Cities/towns that's lost their charm

[Max Rockatansky]

I will say the Los Angeles/SOCAL area in general.

The first few times I visited, beginning in the 80s, were magical (hitting all the touristy areas) it was easy and cheap to get around...

...but now, with some of the highest gas prices in the country,  the out of control admission prices at tmany atteactions (Over $100 for one person just to enter a Disney property), and the overall deteriorating appearance of the area (increasing graffiti, homeless camps and barbed wire and shields around overhead BGSs to name a few), I just have no interest to spend any time there anymore.

Los Angeles is so much better if you are into things like hiking or driving mountain roads.

[HighwayStar]

Basically the entire state of California lost its charm, as have places with too many imported Californians (Oregon, Washington, Colorado).

I actually find that in terms of "charm" the Rustbelt holds up surprisingly well. Although the towns are depressing in many ways, and some of them crime and drug ridden, the overall look and feel of the place still reminds me of a better era in America that passed us by. The notable exception are the Rustbelt towns like Pittsburgh that pretend they have fixed everything by inviting in some hipsters to gentrify a few blocks and call it good. Those places lack both the charm of the Rustbelt and the real economic engine the left to boot.

Numerous locations affected by the blight of gambling also have lost their charm. Parts of PA, MT, OK, and FL come to mind. Once the casinos move in its all downhill from there.

[Rothman]

Basically the entire state of California lost its charm, as have places with too many imported Californians (Oregon, Washington, Colorado).

I actually find that in terms of "charm" the Rustbelt holds up surprisingly well. Although the towns are depressing in many ways, and some of them crime and drug ridden, the overall look and feel of the place still reminds me of a better era in America that passed us by.

Which era is this, now?

[HighwayStar]

Basically the entire state of California lost its charm, as have places with too many imported Californians (Oregon, Washington, Colorado).

I actually find that in terms of "charm" the Rustbelt holds up surprisingly well. Although the towns are depressing in many ways, and some of them crime and drug ridden, the overall look and feel of the place still reminds me of a better era in America that passed us by.

Which era is this, now?

Mainly the postwar (WWII) economic boom, but more generally the entire postbellum century that saw the US turn from a marginal power into the world's largest industrial, economic, technical, cultural, military, and political power.

[Scott5114]

Numerous locations affected by the blight of gambling also have lost their charm. Parts of PA, MT, OK, and FL come to mind. Once the casinos move in its all downhill from there.

Joke's on you–Oklahoma never had any charm to begin with.

[Ted$8roadFan]

Simple question: What towns or cities or locales have lost their charm, or just don't seem as fun or interesting as they used to be?

A lot of places could fall into this category.

[JayhawkCO]

Basically the entire state of California lost its charm, as have places with too many imported Californians (Oregon, Washington, Colorado).

I actually find that in terms of "charm" the Rustbelt holds up surprisingly well. Although the towns are depressing in many ways, and some of them crime and drug ridden, the overall look and feel of the place still reminds me of a better era in America that passed us by. The notable exception are the Rustbelt towns like Pittsburgh that pretend they have fixed everything by inviting in some hipsters to gentrify a few blocks and call it good. Those places lack both the charm of the Rustbelt and the real economic engine the left to boot.

Numerous locations affected by the blight of gambling also have lost their charm. Parts of PA, MT, OK, and FL come to mind. Once the casinos move in its all downhill from there.

So Youngstown is more charming than Breckenridge. Got it.

[MATraveler128]

Chester, Pennsylvania has certainly lost much of its charm over the years. What used to be one of the Keystone State's largest and prosperous cities has now become a rough area. Once the manufacturing jobs left, half of the population left Chester.

[kphoger]

I wasn't familiar with it back in the day, but I'm sure my wife would say Branson.

Locals especially resent the Landing having been constructed on top of what was once the downtown lakeside, exchanging a quiet fishing spot for parking garages and national-chain retail outlets.  (Now don't get me wrong, they do like to go to Bass Pro Shops, but they feel a twinge of guilt whenever they do.)

My wife remembers when all you had to do for free or discounted admission to Silver Dollar City was to show your local paystub.  Now it's quite a bit more difficult even for locals.  (We've been fortunate enough to know the owners, so we occasionally have an inside track that way.)  Silver Dollar City itself seems to have gradually been shifting from a country/redneck atmosphere to a rides-oriented atmosphere.

The shortcuts that used to work, avoiding the traffic backups on the Strip, no longer work because they're advertised as alternate routes on city-published maps.  There's no longer any good way to get across town, no matter how well you know the streets like the back of your hand.

[Henry]

Definitely Chicago. For many years, it was the second-largest city in America, but then a lot of people left, and it just went downhill from there. The area around Wrigley Field was once a beautiful neighborhood, but the advertisements on the rooftops beyond the outfield wall ruined its vibe. Outside the Navy Pier and the Loop, there certainly isn't much to see anymore, and this is coming from someone who was born and raised there.

[kphoger]

Definitely Chicago. For many years, it was the second-largest city in America, but then a lot of people left, and it just went downhill from there. The area around Wrigley Field was once a beautiful neighborhood, but the advertisements on the rooftops beyond the outfield wall ruined its vibe. Outside the Navy Pier and the Loop, there certainly isn't much to see anymore, and this is coming from someone who was born and raised there.

