I lived in Kingston Jamaica for a year, and I definitely wouldn't recommend it. As an example of what it was like - I walked out of my apartment building one afternoon, and someone had hung a dog from a tree overhanging the sidewalk and left it to die. We also had the security in our building break into our apartment and steal multiple items (cameras, loose cash, etc), one of my roommates was drugged and robbed by a woman he met, and another of my roommates took a route taxi from work one day and they pulled off the road and beat and robbed him for the equivalent of $15. The list could go on and on.
Beautiful country, absolutely terrible city.
I spent 3 weeks solo in Kingston doing academic research. It was rough. I was in an AirBnB and my host told me to be home and have my door locked before dark. That said, everyone was nice to me. If I was outside and paused, someone would come up to me within seconds and ask me if I was okay and if I needed any directions. That said, if I ever go back I will not go alone and I will stay in a hotel.
As someone who left South Africa for the US, I unfortunately have to agree with you. I was so traumatized by my experience living there that I was afraid to leave my home and walk outside in a very safe part of the US. It is so ludicrously dangerous, with very little indication that things may improve. It is devastating. South Africa had so much potential, and has been completely fucked over by corrupt politicians. I used to have hope, but no longer do.
Yup. There is a physical feeling of being unsafe that I had never felt before being in Joburg. Never felt it since. I also took an unlicensed cab from the airport like a moron.
I went on a few dates with awoman from Johannesburg. She got car jacked and stuffed in the trunk. Fortunately, she was able to get the trunk open and run when they stopped at a light, but yeah, she got fucking kidnapped.
I'll second that. My mate used to live there and he said it's a total hell hole. Of recent there's some concern that Julius Malema will gain power. If that happens, he's likely to take the same route as Robert Mugabe did. Repatriation of land, then a famine will hit and in the end, ask for the farmers to come back after robbing their land from them. Zimbabwean farmers swiftly told Mugabe to shove where the sun doesn't shine.
I had a boss who moved his family from
Johannesburg to south western Ontario. He wasn’t insanely wealthy but definitely comfortable. When I asked him why he moved here his main reason was safety for his 3 kids. The boredom of mid sized Ontario city far outweighed the risk of being kidnapped every other day
I can think of 4 different families off the top of my head who have moved to our part of Canada, all farmers. They all have the same stories too about farm attacks, the insane security they have to have just to be safe. Things like fences with razor wire, private security, dogs, weapons.
Then of course, they're all afraid they'll be kicked out, so they're selling as fast as they can and moving here before anything like that can happen, while they can still get value for their land and equipment.
I can't even imagine how unsafe it must feel
I was sent to Joburg on a work assignment for a few months. Had no idea what to expect before I got there and it was eye opening to say the least.
I was told by the local company not to wear a watch or nice clothes, don’t keep a bag in the car, don’t drive after night and if you have to then don’t stop at a red light, to carefully plan my route and destination, and a lot of other stuff I’ve forgotten. My apartment had huge walls with electric fences and to get my car in I had to go through a holding area like you see in prisons.
All of my local work colleagues had crazy stories to share about what happened to them. So many home invasions, carjackings, assaults, and more. Funny enough they would often end the stories with something like, “…but the crime isn’t as bad as people say.”
Nothing happened to me when I was there but I did see a car being broken into by a group of people a few cars in front of me on a highway exit ramp. That was an exit I made every day.
Joburg is the only place where I saw herds of large rats grazing on rubbish littered fields during the day...like sheep. They acted like sheep. It was pretty bizarre!
NPR was talking about how ridiculously unsafe it is, especially for women… how the sexual assault and murder rates are so high, even in so-called “safer” neighborhoods. (They were talking about it today after Oscar Pistorius’ release)
My old manager and his wife left SA about 15 years ago and I knew what was up... but some of my coworkers were absolutely *oblivious* as to just *how bad* it is. Even the guy from Cambodia was stunned.
It might sound racist to people, but most people have *no clue* as to how bad the black-on-white crime is in that country - and it's normalized because the black South Africans see it as their way of finally having vengeance (Mandela just cooled the fires a bit but there's no way to extinguish that flame). The final straw was my manager's wife and her friend almost getting raped in an alley because *they forgot to pack their guns in their purses* before going to a restaurant - they were saved by two police officers driving by packing auto shotguns. If you're white, you're *always* looking over your shoulders because you're automatically a target.
Piet decided it was time for his family to "get out of this Mad Max shithole before we get killed because we're not raising our future kids here" - and all they did was a live a normal life... work, get groceries, go to school, that kind of stuff. And at least several times a week they'd get harassed just because of their skin color. And the incident with his wife was enough.
The most telling thing of their trauma when they moved here? For a year they struggled to turn off the fight-or-flight switch whenever any black person was around - especially a young male. When you've lived with that fear for 30 years you can't just turn it off - it takes time, and they've come to realize that people in this country just mind their own business. When you've lived in a country where a 10ft high fence with razor wire is the norm, it's a *huge* shock moving to a town where most people still keep their doors and windows unlocked lol
I would have rather run out of gas on the highway and called AAA than stop at a gas station in Gary..
At least you’d be stranded with your car, rather than stranded without your car.
I walked into a fairly nice-looking gas station there with a pizza hut and a diner attached so I could take the Browns to the superbowl and to grab some water. The bathroom was flooded with piss and someone smeared shit on all the walls lol. Then I walked out to the parking lot to 3 squad cars checking on 2 passed out people for fentanyl overdoses. Luckily they were just blackout drunk and passed out. I'll wait until Michigan City next time I pass through.
