# My Crappy Town on a Crappy Day



## runnah

Yep, I live in a poor, downtrodden area.

A nice bench next to the area that people shoot up in.



Parkbench by runnah555, on Flickr

Meth or rape camper... hard to say.



camper by runnah555, on Flickr

Writing desk in the river.



DeskRiver by runnah555, on Flickr

Guns & video games?



Pawn by runnah555, on Flickr

All Empty...



Corner by runnah555, on Flickr


High romance.



jessdave by runnah555, on Flickr


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## Compaq

I love the black and white conversions(?). This is the kind of stuff I want to be able to get in the darkroom! I really liked the bench one.


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## The_Traveler

I like the pictures but, for your own sake, I would make the license plate on the camper less readable before you tout it as a 'meth or rape camper.'


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## Michael79

I love them all, what town is that? Looks a lot like Portland and Westbrook. I love the dam pic.


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## runnah

The_Traveler said:


> I like the pictures but, for your own sake, I would make the license plate on the camper less readable before you tout it as a 'meth or rape camper.'



Good catch...I fixed.


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## runnah

Michael79 said:


> I love them all, what town is that? Looks a lot like Portland and Westbrook. I love the dam pic.



Way north.


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## weepete

I really like these too,  and I like the way the titles give them some context. The B&W suits the dry humour as well


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## runnah

Thanks guys. The color versions were so flat that B&W was the only way to go.


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## ceeboy14

Every town has a similar locale or locales. Urban blights are so complex and by continually allowing such places to exist, we encourage the problems to continue. Perhaps put your camera to use and find an empty storefront which will allow you to display these works and then organize a "cleanup" effort. Shame is a powerful motivator.


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## runnah

ceeboy14 said:


> Every town has a similar locale or locales. Urban blights are so complex and by continually allowing such places to exist, we encourage the problems to continue. Perhaps put your camera to use and find an empty storefront which will allow you to display these works and then organize a "cleanup" effort. Shame is a powerful motivator.



Doubt it would help. Where I live has been so beaten down that hope is a far distant memory. But the people are also stubborn and unwilling to change their ways.


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## Rick58

Downtrodden? I see character. The coal region towns of Pa have the same appeal (at least to me).

Nice set.


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## RobN185

A nice set, lots of character - does the town have a "up-market" side as well, or is it all like this?
I would like to see a contrasting set, showing the other side of town, using the same excellent BW processing.

I am amazed the local authorities felt the need to chain the solid concrete bench to the tree - that for me was the most telling detail.


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## dbvirago

runnah said:


> Michael79 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I love them all, what town is that? Looks a lot like Portland and Westbrook. I love the dam pic.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Way north.
Click to expand...


Newport?


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## Majeed Badizadegan

Nice thread title lol.


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## runnah

dbvirago said:


> runnah said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Michael79 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I love them all, what town is that? Looks a lot like Portland and Westbrook. I love the dam pic.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Way north.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Newport?
Click to expand...


Bingo.

Didn't follow through...




followthrough by runnah555, on Flickr


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## runnah

RobN185 said:


> A nice set, lots of character - does the town have a "up-market" side as well, or is it all like this?
> I would like to see a contrasting set, showing the other side of town, using the same excellent BW processing.
> 
> I am amazed the local authorities felt the need to chain the solid concrete bench to the tree - that for me was the most telling detail.



Thanks.

There is a walmart and some fast food joints but no, there really isn't an upside.


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## runnah

last one.

Economy is so bad the thrift store had to lower prices and have a sale...




thrift by runnah555, on Flickr


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## otherprof

I think I recognize the place. Is that Shoot Me.?


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## runnah

otherprof said:


> I think I recognize the place. Is that Shoot Me.?



Which place? Not anything around here by that name.


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## otherprof

I was too quick to get a joke off to mention that I really liked the first and last images.


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## ratssass

...i like the storefront shots the best.Kind of takes you back to a simpler time,when i'm sure the town was a little more connected.Walmarts have never brought the community together like a F W Woolworths had.


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## pgriz

Can't be that bad.  Joe's selling redemption along with other stuff.  

Shouldn't be joking.  Lots of little towns all over the place, with the main industry petering out, whether it was forestry, or mining, or small manufacturing.  Those who can and/or who don't have very strong roots move on.  Those who can't, try to keep on living, but it gets more difficult.  Slow stagnation.  Life isn't fair. I've got some younger relatives in a small town like that, and bored teenagers and young men don't equal a good story.  There's a lot of heartache in that part of the family, but the roots are deep and the pain of moving away is foreboding.

BTW, located the building housing Joe's place on Google street view.  It's the SE corner of Mill and Main, next to the bridge, right?


