Worst Place in America Tournament

[Civil_Guy]

Can’t help but think this might be a little unfair: some of these places are sort of naturally impoverished and it’s hard to tell whether its really their fault that they’re dumps. I’m thinking, for instance, towns on Native American reservations - there’s one in Montana that I’m thinking of that I will NOT nominate for the reason just given. But me and my GF should have kept on driving.

Compton is sort of South Central L.A., but not strictly so. That said, South Central L.A. is pretty bad. Ah, but it probably doesn’t qualify, as it’s not a separate town.

[dalej42]

For Texas, I actually think the Midland/Odessa area is the worst part of the state.

[Least_Original_User_Name_Ever]

@ASAKMOTSD

On behalf of the (great) state of Michigan, I nominate **Flint **- former home of General Motors.

It’s either Flint or Jackson. I’ve never spent any time in either, but I have a hard time believing they’re any better than Detroit.

Detroit might be a tough place to live (in some places) but it’s just not the despair-ridden place that Flint is. Flint is where “meh” is manufactured. There’s just nothing there.

[Beware_of_Doug]

@The Spirit of Radio

Also, this isn’t a nomination, I’ve never been to Connecticut, but I’ve heard that New Haven’s pretty cruddy outside the Yale campus.

New Haven’s a distant third behind Hartford and Bridgeport. Bridgeport’s so far gone people there envy Newark.

[Running_In_Place]

Nevada

Winnemucca.

Utah

Tooele, out of sheer irritation. It’s actually a rather pretty town, but the people suck.

Texas

Snyder. An incredibly dinky town in west Texas. There is nothing there.

[TristramAiblins]

No one has put Butte out there yet? Well, I’ve only driven through, but I went 5 mph faster just to get out quicker.

Oh, and another nomination for East St. Louis. The only thing they’ve got there are abandoned buildings, casinos, and strip clubs.

[Garfield226]

@TristramAiblins

No one has put Butte out there yet? Well, I’ve only driven through, but I went 5 mph faster just to get out quicker.

Oh, and another nomination for East St. Louis. The only thing they’ve got there are abandoned buildings, casinos, and strip clubs.

Cairo doesn’t even have the casinos or strip clubs.

Depending on the definition of “worst,” I nominate Cairo.

[tashabot]

@Running_In_Place

Nevada

Winnemucca.

Dude, Winnemucca’s got nothing on Wells. There’s nothing in Wells except for a liquor store and cow shit.

Oh, and a Motel 6. I was stranded there for two days.

~Tasha

[movingfinger]

The most visually depressing town I can recall is Gray’s Harbor, Washington. I drove though it in 1971 and was plunged into depression by the dismal air of decrepitude. I visited again in 1998 and wondered if I would find any change. Yeah; it was even more run-down and desperate.

[Kilvert_s_Pagan]

@Civil Guy

Can’t help but think this might be a little unfair: some of these places are sort of naturally impoverished and it’s hard to tell whether its really their fault that they’re dumps. I’m thinking, for instance, towns on Native American reservations…

Fair point. If that’s the case, I should withdraw my nomination of Shiprock, NM. Maybe Las Vegas NM instead?

[ASAKMOTSD]

@Least Original User Name Ever

Flint is where “meh” is manufactured. There’s just nothing there.

They must be building the “meh” in those big, empty, toxin-filled fields that are surrounded by barbed wire fences. You know - where “The Buick” used to be…

Now if we could just figure out how to build a “meh”-powered car…

[tdn]

I’m surprised that no New Yorkers have chimed in yet. I nominate most of the state. If we’re going by weather, then Buffalo. If we’re going by “Ain’t nothin’ there to do or see or buy”, then West Walworth. If we’re going by even worse than West Walworth, New Haven/Mexico.

By reputation only, in Florida I would have to say Yulee. Even my redneck BIL thinks it’s pretty redneck.

[Cardinal]

I like the suggestion of Compton, CA. I taught 4th grade there, and it’s a rat hole.

Oildale, an unincorporated neighborhood “in” Bakersfield, CA, is famous for being as redneck/racist as any town I’ve ever heard of in CA. Even people in Bakersfield make fun of it.

[whitetho]

I think North Carolina is going to have trouble finding a city that can make it out of the first round. Lumberton is one candidate, and it hardly approaches the problems that some of the earlier mentioned rust belt communities have. For Virginia I can think of Petersburg and Danville, although I’d defer to anyone more knowledgeable about that state.

[AncientHumanoid]

@Lamar Mundane

I’d say Aurora or Greeley as well. Pueblo isn’t at all bad for a small city. Colorado is tough, there isn’t a city or town with really bad crime, and the poorest towns are often located in some of the most gorgeous scenery in the country.

