I think a big part of the phenomenon you're describing (ie the loss of perceived geographic identity) is white flight, urban sprawl, and the rise of exurban America.
I grew up outside Atlanta, between Marietta and Roswell. There was no town square. There was no downtown. There was no local coffee shop; just the Starbucks inside the Publix. It was an utterly soulless, boring place to live.
What really drove that home, to me, was seeing exurban Lexington KY - it was nearly identical to where I grew up, right down to the cookie-cutter mcmansions.
I don't know what the solution is...even new urbanism seems to lead to very similar looking developments (essentially "main streets" with apartments over an outdoor mall with a Banana Republic and a movie theater.) But I sure hope someone smarter than me figures it out...
Oh! Another factor (and one that is distinct from Europe, even post EU) - you can move pretty much anywhere in the US without much of a to do. I grew up in GA but I live in NC. Most of the people where I live either come from other cities in NC or they're from Ohio or NY or PA or Jersey or...
This is exactly why I don't read the news and why I scroll past social media posts that opine on national events or engage with political extremists. I don't want to know! I don't want to know about some tragedy in Boise or some offensive thing a podcaster in Boston said. I don't want to hear everyone's hot take or read an article about the latest setback in Ukraine. I've decided life is happier for me with my head in the sand. And I've made peace with that. I can't fix what's broken so I'd rather not hear about it.
I don't know if you remember me (Maya from that Travel Channel thing). I am just across the lake in Plattsburgh, NY if you are looking for anything to do Friday and want a tour guide let me know I'm trying to get someone to go with me on Saturday. Hope to see you!
You live in one of my favorite cities in America, Savannah. Admittedly I don't go there from late spring to early fall because of the humidity and heat, but damn, do I love to walk that town when the weather permits. Food. The food. Forsyth Park. The arts community. It has character and characters. Lucky you.
Because of adult children and grandchildren I am stuck in metro Atlanta in a copycat subdivision with zero character. Do what you can as a citizen to keep Savannah, Savannah.
It's a great place and it's in good hands. The Savannah government takes preservation extremely seriously and they do a great job of keeping up the historic downtown.
It's the locally owned and operated businesses (not chains or franchises) that make a place unique. Small local movie theatre, bookshop, artisan bakery, restaurant, cafe, tea room, pizzeria, sandwich shop, car or bike repair, card & stationery shop, unique clothing and home goods, farm market, alterations & tailoring, candy maker, appliance repair, butcher and fresh fish store - all of that and more.
Many multi-generational independent businesses are disappearing as the newest generations pursue careers made possible by the higher education paid for by the work of those before them. That's a good thing, but ...
I agree with Mindy that sometimes you have to dig a little to find the things that make a place unique. Why this very day I was visiting Eindhoven (I live in the Netherlands), a city known as a design capitol, and I came upon this. Why is this in this particular place? Does this say something about this city? I don't know, but I'm thrilled that I came across it:
Definitely true that digging around will get you to the heart of a place; there's always something cool about every place I go. But I maintain there's a creeping American monoculture (or maybe it would be more accurate to say that there's several American monocultures depending on your socio-economic status). It's also true, as somebody pointed out, that European nations have a sameness within their own borders. As I said, I'm no expert on the topic, but I recognize the validity of the statement. The difference, though, is that those cultures can be escaped so easily now. Just jump on a train and you're in Berlin or Paris or Rome, which are so distinct from each other in every possible way.
I haven't spent much time in the US the last six years, but from what experience I do have I see what you're saying.
The question of sameness in EU nations is similar to the US. I think most people would agree, for one example, that the culture in southern Italy is very different from northern Italy. You might even go so far as to say the north/south differences apply in lots of countries, including the US. So while there are certainly pockets of similarity within every country, often you don't have to go all that far to find big differences. The urban/rural divide is another big one, almost everywhere.
Michael, in my opinion, I believe you are touching on another topic, which is growth. If we look at the statistics, many cities, whether large, medium, or small, are lacking in the number of housing units. Many of us have emphasized the need to create more housing units. However, most of us are not builders, so it's up to developers and local city boards to decide how to meet this demand. This presents an opportunity where cities, in need of tax revenue, often approve development plans that lack green space. In contrast, cities like Chicago have ordinances requiring a certain amount of green space price, market forces tend to drive developers to prioritize simplicity to maximize profits, as you've seen. Yet, that is what makes this country great; we have an incentive through profit for people to build companies. So, all in all, I see it as a fair trade. I say this knowing others may not agree, and I understand the position of providing equal opportunity for housing. Yet, to do that, we must be willing to give up choice and certain freedoms, which I doubt many will.