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## runnah

pgriz said:


> Can't be that bad.  Joe's selling redemption along with other stuff.
> 
> Shouldn't be joking.  Lots of little towns all over the place, with the main industry petering out, whether it was forestry, or mining, or small manufacturing.  Those who can and/or who don't have very strong roots move on.  Those who can't, try to keep on living, but it gets more difficult.  Slow stagnation.  Life isn't fair. I've got some younger relatives in a small town like that, and bored teenagers and young men don't equal a good story.  There's a lot of heartache in that part of the family, but the roots are deep and the pain of moving away is foreboding.
> 
> BTW, located the building housing Joe's place on Google street view.  It's the SE corner of Mill and Main, next to the bridge, right?



I could fill a library with photos like this. There are hundreds of towns in Maine that look like this.

That's the place! Mill st. Guess what used to be there.


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## pgriz

yeah, the mill that no longer is.    And with that mill, went decent jobs, and a support industry that kept the machines working...

From a photographic point of view, you need to fill that library.  The thirties had their dust-bowl, and we're living through the hollowing-out.  Not pretty, but important to document.


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## runnah

pgriz said:


> yeah, the mill that no longer is.    And with that mill, went decent jobs, and a support industry that kept the machines working...
> 
> From a photographic point of view, you need to fill that library.  The thirties had their dust-bowl, and we're living through the hollowing-out.  Not pretty, but important to document.



I've thought of it. Maine used to have a huge industrial economy, but now we seem to think we can support an entire state on tourist dollars.


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## pgriz

Well tourist dollars are service dollars, and "service" never pays as well (in general) as do production jobs.  The other aspect is that service work normally has a much smaller footprint of support needs compared to production work, where there is a need for machinists, electricians, carpenters, book-keepers, stock-keepers, etc.  Service jobs are counter, waiter, front desk, tour guide, driver.  Just not the same.


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## runnah

pgriz said:


> Well tourist dollars are service dollars, and "service" never pays as well (in general) as do production jobs.  The other aspect is that service work normally has a much smaller footprint of support needs compared to production work, where there is a need for machinists, electricians, carpenters, book-keepers, stock-keepers, etc.  Service jobs are counter, waiter, front desk, tour guide, driver.  Just not the same.



That is the case. Many here feel that the state should not be touched and stay this imaginary wilderness wonderland. The other half is very aged and are afraid of changing the status quo. 

Everyone agrees there is a problem but neither side wants to give an inch. So we are stuck in a limbo where we have to grow to survive but no one wants to change.

Maine's biggest export are our educated young people.


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## mishele

Were you packing heat on your photo walk?


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## runnah

mishele said:


> Were you packing heat on your photo walk?



I had my vicious attack dog with me.


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## CherylL

Nice set & like the black/white conversion.  My favorite is the DeskRiver because of the composition of the tree reflections, rocks and of course an odd desk in the middle of a river.


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## runnah

CherylL said:


> Nice set & like the black/white conversion.  My favorite is the DeskRiver because of the composition of the tree reflections, rocks and of course an odd desk in the middle of a river.



Thanks.


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## FanBoy

I thought the town was 'Salem's Lot, Maine. 

I like the shots of the town and the signage.


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## Vautrin

some very nice photos...


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## jwbryson1

Move to Texas where the economy is thriving!  In all seriousness, I love these types of images, but what's the draw to stay there and how does one make a living in such a downtrodden area?


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## runnah

jwbryson1 said:


> Move to Texas where the economy is thriving!  In all seriousness, I love these types of images, but what's the draw to stay there and how does one make a living in such a downtrodden area?



Well certainly no one moves there...except for me. Funny enough I was recently in Texas and thought that it would be a good place to move for work and cost of living. 

I think mostly it's due to having grown up there. Most locals I know their ENTIRE family lives within 30 mins of them. Most people don't make a living. The amount of people on state aid is staggering up here.


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## pgriz

I was going to say that "home" is a very strong pull.  The lay of the land, the patterns of living, the way the seasons change... they all seep into you, become part of you, and that is the "normal" that you know.  I have a daughter who couldn't wait to move away, far away from the small-minded place she grew up in.  But when she comes visiting, nothing feels like the safe place she always knew she had, as when she comes "home".  Objectively, it may not be a great place - but there is a pull that is hard to resist.  I've traveled quite a bit, and there's something very satisfying and comforting to be back in a place where you know the pattern of speech and the rhythm of living, the back roads and the secret places.


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## Mully

I would take up drinking if I lived up there.  I used to go to Maine quite often when I lived in Boston and there are many depressed areas but the country is so beautiful.  In the 1980's i did 100 + miles of the Allagash river in July ....the bugs were something else.  I also went to Monson Lake and camp on the islands away from the black flies


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## runnah

Mully said:


> I would take up drinking if I lived up there.  I used to go to Maine quite often when I lived in Boston and there are many depressed areas but the country is so beautiful.  In the 1980's i did 100 + miles of the Allagash river in July ....the bugs were something else.  I also went to Monson Lake and camp on the islands away from the black flies



Many do, I haven't even gone to some of the towns that are in worse shape.

Yeah that is the flip side of the coin. It is a beautiful place with every kind of outdoor activity you could imagine.


