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The Southside of Chicago is not comparable to cities like East St. Louis, Gary, etc, especially since some of the safest neighborhoods in the city are also on the South Side. Chicago has blighted areas and former industrial sites, but Chicago has many resources at its disposal, unlike those cities. Instead of burnt hulks and crumbled walls, you're more likely to simply see an empty lot. Even Detroit has done work to clear out crumbling abandoned homes and structures.
People seem shocked to realize that Chicago's population decline is similar to the cities of Minneapolis, Philadelphia, and Boston, not Detroit, St. Louis, Cleveland, etc. Chicago lost 1/4 of its peak population, Detroit lost 2/3.
I've been to Chicago and parts of it just look awful although you are right on the whole it is not as bad as Flint, Detroit or Camden. Concerning the worst city, it isn't just decay which makes a city the worst but also things like crime rates and Chicago does terribly there. I watched an episode of gangland that documented how people in the ghettos of Chicago hide in their bathtubs at New Years eve to avoid getting hit by stray bullets from the gangs shooting aimlessly in the sky as a New Years eve tradition. That is just complete anarchy.
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Cities are not in decline. Even places like Detroit are seeing gentrification and rebirth in various areas. Decay did not start in Detroit and spread like an infection either.
Cities in the South like Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, etc, are all very popular and are currently booming. They're by no means declining. Crime is also down across the board in the country. Even the most dangerous major cities are far safer now than they were in the 90s.
You seem to think that a city having a bad part of town automatically thinks that it's in decline, but that frankly isn't the case. There's always going to be bad parts of town, and they're not all cut from the same cloth.
I actually do believe the whole country is in decline and it is not just individual cities any more. In addition, the financial meltdown has really sped things up. Detroit is infamous for its decline and crime but those are increasing just as well in the south in cities like New Orleans, Miami, LA, Oakland, Atlanta, etc. I've even noticed the area around Disney World (Kissimee) to be run down and parts of Silicon Valley too despite those areas being supposedly rich.
Location: East Central Pennsylvania/ Chicago for 6yrs.
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Originally Posted by drro
I've been to Chicago and parts of it just look awful although you are right on the whole it is not as bad as Flint, Detroit or Camden. Concerning the worst city, it isn't just decay which makes a city the worst but also things like crime rates and Chicago does terribly there. I watched an episode of gangland that documented how people in the ghettos of Chicago hide in their bathtubs at New Years eve to avoid getting hit by stray bullets from the gangs shooting aimlessly in the sky as a New Years eve tradition. That is just complete anarchy.
I actually do believe the whole country is in decline and it is not just individual cities any more. In addition, the financial meltdown has really sped things up. Detroit is infamous for its decline and crime but those are increasing just as well in the south in cities like New Orleans, Miami, LA, Oakland, Atlanta, etc. I've even noticed the area around Disney World (Kissimee) to be run down and parts of Silicon Valley too despite those areas being supposedly rich.
These scenes are in bad areas of Chicago... I have seen old Row home filled small towns in PA looking far worst CITY HAS PLENTY OF GREEN FRONTS AND MAINTAINED STREETS AND SERVICES
Highest crime neighborhood of East Garfield Chicago...who wouldn't love a old greystone home and give these old stock Chicago gems some love????
I've been to Chicago and parts of it just look awful although you are right on the whole it is not as bad as Flint, Detroit or Camden. Concerning the worst city, it isn't just decay which makes a city the worst but also things like crime rates and Chicago does terribly there. I watched an episode of gangland that documented how people in the ghettos of Chicago hide in their bathtubs at New Years eve to avoid getting hit by stray bullets from the gangs shooting aimlessly in the sky as a New Years eve tradition. That is just complete anarchy.
Let me guess, are you on of those people who actually believes that Chicago is the murder capital of the United States?
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Chicago's murder rate is fairly middle of the road for American cities, and the city hasn't had this few homicides since the 60s. You're more likely to get murdered in Washington or Atlanta than Chicago, let alone some place like Detroit, but the media won't touch that. Not while Obama is still in office anyway.
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I actually do believe the whole country is in decline and it is not just individual cities any more. In addition, the financial meltdown has really sped things up. Detroit is infamous for its decline and crime but those are increasing just as well in the south in cities like New Orleans, Miami, LA, Oakland, Atlanta, etc. I've even noticed the area around Disney World (Kissimee) to be run down and parts of Silicon Valley too despite those areas being supposedly rich.
Just because you didn't notice that other cities in the US have problems with crime doesn't mean it's increasing. Places like New Orleans and Oakland have had terrible crime rates for years, but have been improving with time. Los Angeles' crime is a mere fraction of what it was in the 90s when the riots happened, and it's currently one of safest large cities in the country.
I actually do believe the whole country is in decline and it is not just individual cities any more. In addition, the financial meltdown has really sped things up. Detroit is infamous for its decline and crime but those are increasing just as well in the south in cities like New Orleans, Miami, LA, Oakland, Atlanta, etc. I've even noticed the area around Disney World (Kissimee) to be run down and parts of Silicon Valley too despite those areas being supposedly rich.