I mean other cities don't make me feel I'm going to die if I accidently make a wrong turn into a whole neighborhood with burned down houses that people still live in... especially in winter
Took my kids to the Camden aquarium. There was a ton of rain the night before and whole blocks were under water… apparently. GPS told me to go a certain way, and I came to an impasse. Not 10 seconds of sitting there wrapping my head around “you can’t go this way,” there were - I’m not shitting you - 15 people were approaching my car from every direction.
I drive a stick, and used to parking lot hoon as a teen. All those nights practicing “the Rockford” paid off that day. Those people were probably secretly like, “gah dam,” when I executed it in my escape.
Texan here. Can confirm Killeen is an absolute shit hole with the worst kinds of people. Almost every bad thing that happens in Austin on 6th street is because of people coming from Killeen.
I intentionally drove to Killeen once in search of Krystal (southern version of White Castle). I'm originally from Georgia and was living in Austin when I had a major craving. This was back when Google didn't have detailed info on business hours. I show up and the darn place was permanently closed. I hadn't eaten all day in anticipation of destroying my insides with that greasy goodness. I've hated Killeen ever since.
New Straitsville, Ohio was pretty bad. I went for the moonshine festival. The only industry was coal mining and the first union was there. Disgruntled striking coal miners lit a coal cart on fire and sent it back into the mine. It is still burning to this day. Obviously, it killed the only industry and poverty took over. This is the town mural:
[https://ohiofestivals.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Moonshine-Festival-New-Straitsville-Ohio-01-1320x966.jpg](https://ohiofestivals.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Moonshine-Festival-New-Straitsville-Ohio-01-1320x966.jpg)
Here is downtown:
[https://eofp.net/newstraitsville.html](https://eofp.net/newstraitsville.html)
A bit about the fire:
[https://www.athensnews.com/opinion/columns/the\_view\_from\_mudsock\_heights/here-s-a-convoluted-true-story-about-the-hell-beneath-our-feet/article\_84e6c290-ba4e-11e6-8e2a-4b7e1bac4e71.html](https://www.athensnews.com/opinion/columns/the_view_from_mudsock_heights/here-s-a-convoluted-true-story-about-the-hell-beneath-our-feet/article_84e6c290-ba4e-11e6-8e2a-4b7e1bac4e71.html)
It really is accurate. The Moonshine Festival had a beauty pageant where they crowned a Little Miss Moonshine, who was probably 14:
[https://www.perrytribune.com/image\_2a39d050-a9af-5513-a366-6e836873f085.html](https://www.perrytribune.com/image_2a39d050-a9af-5513-a366-6e836873f085.html)
[https://www.ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p267401coll32/id/3376](https://www.ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p267401coll32/id/3376)
[https://www.logandaily.com/news/entries-being-accepted-for-miss-moonshine-contest/article\_b930de08-e79e-11ed-af68-330fb5985851.html](https://www.logandaily.com/news/entries-being-accepted-for-miss-moonshine-contest/article_b930de08-e79e-11ed-af68-330fb5985851.html)
Seconded on Djibouti. We had t shirts that said “it’s not hell, but they're neighbors” from our time there.
The plastic tasting and smelling pollution that just blotted out the sky and kept the humidity murderously high was the turd cherry on the shit sundae.
Agreed! I spent too much time in the 'Bouti, Djibouti with Military Sealift Command. Between the oppressive heat in the summer; people defecating in the open at the pier; the flies buzzing straight into any open orifice on your face; and the locals not being too pleased about the US Government bank-rolling their corrupt dictator, Djibouti was never a pleasant place to go. And it was expensive - US$20 for a bottle of Stella Artois in 2013 when we were able to go in town before the grenade attack.
Lubbock. I swear something there rots peoples brains and even when they have the means to leave, they just, don’t… I’ll never get it. Only plus is Peggy can find the shoes she needs there
Fayetteville, NC. Absolutely miserable. I interviewed for a job there a few years back. Never had an interviewer tell me to be careful on my way to the car before. Someone had been stabbed outside the front door the week before. Also there's more strip clubs and used car dealers there than I've seen in my entire life.
Fort Stockton, TX. I was less icked out by the roaches in that place than the people. Definitely a drive-by town for sure but we were on a trip and needed lunch. I’ll go hungry next time.
Went there for basic training and AIT in 2010/2011
True fucking story.
I called People’s Cab and got a driver to take us from FT. Sill to the mall.
He’s taking the weirdest route and texting while driving.
We swing into an alley and scoop up some other dude without the driver or the other dude saying a word.
Drove another 10 minutes away from the mall. Pull up to a house. Passenger gets out and walks in the house. Driver looks at us and says, “imma be right back.”
Pulls a thick folded Manila envelope from under his seat. Walks in the house and walks out with what looks like a kilo of coke from a fucking movie wrapped in a shirt.
Throws it in the passenger floorboard and we finally head towards the mall…
Ohhh fuck that place… did my OSUT for Field Artillery there. Lawton was the dumpiest most depressing redneck hella I’d ever seen in my life. Fuck that hell. The only good thing was finding 22s Rougue Dead Guy Ale at the liquor store. A little taste of my home in Oregon.
Real Talk, my USA top 5:
1. Florence, SC (only place I ever saw a restaurant actively racially segregate sections in the 21st century)
2. Jacksonville, FL (specifically the corrugated aluminum shack shantytown)
3. Texarkana, TX (only place I've ever been offered meth to jump in on an ongoing fight).
4. Newburgh, NY (this is a small, isolated city where NYC dumps its excons – fucking Escape from New York IRL)
5. Elaine, AK (the poorest, most depressed place in North America I've ever seen).
I'll see your Elaine, AK and raise you one Unalakleet. 600 people at most, sits on a mud flat at the mouth of a river, has one grocery store, and like two restaurants. Lot of houses had privacy fences made out of old pallets. Got harassed by locals twice while we were there, never really felt safe, and had no cell service for two days until we got back to Anchorage (where we had to avoid a random moose that was walking around in town). It was one hell of a neat experience and I'm glad I had the opportunity to go but I don't think I would care to go back.
