What part of America is the biggest dump? (2 Viewers)

[17seconds]

Sacramento

yeah, I was kind of surprised when I was there. Downtown Sacramento is not a place you want to be late at night

 

[matttyl]

Appalachia.

 

[MAC_32]

I stand by my pick of NJ (Camden,Newark Jersey City etc)

Back in early 90's I was driving home to NY from Rockford IL on SB Sunday and somewhere in OH I pulled off the road looking for a hotel to watch the game -about 5PM when a cop pulled up next to me and asked if I had a gun on me and I replied no - he said I should or I should get back on the highway. He gave me an escort back to 80 and I missed the first quarter somewhere east of that town.

To this day I have no idea where in OH I was but I clearly remember that experience.

then you were outside Youngstown.

 

[MAC_32]

Appalachia.

my ex's brother lived in Beckley, WV. Said the town was alright, just stay inside the first and third of the month. One day was welfare check day, all the hill jacks came down from the mountains to get their money for the month. Don't remember what the other was for though.

 

[mr roboto]

East St. Louis has to be in the conversation, no?

Is there anything along the Mississippi that is a desirable location to live? I can't think of one. I think Missouri is a tremendously underrated state, but not the part along the Mississippi. We know Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana are all terrible. Maybe Baton Rouge, can't think of another.

Wat? St Louis metro is nice outside of East St Louis. Minneapolis/St. Paul area consistently ranks top 25 places to live.

 

[jon_mx]

Gary all the way through south Chicago is probably the worst area or at least a close second to Newark. The two worst areas I have ever gone though.

 

[jon_mx]

Gary all the way through south Chicago is probably the worst area or at least a close second to Newark. The two worst areas I have ever gone though.

ETA: I have driven around Detroit and DC quite a bit, and they don't compare to the wasteland of Gary and Newark. They have to be #1 and #2.

 

[avoiding injuries]

Definitely Maryland, especially the 95 corridor from Baltimore to the Delaware line. Ghetto/trailer trash people, tons of drugs, depressing landscape. Absolute ####hole in every way.

This is a weird opinion.

Good Posting Avoiding injuries. The description is not the MD I know.

Follow me up 95 from the tunnels. You have Boston St and canton, very nice and trendy.

Greektown and Hopkins Bayview. Not bad and a lot of culture.

Moravia Rd area- not good

695 split/Nottingham/Perry Hall- normal middle class area

White Marsh- same as Perry Hall

Fallston- very nice

Bel Air- similar to White Marsh

Aberdeen- getting a little undeveloped

Havre de Grace/Rising Sun- former KKK area, no reason to go there

Elkton- Blue collar town

Deleware

Meanwhile, you have flush green scenery and the Tydings bridge going over the Sesquahana River which has spectacular views.

If that's the armpit, we've got nothing to complain about in this country.

Going up Rt 40 might be a different story...with the porn shops and motels. Old truckers route.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

Barstow, CA

You know your city is bad when people from Bakersfield laugh at it.

 

[mr roboto]

Gary all the way through south Chicago is probably the worst area or at least a close second to Newark. The two worst areas I have ever gone though.

The funny thing is from the Loop northward is wealthy, and from Gary eastward/northward is the most beautiful part of Lake Michigan (southern Michigan lake shore).

 

[jon_mx]

I probably flew into Newark a dozen times. The only place I was scare for my life filling up the rental car when i returned it. I only did that once. The other times I filled up a good half hour away.

 

[SHIZNITTTT]

Every town has bad parts.

 

[MAC_32]

Every town has bad parts.

east cleveland.

 

[Todd Andrews]

KooKLand, USA

 

[Doubtingthomas]

Having lived in Denver all my life I am shocked when I travel to Midwest cities and the East Coast. There are parts of St. Louis that look like what I imagine war zones look like. There is no where in Denver that can touch East St. Louis for dump status. Move West people.

