What kinds of changes has your city/town and surrounding area incurred over the past twenty years or so?

MORE PEOPLE and all the grief and hassle that goes with that.

More immigration, and asylum seekers, and an increase in houses being built to an extent the area is no longer recognisable as it once was, wildlife is losing it's habitat as a result, even being killed; and more traffic to a point where some days it is not worth driving out the road unless you want to sit in traffic for hours, and finding a parking space even outside your home is difficult.  Trouble getting doctors appointments, you could be cured or dead before you get one, and waiting for a hospital appointment can be at least nine months. Small high street shops being knocked down or changed into poundlands, and instead the building of grotesque shopping malls.  Everything is losing the personal touch, from the Post office, to the doctors, to the supermarket, where everything is becoming "self service." This post was edited by kjames at November 19, 2019 3:05 PM MST

I live in the middle of nowhere so I think I can get all of the changes during the last 20 years.

There was some remodeling and improvements made to the middle school and high school.

The tornado siren was replaced.

The hotel changed ownership.

A new logo for the city was designed and it appears on a new sign by the corner of the main intersection.

A Dollar General was built.

On the east side of town the DOT replaced the road signs that were in both USC and metric with signs that were in USC only so that's regress instead of progress but they left the road signs that are both USC and metric on the other three sides of town alone.

A new construction company opened.

Yeah, I think that's pretty much it.



This post was edited by Livvie at November 19, 2019 6:21 AM MST

When I moved here more than 40 years ago, one of the nicest features of the surrounding area was that the single-family homes were Capes and Tudors with well-kept small front lawn.  With the huge influx of Bukharans (Russian), they have turned the area into a bunch of McMansions where in two and three families reside.  The front lawn has been converted to off-street parking for most of the houses and the architecture is gaudy and tasteless.  They have taken over many of the mom-and-pop stores and I find them to be rude and unhelpful if you aren't Russian.  I look forward to the day when I retire completely and move out.

A big increase in vacant storefront retail space all over the city.

Knocking down a lot of the rickity ancient buildings in the skid row area and building condominium as well as social housing. Not many old skid bag hotels left now.

  (1) Long before I lived here, (I've been here since 1994) there was a years-long legal battle between the local government and the people who opposed the installation of two separate highway projects; one of them a north-south link to connect with the state‘s main east-west arteries, the other an interchange to reroute a business access road with several off ramps. In 2001, the first one was completed, and in 2010, the second one. Just as the opponents predicted, the small-town atmosphere disappeared, many small businesses closed down, new housing was built but at practically unreachable prices for the long-time residents, traffic increased to choking levels, etc.

  (2) There is a reservoir that is nestled between lush green hills and it services hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the area. In 1994, its deep blue waters were as sight to behold, and the surrounding vegetation was home for all types of wildlife. Now, after a decade of drought, the water level is about two fifths of what it used to be, the dark green areas are several ugly shades of brown, and theoretically as a result, I’m sure a lot of the wildlife has died off. 

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