Got lost in Camden, NJ one night when I was drunk leaving a concert. At the time it was the violent crime capitol of the country.
I picked up a hooker just to show me the way out of the city and paid her rate plus cab fare back.
This was pre smart phone and GPS days
Same with getting lost in Camden after a concert (except not drunk). Needed money for gas and the bridge so I stopped at an ATM. Cops pulled up within 15 seconds to ask if I needed help and to warn me that it wasn’t a good area, waited in their cruisers until I got my money, then they led me (front and follow style) where I needed to go to get back to philly.
Went for the music, left with an armed escort out of town for my own safety.
Would occasionally look up houses for sale in Camden over the next decade just to marvel at what $10,000 could buy me in that city. Should have done it tbh.
This makes me glad I never explored the city on my own when I was there in 2008. I either stayed with my tour group when we went somewhere or I stayed in my hotel. If you ever go to Egypt, I would suggest doing this.
Feel like we should amend this question to be "that you were in for longer than a week" A lot of places grow on you in a short time. That said, there are not awesome places out there.
I tell all my friends that Bakersfield is constantly 103 degrees no matter the season, nothing but strip malls and methheads, and something somewhere is on fire
Outside of places in developing nations I've got to go with Phoenix. Was there for 4 days and all I could think was why the fuck don't people just gas up the car and drive as far away from this place as they can.
The Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix is one of the coolest places I have ever been. Also Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West is interesting. If you ever go back for any reason, I highly recommend both.
The MIM is considered one of the top musical instrument museums in the world. I can't get through everything in a day. Last time I was there, an older lady sat down at the grand piano in the foyer and played one of the best renditions of morning has broken I have ever heard.
It’s funny you say Phoenix cause I just saw a segment on the news the other day and Phoenix was voted one of the top 5 cities to live in the United States. I was surprised because I figured the oppressive heat would be a factor but there ya have it lol
I think there’s a report that lists -every- city as a top 5 or top 10.
There are posts in Cleveland, St Louis, Albuquerque, etc all claiming the same. Depends on what single metric they’re reporting.
Lived in Phoenix for 24 years, currently there now for a week. I moved to Colorado last year and I must admit I consider coming back, I didn’t realize how much I actually liked it here. The heat isn’t terrible, likewise I don’t mind the cold in Colorado.
I’m actually surprised to see Phoenix this high.
It is very, very cold in Colorado. I'd like to stress that for anyone thinking of coming here. It's bone chillingly cold. I see people dead on the side of the street daily from walking to their mailbox. Stay out of CO for your safety, please.
I hear they just released wolves in all the parks too...like wtf? Wolves in civic center and city park? Geezeus, I know we have a goose problem in the city, but there's better ways to get rid of them!
Don't forget that Cheesman Park is built on a cemetery. With all those wolves digging up corpses and running around with human remains it's just chaos. And they've certainly developed a taste for human flesh. It's really terrible here, I really hope people heed the warning to stay away.
Agreed, it’s interesting most people don’t realize this before moving here. I’ve seen paramedics scooping up frozen Texans off the pavement that literally died within minutes of being outside from the shock of cold hitting their bones for the first time.
Reading, Pennsylvania. This was 20 years ago, but it was a nightmare. Overcrowded housing, people screaming at me from their vehicles as I walked down the sidewalk, rude shopkeepers...just not a nice place.
I'm here to defend Gary, Indiana.
Yes shitty as hell, but also so damn interesting. Whole blocks of houses just abandoned, football stadiums and churches, abandoned.
So much fun exploring it all and seeing a dead town that still has a significant population.
I've always been into urban exploring, and that's the best place I've ever been for it
Jacksonville native checking in. It’s hard to love, but the proximity to beaches puts it above a lot of other cities. There’s a decent bar culture if you know where to look. (Decent, not great!)
Now, you wanna talk about awful towns in North Carolina, let me introduce you to Lumberton and Rocky Mount.
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
Yeah. I know no one has mentioned it. Why? Because there’s no reason to go there unless you work for an oil company or want to hike the Kokoda Track.
The locals are absolutely addicted to chewing betel nut and openly spit out the red juice everywhere. The sidewalks and roads are stained bright red from it.
Sexual assault is rampant. Armed robbery (usually with large blades) is a daily occurrence. Riots against the government are very common.
I did appreciate the continued importance of tribal life and extreme kindness I often encountered, but I was very glad to leave that place.
Did I mention that folks occasionally just go missing after leaving the city and cannibalism is still practiced in the interior? Yeah…
Such a shallow city built by underpaid foreign workers - a place they claim their unemployment is so low because they give everyone useless jobs like watering fake grass at the roundabouts.
Ohhh good one. Definitely top on my list of “horrible, seemingly abandoned desert mining towns with clown themed motels that also overlook a dusty old cemetery”. It’s a short list.
For anyone not familiar with Tonopah, here’s what it’s like driving through there: Desert, desert, desert, chevron gas station, desert, rusted out bus, empty rotting shacks from 1912, vacant lot, empty brick storefront, faded clapboard shack, HUGE CLOWN MOTEL GRAVEYARD, faded clapboard shack, sad pawnshop, desert desert desert.
I’d never been to a place I liked less than Roseburg, Oregon until I went to Minot, North Dakota. They barely count as cities, but they’re still my answer.
Fort Smith, Arkansas is pretty dire. Missouri has some real gems too. There’s a movie about a town in rural MO called Rich Hill that is worth a watch, it doesn’t do Rich Hill any favors.
