Small towns across the United States have faced various challenges over the years, from economic shifts and unemployment to rising crime r...
Small towns across the United States have faced various challenges over the years, from economic shifts and unemployment to rising crime rates and population decline. While many small towns survive, evolving and thriving, others haven’t managed to regain their old glory. Here, we explore 18 small American towns that failed to overcome their challenges and have since fallen into decay.
Centralia, Pennsylvania
Once a thriving mining town, Centralia’s decline was sparked by the ignition of an underground coal fire in 1962. According to ABC27, the fire continues to burn under the borough to this day despite efforts to extinguish it over the years. The town’s population has, consequently, dwindled from 1000s to a mere five people- making it a veritable ghost town.
Detroit, Michigan
The Motor City has suffered from population decline and economic challenges for decades and is now in terminal decline. The Guardian says, “The city has lost its tax base and cannot afford to cut the grass or light its streets, let alone educate or feed its citizens.” Abandoned homes and factories now stand as the only proof of its once-thriving automotive industry.
Camden, New Jersey
Lombardo Law Group reports that Camden has crime rates that are consistently the highest nationwide, including those for violent crime. With a poor economy and widespread poverty adding to the challenges, it has become one of the lowest-income and most dangerous cities in the entire US.
Gary, Indiana
Once a thriving steel town, Gary suffered economic problems and a shrinking population once the steel industry collapsed. A study in the National Library of Medicine also blames job losses, rising crime, racial division, and moral decay for the city’s eventual demise. Today, it’s an unappealing place that often features on “Top 10 Worst American Town” lists.
East St. Louis, Illinois
News Illinois says the town suffers from “Political corruption, minimal policing and firefighting resources, limited transportation, public works deficiencies, and condemned buildings.” These factors have caused high crime rates, poverty, and neglect, causing a spiraling decline into decay for most St Louis communities.
Flint, Michigan
The town’s troubles began when it decided to switch its water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River. Reuters reports this caused corrosive, lead-contaminated water to enter drinking supplies, ultimately killing nine people. Associated infrastructure problems, bad press, and a shrinking population have since crippled the town.
Salton City, California
Fronteras informs us that the Salton Sea is California’s most polluted inland lake, where rapid water loss over the past 25 years has resulted in extreme environmental degradation. As the sea receded (probably due to global warming and upstream water diversion), the town has been left in economic decline, polluted, and empty.
Baltimore, Maryland
Vast numbers of vacant properties have resulted in Baltimore battling unattractive neighborhoods that attract criminal activity, increasing the already high crime rate. With a vast divide between rich and poor communities causing social division and racial discrimination, Baltimore remains a town in need of investment and political change.
Cairo, Illinois
Cairo was once a busy town, but a recent economic downturn and a constant threat of severe flooding have turned it into a virtual ghost town, says The Travel. With rising racial tension, scores of abandoned buildings, and a population in mass exodus, Cairo has been left unappealingly neglected.
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
The once-prosperous state capital fell into economic decline after a 2011 fiscal crisis that almost bankrupted the city, mainly due to an ill-fated incinerator project. Consequently, public services and infrastructure declined, leading to further distrust and population decline. Other problems include a lack of investment, a woeful school system, and high crime rates.
Saginaw, Michigan
MLive states that Saginaw has the highest crime rate in Michigan and consistently ranks highly for violent crime, like homicide, on a national level. Other issues like unemployment, poor housing quality, and high levels of pollution also make it an off-putting place for residents and investors alike.
East Chicago, Indiana
While the city owes its past prosperity to industry, this legacy has serious ramifications. Heavy pollution levels, ugly steel mills dotting the landscape, and high levels of lead and arsenic in the soil have caused environmental and health concerns, causing wealthier residents to abandon the town and contributing to further economic decline.
Binghamton, New York
Abandoned properties are a huge problem here, with the City of Binghampton itself confirming that vacant lots “hurt nearby property values, attract crime, frustrate residents, and contribute to the decline of neighborhoods.” Tax-related issues have also shrunk the public purse and hindered the town’s efforts to revitalize its neighborhoods.
Petersburg, Virginia
When the town’s once-prosperous manufacturing and tobacco industries declined, employment dwindled, and people went to find employment elsewhere, shrinking the tax base. This led to lower public spending and the deterioration of roads, public schools, and housing. This spiral of economic decline has resulted in significant urban decay.
Youngstown, Ohio
Like other towns on the list, the decline of the steel industry and outsourcing manufacturing led to massive job losses and an exodus of residents looking for employment. The resulting economic downturn caused abandoned industrial facilities, vacant homes, a shrinking tax base, high crime rates, and an underfunded education system.
Memphis, Tennessee
The rich/poor divide is painfully evident in Memphis, as is the decay of its urban core and infrastructure, particularly its roadways and bridges. Limited access to decent education has left many residents poor, while economic problems limit job opportunities- all of which mean that crime (particularly theft) is a common problem.
Glenrio, Texas
Located exactly on the New Mexico / Texas border, this Route 66 was packed full of diners, gas stations, and motels until the 1970s, when the I40 was built and road-trippers stopped frequenting the town. According to TimeOut, it quickly fell into disrepair and is now a ghost town populated only by abandoned buildings.
Cleveland, Ohio
Once a bustling manufacturing hub, the closure of steel mills hit the city’s economy hard, with unemployment and poverty as the end result. As with other towns, abandonment led to vacant properties, low tax revenue, and even poorer infrastructure. Blighted neighborhoods with high crime rates are now commonplace.
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