Harry

I just returned from a trip through the south driving from Houston to Jacksonville. I have never seen so many tacky run down cities in my life. No zoning, limited landscaping, ugly billboards and signs and lots of neon.

The typical street scene in these cities and small towns consist of miles and miles of taco bells, gas stations, pawn shops, strip centers, parking lots and places that will give you an advance on your paycheck (at 50% interest).

The amount of space devoted to these ugly "taco bell strips" down south is incredible! These ugly commerical strips on through streets exist back home in New Hampshire but are better maintained, landscaped and mixed with homes and park land.

Is anyone else down south tired of their woods being cut down to build another strip center?

Jane

I agree the south is the worst when it comes to ugly commerical strips. I think the reason for this is the lack of zoning and a strong property rights movement in southern states. Also you will find the ugly areas mostly in poor parts of town, which are common in towns between Houston and Jacksonville where the per cap income is usually low. Nice towns, where people are richer and educated usually have strict zoning and building rules.

Barry

I think the towns in the south have more land zoned retail that in the north because people are outside more with the warm weather.

Lots of big box retail in the south.

Anne

Houston is the worst for ugly strips. All the way from north to south along the interstate all you see is strip centers. Florida is getting pretty ugly too.

Nookie Monster

Most of the progressives--the people who would care about quality of life issues such as zoning--had moved out of the South by around 1969.

Southerner

I love driving up and down those strips! What you call ugly is a job for someone, or a good place to eat.

T.M.

I'll be the first to agree with you that the Southern landscape, as far as the interstate system in concerned, is not exactly known for its asthetic advantages. Having seen how wonderfully Maine handles its road signs and zoning, I know what you're talking about.

But I have to point out that the states you most likely went through are NOT New Hampshire. I'm sure the folks living there would love the tax base and economic opportunites that NH enjoys, but they don't.

Despite many advances, Alabama and Mississippi especially are still impoverished in many ways. Zoning and landscaping issues are the last things on their minds. Many of these little rural towns are struggling to simply survive.

Many of the textile mills that used to provide jobs have long since closed by companies who have found cheaper labor overseas. Farming is for big corporations now instead of families. Many of the young people are leaving these little towns for city jobs that can pay them a living wage. They're not getting much in the way of tourist dollars. That's why Biloxi opened the casinos, to get what little they can.

So when someone offers to buy land for another Taco Bell or cuts down trees for yet another sign, its more than likely that nobody is going to complain. They're reaching out for whatever opportunity they can get, which isn't much these days.

And with the economy taking a nosedive, it isn't likely to change any time soon.

cj

Interesting comments about the south. Here in Florida, we can't keep the northerners out. They love it here. They move here by the carloads. Perhaps we can't keep up appearances because we are so busy trying to feed and provide homes for those who bolted from the north. Many, many of my friends are from the north and they sure don't want to go back.

xxx

OK, this is one of my pet peeves, when people refer to "the South" as one big monolith and then proceed to denigrate the entire region based on one, small part.

You say you drove from Houston to Jacksonville. I assume you drove the southern route along the Gulf. Do you really believe that you saw "the South"? Did you see Atlanta? How about Charlotte? San Antonio? Charleston? Savannah?

Would drive from Detroit to Milwaukee and then, on the basis of what they saw, argue that "the North" has become run down, its economy which must be based entirely in manufacturing is dying, it cities and towns full of urban blight and crime?

xxx

Oh, and one more thing -- what nice sights have you EVER seen from the interstate??? I just spent 6 hours traveling 95 from NYC to Washington -- 6 of the most boring hours of car travel ever with only "interstate plazas" to break up the vista. Ditto the NY state Thruway.