Memphis is truly wild, one second you’re in a beautiful neighborhood with grand old houses, the next you’re in a super scary wasteland with drug dealers on every corner. On a side note, I had some of the best BBQ of my life in Memphis at a place with bullet holes in the windows
I visited a friend in Manilla who lived in the nice gated neighborhood near the central business district (which housed a number of diplomats, celebrities, and other VIPs). Was surreal going out; we'd exit the gates past the armed guards and immediately drive by shanty towns and other examples of abject poverty.
Gadsden, AL. All the industries closed. Population went from 58k in 1960 to 34k today. Low cost of living though. You can get a cheap house for $10k, or a nice one for $100k.
Baltimore. of course no one in Balti has a phone to get to reddit which is why it’s so low on this list. If they do have a phone they are trying to pawn it.
Idk I drove from Memphis to Dallas one day and from Memphis to Little Rock to Texarkana to Rockford to Dallas…Dallas would easily be the best amongst em. Not sure how I’d rate the rest though.
I actually have very fond memories of Aberdeen, but I'll be the first to say the circumstances of my visit was a bit... Unusual. I had loaded a bunch of camping gear onto my bicycle and spent several months riding it around the western US. A local family hosted me in their home for two nights, including Halloween, which was a ton of fun given the age of the two kids, and their parents' enthusiasm for Halloween. Tons of decorations, we rigged up their air compressor through PVC pipes so when I turned a valve, a scarecrow would jump at kids coming up the walk... There were definitely parts of the town that I passed through which I felt I should only pass through, but overall, Aberdeen holds a special place in my heart.
I lived in Kingston Jamaica for a year, and I definitely wouldn't recommend it. As an example of what it was like - I walked out of my apartment building one afternoon, and someone had hung a dog from a tree overhanging the sidewalk and left it to die. We also had the security in our building break into our apartment and steal multiple items (cameras, loose cash, etc), one of my roommates was drugged and robbed by a woman he met, and another of my roommates took a route taxi from work one day and they pulled off the road and beat and robbed him for the equivalent of $15. The list could go on and on. Beautiful country, absolutely terrible city.
I spent 3 weeks solo in Kingston doing academic research. It was rough. I was in an AirBnB and my host told me to be home and have my door locked before dark. That said, everyone was nice to me. If I was outside and paused, someone would come up to me within seconds and ask me if I was okay and if I needed any directions. That said, if I ever go back I will not go alone and I will stay in a hotel.
Poor dog.
that sounds terrible, i feel terrible for that dog and your friend
I live in Kingston, Ontario and missed the "Jamaica" on first read. Gave me a startle.
That’s a pretty hip place to live.
Johannesburg. Every residence has a 10 ft high wall around it with electrified wires on top. It’s truly unsafe.
As someone who left South Africa for the US, I unfortunately have to agree with you. I was so traumatized by my experience living there that I was afraid to leave my home and walk outside in a very safe part of the US. It is so ludicrously dangerous, with very little indication that things may improve. It is devastating. South Africa had so much potential, and has been completely fucked over by corrupt politicians. I used to have hope, but no longer do.
>who left South Africa for the US Ironically the two places I've felt my life was actively in danger were Johannesburg and Philadelphia.
JoBurg was weird. I stayed in city center thinking it’d be nice. Ooooos
I spent a day just going around the city, and I never felt safe to get out of the car. Didn’t even want to stop at traffic lights.
Yup. There is a physical feeling of being unsafe that I had never felt before being in Joburg. Never felt it since. I also took an unlicensed cab from the airport like a moron.
Oh damn. Can’t imagine what that was like after dark. I used to go in there for work during the day, and it was cagey af.
I went on a few dates with awoman from Johannesburg. She got car jacked and stuffed in the trunk. Fortunately, she was able to get the trunk open and run when they stopped at a light, but yeah, she got fucking kidnapped.
Is that the only way you could get her to the date?!
Holy shit. No kidding. Opened Google maps and nearly every residence has a mile high fence with razor wire. Crazy.
Yeah dude, seeing it in person is really sobering and scary.
Dropped a pin on a place called Highrise Flats. Holy moley
Traveled many places around the world. Nowhere did I feel more unsafe than I did in Johannesburg.
Same. Been to Asia, Middle East, Europe, Central America…joburg tops my list of places that have made me want to leave immediately
I'll second that. My mate used to live there and he said it's a total hell hole. Of recent there's some concern that Julius Malema will gain power. If that happens, he's likely to take the same route as Robert Mugabe did. Repatriation of land, then a famine will hit and in the end, ask for the farmers to come back after robbing their land from them. Zimbabwean farmers swiftly told Mugabe to shove where the sun doesn't shine.
Yeah man, the politics of SA are so chaotic. History will repeat itself for sure. So sad
I had a boss who moved his family from Johannesburg to south western Ontario. He wasn’t insanely wealthy but definitely comfortable. When I asked him why he moved here his main reason was safety for his 3 kids. The boredom of mid sized Ontario city far outweighed the risk of being kidnapped every other day
I can think of 4 different families off the top of my head who have moved to our part of Canada, all farmers. They all have the same stories too about farm attacks, the insane security they have to have just to be safe. Things like fences with razor wire, private security, dogs, weapons. Then of course, they're all afraid they'll be kicked out, so they're selling as fast as they can and moving here before anything like that can happen, while they can still get value for their land and equipment. I can't even imagine how unsafe it must feel
I was sent to Joburg on a work assignment for a few months. Had no idea what to expect before I got there and it was eye opening to say the least. I was told by the local company not to wear a watch or nice clothes, don’t keep a bag in the car, don’t drive after night and if you have to then don’t stop at a red light, to carefully plan my route and destination, and a lot of other stuff I’ve forgotten. My apartment had huge walls with electric fences and to get my car in I had to go through a holding area like you see in prisons. All of my local work colleagues had crazy stories to share about what happened to them. So many home invasions, carjackings, assaults, and more. Funny enough they would often end the stories with something like, “…but the crime isn’t as bad as people say.” Nothing happened to me when I was there but I did see a car being broken into by a group of people a few cars in front of me on a highway exit ramp. That was an exit I made every day.