It's hard not to notice the rise in lawlessness in so many parts of the country. Not only that, but it feels like the country is slowly fracturing bit by bit from within at many different levels; socially, culturally, financially, economically.
Then you turn on the TV to find out everything is peachy, the economy is in a recovery, unemployment dropping, pundits telling you to spend your money etc ... it's like that scene from They Live.
Thanks for the links, very interesting. Some streets of Chicago with empty lots and boarded up houses actually look a lot like Detroit. Even the building style is very similar.
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Originally Posted by PerseusVeil
Let me guess, are you on of those people who actually believes that Chicago is the murder capital of the United States?
I think that honor goes to Detroit, New Orleans, and Baltimore. Chicago is pretty bad but not quite as bad as those three.
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Originally Posted by MarineBlue
It's hard not to notice the rise in lawlessness in so many parts of the country. Not only that, but it feels like the country is slowly fracturing bit by bit from within at many different levels; socially, culturally, financially, economically.
Then you turn on the TV to find out everything is peachy, the economy is in a recovery, unemployment dropping, pundits telling you to spend your money etc ... it's like that scene from They Live.
Exactly! Obama's most recent speech was really amazing in that sense. Unbelievable how much people are in denial.
Thanks for the links, very interesting. Some streets of Chicago with empty lots and boarded up houses actually look a lot like Detroit. Even the building style is very similar.
Nowhere near as abandonded as Detroit, but similar in building style (same region and era).
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I think that honor goes to Detroit, New Orleans, and Baltimore. Chicago is pretty bad but not quite as bad as those three.
The most dangerous third of Chicago is probably similar to those violent-crime wise, a bit worse than Baltimore overall a bit better than Detroit. But a good part of the rest of Chicago is doing well or even affluent. The median household income of Chicago is 10% lower than New York City not an enormous difference.
I am from Oakland. I live in Stockton. Large American cities usually are diverse and full of contrasts. People tend to associate a city with its negative attributes more than its positive ones. Crime statistics based upon a whole city proper never tell the whole story, they ignore a city's contrasting neighborhoods.
As far as American cities I have experienced, the worst cities (or areas within cities) include the Southside (Chicago), Gary, Flint, North and East St Louis, Detroit, Baltimore, Camden, Philly, & New Orleans.
Oakland, Stockton and other big cities in California are paradise in comparison to those!! Crime is usually concentrated within small areas/social strata, and generally those cities are safe if you aren't directly involved in certain activities.
Generally in the US, the age of housing stock is correlated to its desirability/crime level. Of course recent tends have begun to reverse some of this with the return to urban cores. Most large West Coast cities (even midwest/southern cities too) are actually primarily post-world war two suburban within the city proper & auto-centric, but retain their pre-world war two urban cores.
Although I didn't have any bad experiences personally, Colon, Panama is by far the worst I've witnessed. And the El Chorrillo area of Panama City. I am sure I will see worse as I continue to travel the world.
Ironically, I am currently in Medellin, Colombia; once the worlds most dangerous city 20 or so years ago. It is very tranquil now, and one of my favorite cities to be in. If Medellin changed so dramatically, why can't the usual suspects in the US change as well?
Thank you, everyone knows odanny was talking out of his a-- so it should be obvious.
There is nothing there? - that is false, there is an ihop, a In N Out, Mcdonalds and a starbucks.
even for you so called "cultured people" they have museums - Western American Railroad museum, Barstow Route 66 Mother Road museum and the Desert Discovery center.
I think that honor goes to Detroit, New Orleans, and Baltimore. Chicago is pretty bad but not quite as bad as those three.
Chicago isn't even relatively close to the likes of Detroit, New Orleans, or Baltimore when it comes to murder. There's a list of a cities that have double (Baltimore) and triple (Detroit) Chicago's homicide rate, and there's another list of cities that are in the same ballpark as Chicago when it comes comparable rates which are either ever so slightly lower or higher than Chicago's.
Chicago has a long way to go before it reduces its murder rates as much as LA and NYC have, but Chicago is certainly far better than the cities you think it's only "not quite as bad as." There is no arguing this.
I am from Oakland. I live in Stockton. Large American cities usually are diverse and full of contrasts. People tend to associate a city with its negative attributes more than its positive ones. Crime statistics based upon a whole city proper never tell the whole story, they ignore a city's contrasting neighborhoods.
As far as American cities I have experienced, the worst cities (or areas within cities) include the Southside (Chicago), Gary, Flint, North and East St Louis, Detroit, Baltimore, Camden, Philly, & New Orleans.
Oakland, Stockton and other big cities in California are paradise in comparison to those!! Crime is usually concentrated within small areas/social strata, and generally those cities are safe if you aren't directly involved in certain activities.
Oakland has a higher homicide rate than Chicago. If you want to lop off the safe areas of Chicago, then do the same for Oakland. You leave plenty of safe areas in the mix if you just say South Side, btw.
PS: East St. Louis is also a separate city in a different state than the city of St. Louis, and Oakland also has a higher murder rate than Philadelphia. Stockton is also no paradise, although I don't know its stats off the top of my head. They certainly aren't good though.
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