 

[pollardsvision]

I keep thinking this thread is about Kim Kardashian

 

[fruity pebbles]

Having lived in Denver all my life I am shocked when I travel to Midwest cities and the East Coast. There are parts of St. Louis that look like what I imagine war zones look like. There is no where in Denver that can touch East St. Louis for dump status. Move West people.

California, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico have a lot of dumps

 

[mr roboto]

Knowing little about SoCal, is the 'Inland Empire' the same thing as the 'Valley'?

 

[Doubtingthomas]

Having lived in Denver all my life I am shocked when I travel to Midwest cities and the East Coast. There are parts of St. Louis that look like what I imagine war zones look like. There is no where in Denver that can touch East St. Louis for dump status. Move West people.

California, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico have a lot of dumps

They do but very few can hold a candle to places like Detroit, St. Louis, etc. At lest in hte Southwest you have some good weather.

 

[Christo]

Every town has bad parts.

Thanks, Captain Obvious.

 

[mr roboto]

As of 2012, Most Vacant Cities.

Holy ####, Detroit is 2x as vacant as 2nd place!

10) Las Vegas, Nev.
> Vacancy rate: 5.8%
> Median price per square foot: $73
> Unemployment: 11.5%

It is not surprising that Las Vegas, the poster child of the housing downturn, adds high vacancy rates to its litany of problems with overbuilding and high foreclosure rates. Between peak and trough, Las Vegas housing prices plummeted by 60.4%. This decline in home values in Las Vegas and other housing markets in the state have contributed to Nevada being the only state in the country where the total worth of homes is less than the total amount owed on these homes.

9) Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Fla.
> Vacancy rate: 6.1%
> Median price per square foot: $83
> Unemployment: 9.1%

The vacancy rate in Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville in October climbed 8.3% from last year, the highest of all increases on this list. Homes in Palm Bay specifically are going very cheaply these days — the median sale price between Aug. and Oct. 2012 dropped by 2.6% from the previous year to only $76,000. In Palm Bay Colony, which Trulia notes is among the most popular (i.e., most searched) neighborhood in that city, the current average listing price is just $58,704.

8) Cleveland, Ohio
> Vacancy rate: 6.2%
> Median price per square foot: $78
> Unemployment: 6.5%

Unlike metropolitan areas in Florida and Nevada, the housing market crash was not nearly as bad in Ohio. In Cleveland, the price drop from peak to trough was 17.6%, a far more modest decline compared to cities such as Las Vegas. Despite faring better than many markets, Cleveland is not yet showing many signs of turning a corner. On top of high vacancy rates, the average price per square foot is unchanged on a year-over-year basis, and the number of sales have dropped by nearly 20% in the same period. Further, while 1,754 resale and new homes are for sale in Cleveland, as per Trulia’s site, another 5,451 homes are in some phase of the foreclosure process.

7) Toledo, Ohio
> Vacancy rate: 6.5% (tied for 4th highest)
> Median price per square foot: $69
> Unemployment: 7.2%

There are some encouraging signs in the Toledo housing market despite its high vacancy rate. The median price per square foot is up about 60% on a year-over-year basis, according to Trulia. Another measure, however, points to an inventory problem: for each new or resale home listed on Trulia, there are two homes in the foreclosure pipeline that are either vacant or will enter the market at some point. The peak-to-trough price decline of 18.2% remains a challenge in a market that saw just a 4.6% price increase on a year-over-year basis.

6) Dayton, Ohio
> Vacancy rate: 6.6% (tied for 4th highest)
> Median price per square foot: $72
> Unemployment: 6.9%

If Dayton is starting to blossom into a rosier housing market, it is not yet evident in the area’s housing statistics. In addition to high vacancy rates, the data show a decrease in housing prices per square foot on a year-over-year basis along with a drop in the median sales price. Sales volume in the city climbed just 2.6% in the same period. The 11.8% peak-to-trough drop in the area was not the worst in Ohio, but that is not much to cheer about. Still, for homebuyers, a median sale price of $73,658 must have a certain appeal.