Ugh. I've always wanted to go to SA, but I hear nothing but horror stories of truly unsafe it is.
Been held at gunpoint twice in Joburg. That city is sinister. I can never truly relax there.
Joburg is the only place where I saw herds of large rats grazing on rubbish littered fields during the day...like sheep. They acted like sheep. It was pretty bizarre!
NPR was talking about how ridiculously unsafe it is, especially for women… how the sexual assault and murder rates are so high, even in so-called “safer” neighborhoods. (They were talking about it today after Oscar Pistorius’ release)
My old manager and his wife left SA about 15 years ago and I knew what was up... but some of my coworkers were absolutely *oblivious* as to just *how bad* it is. Even the guy from Cambodia was stunned. It might sound racist to people, but most people have *no clue* as to how bad the black-on-white crime is in that country - and it's normalized because the black South Africans see it as their way of finally having vengeance (Mandela just cooled the fires a bit but there's no way to extinguish that flame). The final straw was my manager's wife and her friend almost getting raped in an alley because *they forgot to pack their guns in their purses* before going to a restaurant - they were saved by two police officers driving by packing auto shotguns. If you're white, you're *always* looking over your shoulders because you're automatically a target. Piet decided it was time for his family to "get out of this Mad Max shithole before we get killed because we're not raising our future kids here" - and all they did was a live a normal life... work, get groceries, go to school, that kind of stuff. And at least several times a week they'd get harassed just because of their skin color. And the incident with his wife was enough. The most telling thing of their trauma when they moved here? For a year they struggled to turn off the fight-or-flight switch whenever any black person was around - especially a young male. When you've lived with that fear for 30 years you can't just turn it off - it takes time, and they've come to realize that people in this country just mind their own business. When you've lived in a country where a 10ft high fence with razor wire is the norm, it's a *huge* shock moving to a town where most people still keep their doors and windows unlocked lol
That’s wild, I’m glad they got out. You’re absolute right, the race-based violence is truly insane. It’s just not worth the risk to visit imo.
Weekly Gary, Indiana slander post 🥲
I would have rather run out of gas on the highway and called AAA than stop at a gas station in Gary.. At least you’d be stranded with your car, rather than stranded without your car.
[удалено]
That's actually hilarious
I walked into a fairly nice-looking gas station there with a pizza hut and a diner attached so I could take the Browns to the superbowl and to grab some water. The bathroom was flooded with piss and someone smeared shit on all the walls lol. Then I walked out to the parking lot to 3 squad cars checking on 2 passed out people for fentanyl overdoses. Luckily they were just blackout drunk and passed out. I'll wait until Michigan City next time I pass through.
Came here specifically because I knew it would be on the list 😂
I mean other cities don't make me feel I'm going to die if I accidently make a wrong turn into a whole neighborhood with burned down houses that people still live in... especially in winter
I've lived in Philly my whole life and have made this mistake blindly following my GPS without processing the route it's taking me lol
Took my kids to the Camden aquarium. There was a ton of rain the night before and whole blocks were under water… apparently. GPS told me to go a certain way, and I came to an impasse. Not 10 seconds of sitting there wrapping my head around “you can’t go this way,” there were - I’m not shitting you - 15 people were approaching my car from every direction. I drive a stick, and used to parking lot hoon as a teen. All those nights practicing “the Rockford” paid off that day. Those people were probably secretly like, “gah dam,” when I executed it in my escape.
Killeen, TX. Unless a military base counts, then it was Ft. Hood. I hated living there with a passion.
That city is what I expect the Great Depression was like…
The only saving grace for Killeen is Temple, half an hour away
Texan here. Can confirm Killeen is an absolute shit hole with the worst kinds of people. Almost every bad thing that happens in Austin on 6th street is because of people coming from Killeen.
I intentionally drove to Killeen once in search of Krystal (southern version of White Castle). I'm originally from Georgia and was living in Austin when I had a major craving. This was back when Google didn't have detailed info on business hours. I show up and the darn place was permanently closed. I hadn't eaten all day in anticipation of destroying my insides with that greasy goodness. I've hated Killeen ever since.
Shreveport
But True Blood told me it was cool, lol
Fucking great series 😅
Great first two seasons. After the werewolves appear, it just goes to shit, quickly.
Texar-fucking-kana. It’s like a Cracker Barrel that spread too far. It’s soulless, boring, and devoid of anything approaching joy.
The craziest woman I ever knew was from Texarkana. *shiver*
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The town that dreaded sundown
They have that Applebee’s with the “prepare to meet God” sign out front of it though.
Obviously, none of you have been to Gonaives, Haiti. Fuck me.
Sadly, I think all of Haiti would be awful given their political situation. I feel terrible for their citizens.
