[cat199]

Plus closure of shipyards, factories etc.. The local economy is pretty depressed as compared to 50-100 years back but people have families and history and don't want to or can't move so are struggling to survive or can sqeeze by enough to not move..

Taking the amtrak from DC-NY at least a few years ago there were literally miles and miles of entire blocks of abandoned townhouses.. I imagine a google street view would be a good way to see this..

Also relateed - just finished binge watching HBO's 'The Wire' - though fiction and maybe jazzed up a little, it seems fairly accurate to get a picture of how messed up things are/can be based on what I absorbed 3rd hand from living in nearby DC for a good while..