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## mishele

Come vacation in Reading, Pa. sometime!! Its been on every worst list out there.


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## Mully

^^^^^ Me too?


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## jwbryson1

runnah said:


> jwbryson1 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Move to Texas where the economy is thriving!  In all seriousness, I love these types of images, but what's the draw to stay there and how does one make a living in such a downtrodden area?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Well certainly no one moves there...except for me. Funny enough I was recently in Texas and thought that it would be a good place to move for work and cost of living.
> 
> I think mostly it's due to having grown up there. Most locals I know their ENTIRE family lives within 30 mins of them. Most people don't make a living. The amount of people on state aid is staggering up here.
Click to expand...


So is tourism the biggest part of the economy?


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## runnah

jwbryson1 said:


> runnah said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> jwbryson1 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Move to Texas where the economy is thriving!  In all seriousness, I love these types of images, but what's the draw to stay there and how does one make a living in such a downtrodden area?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Well certainly no one moves there...except for me. Funny enough I was recently in Texas and thought that it would be a good place to move for work and cost of living.
> 
> I think mostly it's due to having grown up there. Most locals I know their ENTIRE family lives within 30 mins of them. Most people don't make a living. The amount of people on state aid is staggering up here.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> So is tourism the biggest part of the economy?
Click to expand...


Not as large as the anti-development crowd would have you think. Plus there are the eco-tourism and the regular tourists. The regular tourists hug the coast and spend all their money at shops and hotels. The eco-tourists are those that hunt/fish snowmobile etc... these are the ones that venture inland, but they don't bring tons of tourism dollars like the coast tourists do.

But like pgriz mentioned the tourism industry is mostly service based employment. These jobs are effected more greatly by economic shifts, poor weather and poor attendance. What Maine really needs is lots of manufacturing based jobs that pay more than state aid does.


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## pgriz

...  and customers who pay more because they know that they are paying the salaries of their neighbours...


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## mishele

Mully said:


> ^^^^^ Me too?


Yes!! Just remember to wear your RED bandana, we will be hangin w/ the Bloods!!


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## jwbryson1

runnah said:


> jwbryson1 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> runnah said:
> 
> 
> 
> Well certainly no one moves there...except for me. Funny enough I was recently in Texas and thought that it would be a good place to move for work and cost of living.
> 
> I think mostly it's due to having grown up there. Most locals I know their ENTIRE family lives within 30 mins of them. Most people don't make a living. The amount of people on state aid is staggering up here.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So is tourism the biggest part of the economy?
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Not as large as the anti-development crowd would have you think. Plus there are the eco-tourism and the regular tourists. The regular tourists hug the coast and spend all their money at shops and hotels. The eco-tourists are those that hunt/fish snowmobile etc... these are the ones that venture inland, but they don't bring tons of tourism dollars like the coast tourists do.
> 
> But like pgriz mentioned the tourism industry is mostly service based employment. These jobs are effected more greatly by economic shifts, poor weather and poor attendance. What Maine really needs is lots of manufacturing based jobs that pay more than state aid does.
Click to expand...



I had no idea it was so bad up there.  I'm dying to visit in the warmer months, but if you hadn't told me this, I would have imagined a booming economy due to hunting/outdoorsy type stuff.  LL Bean doesn't pull the whole state up by it's boots it sounds like to me...


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## runnah

jwbryson1 said:


> runnah said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> jwbryson1 said:
> 
> 
> 
> So is tourism the biggest part of the economy?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not as large as the anti-development crowd would have you think. Plus there are the eco-tourism and the regular tourists. The regular tourists hug the coast and spend all their money at shops and hotels. The eco-tourists are those that hunt/fish snowmobile etc... these are the ones that venture inland, but they don't bring tons of tourism dollars like the coast tourists do.
> 
> But like pgriz mentioned the tourism industry is mostly service based employment. These jobs are effected more greatly by economic shifts, poor weather and poor attendance. What Maine really needs is lots of manufacturing based jobs that pay more than state aid does.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> 
> I had no idea it was so bad up there.  I'm dying to visit in the warmer months, but if you hadn't told me this, I would have imagined a booming economy due to hunting/outdoorsy type stuff.  LL Bean doesn't pull the whole state up by it's boots it sounds like to me...
Click to expand...


I could plan your trip for you, hit all the highlights. 

if you stay east of I95 you are in good shape.


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## runnah

mishele said:


> Come vacation in Reading, Pa. sometime!! Its been on every worst list out there.



Aren't you guys the buckle of the rust belt?


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## jake337

It's not all that bad, you could be living in Stockton, Ca.

Imagine living in a house like this:

http://102.mlsimages.movoto.com/072/13007272_0.jpg

And still have to worry about drivebys, lol.


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## Tee

Nice images, runnah.  I love Maine.  Both the coastline and interior.  I'll be summiting Mt. Katahdin after my six month AT Thru in September 2014 and 50% chance I'll end up residing in Maine afterwards.


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