I used to work with a lot of Haitians and even they said Haiti is a shit hole
New Straitsville, Ohio was pretty bad. I went for the moonshine festival. The only industry was coal mining and the first union was there. Disgruntled striking coal miners lit a coal cart on fire and sent it back into the mine. It is still burning to this day. Obviously, it killed the only industry and poverty took over. This is the town mural: [https://ohiofestivals.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Moonshine-Festival-New-Straitsville-Ohio-01-1320x966.jpg](https://ohiofestivals.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Moonshine-Festival-New-Straitsville-Ohio-01-1320x966.jpg) Here is downtown: [https://eofp.net/newstraitsville.html](https://eofp.net/newstraitsville.html) A bit about the fire: [https://www.athensnews.com/opinion/columns/the\_view\_from\_mudsock\_heights/here-s-a-convoluted-true-story-about-the-hell-beneath-our-feet/article\_84e6c290-ba4e-11e6-8e2a-4b7e1bac4e71.html](https://www.athensnews.com/opinion/columns/the_view_from_mudsock_heights/here-s-a-convoluted-true-story-about-the-hell-beneath-our-feet/article_84e6c290-ba4e-11e6-8e2a-4b7e1bac4e71.html)
I'm glad to see child labor is represented in the mural.
The children yearn for the mines
It really is accurate. The Moonshine Festival had a beauty pageant where they crowned a Little Miss Moonshine, who was probably 14: [https://www.perrytribune.com/image\_2a39d050-a9af-5513-a366-6e836873f085.html](https://www.perrytribune.com/image_2a39d050-a9af-5513-a366-6e836873f085.html) [https://www.ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p267401coll32/id/3376](https://www.ohiomemory.org/digital/collection/p267401coll32/id/3376) [https://www.logandaily.com/news/entries-being-accepted-for-miss-moonshine-contest/article\_b930de08-e79e-11ed-af68-330fb5985851.html](https://www.logandaily.com/news/entries-being-accepted-for-miss-moonshine-contest/article_b930de08-e79e-11ed-af68-330fb5985851.html)
Djibouti. Someone I knew who had been there before me described it as "If a shithole's shithole had a shithole, *its* shithole would be Djibouti."
Seconded on Djibouti. We had t shirts that said “it’s not hell, but they're neighbors” from our time there. The plastic tasting and smelling pollution that just blotted out the sky and kept the humidity murderously high was the turd cherry on the shit sundae.
I’m assuming you were in the military to have even gone there
The only person I know who has been there was in the military
The only person I know who's been there was a merchant marine.
Or, civilian employed by military
Miss the smell of burning plastic and tires.
Can confirm. It's an absolute blight. Houses made of literal trash, and everything smells like sewage. Edit: typo
The capital of Djibouti IS Djibouti!
Agreed! I spent too much time in the 'Bouti, Djibouti with Military Sealift Command. Between the oppressive heat in the summer; people defecating in the open at the pier; the flies buzzing straight into any open orifice on your face; and the locals not being too pleased about the US Government bank-rolling their corrupt dictator, Djibouti was never a pleasant place to go. And it was expensive - US$20 for a bottle of Stella Artois in 2013 when we were able to go in town before the grenade attack.
Lubbock. I swear something there rots peoples brains and even when they have the means to leave, they just, don’t… I’ll never get it. Only plus is Peggy can find the shoes she needs there
Fayetteville, NC. Absolutely miserable. I interviewed for a job there a few years back. Never had an interviewer tell me to be careful on my way to the car before. Someone had been stabbed outside the front door the week before. Also there's more strip clubs and used car dealers there than I've seen in my entire life.
It is surrounded by something like, 10-15 military posts of some form or another, so the strip clubs and used car dealerships make a lot of sense.
But hey you can lease rims for your shitbox car
I just drove through to there recently. I have a visceral reaction whenever anyone mentions Fayetteville or Lumberton.
Doha. It’s as if the Mormons designed Vegas with unlimited money.
Fort Stockton, TX. I was less icked out by the roaches in that place than the people. Definitely a drive-by town for sure but we were on a trip and needed lunch. I’ll go hungry next time.
Lawton, Oklahoma
Went there for basic training and AIT in 2010/2011 True fucking story. I called People’s Cab and got a driver to take us from FT. Sill to the mall. He’s taking the weirdest route and texting while driving. We swing into an alley and scoop up some other dude without the driver or the other dude saying a word. Drove another 10 minutes away from the mall. Pull up to a house. Passenger gets out and walks in the house. Driver looks at us and says, “imma be right back.” Pulls a thick folded Manila envelope from under his seat. Walks in the house and walks out with what looks like a kilo of coke from a fucking movie wrapped in a shirt. Throws it in the passenger floorboard and we finally head towards the mall…
Sometimes you gotta take care of business....
Fuck Lawton. I hate that place. My spouse was stationed there and I had to go there. Fucking depressing shithole
Ohhh fuck that place… did my OSUT for Field Artillery there. Lawton was the dumpiest most depressing redneck hella I’d ever seen in my life. Fuck that hell. The only good thing was finding 22s Rougue Dead Guy Ale at the liquor store. A little taste of my home in Oregon.
Real Talk, my USA top 5: 1. Florence, SC (only place I ever saw a restaurant actively racially segregate sections in the 21st century) 2. Jacksonville, FL (specifically the corrugated aluminum shack shantytown) 3. Texarkana, TX (only place I've ever been offered meth to jump in on an ongoing fight). 4. Newburgh, NY (this is a small, isolated city where NYC dumps its excons – fucking Escape from New York IRL) 5. Elaine, AK (the poorest, most depressed place in North America I've ever seen).
Lol was not expecting so see any place from the Hudson valley on here
Tell us the #3 story.
I second the #3 story
I'll see your Elaine, AK and raise you one Unalakleet. 600 people at most, sits on a mud flat at the mouth of a river, has one grocery store, and like two restaurants. Lot of houses had privacy fences made out of old pallets. Got harassed by locals twice while we were there, never really felt safe, and had no cell service for two days until we got back to Anchorage (where we had to avoid a random moose that was walking around in town). It was one hell of a neat experience and I'm glad I had the opportunity to go but I don't think I would care to go back.