5) Gary, Ind.
> Vacancy rate: 6.6% (tied for 4th highest)
> Median price per square foot: $85
> Unemployment: 8.8% (Michigan City-LaPorte Ind.)

Of all metropolitan areas on this list, Gary’s was hit the least by the housing downturn. Home prices fell just 10.2% between the market’s peak and its trough. Although prices did not drop massively during the downturn, the asking price in Gary fell 3.5% from the previous year, worse than all but two metro areas. The average listing price in Gary is just $59,939.

4) Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
> Vacancy rate: 6.6% (tied for 4th highest)
> Median price per square foot: $115
> Unemployment: 8.4%

While about seven in 10 markets Trulia analyzed showed increases in vacancy rates, the vacancy rate in Fort Lauderdale actually decreased by almost 1%, indicating a strengthening housing market. And although the 4.4% increase in asking price is far from the strongest growth of all the metro areas measured, it is among the top third. One concern is that the average price per square foot has dropped 59.3% on a year-over-year basis.

3) West Palm Beach, Fla.
> Vacancy rate: 6.7%
> Median price per square foot: $109
> Unemployment: 8.4% (Miami-Fort Lauderdale)

Like most markets in Florida, the West Palm Beach market took a major hit during the housing downturn, falling 48.4% during the recession. Fortunately, recovery is taking hold. The average asking price in the area is up 11.3%, compared to the year-earlier period, the fifth-largest increase of all metro areas measured. Also, the average price per square foot is up an impressive 63.7% compared to a year ago.

2) Tucson, Ariz.
> Vacancy rate: 6.9%
> Median price per square foot: $92
> Unemployment: 7.0%

Similar to markets in Nevada and Florida, the Tucson, Ariz., area was hit very hard by the housing downturn. Housing prices fell 37.3% between its peak and trough. While asking prices grew 8.1% year-over-year, the growth in listing price is not nearly as strong as in neighboring Phoenix, which grew by almost 25% in the same period. Still, the average price per square foot in Tucson is up a healthy 56.6% on a year over year basis, suggesting that the market is bouncing back.

1) Detroit, Mich.
> Vacancy rate: 12.3%
> Median price per square foot: $47
> Unemployment: 10.0%

Detroit’s housing market has taken a larger hit than most in recent years due to problems in the automobile industry. Between its highest and lowest point, homes prices dropped 39%. The median price per square foot of just $47 is the lowest out of all 100 metropolitan areas measured. For every one new or resale home listing on Trulia, nearly another three are in some phase of the foreclosure process. A troubling thought for anyone contemplating selling a home in this oversaturated market is that despite low home prices (the average listing is under $48,000), the number of sales has actually decreased by more than 27% on a year-over-year basis.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

Knowing little about SoCal, is the 'Inland Empire' the same thing as the 'Valley'?

No.

 

[fruity pebbles]

Having lived in Denver all my life I am shocked when I travel to Midwest cities and the East Coast. There are parts of St. Louis that look like what I imagine war zones look like. There is no where in Denver that can touch East St. Louis for dump status. Move West people.

California, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico have a lot of dumps

They do but very few can hold a candle to places like Detroit, St. Louis, etc. At lest in hte Southwest you have some good weather.

inland cali and the border towns can hold their own with anywhere

 

[SHIZNITTTT]

Every town has bad parts.

Thanks, Captain Obvious.

Well the point being people drive through a town and make very generalized assumptions. I drive through Chicago and think man this place is a #### hole. But, in reality there are people who choose to live there and could live anywhere else, so it must be ok.

Also, are we just going on what the place looks like? Economy? Cost of living?

I live in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and it ranked in the top 100 of Best Places To Live. There are places here that are an absolute dump!

 

[Fennis]

Every town has bad parts.

Thanks, Captain Obvious.

Well the point being people drive through a town and make very generalized assumptions. I drive through Chicago and think man this place is a #### hole. But, in reality there are people who choose to live there and could live anywhere else, so it must be ok.