Jeannie

To TM: I agree with your post. You truly understand the economic plight of rural Alabama and Mississippi. My father and a partner started a sewing factory in our small home town in South Alabama in 1967. It employed many local men and women. My father and his partner sold the factory in the mid 1990's to the man who had been their manager since nearly the beginning. Within a few years, he had closed the local factory and moved operations to the Dominican Republic.
My brother still lives in this small town. We went to church with him last Christmas and it was sad to hear about the other sewing factories and other industries that had closed. So many people were without jobs.
So, it is just as TM said. The people in many of these small towns see the Taco Bell, KFC, and Wendys as job opportunities. These small towns simply don't have the revenue to regulate landscaping, animal control, code enfocement, or zoning.

bennie

Harry - Are you kidding about New Hampshire? Have you ever been to Seabrook? One tatoo parlor after fireworks outlet after beannie babie roadside stand after another. The Walmart is a big improvement. Salem NH is the same, as is Hampton as is N.Conway. Talk about no zoning. Don't be calling the kettle black.

micia

Sorry for you that you don't like the south.
Its a shame when people get some money in their pockets and forget others are not as fortunate.
I personally like all that stuff along the highway you most likely drove,
I-10.
It gets worse of course after you pass Pensacola. Between Pensacola and Jacksonville, we call it a desert.
I hate seeing nothing but trees.
Yes, I like trees, don't get me wrong (naturalists stay calm) but 6 hours of highway with pratically nothing, is so boring. I feel sorry for you if your car ever breaks down or you run out of gas inbetween one of those long empty sections.
I pray for you, you have a cell phone, as it won't be nice and most likely no one will stop to help you.
I am still thankful to this day to a young military guy that stopped to help me and my mother when I was still a kid.
We had just left a place and found out the battery was having problems.
My mom was told as long as she keep the motor on, we would make it home. Well, being a kid and being sick and hurting, my mom had to pull over in an instant and help me. In the panic, naturall instinct, she turned off the car.
We were in one of those very famous spots where you are miles from one exit to another in eitiher direction.
We didn't know which way to start walking.
Thankfully, this guy stopped and took us 5 or 10 minutes to the next exit.
There was nothing at this exit but one single house back off the road.
He took us there and again thankfully there was an old lady, that called the police for us.
I hope this doesn't ever happen to you, better keep your cell with you.

carville

1. It's true that "the South" has diifferent meanings. For instance, as any political strategist will tell you, parts of Fla. are lumped in with the Northeast when it comes to voting patterns and income, while other parts (such as the Redneck Riveria) are considered to be "the true South."
2. Zoning isn't so much about money as it is about attitude. Folks in the South and Southwest have a sort of anything-goes, Wild West attitude about zoning -- no input from gov't or those tree-hugging environentalists. That's why you have such ugly urban sprawl in places like Jacksonville and Houston.

stripmall

I would like to hear from the people who live in or travel to these ugly towns where all one sees is one ugly fast food place after another.

My vote for ugly strip mall cities goes to Houston, Dallas, Pensacola, Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville.

Dave

My vote for ugly strip mall cities goes to almost any town in Texas or near the Mexican border.

Native

Has anyone ever been to Southern California?? Cement City!! Brown trees and Astroturf with plastic flowers in the medians.

Native

chuck

Harry,

I think the post from xxx hits the nail on the head: the main thoroughfare or interstate through any given area does not always reveal what is most attractive about the area. I have not yet visited the Northeast (except for NYC), so perhaps things are different there, and every road displays a wonderful vista.

To Stripmall:

I live in North Myrtle Beach SC, so I have a little experience with: (1) aggressively commercialized corridors (notice I successfully avoided the "T" word--oops, until just now) and (2) a place that seems to divide people into opposing camps (love it or hate it).

My own feelings are that the heavily commercialized thoroughfare, Highway 17, provides valuable consumer services and does not pretend to be anything but functional. However, the natural beauty of this area is evident once you leave the main strip. Even on the beach in the heart of Myrtle Beach, you can turn your back on the high rises and stare at the same wonderful seascape that graces undeveloped areas. I think attitudes and perception determine whether you see a region with no redeeming qualities or special places that transcend their surroundings.

CM in Biloxi

Canton, OHIO, not Canton, MISSISSIPPI, comes to mind when talking about commercialism. But, I agree with the previous poster that said tacky commercialism means jobs. To some people it may be their entertainment, their definition of "fine dining". If small-town folks consider Pizza Hut as "going out to dinner", then so be it. Who am I to judge? I remember the day when a bucket of KFC meant we were having a darn good week.

Pensacolian

You haven't seen Pensacola if all you have seen is the view you saw from I-10.
Also, the places you mentioned are not towns, they are cities.