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

[Anonymous]

York, PA
Florence, SC

[Anonymous]

Cincinnati

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Took a trip to go rafting on the New River in West Virginia when I was in my mid-twenties. I felt like I was in a third world country - there were literal tin shacks on the side of the road. It was shocking.

I actually live in Morgantown now (city in WV) and it’s really funny to see people from “north central WV” - where I am - take pains to distinguish themselves from “southern West Virginians.”

(I think WV generally sucks BTW. Husband brought me here and we make so much comparative to the COL it feels stupid to move, but honestly some stereotypes are kind of true and I am so lonely.)

I've only been to Morgantown once, in 1981, and I found it depressing. I guess it's better now?

PP here. It tries. I am a DC native and have always lived in larger cities (Raleigh, Austin, San Diego) and there’s just not a lot happening here. Very little diversity (nearly all white except for international transplants working at the university or hospital). Its got a very odd layout and is kind of ugly, just not a lot going on. The “who’s who” of Morgantown are very insular and self-important. Told DH I would give it five years (we just bought a house). It’s been one and I’m managing.

[Anonymous]

LYNCHBURG, VA!

[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.

Wow I don’t see that at all. What parts of town did you go? I have only been once but I learned so much about the history of that region and how the black culture in and around the city evolved. It does have a terrible racist history but I feel like they own it and acknowledge it in a way a lot of other places paper over. For instance, this was years ago, but it was a historical site near Charleston that I first went on a tour that was centered on the enslaved people who built it and cultivated the land, rather than the slave owners. This is now more common in the South, but it was very uncommon then.

Also, the food in Charleston is phenomenal. And you can be at the beach in a half hour.

I can’t imagine calling it depressing in the way people are talking about here. It’s diverse, economically vibrant, culturally rich.

[Anonymous]

Rock Island, Illinois in the dead of winter. It was for work.

[Anonymous]

I’m from Ohio so probably used to/immune to the effect that some of the OH and WV towns had on people. The places that I’ve found to be the most bleak and depressing are a few areas of NM (similar to what the Native poster cited) and Anchorage. I know Anchorage is supposed to have beautiful scenery, but I’ve only been there on cloudy or foggy days and found the actual city without a backdrop to be incredibly depressing in every way.

[Anonymous]

Forks, WA!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Took a trip to go rafting on the New River in West Virginia when I was in my mid-twenties. I felt like I was in a third world country - there were literal tin shacks on the side of the road. It was shocking.

I actually live in Morgantown now (city in WV) and it’s really funny to see people from “north central WV” - where I am - take pains to distinguish themselves from “southern West Virginians.”

(I think WV generally sucks BTW. Husband brought me here and we make so much comparative to the COL it feels stupid to move, but honestly some stereotypes are kind of true and I am so lonely.)

I've only been to Morgantown once, in 1981, and I found it depressing. I guess it's better now?

PP here. It tries. I am a DC native and have always lived in larger cities (Raleigh, Austin, San Diego) and there’s just not a lot happening here. Very little diversity (nearly all white except for international transplants working at the university or hospital). Its got a very odd layout and is kind of ugly, just not a lot going on. The “who’s who” of Morgantown are very insular and self-important. Told DH I would give it five years (we just bought a house). It’s been one and I’m managing.

Is the "who's who" all people somehow affiliated with the university and its hospital? That's the way it is in many college towns and it can be very hard to break in if your job isn't with one of those.

[Anonymous]

Riviera beach, fl

[Anonymous]

Las Vegas. The faux glitz and lights fail to mask the strong currents of anger and despair.

[Anonymous]

Roswell New Mexico

[Anonymous]

Reno, NV. 30 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ashburn/South Riding - no character at all

If that is truly the most depressing place you've been, I hope you get the chance to travel more.

I said the opposite in South Riding. Most of the people I know who live there are extraordinarily hard-working, and generally very intelligent, families who are first or second generation in the country. I see it as a really nice example of the land of opportunity. I live in DC, in one of the swanky areas. When I go to South riding, though, I see the future.

[Anonymous]

Glen Burnie MD. I interviewed for a job there and it looked awful.