).
Norwalk
Cerritos
Pomona
Garden Grove
Ontario
Victorville
Barstow
Fontana
Redlands
Rialto
If you need to ask a location and want to move to California. Just PM me in case its not listed.
Don't forget East Anaheim, Santa Ana, Westminster, and Stanton.
No one mentioned anywhere in Hawaii as the armpit of America.
Does anyone have anything bad to say about anywhere in Hawaii? If not, Hawaii is lucky to not be on the list.
I have nothing bad to say about Hawaii.
Feel free to express your opinion about Hawaii.
I won't be offended.
Just for the record, I live in Henderson, Nevada which I don't consider an "armpit" but I welcome any opinions about Henderson. I still won't be offended.
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Cesspool cities
Hawaii