Most everything built during the post-war era does look the same, but I would say America has a lot of architectural and urban diversity. In what other country are you going to find Savannah and Las Vegas, New Orleans and Tulsa, New York and Santa Fe. Those cities look completely different and feel different. We have many cities and towns that were founded and built by different cultures, which many other countries can't say. I haven't traveled much, other than to Canada and Italy, but it does seem like towns and cities in other countries often look very similar to other towns and cities in those countries. I think the boom in people moving to more urban places in the US is, perhaps, based on people wanting more interesting environments that embrace our heritage of building cities like Savannah, New Orleans, New York, and Burlington.
Interesting buildings, especially houses, get torn down and replaced for obvious reasons. One thing I liked about living in the Midwest was that some old structures lingered, at least in places. But they were only there because nobody had good reason to buy them to destroy.
For awhile we rented a wonderful idiosyncratic house in Milwaukee. Half a mansion, I'll say, built in 1914. All sorts of problems went along with the place, though. Some of the wiring was dangerously ancient. Next to nothing like it exists in California, I'll warrant. Certainly not for $1,400 a month (2010).
I live in a semi rural part of Michigan (Chelsea) where the neighbors families have lived here over 100 years and the local streets and roads bear their family names.
We'd love to see you in San Antonio. (Texas, ugh, I know, I know...) But SATX is a blue city in a red state, and our local flavor is honestly pretty cool and unlike anything you'll find elsewhere. Just sayin.... Come visit!
"There’s nothing with Pennsylvania, of course, unless you’ve been there. (That’s a joke)"
Nothing wrong with, I assume?
As a kid fascinated by Bigfoot I... went to a library and checked out a book about Bigfoot. Seems odd now.
I think a big part of the phenomenon you're describing (ie the loss of perceived geographic identity) is white flight, urban sprawl, and the rise of exurban America.
I grew up outside Atlanta, between Marietta and Roswell. There was no town square. There was no downtown. There was no local coffee shop; just the Starbucks inside the Publix. It was an utterly soulless, boring place to live.
What really drove that home, to me, was seeing exurban Lexington KY - it was nearly identical to where I grew up, right down to the cookie-cutter mcmansions.
I don't know what the solution is...even new urbanism seems to lead to very similar looking developments (essentially "main streets" with apartments over an outdoor mall with a Banana Republic and a movie theater.) But I sure hope someone smarter than me figures it out...
Oh! Another factor (and one that is distinct from Europe, even post EU) - you can move pretty much anywhere in the US without much of a to do. I grew up in GA but I live in NC. Most of the people where I live either come from other cities in NC or they're from Ohio or NY or PA or Jersey or...
This is exactly why I don't read the news and why I scroll past social media posts that opine on national events or engage with political extremists. I don't want to know! I don't want to know about some tragedy in Boise or some offensive thing a podcaster in Boston said. I don't want to hear everyone's hot take or read an article about the latest setback in Ukraine. I've decided life is happier for me with my head in the sand. And I've made peace with that. I can't fix what's broken so I'd rather not hear about it.
I don't know if you remember me (Maya from that Travel Channel thing). I am just across the lake in Plattsburgh, NY if you are looking for anything to do Friday and want a tour guide let me know I'm trying to get someone to go with me on Saturday. Hope to see you!
You live in one of my favorite cities in America, Savannah. Admittedly I don't go there from late spring to early fall because of the humidity and heat, but damn, do I love to walk that town when the weather permits. Food. The food. Forsyth Park. The arts community. It has character and characters. Lucky you.
Because of adult children and grandchildren I am stuck in metro Atlanta in a copycat subdivision with zero character. Do what you can as a citizen to keep Savannah, Savannah.
"metro Atlanta in a copycat subdivision with zero character"
Sounds like where I grew up (and my folks and my brother still live...)
It's a great place and it's in good hands. The Savannah government takes preservation extremely seriously and they do a great job of keeping up the historic downtown.
