Reply to 80’s/90’s DC vs 2020’s DC-Biggest Similarities, Biggest Differences?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]White person here who grew up in Northwest DC in the 80s and early 90s. There weren’t many white kids growing up in DC then. They were the white kids at the private schools. Then there were maybe 20 to 40 white kids per grade at Wilson. That was about it. So most of the white kids all kind of knew each other. Like you might not actually know someone, but you’ve probably heard of him or had a friend in common.

There was a lot more crime and homeless people, even in places like Cleveland park.

City services were dreadful. Trash regularly did not get picked up on the appropriate day. Sometimes it didn’t get picked up all week. You couldn’t really figure out when it would get picked up, so if it didn’t get picked up on the right day, you would leave the trashcan at the curb in the hopes that it will get picked up the next day or the next day. But sometimes when you did that, the police would come through and ticket every trashcan. It seemed deliberate. Don’t pick up the trash, then ticket people!

Snow plowing barely happened, which was relevant because it snowed more back then.

There were a ton more movie theaters. Movie theaters all up and down Wisconsin Avenue and Connecticut.

Way fewer restaurants.

I left DC in 2010 so I don’t actually know what it’s like now. Now I live in Macgomery County and the difference in services is absolutely amazing. Trash gets picked up when it supposed to get picked up. Streets get plowed. It’s kind of boring out here though. I only left because I couldn’t afford to buy a house in DC.

Honestly the only thing that was better about DC back then is that it was cheaper. Normal, middle class or upper middle class people could afford to live in places like Cleveland Park and Wesley Park. Like a government worker and a stay at home mom could afford a house in Cleveland Park. Now you need massive wealth to live in those neighborhoods[/quote]

This post is spot-on.

Just a few more observations:

1) DC seemed more Southern. I remember a friend who relocated from NYC in the ‘80s would complain about how much slower the clerks were at Peoples.
 
2) People were in general nicer. It seemed more neighborly, and like a small town.

3) There were not NewYorkers everywhere.

4) People looked at you askance if your kids went to DCPS, even if it was to Wilson feeders.

5) There was another thread about this that talked about Tracks and other fun things. [/quote]

This is awesome. What was Peoples? Where was it located? I can see people thinking DC was Southern, as a lot of people who moved to DC were from the South.[/quote]

Peoples Drug was a regional convenience store/pharmacy chain that CVS bought up in 1990. [/quote]

Thank you for the history. Those regional stores were a part of the character of the community. [/quote]

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