What's the most depressing U.S. town you've ever visited?

[Anonymous]

Augusta, Maine.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:This thread has deteriorated from legit to a typical DCUM snob thread. Gary, Indiana? Yes, depressing by any measure. A few other listed cities? Ditto. But Asheville, NC? Etc? Get real. Many of the cities listed here as "depressing" have large sections that are less "depressing" than the suburban sprawl that many of you are living in right now, I'm sure. I'd stick a fork in my eye before living in Fairfax or Montgomery counties.
Y'all think you're so damned special.

omg u r soooo kewl.

I mean, it's true. We have a second home about 75 miles outside of DC, and every time I drive through the DC suburbs going back and forth I get depressed. I could never, ever live in any of them. None is appealing in the least. None.

There is absolutely nowhere within a 75 mile radius of DC worth bothering to have a second home so this is hysterical snobbery to me

DP. I mean, c'mon. Shenandoah National Park is less than 75 miles from DC, for starters.

Shenandoah is great. Not great enough to bother maintaining a whole second home there which is my point. Second home in HHI? Sarasota? Sure. 75 miles of here? Lmao just why

You're a Florida fan. That says it all. Talk about depressing. The whole damned state is depressing.

np. sooo many people moving here...housing costs are so high and it's getting so crowded! so many people want to live here - glad there are at least some people we can count on to stay away! we're full

[Anonymous]

Someone else said Flint MI and that's mine too. Detroit was second, looked almost as bad as Flint. Third is Buffalo NY. These visits were all mid-90s so I hope these places have improved. I couldn't wait to leave.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:This thread has deteriorated from legit to a typical DCUM snob thread. Gary, Indiana? Yes, depressing by any measure. A few other listed cities? Ditto. But Asheville, NC? Etc? Get real. Many of the cities listed here as "depressing" have large sections that are less "depressing" than the suburban sprawl that many of you are living in right now, I'm sure. I'd stick a fork in my eye before living in Fairfax or Montgomery counties.
Y'all think you're so damned special.

omg u r soooo kewl.

I mean, it's true. We have a second home about 75 miles outside of DC, and every time I drive through the DC suburbs going back and forth I get depressed. I could never, ever live in any of them. None is appealing in the least. None.

There is absolutely nowhere within a 75 mile radius of DC worth bothering to have a second home so this is hysterical snobbery to me

DP. I mean, c'mon. Shenandoah National Park is less than 75 miles from DC, for starters.

Shenandoah is great. Not great enough to bother maintaining a whole second home there which is my point. Second home in HHI? Sarasota? Sure. 75 miles of here? Lmao just why

You're a Florida fan. That says it all. Talk about depressing. The whole damned state is depressing.

np. sooo many people moving here...housing costs are so high and it's getting so crowded! so many people want to live here - glad there are at least some people we can count on to stay away! we're full

yea well, I could afford it, trust me. i'd rather have a fork stuck in my eye though.

[Anonymous]

Sandusky, Ohio
Aberdeen, WA
Cumberland, MD
Bennington VT

[Anonymous]

LA, San Fran now, Moscow, South Bend, Orlando.

[Anonymous]

All of the plains states: Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, iowa, the dakotas.

Gary, IN. East St. Louis, MO. Most of IL and MO except Chicago and st Louis.

Most of the little towns in the Mississippi and Arkansas delta.

Much of Kentucky, Indiana, ohio, and West Virginia.

[Anonymous]

Flint, Michigan

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:LA, San Fran now, Moscow, South Bend, Orlando.

These are all really weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kansas City…. I just can’t remember if it was Missouri or Jansas. Driving cross country. I’d been there years before so cute. But this time (just before Covid) so sketchy and barren

Kansas City is sprawling, so it certainly depends on where you were. If you drove through downtown KCMO, it probably wouldn't have seemed barren. If you took a highway that bypasses downtown, you'd need to get off the highway to explore certain areas to see the cute and cool parts.

And KCK has lots of yucky spots.

[Anonymous]

McLean, VA
Vienna, VA
Fairfax, VA
Bethesda, MD
Potomac, MD
Chevy Chase, MD
Loudoun County, VA

Shoot me in the face before I'd live in any of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So much of this is subjective. Tehachapi CA is objectively a bad place, but I have family there so there are some positive memories. In contrast, I visited Ely NV by accident without a place to stay and it felt absolutely desolate.

I went to grad school at UM and found basically every MI city ugly and depressing, even Ann Arbor. There's something about the low power lines and age of the buildings that screams economic depression.

I kind of loved that about Eli, NV. I was there in the early 2000s, not sure if it's changed since then.

[Anonymous]

All of the plains states: Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, iowa, the dakotas.

Gary, IN. East St. Louis, MO. Most of IL and MO except Chicago and st Louis.

Most of the little towns in the Mississippi and Arkansas delta.

Much of Kentucky, Indiana, ohio, and West Virginia.

I think the title is depressing towns, not states. I don't know about everything in those states, but there are some really nice areas in and around Des Moines, Iowa. Beautiful parks and botanical gardens there. Very good restaurants.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:The whole state of NV

So true. I lived in Las Vegas for a year for work once, and I have never been so lonely or depressed. It's so awful.

Las Vegas depresses me too. It’s funny, because part of me enjoys Vegas a bit. Couldn’t imagine living there, or if I did the strip would only be a distant skyline view. I imagine if you live in Vegas, going to the Strip is the equivalent of somebody living in Queens and going to hang out in Times Square.

Las Vegas and Atlantic City made me sad because of the people addicted to gambling and booze.

[Anonymous]

College Park, MD