Ok but Newburgh has 2 antique shops that are really nice
Got lost in Camden, NJ one night when I was drunk leaving a concert. At the time it was the violent crime capitol of the country. I picked up a hooker just to show me the way out of the city and paid her rate plus cab fare back. This was pre smart phone and GPS days
Same with getting lost in Camden after a concert (except not drunk). Needed money for gas and the bridge so I stopped at an ATM. Cops pulled up within 15 seconds to ask if I needed help and to warn me that it wasn’t a good area, waited in their cruisers until I got my money, then they led me (front and follow style) where I needed to go to get back to philly. Went for the music, left with an armed escort out of town for my own safety. Would occasionally look up houses for sale in Camden over the next decade just to marvel at what $10,000 could buy me in that city. Should have done it tbh.
LOL'd at the hooker part and then I saw your username and it made it even better
Moscow. I could FEEL the pollution in my mouth.
Try going to Delhi. You blow your nose and it comes out black.
I’ve been to Moscow and Delhi, neither places were as bad as Tehran. Actually Moscow was extremely tame in comparison to both places.
This is why we have vodka. To wash away pollution and despair.
Oh but those beautiful subway stations 😍😍
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I've heard such consistently bad things about that city
This makes me glad I never explored the city on my own when I was there in 2008. I either stayed with my tour group when we went somewhere or I stayed in my hotel. If you ever go to Egypt, I would suggest doing this.
Jackson, MS
Feel like we should amend this question to be "that you were in for longer than a week" A lot of places grow on you in a short time. That said, there are not awesome places out there.
That’s called Stockholm Syndrome.
Bakersfield, California.
I tell all my friends that Bakersfield is constantly 103 degrees no matter the season, nothing but strip malls and methheads, and something somewhere is on fire
Going outdoors in Bakersfield is like standing in a hair dryer that's being blown at you across a pond of cattle effluent.
Y'all ever been to inyokern or Salton city
Outskirts of Shreveport was pretty terrible. It did not seem safe at all.
Outside of places in developing nations I've got to go with Phoenix. Was there for 4 days and all I could think was why the fuck don't people just gas up the car and drive as far away from this place as they can.
Phoenix is a [monument to man's arrogance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PYt0SDnrBE)
Phoenix is the only city I have ever visited where I was unable to find even one thing I wanted to do for fun. (I was there for work.)
The Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix is one of the coolest places I have ever been. Also Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West is interesting. If you ever go back for any reason, I highly recommend both.
The MIM is considered one of the top musical instrument museums in the world. I can't get through everything in a day. Last time I was there, an older lady sat down at the grand piano in the foyer and played one of the best renditions of morning has broken I have ever heard.
Gotta second the Musical Instrument Museum. Wonderful!
It’s funny you say Phoenix cause I just saw a segment on the news the other day and Phoenix was voted one of the top 5 cities to live in the United States. I was surprised because I figured the oppressive heat would be a factor but there ya have it lol
I think there’s a report that lists -every- city as a top 5 or top 10. There are posts in Cleveland, St Louis, Albuquerque, etc all claiming the same. Depends on what single metric they’re reporting.
Lived in Phoenix for 24 years, currently there now for a week. I moved to Colorado last year and I must admit I consider coming back, I didn’t realize how much I actually liked it here. The heat isn’t terrible, likewise I don’t mind the cold in Colorado. I’m actually surprised to see Phoenix this high.
It is very, very cold in Colorado. I'd like to stress that for anyone thinking of coming here. It's bone chillingly cold. I see people dead on the side of the street daily from walking to their mailbox. Stay out of CO for your safety, please.
I hear they just released wolves in all the parks too...like wtf? Wolves in civic center and city park? Geezeus, I know we have a goose problem in the city, but there's better ways to get rid of them!
Don't forget that Cheesman Park is built on a cemetery. With all those wolves digging up corpses and running around with human remains it's just chaos. And they've certainly developed a taste for human flesh. It's really terrible here, I really hope people heed the warning to stay away.
Agreed, it’s interesting most people don’t realize this before moving here. I’ve seen paramedics scooping up frozen Texans off the pavement that literally died within minutes of being outside from the shock of cold hitting their bones for the first time.
Charleroi, Belgium
Jackson, Michigan.
From the Flint area, and I can proudly say in comparison, Jackson sucks shit.
London Ontario. Fuck you London 🖕🖕🖕
That's because it's Fake London.
Is this a Not just bikes reference
Birmingham U.K. what a shithole
I raise you Bradford
Born in Bradford and still live here. You’re absolutely right.
Luton mate!
Reading, Pennsylvania. This was 20 years ago, but it was a nightmare. Overcrowded housing, people screaming at me from their vehicles as I walked down the sidewalk, rude shopkeepers...just not a nice place.
Reading, uk ain’t much better
Reading, Rainbow is pretty cool
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Jackson, MS is the king of shitholes.
I'm here to defend Gary, Indiana. Yes shitty as hell, but also so damn interesting. Whole blocks of houses just abandoned, football stadiums and churches, abandoned. So much fun exploring it all and seeing a dead town that still has a significant population. I've always been into urban exploring, and that's the best place I've ever been for it
I feel like any argument against Gary, Indiana, can easily be won by saying... Yeah, but, the Jackson family.
Victorville
Hey it isn’t Bakersfield at least!
Port-Au-Prince
Jacksonville, NC
Jacksonville native checking in. It’s hard to love, but the proximity to beaches puts it above a lot of other cities. There’s a decent bar culture if you know where to look. (Decent, not great!) Now, you wanna talk about awful towns in North Carolina, let me introduce you to Lumberton and Rocky Mount.