Really?  Chicago is probably my favorite city to visit, although I haven't set foot there since 2007.  You can keep Navy Pier, but what about Ukrainian Village, or Hyde Park, or Lincoln Park, or Michigan Avenue and the Chicago River, or Logan Square, or the North Avenue beach?

[JayhawkCO]

And give me Andersonville for Hopleaf and Argyle for great Vietnamese food and Peking Duck.

[abefroman329]

Definitely Chicago. For many years, it was the second-largest city in America, but then a lot of people left, and it just went downhill from there. The area around Wrigley Field was once a beautiful neighborhood, but the advertisements on the rooftops beyond the outfield wall ruined its vibe. Outside the Navy Pier and the Loop, there certainly isn't much to see anymore, and this is coming from someone who was born and raised there.

Really?  Chicago is probably my favorite city to visit, although I haven't set foot there since 2007.  You can keep Navy Pier, but what about Ukrainian Village, or Hyde Park, or Lincoln Park, or Michigan Avenue and the Chicago River, or Logan Square, or the North Avenue beach?

He's absolutely correct about the Disneyfication of Wrigleyville, but I have no idea what "a lot of people left, and it just went downhill from there" means.  Especially since many of the people who left are awful.

[HighwayStar]

Basically the entire state of California lost its charm, as have places with too many imported Californians (Oregon, Washington, Colorado).

I actually find that in terms of "charm" the Rustbelt holds up surprisingly well. Although the towns are depressing in many ways, and some of them crime and drug ridden, the overall look and feel of the place still reminds me of a better era in America that passed us by. The notable exception are the Rustbelt towns like Pittsburgh that pretend they have fixed everything by inviting in some hipsters to gentrify a few blocks and call it good. Those places lack both the charm of the Rustbelt and the real economic engine the left to boot.

Numerous locations affected by the blight of gambling also have lost their charm. Parts of PA, MT, OK, and FL come to mind. Once the casinos move in its all downhill from there.

So Youngstown is more charming than Breckenridge. Got it.

To me yes. Youngstown is depressing, but it at least reminds me of American prosperity in a better time and provides some hope for what could be if we get our act together.
Breckenridge just reminds me of hipsters and California exports ruining middle America.

[JayhawkCO]

Basically the entire state of California lost its charm, as have places with too many imported Californians (Oregon, Washington, Colorado).

I actually find that in terms of "charm" the Rustbelt holds up surprisingly well. Although the towns are depressing in many ways, and some of them crime and drug ridden, the overall look and feel of the place still reminds me of a better era in America that passed us by. The notable exception are the Rustbelt towns like Pittsburgh that pretend they have fixed everything by inviting in some hipsters to gentrify a few blocks and call it good. Those places lack both the charm of the Rustbelt and the real economic engine the left to boot.

Numerous locations affected by the blight of gambling also have lost their charm. Parts of PA, MT, OK, and FL come to mind. Once the casinos move in its all downhill from there.

So Youngstown is more charming than Breckenridge. Got it.

To me yes. Youngstown is depressing, but it at least reminds me of American prosperity in a better time and provides some hope for what could be if we get our act together.
Breckenridge just reminds me of hipsters and California exports ruining middle America.

Or Youngstown could remind you of what happens when a town doesn't feel the need to diversify their economy and lacks the ability to change with the times.

Have you been to Breckenridge? Not sure why you think it's Hipster-ville, or Middle America for that matter.

[Max Rockatansky]

Where are these supposed hipster Californians relocating in the Midwest? 

[abefroman329]

Yeah, the usual typical red herring argument people come up with is to hyper focus on a single set of local policies that were in at most 1/3 of the states and completely ignore everything else.

(a) If you let someone who romanticizes "the good old days" talk for long enough, chances are they'll finally admit that what they like about "the good old days" is the subjugation of women and minorities to white men
(b) It is absolutely not a red herring to point out that "the good old days" weren't "good" for everyone.

Moreover, the exceptionally stupid part of the argument is that Jim Crow clearly has no relation to our other bad policies.

True, we did implement far more terrible policies in the name of anti-communism.

[NWI_Irish96]

Definitely Chicago. For many years, it was the second-largest city in America, but then a lot of people left, and it just went downhill from there. The area around Wrigley Field was once a beautiful neighborhood, but the advertisements on the rooftops beyond the outfield wall ruined its vibe. Outside the Navy Pier and the Loop, there certainly isn't much to see anymore, and this is coming from someone who was born and raised there.

I've never lived in the city itself, but I lived in Oak Park from 1999-2004 and have lived in NW IN since 2017.

Has Wrigleyville gone commercial? Yes, but the Cubs were always just as much of a tourist attraction as a local sports team.

Chicago still has the 2nd best theater district in the US, arguably the 2nd best collection of museums, an elite US university (two if you expand Chicago a bit to include Evanston).

Neighborhoods like Lincoln Park and River North have always been vibrant. Wicker Park and Ukranian Village are far better than they were 20 years ago.