Also, are we just going on what the place looks like? Economy? Cost of living?

I live in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and it ranked in the top 100 of Best Places To Live. There are places here that are an absolute dump!

I agree, Oklahoma definitely belongs in the top 100 states to live in.

 

[dickey moe]

Oildale

Are you from Kern County?

 

[cstu]

Barstow, CA

You know your city is bad when people from Bakersfield laugh at it.

 

[cstu]

Knowing little about SoCal, is the 'Inland Empire' the same thing as the 'Valley'?

The Valley - north of LA

Inland Empire - east of LA

 

[Limp Ditka]

Barstow, CA

You know your city is bad when people from Bakersfield laugh at it.

But is Bakersfield referenced in Fear and Loathing?

 

[Thunderlips]

Stealth candidate: Delaware. The whole ####### state (which ain't much, thank God) is a highway shoulder that can't decide if it wants to be a Philly suburb (way to aspire, DE!) or a "resort destination" (because they have a dumpster they call a casino & 2 miles of ocean-front).

Delaware is a weird bird. The northern county (New Castle) is pretty much a Philly suburb....but the Southern one (Sussex) is closer to Alabama than it is Pennslyvania. Quality of life has taken a hit just because the number of people coming to the state over the past 20 years. It's population density is now top 5. Wilmington, DE (with no sales tax) should be one of those "best cities that noone's ever heard of".....but an absolutely idiotic local government, a disdain for the city by the county and the raising of DE cooprate tax rates is kind of strangling it.

The beach area is top notch though; particularly Rehoboth and Dewey....very laid back....but an increased population combined with an infusion of PA jabronis and NJ guidos showing up this past year has made it less laid back.

I don't understand that about these satellite cities like Wilmington,Camden, East St. Louis etc. etc. Most of these places are prime real estate in relation to their bigger neighboring cities....yet are flat out destitute and crap. Camden and East St. Louis are rubble. I can't believe that there hasn't been longer term planning to get these satellite cities back to a respectable level.

 

[The Gator]

Oildale

Are you from Kern County?

Kings

 

[Tom Servo]

Gary, Indiana and Youngstown, Ohio are the 2 biggest ####holes I've ever been to. I havent seen the entire US, but I've seen most places east of the mississippi.

Been thru both. Ahrn is correct.

 

[Limp Ditka]

I've been through most of the Midwest places referenced here. Nothing compares to the cab ride I took west on Michigan Ave out of downtown Detroit. It looks like a war zone .

 

[modogg]

I live in NJ and would give my state a +1 vote, but only for the certain real dump sections like Camden, Trenton, Newark, Atlantic City....well pretty much most areas immediately next to NYC and Philly. Maybe it makes the NY people and Philly people feel like NJ reminds them of home when they come over here?

Camden takes the cake. FBI ranks them first in violent crimes per capita for cities over 50k. Its funny b/c they have a really nice ampitheatre along the water with a great view of phila at night. In order to get to it, you essentially have to drive through the heart of camden. That's quite a site to see.

NJ has to stay in this conversation, and i'll put a vote in for Asbury Park. Was there once, and was impressed with how awful it really was

 

[The Big Guy]

I live in NJ and would give my state a +1 vote, but only for the certain real dump sections like Camden, Trenton, Newark, Atlantic City....well pretty much most areas immediately next to NYC and Philly. Maybe it makes the NY people and Philly people feel like NJ reminds them of home when they come over here?

Camden takes the cake. FBI ranks them first in violent crimes per capita for cities over 50k. Its funny b/c they have a really nice ampitheatre along the water with a great view of phila at night. In order to get to it, you essentially have to drive through the heart of camden. That's quite a site to see.

NJ has to stay in this conversation, and i'll put a vote in for Asbury Park. Was there once, and was impressed with how awful it really was

Asbury is scary to walk through, but has a lot of older (albeit mostly not well kept up) colonial houses that are inhabited. The entire boardwalk area is undergoing a renaissance with new construction as well.

