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Actually when I read these "back in my day" and "this (country, state, city, blah, blah) is going down the drain" posts, I sense a whole lot of Rosy Retrospection: http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosy_retrospection
I see farms, tractors, crops, and livestock just driving through Hollis. Yeah, that Hollis in Southern NH (or New Massachusetts as the curmudgeons here refer to the area).
Sure things seemed better when I was a kid too. But the human brain likes to forget the unpleasant in favor of the pleasant memories. The house I grew up in was huge and fancy (it's not really). The fields behind the house went on for miles (they didn't), the woods were safe to wander in (they weren't). There was just petty crime (not true, look at crime stats).
Going home again has never been on my agenda. I am always looking for better times ahead. So far, so good.
As far as sustaining agriculture our Londonderry has spent a considerable amount of money buying up forest land. We are about to lose a big plot to some ill conceived "new town" scheme cooked up by a Massachusetts developer. There is still a small hope the orchard will be returned to production but it is very small.
People have been complaining about how their generation was better for a very long time:
"I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words. When I was a boy, we were taught to be discrete and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise and impatient of restraint."
Hesiod 700BC
Still I'm sure it's true that some of the things we've lost over the years were worth preserving.
GregW is right it's like that everywhere you go. I grew up in the city so I honestly don't feel crowded, but I would imagine someone who is from a truly rural town would with the influx of suburbanites to an area.
But it's not just the geography or population growth that's changed, it's the people. I grew up on a block (in NYC) where there were so many kids of the same age that all played with eachother...all the neighbors sitting out each night to watch the game (baseball, kickball or whatever we were playing) and they all knew eachother, they were all friends, every kid in the neighborhood and everyone watched out for the other. Now you are lucky to meet your neighbors, it's rare to know their names, and to have a conversation of any substance with a neighbor is like starring in an episode of the twilight zone.
I don't think it's specific to New Hampshire, and I don't think it's going to change soon.
IrishMom - you nailed it. I'm not from a big city. But, I did grow up in an urban environment. In the 70s and 80s we all knew each other on the block. There was always a lady would babysit. There was always a game. The kids were busy and could play outside SAFELY!
What happened? I'm now a father and my kids only play with other kids on play dates. Or, we pay an adult to be their teacher (karate, dance, soccer, swimming, etc...). I walk by empty parks in the middle of summer. Kids stay inside, eat chips, and play video games. What happened to the community?
The development that has taken over Southern NH is not "progress" by any stretch of the imagination. It's entirely unsustainable over the long term, and will be a dump in a century or less. I was just out in the rust belt of the Midwest at the end of August and saw what I suspect will be the future of Southern NH: an absolute dump. Abandoned industrial and commercial buildings, crumbling roads and bridges, etc. Absolutely disgusting. That area was thriving 50 or so years ago. I won't even comment on how nasty the driving is out there because everyone is in such a hurry to be the first one to the next red light or traffic jam.
About the forests: a warmer climate will favor the trees that grow more abundantly in warmer areas. There are species disappearing from the forests. The butternut is a notable example. It was never particularly abundant but it was around, now they're being killed off quickly by the canker. There's a lot of pests working their way to this part of the country that threaten many common trees: hemlock, ash, etc. Sure other species fill in when one fades out, but how long can we keep losing species to introduced diseases or pests? In the last century we've lost chestnuts, elms and now the butternut. Hemlock is important for wildlife during the Winter (especially deer) for protection, ash is a pretty common and useful tree as well. If people weren't so eager to get cheap garbage from China et al so rapidly we could stop the introduction of these problems.
Sure things seemed better when I was a kid too. But the human brain likes to forget the unpleasant in favor of the pleasant memories. The house I grew up in was huge and fancy (it's not really). The fields behind the house went on for miles (they didn't), the woods were safe to wander in (they weren't). There was just petty crime (not true, look at crime stats).
Very true.
Everything seems like it was better when you were a kid, because you were a KID. No real responsibilities of any kind, and you were able to look at the world in total wonder and awe...you weren't jaded yet. Our region is getting more developed, and some big open spaces are getting smaller; however, it's also true that spaces seemed wide open when you were young, at least in part, because they were "big" relative to your size and experience as a child. My parents still live in the house that I grew up in, and when I visit them, I'm always struck by how much smaller the backyard looks to me now. The acreage hasn't changed; I'm just a lot taller and more traveled now.
It's easy to look back and romanticize things. I agree with Mysticeti, too, that some of the things we've lost were good things.
But we've gained some good things too...
The comments about the reduction in kids playing at parks and with neighbors, etc., make me wonder if some of that change has to do with (at least in part) more women working, reducing the number of stay-at-home-moms. Working moms aren't as available to do stuff like that with their kids. Lots of kids are in childcare centers or afterschool programs until 6:00 PM on weekdays. Working women aren't home as often as women used to be to make connections with neighbors, etc. I personally wouldn't trade that particular progress for the wistful and maybe not-so-accurate memories of my youth.
Plus, if one chooses, they can still reach out and make the community they'd like to see. Lots of the kids in my neighborhood do play together outside everyday. One of the families in my neighborhood hosts an annual 4th of July party and an annual holiday party, and every household in our neighborhood is invited. Maybe our whole society doesn't function like that anymore, but it doesn't mean people can't find some like-minded folks near them to preserve that kind of thing if they want that experience for their families.
Change is hard, but it's inevitable. We can't go back, but we can try to change our perspective a little and do what we can to preserve what we loved about the past within what now exists.
Sure doesn't exist anymore.
Go look at wmur.com... (Channel 9, a NH TV channel... look at the education statistics in the business section)....
For those now-residents that grew up elsewhere, the state is ranked third in education. Excellent. For those that are native NH residents, the state is ranked 46th. Oops.
How does having fewer SAHMs and more working women have anything to do with kid playing outside with other kids? I grew up with a single mother and like most kids, played with however I could find in the neighborhood. The rule was that I was to come home at dusk. It worked. Nowadays these helicopter parents (especially the SAHMs) would die before they'd let their kids play with other kids unless they personally DROVE them there, even if it is only two houses away.
I think it has more to do with a culture of fear. Kids are taught that there is danger on every corner and that they do not possess the judgment to decide who they play with; even that gets decided for them by their parents.
The development that has taken over Southern NH is not "progress" by any stretch of the imagination. It's entirely unsustainable over the long term, and will be a dump in a century or less. I was just out in the rust belt of the Midwest at the end of August and saw what I suspect will be the future of Southern NH: an absolute dump. Abandoned industrial and commercial buildings, crumbling roads and bridges, etc. Absolutely disgusting. That area was thriving 50 or so years ago.
If snh will be a dump in 100 years, Boston (and probably the rest of the country) will be in ruins. The Midwest was dependent on the auto industry. Snh is dependent on Boston which has a very homogenized economy. There isnt any one industry that we depend on. Textiles died out and we survived. The dot-com bust didn't bring us down, the real estate bust didn't bring us down, and we've weathered slumps in just about every major industry.
So what is your solution? Should we not allow more industry in the area? Should we close the border and keep mass people out? Should we move all high-tech out of state and try to get by on farming and forestry?
If you're going to worry, worry about the areas dependent on tourism. Or towns like Berlin that were dependent on paper mills.
Predicting doom and gloom 100 years from now is just silly. You could throw a dart at a map and come up with reasons to predict its demise in 100 year timeframe.
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