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

[Anonymous]

Washington DC no question about it, but I finally moved far away and don't ever have to go into that city again!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gary, Indiana

Wow I was about to say this!!
Cairo Illinois and St Louis Missouri also fit the bill. So depressing. So areas that used to have industry and prosperity and are now quite Ghosted.

Cairo, Illinois. Yes. I was just so freaked about that place. I had to visit it on a business trip.

[Anonymous]

Having been to many places mentioned in this thread, my answer is honestly Baltimore. The depressing sense is heightened by how its lovely history is still visible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LOLOLOLOLOL somebody living in a NoVA suburb lecturing us about there being too many white people in Indiana. How many non-white friends do you have? HA! I've seen everything!

And are you a white DC transplant who is part of the gentrification of DC

So what if I am? I'm not the one on here complaining that Indiana has too many white people while living in friggin NoVA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those little towns in NC right before you cross the bridge onto the OBX.

If that's the worst you have seen then you need to venture into Central NC. I'm not sure you could cope.

[Anonymous]

Hollywood and LA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it depressing when I visit my in-laws in Indiana and we see only white people. While people, while people, everywhere only white people. And I AM WHITE! But it makes me feel like, “Where did you put everybody else? Where are they?” It feels creepy to me. It also feels creep to enter restaurants, gas stations, convenience shops, in that region l and again: only see white people, white people who work there, white people who frequent there as customers. Again, it just feels creepy to me like they all came together and decided, “Okay, we’ll live here. Let’s pretend no one else exists.”

Yea and I'll bet you moved out of DC when your kids hit school age because . . .

I have never lived in DC. NoVA is very diverse, and it is pretty parochial to assume that it is not.

Yea, right, what a joke. You live in NoVA and you think you're the diversity queen? HA!

I bet she’s the diversity kitty cat queen in McLean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For me, it would have to be a tie between Utica, New York, and Torrington, CT -- with the NY side of Niagara Falls being hot on both of their heels.

You?

I read this thread specifically, because I knew I would know somewhere someone was hating on. Didn't need to look too far (although I did look through the whole thread) - Torrington, CT.

I have been visiting Torrington all my life. My grandparents lived there and then my mother took over their house. In fact I was just there over the weekend! I love being in Torrington. It's a quiet town. Everything is much cheaper than where I live. There's so much to do. It's close to hiking, skiing. We go to Hartford to watch sports. Short drive up to the Berkshires. We go to the town pool. It's a small town of working people. It used to be very white. Now there are all different kinds of races and ethnicities living in town. We consider ourselves lucky to have Torrington as a free getaway. And my kids loved KidsPlay downtown when they were younger.

Having grown up in another New England post-industrial city, I'm used to the snobbery of those who consider these places "rundown". This country's anti-urban policies have left these once vibrant towns to fend for themselves. The real estate and construction lobbies push cheap new suburban construction over rehabilitation of urban areas. Our culture values the car over public transportation and walkability. Increasing concentrations of poverty intensify a vicious cycle of disinvestment.

Personally what I find depressing is suburban sprawl which we have in CT even though we have an aging and declining population. There's nothing more depressing to me than an empty suburban strip mall, but you can find those anywhere.

Where do you ski??

Ski Sundown or Butternut (in MA), usually. Mohawk, rarely. And there's a great hill in town where everyone goes to sled.

[Anonymous]

Unincorporated towns along old Rt. 66 in Arizona- Truxton and Valentine. Valentine was home to a few Native American assimilation schools so that’s depressing. You can still see remnants of the Rt. 66 glory days in the derelict motels and service stations. There’s also a crumbling 76 gas station that caught my eye. A lot of people used to drop off their Valentines Day cards so they could get a heart-shaped postmark from Valentine. Then the nice lady working at the post office was murdered in a robbery. There’s only a few dozen people still living here, poor as poor can be. So sad..

[Anonymous]

Intercourse, PA.

Talk about false advertising!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:LOLOLOLOLOL somebody living in a NoVA suburb lecturing us about there being too many white people in Indiana. How many non-white friends do you have? HA! I've seen everything!

And are you a white DC transplant who is part of the gentrification of DC

So what if I am? I'm not the one on here complaining that Indiana has too many white people while living in friggin NoVA.

I knew it. Your kind "friggin" stick out dude. And you are clearly ignorant about demographics of the region, so you can sit back down or go back to merca

[Anonymous]

Denver. So boring and ugly

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Denver. So boring and ugly

I agree, but Boulder is only 30 minutes away.

[Anonymous]

Fresno, CA.

[Anonymous]

Lol we just spent a night in Troy. Didn’t think it was that bad.

My list:
Gary Indiana
Forks WA
Waverly Tenn