Desolate towns

[MrHorspwer]

View attachment 187318

This is just disingenuous BS.

Yeah, there is a stark difference between 1906 (when the first photo was taken) and the second photo.

It's not because of "modern" advancements though. The large building in the first photo with the Owl Cigars billboard is the Diamond Building.

It was torn down in 1915, less than 10 years after this photo was taken.

All the buildings in the photo were gone by the mid-1950s.

That's the real take-away: Most of these stark changes happened some 70 years ago during the post-war industrial boom, not in any recent time.

 

[The Artillerist]

Most of these stark changes happened some 70 years ago during the post-war industrial boom, not in any recent time.

The “recent time” is everything post WWII. That’s when freeways were planed and built

 

[The Artillerist]

Kansas city before/after.View attachment 187316View attachment 187318

Just nuts… What the hell were freeway planners thinking?

 

[The Artillerist]

This is the building (built in 1895) that was torn down to build Empire State in NYC:

 

[PF52]

This is the building (built in 1895) that was torn down to build Empire State in NYC:
View attachment 187327

And there were probably some old wood-framed buildings there before that one.

 

[ammolab]

How far away from Centralia was your town?

Centralia isn’t in WESTERN Pa. Way east of there

 

[The Artillerist]

And there were probably some old wood-framed buildings there before that one.

A Honda Civic is not Rolls Royce

 

[brianl703]

A full century you say ? Name one …

Thurmond, West Virginia comes to mind.

 

[LenZee]

Just nuts… What the hell were freeway planners thinking?

29% of Kansas City's Downtown is Devoted to Parking lots. I wonder what percent is highways, It's got to be huge.

 

[PF52]

A Honda Civic is not Rolls Royce

Is there a point to this thread?

 

[The Artillerist]

Is there a point to this thread?

Is there a point to your point? Do you think, I don’t know, The White House has some value, or who cares if DC planners raise it and build a parking lot in its place, and the presidency moves elsewhere?

 

[brianl703]

Is there a point to your point? Do you think, I don’t know, The White House has some value, or who cares if DC planners raise it and build a parking lot in its place, and the presidency moves elsewhere?

DC planners would never build a parking lot (let alone a garage) anywhere, from what I've seen.

 

[The Artillerist]

DC planners would never build a parking lot (let alone a garage) anywhere, from what I've seen.

It was just an allegorical example.

 

[pbm]

It happened when parents stopped raising their children and they expected society to do it for them. Whoever thought it took a village to raise a child was a babbling idiot. It takes a dedicated mother and father. I won't go into specific details but you can't let the inmates run the asylum and expect anything good to come from it.

"It takes a village" is a euphemism for brainwashing by those in charge. In reality...'it takes a family".

 

[Chris142]

Randsburg,CA is another one I like.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randsburg,_California

 

[bbhero]

I very appreciate your insight. I concur that laying freeways brought urban areas was a “crime against humanity” in respect to American cities… What were they thinking back then?

I actually don’t disagree with you both here…

Though what would you do instead ?

Say building interstate 95 from Miami north all the way to Portland Maine…

Would you just build that interstate 95 all the way around and bypass, Jacksonville, Richmond, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Providence, Boston ?

Or would you have built interstate 95 close to the city limits and stopped the interstate there.. Then on the opposite side of those cities restart the interstate 95 again ?

Honestly either of those may well should have been done. Instead of what they ended up doing.

 

[brianl703]

Would you just build that interstate 95 all the way around and bypass, Jacksonville, Richmond, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Providence, Boston ?

That was the original idea, from what I read. Those cities WANTED the interstate going right through them. Same reason why I95 curves to the east to be close to DC.

 

[AutoMechanic]

Great question it’s something I think about often. I’ve noticed changes in my town over my life even though I’m not that old. I’ll say I’m young but was raised old school and am still old school in many ways. I remember when Roanoke Virginia my hometown was a lively place. Places open 24/7 not a worry in the world about anything. We used to go to Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, Kroger, we even had Advance Auto that was 24 hours a day, etc like 3-4 in the morning and they would have lots of people there especially teenagers. I was like 10 and younger when all of this was going on so circa 2012 and before. But I strongly remember it all. People used to tell my parents they were bad for having their kids out that late but we liked it. And back then everyone had flip phones so they actually talked to each other most of the time in person and occasionally the phone too. I certainly don’t know what happened to all of our liveliness even before 2020 Wal-Mart was closing at 11 or whenever instead of 24/7 then Kroger followed then Walgreens then CVS and every other place except a few select convenience stores and gas stations. A ton of people have moved out of the area too. And my friends that moved away I ask when they will come back to visit they say probably never cause there is nothing to do anymore. We have local sports and concerts and stuff but that’s it nothing fun at least not year round. Heck they even close our giant star called Mill Mountain Star which is a monument and overlook of the city. They now close at 11pm they used to be open 24 hours too. 24 hour places are good for travelers I mean if you come thru late at night there isn’t anything at all to do and minimal places to stop for a bathroom break or drink or whatever. It sucks. Now all times of the day it’s boring. Usual business traffic and truck drivers but that’s it.

For those wondering yes we got sleep. What we did is since my dad worked nights 4 on 3 off is me and my sister would get home from school and unless we had to take care of something then we slept from about 5pm-1am give or take. Then we would get up with my mom and dad if he was home and we’d cruise the town till school time then come home and repeat. On the bored nights or nights like mom or sister was sick or something we’d sit home and watch tv and movies all night. Even during the daytime places were lively. And people would visit the star city which is our town’s nickname.

 

[bbhero]

That was the original idea, from what I read. Those cities WANTED the interstate going right through them. Same reason why I95 curves to the east to be close to DC.

I knew that interstate 95 went around Washington DC since I was 5 years old…

I memorized the entire Dwight Eisenhower interstate system by the age of 8 years old. I knew all 50 states and all 50 capitals and knew many of the highest mountains in many of the states with mountains… east or west.. I was not a typical kid in a number of ways.

When I left home at the age of 18 and didn’t tell anyone… My mom and step father had to plead with the local county police that I was not hanging out in Gloucester County. And yeah… By the time they knew I was gone I was in Danville eating dinner at Mc Donald’s there. On my way to a place in southwest Virginia just north of Whitetop mountain that first night. The second evening I drove all up to where my grandmother lived in Rocky Gap and slept in my car at a school near her home. The 3rd day I drove interstate 77 north to Beckley WV and hit interstate 64 east back into Virginia. I went to Douthat state park for a bit. Then got back on64 to interstate 81 and took that north and then 64east to Richmond and then on to 295 south to rte 60 east to a motel in Bottoms Bridge. I ended up leaving there and just going home that 3rd night. I could have gone a whole lot more place’s because I knew the roads so extremely well. But I went to places I wanted to go to. The mountains was where I felt like I needed to go to.

I always thought it was interesting that 95 and 495 formed that beltway .. With only 395 going into the city and ending there. With 295 coming from the south and meeting in the city .

It is interesting though that when the construction of that interstate system began it started in the cities and then connected over time between the cities.

 

[brianl703]

I knew that interstate 95 went around Washington DC since I was 5 years old…

That wasn't the original plan. I395 would have been I95 and go through DC were it not for Marion Barry.