[abefroman329]

Where are these supposed hipster Californians relocating in the Midwest?

Shhhh...if I told you, then even more hipster Californians would move there...

[HighwayStar]

Basically the entire state of California lost its charm, as have places with too many imported Californians (Oregon, Washington, Colorado).

I actually find that in terms of "charm" the Rustbelt holds up surprisingly well. Although the towns are depressing in many ways, and some of them crime and drug ridden, the overall look and feel of the place still reminds me of a better era in America that passed us by. The notable exception are the Rustbelt towns like Pittsburgh that pretend they have fixed everything by inviting in some hipsters to gentrify a few blocks and call it good. Those places lack both the charm of the Rustbelt and the real economic engine the left to boot.

Numerous locations affected by the blight of gambling also have lost their charm. Parts of PA, MT, OK, and FL come to mind. Once the casinos move in its all downhill from there.

So Youngstown is more charming than Breckenridge. Got it.

To me yes. Youngstown is depressing, but it at least reminds me of American prosperity in a better time and provides some hope for what could be if we get our act together.
Breckenridge just reminds me of hipsters and California exports ruining middle America.

Or Youngstown could remind you of what happens when a town doesn't feel the need to diversify their economy and lacks the ability to change with the times.

Have you been to Breckenridge? Not sure why you think it's Hipster-ville, or Middle America for that matter.

No, that is not the correct reading of it.

What happened to Youngstown, and the rest of the Rustbelt, was the result of decades of bad economic, trade, fiscal, environmental, industrial, foreign, social, and tax policies that destroyed American industry and moved everything overseas. The problem was Washington, no one in Youngstown did anything wrong. They had a perfectly good economy producing goods that the country needed, and we made a Faustian bargain that screwed them and millions of other Americans over.

If your industry is making horse saddles and the motor car comes along then yes, you need to "change with the times", but if you are making steel its a very different story. The people of Youngstown should not have to "diversify" their economy into low wage service jobs and hipster downtown shops selling $7 coffee to survive. If the times are changing that way then something is wrong, in this case in Washington.

[NWI_Irish96]

Basically the entire state of California lost its charm, as have places with too many imported Californians (Oregon, Washington, Colorado).

I actually find that in terms of "charm" the Rustbelt holds up surprisingly well. Although the towns are depressing in many ways, and some of them crime and drug ridden, the overall look and feel of the place still reminds me of a better era in America that passed us by. The notable exception are the Rustbelt towns like Pittsburgh that pretend they have fixed everything by inviting in some hipsters to gentrify a few blocks and call it good. Those places lack both the charm of the Rustbelt and the real economic engine the left to boot.

Numerous locations affected by the blight of gambling also have lost their charm. Parts of PA, MT, OK, and FL come to mind. Once the casinos move in its all downhill from there.

So Youngstown is more charming than Breckenridge. Got it.

To me yes. Youngstown is depressing, but it at least reminds me of American prosperity in a better time and provides some hope for what could be if we get our act together.
Breckenridge just reminds me of hipsters and California exports ruining middle America.

Or Youngstown could remind you of what happens when a town doesn't feel the need to diversify their economy and lacks the ability to change with the times.

Have you been to Breckenridge? Not sure why you think it's Hipster-ville, or Middle America for that matter.

We went to both Breckenridge and Boulder two years ago and Boulder was way, way more hipster than Breckenridge.

[kphoger]

Where are these supposed hipster Californians relocating in the Midwest? 

Vandalia, IL

[hbelkins]

Gatlinburg. I haven't been in 20 years, but from what I've heard, it has really changed.

How has it changed?  I was there about 15-20 years ago as well as back in the late 80s, and I remember lots and lots of traffic and commercial development then.

That was true when I was a teen in the 1970s as well, but it seems like a lot of the local charm is gone. Christus Gardens was recently torn down. The motel where my wife and I frequently stayed was demolished.

[Alps]

Stay on the subject topic or warnings will be issued and thread will be permanently locked.

[MikieTimT]

I wasn't familiar with it back in the day, but I'm sure my wife would say Branson.

Locals especially resent the Landing having been constructed on top of what was once the downtown lakeside, exchanging a quiet fishing spot for parking garages and national-chain retail outlets.  (Now don't get me wrong, they do like to go to Bass Pro Shops, but they feel a twinge of guilt whenever they do.)

My wife remembers when all you had to do for free or discounted admission to Silver Dollar City was to show your local paystub.  Now it's quite a bit more difficult even for locals.  (We've been fortunate enough to know the owners, so we occasionally have an inside track that way.)  Silver Dollar City itself seems to have gradually been shifting from a country/redneck atmosphere to a rides-oriented atmosphere.

The shortcuts that used to work, avoiding the traffic backups on the Strip, no longer work because they're advertised as alternate routes on city-published maps.  There's no longer any good way to get across town, no matter how well you know the streets like the back of your hand.

Unless going to Silver Dollar City, riding a Duck, or watching one of the shows at Sights and Sounds Theatre, Branson really only appeals to the really old or really young nowadays.  Most everything else can be found in other places without the traffic hassles.  I do like to eat at Landry's every time we go, though.