Disgusta - grit and decay in Augusta, GA

[LSyd]

the other side of the city of the Masters. sadly no part of the city is immune; every part of the city seems to have a pocket of decay. pics broken down by neighborhood as best as i can hash their place out

Gordon highway has a lot of grit near it. industrial areas and cheap motels and Regency Mall - a dead mall

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Bethlehem/South Augusta
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near downtown
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downtown
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Harrisburg
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East Boundary
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Olde Towne
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[krazeeboi]

Damn. I rode through downtown Augusta yesterday evening for the first time in years, and while I did see some blight close to downtown, I had no idea it was this bad in other areas of the city. Why so much blight? It's not like the city has a heavy industrial past. On the other hand, some of these buildings have great renovation potential. Hopefully that will come sooner rather than later.

[Stratosphere 2020]

Woh, did not know it was that bad. I guess the major metropolitan areas in the South like Atlanta and Charlotte are attracting folks form medium sized cities. I think the key word is jobs, jobs and jobs.

[GunnerJacket]

Sadly Augusta is rife with weak and often divided politicians. Sometimes it's racial, sometimes it's personal greed. All of the time it's in inability to see the community as a single whole that needs to be carrid forward. Pockets of great ideas (Riverwalk, Canals) have been used to mask a lack of economic development strategies that are comprehensive, realistic and, most importantly, actually implemented. The city even failed to help the Medical College of Georgia expand and now UGA will begin opening a medical college in Athens.

Yes, mid-sized cities in the south have been neglected or held back compared with their truly urban peers, especially as manufacturing has declined in the US. Places like Augusta, Macon and Dothan have a tough time luring businesses of any kind that can have a significant impact, save secondary commercial to compliment natural growth. But few cities have shifted from conventional thinking, either, and instead of trying to develop smaller industries they're still out there hunting for the next auto plant.

Were it not for the Masters Augusta would be really struggling as a community, and certainly not the mid-sized city it is today.

[krazeeboi]

Originally Posted by Stratosphere 2020

I guess the major metropolitan areas in the South like Atlanta and Charlotte are attracting folks form medium sized cities.

Yeah, but Augusta shouldn't be held up as the standard for smaller metros in the Southeast. It's growing slower and seems to have more blight than several of its peer cities in the region. And don't be fooled; I could go to quite a few areas in Atlanta and take some shots that would look similar to these.

[desertpunk]

Beautiful pictures! The blight and neglect are indeed stunning for a city so linked to the cheery atmosphere of the Masters. I love that Montgomery Wards sign, could it be one of the last remaining?

[bryantkh13]

Originally Posted by GunnerJacket

Sadly Augusta is rife with weak and often divided politicians. Sometimes it's racial, sometimes it's personal greed. All of the time it's in inability to see the community as a single whole that needs to be carrid forward. Pockets of great ideas (Riverwalk, Canals) have been used to mask a lack of economic development strategies that are comprehensive, realistic and, most importantly, actually implemented. The city even failed to help the Medical College of Georgia expand and now UGA will begin opening a medical college in Athens.

Yes, mid-sized cities in the south have been neglected or held back compared with their truly urban peers, especially as manufacturing has declined in the US. Places like Augusta, Macon and Dothan have a tough time luring businesses of any kind that can have a significant impact, save secondary commercial to compliment natural growth. But few cities have shifted from conventional thinking, either, and instead of trying to develop smaller industries they're still out there hunting for the next auto plant.

Were it not for the Masters Augusta would be really struggling as a community, and certainly not the mid-sized city it is today.

I grew up in Augusta, and I have to say you pretty much summed it up. Great shots man, loved a look at this side of Augusta. I avoid most of these areas for good reason. I worked downtown for years, and there are so many problems the city has to sort through before it can really takeoff, despite a lot of different efforts to improve the downtown.

[Coldspring]

Damn...looks alot like New Orleans...

[ikops]

Thanks for referring me to this thread. Ugliness and beauty at the same time.

[b4z]

I had no idea Augusta was that bad off. Once you get about 30 miles from the coast things start to look bad. The textile manufacturing which held every small town together in SC, GA and NC has pretty much disappeared.
Not to get political but maybe removing corporate taxes might help bring some jobs back.

