Commissioned by a then fledgling EPA in the early 1970s, over a 100 photographers went out to document America, both its environment and its people. Here are some of the pictures. I thought many of these were amazing and wanted to share.
Wow! Thanks! 
Awesome link! Thanks!
Wow…those are great. I feel…homesick, lol. But I was just growing up then, born in '66. But dayum…this feels weird. 
Depressing photos. Things were not so bad in San Diego and Lancaster.
Maybe this will help my son understand what my sister and I mean when we say a lot of places were dirtier when we were kids.
Litter, smog, all of it. Some of those shots put me right back 35 and more years ago, riding in my grandfather’s car hearing about what the neighborhoods used to be like.
Thanks for the link.
I’m trying to use Google Maps street view for the Colfax Ave. 1972 photo in Denver. For the life of me, I can’t figure out the spot where the photo was taken.
In the photo, the street appears to be lumpy and headed downhill. The dome is about the same height as the steeple across the street. I can’t reproduce that on Google Maps at all. The closest I can get appears to be the intersection of Colfax & Pearl, looking west, but the height of the dome relative to the church is way off at that spot.
A lot of that pollution was later cleaned up under the supervision of the EPA and Rick Perry wants to eliminate that whole organization. So we can get back to those happier toxic waste-filled times?
Tons more available on Flickr from the US Archives: Collection: DOCUMERICA Project by the Environmental Protection Agency
I’m struck not only by how dirty things are, but how much more slender everyone is–especially in the group shots of kids.
No he doesn’t - he wants to drastically reorganize it. When Perry could not remember the name of the third agency he wanted to eliminate, Romney offered up the EPA as a suggestion, but it was really the Department of Energy.
Heh - that’s what I noticed too. Not a single fat person in any of the photos I looked at.
You’re right. Now I remember.
Anyone recognize the California freeway pic with “Cindy’s” restaurant in the background? I think that is (or was) in Encino, Woodland Hills, or nearby, and originally had a slightly different name, like “Candy’s.” It might have fronted on Ventura Blvd, backing up to the freeway.
*God *the 1970s were horrible. I remember even at the time thinking, “please, 1980s, hurry up and *get *here!”
Me too.
It’s taken from a higher elevation than the Google shot; the cathedral is a couple of blocks closer than the state house, and parallax does the rest.
It’s amazing how far we’ve come. Cities used to be such depressing and filthy places.
I wonder if we’re heading back in that direction where people will again leave the cities?
Thanks for the wonderful link.
I’d like to show that picture of the subway to anyone who still believes graffiti was a form of artistic expression.
Some of it is definitely art; the shit in the OP’s link is just tags. There’s some graffiti out there that is really amazing. But all of it is definitely illegal, and I certainly don’t have any sympathy for the guys who get arrested while doing it. They know the risk, they know the game - that’s why they do it. But I definitely admire the good pieces.
