Recently had a chance to drive through Harrisburg, PA which recently declared bankruptcy because of a failed incinerator project that cost 5x their annual budget.
Within several blocks of the grand capitol building for the state of Pennsylvania, nearly all the shops and storefronts were empty, for sale or for lease.
I saw a car break down and the people inside hop out to just kick it in frustration and a beer store with flickering fluorescent lighting that only stocked large cases of beer. Harrisburg has some nice architecture and some potential but it looks like this is one of the epicenters of hard economic times in the east coast.
Though perhaps residents see the bankruptcy as a major milestone, this economic crisis isn’t something new, however being from the US and living outside of it, going back always has a bit of a shock factor because the signs of decline are everywhere. Perhaps residents in Harrisburg and other parts of the United States are subject to what Jared Diamond calls, “creeping normalcy” where the focus on a day to day existence masks the rapidly changing circumstances as you become accustomed and unconscious of your surroundings. When an outsider comes along, he or she can see things you haven’t noticed before. I’ve certainly noticed how much things have gone off a cliff the last few times I’ve been in the US, though mainly outside of the major cities like San Francisco and New York. Because of the inflows of financial capital, those places seem relatively untouched when compared to the places outside them.
Though now with the #occupywallstreet movement, this grand decline is entering first and foremost into urban environments as well. This occupation may come as a shock to people that haven’t spent much time in rural America but to those who have traveled extensively across such regions, the reason for the occupation is quite clear.
Perhaps these two guys will buy this building if they can save up enough money in the next few years?