91 Historic Photos That Show How Much These Places Have Changed

Compared to the rest of the world, the United States is a pretty young country. It’s only been around for 250 years, while some have been standing for over a thousand years. Because the nation is so young, it has transformed an incredible amount over the past two centuries. And the places that have changed the most drastically are the cities.

There are plenty of small towns in the U.S. where you can still find dirt roads today, but the nation’s largest cities are sprawling metropolises with seemingly endless highways and millions of homes. The most important and influential cities in the nation haven’t always been the same, though.

Back when the country was formed, New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Charleston, and Baltimore were powerhouses. And while they’re all still important today, some have become overshadowed by younger cities like Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Houston.

And according to The Atlantic, the prominence of certain cities has changed drastically between 1978 and 2010 as well. Detroit, St. Louis, Cleveland, New Orleans, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Columbus, Indianapolis, and Buffalo have all dropped significantly in GDP rankings. Meanwhile, Washington, DC, Dallas, Phoenix, San Diego, Denver, Tampa, Portland, Orlando, and Sacramento made huge strides in improving their rankings.  

These changes are still happening today, though. Good Migrations notes that a handful of cities have rapidly changed even in the last five years. These include Boise City (ID), Provo (UT), Lakeland (FL), Austin (TX), and Huntsville (AL). 

The transformations that these cities have experienced can be attributed to an increase in job opportunities, an increase in population, an increase in GDP, and more. Along with all of these changes often come more tourism, more cultural and arts events, and perhaps even happier populations.

One thing that makes the United States unique (for better or worse) is the highway system that the country has. And that has definitely changed an incredible amount over the past century. According to Vox, 48,000 miles of highways were added to the nation between the 1950s and 1970s. These gave rural residents access to cities and allowed people who worked in cities to move to suburbs, while still having easy access to their jobs and communities. But there were certainly downsides to these highways as well.    

Peter Norton, a historian at the University of Virginia, told Vox that there was almost always discrimination involved when determining where these highways would go and whose communities would be impacted by them.

“The explanation, in almost every case, is that the relatively well-off, influential people in those cities were able to stop the urban highways that would have gone through their neighborhoods," Norton says. He cites the example of Wisconsin Avenue in DC, which was supposed to become a highway but never did because wealthy residents protested. "The destruction mostly happened in the most disenfranchised neighborhoods. It's astounding how selective it was."

Despite how much American cities have changed already, it’s likely that the transformations won’t stop any time soon. There is a movement for walkable cities that is gaining traction in the U.S., and hopefully, many more communities will have options available for transportation other than just cars. 

In fact, a recent survey found that six out of 10 builders are now moving away from large homes and focusing their attention on creating walkable neighborhoods. 56% of Americans even say they would be willing to move and have a smaller yard if it meant they lived in a more walkable neighborhood. Times are changing!