Large gay community NTTAWWT should keep the town prettier than your average slumtown.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

Oildale

Are you from Kern County?

Kings

lol Hanford

 

[Doctor Detroit]

East St. Louis has to be in the conversation, no?

Is there anything along the Mississippi that is a desirable location to live? I can't think of one. I think Missouri is a tremendously underrated state, but not the part along the Mississippi. We know Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana are all terrible. Maybe Baton Rouge, can't think of another.

Wat? St Louis metro is nice outside of East St Louis. Minneapolis/St. Paul area consistently ranks top 25 places to live.

I was thinking St Louis and points south.

 

[tikigods]

Lowell/Lawrence, Massachusetts.

 

[seahawk 17]

Went to a Seattle/Detroit game at Ford Field...the stadium area is awesome, and then you go a few blocks and it's a dump.

yep. Stay in greektown, eat some place like roast, to to the game the next day, maybe hang out at hockey town beforehand, hit the casino afterward, then call it a trip the next morning.That hole and flint really give michigan a bad rap, but as dr d said there are lots of great things about the state. Just not if you're the city type.

Went to the UP, spent a few days in Alpena. Almost dropped everything to move to that area. Upper Michigan is beautiful.

 

[Brady Marino]

East St. Louis has to be in the conversation, no?

Is there anything along the Mississippi that is a desirable location to live? I can't think of one. I think Missouri is a tremendously underrated state, but not the part along the Mississippi. We know Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana are all terrible. Maybe Baton Rouge, can't think of another.

Wat? St Louis metro is nice outside of East St Louis. Minneapolis/St. Paul area consistently ranks top 25 places to live.

I was thinking St Louis and points south.

South County of St. Louis is fine.

South, west, parts of north and parts of city of St. Louis are good. The rest...

 

[Doctor Detroit]

I call it a tie between DC and Detroit. Anyone answering AL or MS has obviously never been there. You obviously prefer congested cities over open countryside.

Have you been to DC in the past five years? You can't find a house under $300k in the hood anymore and hippies are moving across the Anacostia River into SE. Less than 100 murders in the city now, I'd guess they'll be less and less every year as they push all the trash into Maryland. DC is a very trendy city, it's basically becoming San Francisco east.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

East St. Louis has to be in the conversation, no?

Is there anything along the Mississippi that is a desirable location to live? I can't think of one. I think Missouri is a tremendously underrated state, but not the part along the Mississippi. We know Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana are all terrible. Maybe Baton Rouge, can't think of another.

Wat? St Louis metro is nice outside of East St Louis. Minneapolis/St. Paul area consistently ranks top 25 places to live.

I was thinking St Louis and points south.

South County of St. Louis is fine.

South, west, parts of north and parts of city of St. Louis are good. The rest...

Yeah but people are listing Detroit when Livonia a Detroit suburb of 97k, is one of the ten safest places to live in the U.S. Same with Canton, Novi and most of the Northern suburbs. Even New Orleans guy is talking #### about Detroit, lol.

I'll have to go back to St Louis and spend some more time there. Just like with Michigan and Detroit, Missouri seems like such a nice state outside St Louis. I suppose also like Detroit metro, St Louis has some great places to live. Plus I thought the spirit of the thread was talking larger areas like a state, or a sub region. Everyone is talking Newark, Detroit, Cleveland and St Louis. We know those places have problems, they are almost cliche answers at this point.

 

[mr roboto]

East St. Louis has to be in the conversation, no?

Is there anything along the Mississippi that is a desirable location to live? I can't think of one. I think Missouri is a tremendously underrated state, but not the part along the Mississippi. We know Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana are all terrible. Maybe Baton Rouge, can't think of another.

Wat? St Louis metro is nice outside of East St Louis. Minneapolis/St. Paul area consistently ranks top 25 places to live.

I was thinking St Louis and points south.

