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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not enjoying the upstate NY responses on this thread. Both Troy and Albany have some dismal parts (so I understand), but they are also quite vibrant and have beautiful parts (and relatively easy access to nature). Scenes for The Gilded Age are shot in Troy; Washington Park in Albany is one of my favorite small city parks (with free plays in the summer). Albany has the economic lift of being the seat of NYS government. There are a lot of colleges in the capital district as well which makes an area less depressing to me. I am sure someone loves every town in the US.

I am from there and I can absolutely say it’s depressing. I couldn’t wait to get out of there when I was ready for college. And I come from generations up there, great family, etc., but it was so grey.

To each their own. I'm originally from LI, lived in Colorado for a few years, loved it but I missed the greenery and rain. Moved to upstate NY near Albany and work in Albany and I've been very happy for 33 years. Except for March, I hate March.

[Anonymous]

This is for all of you snobs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hvg2Dcr7AFk

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wilkes Barre, PA.
A lot of my family lives there, and wow... it's just so depressing every time we go up there. Run down streets, closed up coal and manufacturing, tons of people smoking, very little to do. It could be an absolutely beautiful area, but it's just not.

I'm the PP who said Easton, PA and I'd agree with Wilkes Barre and other cities mentioned in central PA. My mom grew up there and at the time it was a huge manufacturing town. Once that dried up, those areas started falling hard. I don't think they'll ever come back from it. I have such great memories of those places as cute, safe little family towns when I was growing up. Everyone knew each other, no one locked their doors during the day, you could run up a tab at the little ice cream shops and your parents or grandparents would walk up and pay it at the end of the week, there were swimming holes that were so fun, etc. Now the amount of drugs is staggering, my few relatives who are still there won't even keep tools in their garages because they've been ripped off so many times, practically every store that's not boarded up is either a porn shop, a vape shop, or a check cashing place, and there are a lot of 40 year old grandparents raising toddlers because the teenage parents overdosed. Awful.

[Anonymous]

Gary, IN. Always Gary. There is just nothing redeeming about that place and it is sad. I say this as someone who has lived in Detroit.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cumberland, MD

I just googled. Looks cute?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Albany, Georgia

NP - Or really any other town in that area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find Logan Circle as depressing as any part of the country because you can tell it was once a nice solid neighborhood full of normal people and then it turned into a hellhole with a bunch of frivolous nobodies walking their dogs and acting like the lame overpriced restaurants nearby are worth it.

How can you tell if someone walking their dog is a frivolous nobody?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Beaumont, Texas.

Good Jesus yes!! I am from nearby Port Arthur. I had a horrible childhood. It was a miserable place to live. I am so happy I left and never looked back.

Gary, IN, Camden, NJ and parts of Philly are the absolute dregs.

[Anonymous]

Charleston, WV - So many drug addicted people just hanging out on the streets, asking for money.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Baltimore
Atlantic City

Yes, and Yes! Atlantic City is by far worse. At least Bsltimore has some local charm, good food, and nice people. But the marginality there is like nothing I have seen anywhere else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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]

Ugh, this is a really snobby and mean-spirited thread.

[Anonymous]

I live in Baltimore and there are parts of it that are absolutely depressing. West Baltimore is sheer awfulness. Even my kid asked me "What happened here?" when we drove through it. If that's all you see, I'd agree that it is the most depressing. But the other parts of it are wonderful. It has many vibrant and unique neighborhoods.

My first vote would go to Cumberland. Next are some little towns in SC that time passed by. Boarded up homes and shops and kids wandering around. Very sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jackson, Tennessee
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Toledo, Ohio

I'm sure must be nice parts of these towns, I just didn't see them.

Toledo, OH was on my list. My mom grew up there and told me about taking the streetcar downtown when she was 10. Different times.