It's the locally owned and operated businesses (not chains or franchises) that make a place unique. Small local movie theatre, bookshop, artisan bakery, restaurant, cafe, tea room, pizzeria, sandwich shop, car or bike repair, card & stationery shop, unique clothing and home goods, farm market, alterations & tailoring, candy maker, appliance repair, butcher and fresh fish store - all of that and more.
Many multi-generational independent businesses are disappearing as the newest generations pursue careers made possible by the higher education paid for by the work of those before them. That's a good thing, but ...
I agree with Mindy that sometimes you have to dig a little to find the things that make a place unique. Why this very day I was visiting Eindhoven (I live in the Netherlands), a city known as a design capitol, and I came upon this. Why is this in this particular place? Does this say something about this city? I don't know, but I'm thrilled that I came across it:
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/silly-walks-tunnel
Definitely true that digging around will get you to the heart of a place; there's always something cool about every place I go. But I maintain there's a creeping American monoculture (or maybe it would be more accurate to say that there's several American monocultures depending on your socio-economic status). It's also true, as somebody pointed out, that European nations have a sameness within their own borders. As I said, I'm no expert on the topic, but I recognize the validity of the statement. The difference, though, is that those cultures can be escaped so easily now. Just jump on a train and you're in Berlin or Paris or Rome, which are so distinct from each other in every possible way.
I haven't spent much time in the US the last six years, but from what experience I do have I see what you're saying.
The question of sameness in EU nations is similar to the US. I think most people would agree, for one example, that the culture in southern Italy is very different from northern Italy. You might even go so far as to say the north/south differences apply in lots of countries, including the US. So while there are certainly pockets of similarity within every country, often you don't have to go all that far to find big differences. The urban/rural divide is another big one, almost everywhere.
Michael, in my opinion, I believe you are touching on another topic, which is growth. If we look at the statistics, many cities, whether large, medium, or small, are lacking in the number of housing units. Many of us have emphasized the need to create more housing units. However, most of us are not builders, so it's up to developers and local city boards to decide how to meet this demand. This presents an opportunity where cities, in need of tax revenue, often approve development plans that lack green space. In contrast, cities like Chicago have ordinances requiring a certain amount of green space price, market forces tend to drive developers to prioritize simplicity to maximize profits, as you've seen. Yet, that is what makes this country great; we have an incentive through profit for people to build companies. So, all in all, I see it as a fair trade. I say this knowing others may not agree, and I understand the position of providing equal opportunity for housing. Yet, to do that, we must be willing to give up choice and certain freedoms, which I doubt many will.
Frogs n waffles lol.
Most everything built during the post-war era does look the same, but I would say America has a lot of architectural and urban diversity. In what other country are you going to find Savannah and Las Vegas, New Orleans and Tulsa, New York and Santa Fe. Those cities look completely different and feel different. We have many cities and towns that were founded and built by different cultures, which many other countries can't say. I haven't traveled much, other than to Canada and Italy, but it does seem like towns and cities in other countries often look very similar to other towns and cities in those countries. I think the boom in people moving to more urban places in the US is, perhaps, based on people wanting more interesting environments that embrace our heritage of building cities like Savannah, New Orleans, New York, and Burlington.
Interesting buildings, especially houses, get torn down and replaced for obvious reasons. One thing I liked about living in the Midwest was that some old structures lingered, at least in places. But they were only there because nobody had good reason to buy them to destroy.
For awhile we rented a wonderful idiosyncratic house in Milwaukee. Half a mansion, I'll say, built in 1914. All sorts of problems went along with the place, though. Some of the wiring was dangerously ancient. Next to nothing like it exists in California, I'll warrant. Certainly not for $1,400 a month (2010).
I live in a semi rural part of Michigan (Chelsea) where the neighbors families have lived here over 100 years and the local streets and roads bear their family names.
Good one Ian!!
If you want to keep it as authentic as authentically Burlington is... go to the Radio Bean and Junktiques Collective in the old north end :)
Also Pure Pop Records
We'd love to see you in San Antonio. (Texas, ugh, I know, I know...) But SATX is a blue city in a red state, and our local flavor is honestly pretty cool and unlike anything you'll find elsewhere. Just sayin.... Come visit!