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

[Anonymous]

Belle Glade, FL

[Anonymous]

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.

I am the OP Torrington poster. It's not that it's rundown - it's that it is in the middle of nowhere, the very definition of "you can't get there from here." The housing stock is shabby and cheaply built throughout much of town. There's a huge alcohol and drug issue. The Berkshires -- the part closest to Torrington -- have a lonesome, haunted feel. It just has a sad, left-behind vibe, but more than that, geographically it's just in an unfortunate corner IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only place more depressing and third world IME is Cairo, Illinois. Lots of racism too.

Charleston, SC

I couldn't get over the racism there. Plus everything was grimy and dirty. Beautiful old buildings in rotten decay. I don't get how people like it there. I felt like the historical racism made the air thick.... and I'm white.

That’s the feeling I received when I walked around Charleston. It was an ugly, eerie feeling. I felt my the suffering spirits of my enslaved ancestors. I could not get out fast enough

[Anonymous]

Dillon, SC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Denver. So boring and ugly

Really?! I’m from CO so I’ll admit I have a soft spot for Denver but, while it may not be the best city I’ve ever visited, I can’t see it being truly the most depressing town someone has ever visited.

A friend had to spend several months there for work, and she said it was dirty. I was surprised because I think of CO as progressive and environmentally sound. I guess I was wrong.

Portland? Seattle? LA? San Francisco? These are all "progressive" places that I also found to be incredibly dirty. I found Dallas and Charlotte to be extremely clean.

I live in Seattle and can confirm that Denver is dirty in the same way Seattle is. Not necessarily depressing to me, but definitely dirty in a way that doesn’t seem to bother people, which makes it especially unnerving.

[Anonymous]

Waynesboro, NC. How can you take rolling hills and beautiful mountain lakes and come up with that?

[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.

I am the OP Torrington poster. It's not that it's rundown - it's that it is in the middle of nowhere, the very definition of "you can't get there from here." The housing stock is shabby and cheaply built throughout much of town. There's a huge alcohol and drug issue. The Berkshires -- the part closest to Torrington -- have a lonesome, haunted feel. It just has a sad, left-behind vibe, but more than that, geographically it's just in an unfortunate corner IMO.

Maybe you should have thought twice about starting this ridiculous thread if your response to criticism consists of rationalizations. It's in the middle of nowhere, but so are tons of other places. Are you a housing inspector? How do you know the housing stock is shabby and cheaply built? Most of the housing stock is old. It's not cheaply built. Many people take great care of their homes. There are alcohol and drug issues, but tons of other places have alcohol and drug issues, too. I live in NYC and I see drug issues every day. As for the "sad, left-behind vibe", every post-industrial city in New England and the Upper Midwest feels that way. Singling out Torrington is unfair. I don't think it's an unfortunate corner and neither do others who live in the area or have second homes up there. Please spare me your opinion of a place where you probably spent one day. This is the second thread on DCUM where I've had to defend Torrington. My guess is you're the person who mentioned Torrington there, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Waynesboro, NC. How can you take rolling hills and beautiful mountain lakes and come up with that?

Do you mean Waynesville? I get what you're saying, but I wouldn't call it the most depressing town I've every visited. I actually have family with a home up the mountain from there and they love it.

[Anonymous]

Pahokee and Belle Glade FL
Petersburg and Hopewell VA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Denver. So boring and ugly

Really?! I’m from CO so I’ll admit I have a soft spot for Denver but, while it may not be the best city I’ve ever visited, I can’t see it being truly the most depressing town someone has ever visited.

A friend had to spend several months there for work, and she said it was dirty. I was surprised because I think of CO as progressive and environmentally sound. I guess I was wrong.

Portland? Seattle? LA? San Francisco? These are all "progressive" places that I also found to be incredibly dirty. I found Dallas and Charlotte to be extremely clean.

I live in Seattle and can confirm that Denver is dirty in the same way Seattle is. Not necessarily depressing to me, but definitely dirty in a way that doesn’t seem to bother people, which makes it especially unnerving.

I don’t think Denver is dirty (grew up there and visit often) but it is dusty in a way that the East Coast isn’t. Denver is also a big city and I suspect people who don’t like it spent most of their time downtown which is not Denver’s best showing. The neighborhood around the major parks (excluding civic center) are lovely with great food, museums, bars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gary, Indiana

Came here to say the same thing!

[Anonymous]

Accident, Maryland
Bitter End, Tennessee
Booger Hole, West Virginia
Bugtussle, Kentucky
Burnout, Alabama
Coke County, Texas
Funk, Nebraska
Half Hell, North Carolina
Hell, Michigan
Hurt, Virginia
Knockemstiff, Ohio
Poverty, Kentucky
Satan's Kingdom, Massachusetts
Slaughterville, Oklahoma
Tombstone, Arizona

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dillon, SC

Yes. So sad

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cumberland, MD - both of my parents grew up there. It was a beautiful little town once, but it became depressed once railroads became less vital to the economy. It is so sad to visit now - I believe it may be ranked the poorest town in MD - lots of drugs and all boarded up. I sometimes wonder if it will ever have a renaissance like Ashevillle - such a pretty location and charming old buildings. I hope it revitalizes one day.

I posted earlier, and I can't believe I forgot Cumberland. Utterly depressing, I don't even like driving through it, just really bad vibes. And you're right, it wasn't always that way, I drove through a lot as a kid and it was very pretty.

My kid is a huge rail fan, so we took a drive out one day, and it was such a strange place there is literally a right and wrong side of the tracks. One side drug town the other cute railroad kitsch.

I recently asked hi if he wanted to go back to spend the day and he said no way that place is too sketch.

Too bad as I was actually looking forward to it.

[Anonymous]

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?

My cousins lived in Utica - all of them left as soon as they graduated HS. Their HS had been taken over by the state of NY it was so academically terrible. Utica is interesting though depressed and dangerous are two words many would use to describe it if they weren’t from there. They have some decent restaurants, good arts scene, and huge vibrant immigrant population. It’s also CHEAP to live there. Anywhere is what you make of it I guess.