10 Poorest Cities in the U.S.

[george68hemirr]

Subject: 10 Poorest Cities in the U.S.

Interesting.......


City, State, % of People Below the Poverty Level
1. Detroit , MI
32.5%
2. Buffalo , NY
29...9%
3. Cincinnati , OH
27.8%
4. Cleveland , OH
27.0%
5. Miami , FL
26.9%
6. St. Louis , MO
26.8%
7. El Paso , TX
26.4%
8. Milwaukee , WI
26.2%
9. Philadelphia , PA
25.1%
10. Newark , NJ
24.2%
U.S. Census Bureau, 2006 American Community Survey, August 2007
What do the top ten cities (over 250,000) with the highest poverty rate all have in common?


Detroit, MI (1st on the poverty rate list) hasn't elected a Republican mayor since 1961;


Buffalo, NY (2nd) hasn't elected one since 1954;

Cincinnati , OH (3rd)...since 1984;

Cleveland , OH (4th)...since 1989;

Miami , FL (5th) has never had a Republican mayor;

St. Louis , MO (6th)....since 1949;

El Paso , TX (7th) has never had a Republican mayor;

Milwaukee , WI (8th)...since 1908;

Philadelphia , PA (9th)...since 1952;

Newark , NJ (10th)...since 1907.


Einstein once said, 'The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.'


It is the poor who habitually elect Democrats---yet they are still
POOR
"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence. You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves."
Abraham Lincoln

 

[Skidz]

More Detroit area news!

Detroit stadium or New York studio? The Silverdome sells for $583,000
Bruce WatsonBruce Watson RSS Feed
Nov 17th 2009 at 5:30PM
Text SizeAAA

The town of Pontiac, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, sold the 80,300-seat Silverdome on Monday, along with 127 acres of nearby land. The massive stadium complex, which once hosted the Detroit Lions, the Detroit Pistons, and the Michigan Panthers, cost more than $55 million to build in 1975.

Its selling price in 2009? $583,000.

The Silverdome isn't just a stadium; it's a historical site. In addition to hosting two huge sports franchises, the Silverdome was also the site of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the first World Cup ever to be played indoors. It held numerous Cherry Bowl games, the 1979 NBA All-Star Game, and Superbowl XVI. It has hosted major cultural figures ranging from Michael Jackson to Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin to Pope John Paul II.

The stadium's sale has a certain symbolic power: over the past few years, the creep of urban decay in Detroit has become a sort of national spectator sport. In 2003, housing prices hit a high of $97,850; today, they are pegged at $11,596. In the meantime, razed buildings and demolished houses have created an urban prairie that brings to mind the worst of the Bronx in the 1970's.

Of course, Detroit's decay extends beyond its residential areas. As upsetting as it is to see once-beloved Victorian homes and beautiful apartment buildings sinking into disrepair, the loss of industrial space is even more significant. The hulking ruins of auto buildings like Fisher Body 21, the Packard Plant and the Piquette Plant (where Ford's (F) Model T was first built) seem to suggest not only a local loss of population but a larger loss of purpose.

And, if the destruction of the area's industrial capacity is devastating, the sale and destruction of its civic buildings takes Detroit's downfall to yet another level. The decay of the Michigan Central Depot, the city's grand, sprawling train station, suggests something more than just hard times: it symbolizes Detroit's inability to provide the minimal services and infrastructure that one expects of a city. The same goes for the Silverdome: although the Detroit Lions haven't played there since early in this decade, its bargain-basement sale price suggests that some standard of civic pride has fallen by the wayside.

Admittedly, Pontiac had little choice in the recent sale, since upkeep on the Silverdome costs $1.5 million per year, and was bankrupting the city. By selling it, they have not only relieved themselves of an insupportable cost, but may have opened a line for more revenue. Taxes on the stadium, which may be used by a professional soccer team, should provide a fresh -- and much needed -- income stream.

Even so, some members of city government are holding out hope that this isn't the last word on the Silverdome. There are 45 days before the sale becomes final and The Detroit News reports that at least one councilman expects that a former bidder will step forward to challenge the sale. Still, with population dwindling and Motor City reverting to prairie, even a better sale price will be cold comfort.

 

[Jim S.]

Real shame what has happened to Detroit. Thousands of houses for sale under 5K. You could spend the rest on ammunition. This one even has a balcony. http://www.realestateone.com/29132438

 

[ACME A12]

Real shame what has happened to Detroit. Thousands of houses for sale under 5K. You could spend the rest on ammunition. This one even has a balcony. http://www.realestateone.com/29132438

Amazing. Sad, but amazing... My storage shed (a small, wooden barn) that I use for yard implement and bicycle storage cost nearly that much...and it damn sure didn't come with any land...

 

[SomeCarGuy]

What a sad state of affairs. Not going to get any better either.

 

[jays69bird]

I haven't been to Motown since 93 to visit the old Tiger Stadium (may it rest in peace) I got into a section that can best be described as resembling Berlin in 1945 with all the bombed out buildings,sad.