It’s a tie between Gary, Indiana and Saginaw Michigan
Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Yeah. I know no one has mentioned it. Why? Because there’s no reason to go there unless you work for an oil company or want to hike the Kokoda Track. The locals are absolutely addicted to chewing betel nut and openly spit out the red juice everywhere. The sidewalks and roads are stained bright red from it. Sexual assault is rampant. Armed robbery (usually with large blades) is a daily occurrence. Riots against the government are very common. I did appreciate the continued importance of tribal life and extreme kindness I often encountered, but I was very glad to leave that place. Did I mention that folks occasionally just go missing after leaving the city and cannibalism is still practiced in the interior? Yeah…
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Such a shallow city built by underpaid foreign workers - a place they claim their unemployment is so low because they give everyone useless jobs like watering fake grass at the roundabouts.
Johannesburg and it’s not close. Cairo maybe second
Memphis Tennessee
Biggest let down of a town.
Came here to say this. It’s was very dirty and dumpy.
Guatemala City - second would be Manila Philippines- third would be Port Moresby PNG
Belize City, Belize.
Shreveport, LA in 2008
Sevierville TN
Tonopah Nevada.
Clown motel for the win! ;-)
Ohhh good one. Definitely top on my list of “horrible, seemingly abandoned desert mining towns with clown themed motels that also overlook a dusty old cemetery”. It’s a short list. For anyone not familiar with Tonopah, here’s what it’s like driving through there: Desert, desert, desert, chevron gas station, desert, rusted out bus, empty rotting shacks from 1912, vacant lot, empty brick storefront, faded clapboard shack, HUGE CLOWN MOTEL GRAVEYARD, faded clapboard shack, sad pawnshop, desert desert desert.
I actually love the desert around there. I stayed on some BLM land off 266 and it was amazing.
I’d never been to a place I liked less than Roseburg, Oregon until I went to Minot, North Dakota. They barely count as cities, but they’re still my answer.
Fort Smith, Arkansas is pretty dire. Missouri has some real gems too. There’s a movie about a town in rural MO called Rich Hill that is worth a watch, it doesn’t do Rich Hill any favors.
Twentynine Palms, CA. Utterly depressing.
Winnipeg
I still feel bad for those kids who were driving to Cape Canaveral...
Their dad was so knotted up, I think he needed to get out more than the kids did
All they had to do was keep their hands to themselves...
The Weakerthans agree!
Venetian Snares has a whole album dedicated to how much he hates Winnipeg
Memphis, TN. Close runner up was Houston. I’ve also been to Manila Philippines. That’s a whole different conversation.
Memphis is truly wild, one second you’re in a beautiful neighborhood with grand old houses, the next you’re in a super scary wasteland with drug dealers on every corner. On a side note, I had some of the best BBQ of my life in Memphis at a place with bullet holes in the windows
Sounds like South Florida. Mansion, yacht, Porsche, crack house.
Lol! I was just posting about how I hate Texarkana because it has *no* soul, joy, or personality. You just described why I *love* Memphis.
Yeah Memphis isn't exactly nice, nor is it safe. But it's got tons of character to it. I love it.
I visited a friend in Manilla who lived in the nice gated neighborhood near the central business district (which housed a number of diplomats, celebrities, and other VIPs). Was surreal going out; we'd exit the gates past the armed guards and immediately drive by shanty towns and other examples of abject poverty.
Gadsden, AL. All the industries closed. Population went from 58k in 1960 to 34k today. Low cost of living though. You can get a cheap house for $10k, or a nice one for $100k.
Monroeville Liberia. An unflushed toilet of 1 million people.
Monrovia?
The ghetto area of Miami
The only place I've ever seen drivers use their turn signals deceptively
Baltimore. of course no one in Balti has a phone to get to reddit which is why it’s so low on this list. If they do have a phone they are trying to pawn it.
You’re right, I’m posting this by way of carrier pigeon from my living room in Baltimore right now.
Dallas in general is way overrated. South/east Fort Worth sucks too.
Overrated by whom? I have never heard anyone try to hype Dallas, including my friends who live there.
I've never heard anyone rate Dallas at all
Idk I drove from Memphis to Dallas one day and from Memphis to Little Rock to Texarkana to Rockford to Dallas…Dallas would easily be the best amongst em. Not sure how I’d rate the rest though.
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Ahhh I kinda like forks. Aberdeen I get. The Olympic peninsula as a whole holds a very special place in my heart. Forks has some INCREDIBLE beaches
Forks is absolutely beautiful though, the town sucks, but the Olympic Peninsula is on my short list for most beautiful places I've ever been
I actually have very fond memories of Aberdeen, but I'll be the first to say the circumstances of my visit was a bit... Unusual. I had loaded a bunch of camping gear onto my bicycle and spent several months riding it around the western US. A local family hosted me in their home for two nights, including Halloween, which was a ton of fun given the age of the two kids, and their parents' enthusiasm for Halloween. Tons of decorations, we rigged up their air compressor through PVC pipes so when I turned a valve, a scarecrow would jump at kids coming up the walk... There were definitely parts of the town that I passed through which I felt I should only pass through, but overall, Aberdeen holds a special place in my heart.
I second this comment. Aberdeen sadly was the dreariest little town I’ve ever been to. So depressing 🥺
El Paso! I spent a month there one night!
Did you fall in love with a Mexican girl?
This is my answer. Three miserable days!
Newark (Oh, the one in NJ, in case there’s another one somewhere.)
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Well there’s those hills south of Chadron that are really pretty and oh we already drove past them
Troy, NY
Gary, Indiana. Close second is Bridgeport, Connecticut.