There must be some eastern plains town with a feed lot and a bunch of meth addicts, but I’ve never seen it. Those eastern plains folks are some of the nicest I’ve ever met. Some of the gas towns in the northwest don’t seem all that great, but drive five miles and you’re in a Marlboro commercial.

We surrender.

Yeah, Aurora sucks, too. I just really never liked Pueblo. Kit Carson is another dead town that comes to mind. Can’t even see the mountains from there.

Speaking of the mountains, when I lived in Lakewood, I used to drive up into the mountains for day hikes and pic trips. Is it 85 that takes you past Morrison? 285? I can’t remember. Anyways, going on west-ish past Morrison a few miles, there’s this large, very gradual curve in the road. On the south-ish side of the curve is a small little community. Locals told me it was an old hippie commune. Well, now it’s a rancid looking eyesore with an open landfill and a couple of dozen shacks and trailors. I think I remember a sign there naming it as an actual town, but it might have been a non-official sign. I took pics of the extreme ugliness surrounded by breathtaking scenery simply for the juxtaposition. (Chromes, not scanned.) Anyone know what place I’m thinking of?
West and Panhandle Texas has a lot of bad places, scenery-wise. Gives the rest of the state a real bad name. I nominate Earth.

[Sternvogel]

Here are the cities now being considered by the committee:

Alabama:
Alaska:
Arizona:
Arkansas:
California: Compton, Palmdale, Lancaster, Bakersfield, Fontana
Colorado: Pueblo, Greeley, Craig, Aurora
Connecticut: New Haven, Hartford, Bridgeport
Delaware:
Florida: Gibsonton, Yulee
Georgia:
Hawaii: Waianae
Idaho:
Illinois: East St. Louis, Cairo
Indiana: Gary
Iowa:
Kansas: Garden City
Kentucky:
Louisiana: Lake Providence
Maine:
Maryland: Baltimore
Massachusetts: Lawrence, Brockton, Revere, Salem, Medford (“Mehfuh”)
Michigan: Flint, Jackson
Minnesota:
Mississippi:
Missouri: Jefferson City
Montana: Butte
Nebraska:
Nevada: Wells, Winnemucca
New Hampshire:
New Jersey: Camden, East Orange
New Mexico: Shiprock (nomination withdrawn), Las Vegas
New York: Buffalo, West Walworth, New Haven, Mexico
North Carolina: Lumberton
North Dakota:
Ohio: Youngstown
Oklahoma: Okmulgee
Oregon:
Pennsylvania: Chester
Rhode Island:
South Carolina:
South Dakota:
Tennessee:
Texas: Alpine, Waco, Plains, Midland, Odessa, Snyder
Utah: Tooele
Vermont:
Virginia: Petersburg, Danville, Virginia Beach
Washington: Burien, Kent, Gray’s Harbor
West Virginia:
Wisconsin:
Wyoming: Rock Springs, Evanston, Rawlins

That’s about 60 cities, but with only 27 states represented so far. If the OP is going to stick to the “one town per state” rule, we’ll have to have 14 byes and 18 first-round matchups to get down to the 32 contenders needed to get the tourney into an equitable “powers of two” format. For my money, “automatic bids” are roundly deserved by Compton, East St. Louis, Gary, and Youngstown.

[Shagnasty]

New Hampshire and Vermont are problematic for these purposes because I can’t think of any nominees (at least not any that would stand up to a gust of wind from crappy places from other states).

[Shagnasty]

Everyone knows that Mississippi is poor but that has developed into its own thing that isn’t quite crappy even though it is impoverished by U.S. standards. I think the nominee would be Jackson, MS which is the biggest city that developed around that. Mississippi doesnt work well in an urban environment.

[Lamar_Mundane]

@NoClueBoy

Speaking of the mountains, when I lived in Lakewood, I used to drive up into the mountains for day hikes and pic trips. Is it 85 that takes you past Morrison? 285? I can’t remember. Anyways, going on west-ish past Morrison a few miles, there’s this large, very gradual curve in the road. On the south-ish side of the curve is a small little community. Locals told me it was an old hippie commune. Well, now it’s a rancid looking eyesore with an open landfill and a couple of dozen shacks and trailors. I think I remember a sign there naming it as an actual town, but it might have been a non-official sign. I took pics of the extreme ugliness surrounded by breathtaking scenery simply for the juxtaposition. (Chromes, not scanned.) Anyone know what place I’m thinking of?

South Park?

[threemae]

@NoClueBoy

Anyways, going on west-ish past Morrison a few miles, there’s this large, very gradual curve in the road. On the south-ish side of the curve is a small little community. Locals told me it was an old hippie commune. Well, now it’s a rancid looking eyesore with an open landfill and a couple of dozen shacks and trailors. I think I remember a sign there naming it as an actual town, but it might have been a non-official sign.

South Park is too far. Conifer?