South County of St. Louis is fine.

South, west, parts of north and parts of city of St. Louis are good. The rest...

Yeah but people are listing Detroit when Livonia a Detroit suburb of 97k, is one of the ten safest places to live in the U.S. Same with Canton, Novi and most of the Northern suburbs. Even New Orleans guy is talking #### about Detroit, lol.

I'll have to go back to St Louis and spend some more time there. Just like with Michigan and Detroit, Missouri seems like such a nice state outside St Louis. I suppose also like Detroit metro, St Louis has some great places to live. Plus I thought the spirit of the thread was talking larger areas like a state, or a sub region. Everyone is talking Newark, Detroit, Cleveland and St Louis. We know those places have problems, they are almost cliche answers at this point.

West St. Louis is really nice. From Clayton out through Chesterfield, and on the other side of the river.

 

[Mr. Know-It-All]

Some places in southeast Missouri have to be at least in the top 20.

Easy buddy, those are the roots I escaped.

 

[Brady Marino]

East St. Louis has to be in the conversation, no?

Is there anything along the Mississippi that is a desirable location to live? I can't think of one. I think Missouri is a tremendously underrated state, but not the part along the Mississippi. We know Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana are all terrible. Maybe Baton Rouge, can't think of another.

Wat? St Louis metro is nice outside of East St Louis. Minneapolis/St. Paul area consistently ranks top 25 places to live.

I was thinking St Louis and points south.

South County of St. Louis is fine.

South, west, parts of north and parts of city of St. Louis are good. The rest...

Yeah but people are listing Detroit when Livonia a Detroit suburb of 97k, is one of the ten safest places to live in the U.S. Same with Canton, Novi and most of the Northern suburbs. Even New Orleans guy is talking #### about Detroit, lol.

I'll have to go back to St Louis and spend some more time there. Just like with Michigan and Detroit, Missouri seems like such a nice state outside St Louis. I suppose also like Detroit metro, St Louis has some great places to live. Plus I thought the spirit of the thread was talking larger areas like a state, or a sub region. Everyone is talking Newark, Detroit, Cleveland and St Louis. We know those places have problems, they are almost cliche answers at this point.

During my brief stay in Michigan, I got the impression that the northern suburbs weren't bad. Even the area near the Wayne Ford plant isn't bad.

Missouri kind of has something for everyone. If you want to be a trendy urbanite, KC and STL have options for you. If you want to be a farmer, anywhere north of the Missouri River is fine. If you want to be a redneck, anywhere south of the Missouri River is fine. Very affordable, but not without its quirks. You get a little bit of everything weather-wise, it's a little bible-thumpy in areas, and personal property taxes force you to drive all over hell just to get your car plates renewed (I've heard it's improved a bit since I left in 2008).

 

[Brady Marino]

Some places in southeast Missouri have to be at least in the top 20.

Easy buddy, those are the roots I escaped.

As did I. Grew up in Arnold/Imperial, lived the last few years in the Farmington/Bonne Terre area.

 

[The Ref]

Florida.

100% correct. And you should never ever come here, especially in the winter.

 

[Fennis]

Florida.

100% correct. And you should never ever come here, especially in the winter.

no worries, its where we need to send our elderly relatives.

 

[Da Guru]

No votes for Detroit yet? This board is slipping.

I've never been but from everything I've read....

I was just coming on to post this. These other cities that people post are paradise compared to the D. I've visited and lived in a lot of cities and Detroit is by far the worst.

There's videos, documentaries, and pictures that I would post if I knew how to post links. It looks like an abandoned city in many places, crime is rampant and the city can't afford to properly police the city.

They are practically throwing money at police and firefighters to buy a house in Detroit city and still no real interest.

Nobody lives in Detroit though. All the $$$$ is in Metro-Detroit. None of the fans you see on TV at Lion, Tiger and Redwing games live in the city.

 

[Sand]

KooKLand, USA

Boulder is a beautiful town.