[gwiATLeman]

Come on people. Its a grit thread. Augusta's blight is largely the result of the white flight and suburban sprawl which is a common to most southern cities. Almost all of the metro growth over the last 20 years has occurred in suburban Columbia county which has been the fastest growing county in the state outside of metro Atlanta (40% in the last decade).

Augusta also lacks the kind of economic engine that could sustain the revitalization of its urban areas such as banks, government or some other large office users. However as evidenced by other Augusta thread, Augusta has a charming downtown that has gotten a lot more lively in recent years.

[WeimieLvr]

Originally Posted by gwiATLeman

Come on people. Its a grit thread. Augusta's blight is largely the result of the white flight and suburban sprawl which is a common to most southern cities. Almost all of the metro growth over the last 20 years has occurred in suburban Columbia county which has been the fastest growing county in the state outside of metro Atlanta (40% in the last decade).

Augusta also lacks the kind of economic engine that could sustain the revitalization of its urban areas such as banks, government or some other large office users. However as evidenced by other Augusta thread, Augusta has a charming downtown that has gotten a lot more lively in recent years.

Most southern cities? I think you mean most American cities.

The rest of your post is spot on. I don't know of an older city of size that doesn't have a decent amount of grit - no matter how beautiful some areas are. Augusta has some lovely historic districts (Downtown, Summerville, Olde Town, etc), a beautiful Riverwalk, and nice neighborhoods in addition to what is pictured in this thread...which, as mentioned above, focuses specifically on grit.

[WeimieLvr]

Originally Posted by b4z

I had no idea Augusta was that bad off. Once you get about 30 miles from the coast things start to look bad. The textile manufacturing which held every small town together in SC, GA and NC has pretty much disappeared.
Not to get political but maybe removing corporate taxes might help bring some jobs back.

Augusta isn't "that bad off". Check out a different type of Augusta thread by the same photographer...http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1366693

[arxegalego31]

Take it easy boys, it's the end of the American Empire and also of the "american dream", we are now the newest slaves of the United States of China!

[LSyd]

Downtown Augusta:

115 year-old home damaged in fire

this house (and the other two near it) are on Historic Augusta's Endangered list. there are five (four) surviving houses out of 20 built in the area at the turn of the century









Regency Mall - a dead mall a few miles outside of downtown. in summer 2011, the city/county inspected the site and put up barriers to prevent access to vagrants, criminals and vehicle traffic using it as a shortcut. they also thought that it needed some more work to look properly post-apocalyptic.

Augusta police, fire departments can't find keys to patrol Regency Mall property

in nearby Clearwater, South Carolina, is the Seminole and Clearwater Mills projects. since an environmental cleanup, the project to turn it into housing seems to have stalled.

Seminole Mill property may have a future

Demolition photos at the NEO Corporation site











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[lajofa]

Well I enjoyed that. Thanks.

[LSyd]

Southern Railway Depot - plans for redevelopment have never materialized despite being at a great location by the riverfont
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sadly, the showroom of the old Pontiac dealer was demolished/
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good news is this building has been repaired and now has a restaurant
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John P. King and Sibley Mills

two late 1800s mills that closed in the mid-2000's, sitting patiently waiting to be redeveloped. of note that is Sibley Mill (the more elaborate one) was the site of a Confederate gun powderwork; all that remains of it is the large chimney. its hydroelectric power plant still works though.
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buildings around the mills
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ruined house in North Augusta alongside US 1
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[musiccity]

Really enjoy your grit threads Lsyd!

It's really interesting to see our Southern ghettos from behind the safety of our computer screens

[TarheelsCubs]

It looks like every small town in the south...u should come to eastern NC...you would crap yourself you would be so happy...lol

[WeimieLvr]

Originally Posted by TarheelsCubs

It looks like every small town in the south...u should come to eastern NC...you would crap yourself you would be so happy...lol

A city with a population of 500,000+ is no small town...what is there in eastern NC that is anywhere near as large as Augusta?