People Describe The Sketchiest U.S. Cities That No One Ever Talks About

What causes a small town to die?

Honestly, there can be quite a few factors, but perhaps the biggest one is that small towns often lack the upward mobility opportunities that are more available in urban areas.

As a result, many towns around the United States for instance have lost tens of millions of people as their populations seek jobs and opportunities elsewhere.

And what remains of these places can be pretty sketchy.

People told us more after Redditor RadicalizedSnackWrap asked the online community,

"What's a super sketchy US city that we never hear about?"

"Imagine..."

"Daytona Beach, FL. Imagine a bunch of alcoholic high school kids who came for spring break in 1984, and never left, and never grew up."

angmakesit

Oh, I don't have to imagine it.

I've seen it!

"I lived..."

"Yakima, Washington.

I lived in a neighboring town for a while and bodies would always turn up in farmer's fields that the cartel in Yakima had dropped off there."

PhreshlyBaked

Sounds like Netflix needs to get its hands on Yakima, a new show to go against Ozark.

"I remember a story..."

"Guntersville, Alabama. If I were to ballpark it, over 80% of the population are meth addicts and traffickers.

I remember a story where a man walked into the Walmart, took all the supplies and equipment required to cook, and proceeded to cook meth in the bathroom."

MightBArtistic

​"A run-down town..."

"Reading, PA. A run-down town that is mostly used as a central point to run drugs between New York and Philly."

dielonecabino

I am writing this from right nearby actually, and I can smell it from here.

"Small town almost entirely..."

"Butte, Montana. Small town almost entirely comprised of violent meth heads."

JackSwader

People Describe Their Best Chance Encounters | George Takei’s Oh Myyy

Are chance encounters really serendipitous or is it part of some grand master plan? While we may never have an answer for why we come to meet certain people ...

"More of a town than a city..."

"Coolidge, Arizona.

More of a town than a city, but it's such a weird place, bordering on Twilight Zone. You'll see a meth house right next to a youth theatre."

GreedyJewGoblin

According to a friend I have who spent a lot of time in Arizona, this sounds about right.

"Used to have..."

"Gary, Indiana. Used to have a prosperous steel economy, but now it's just home to abandoned buildings, failing infrastructure, and lots and lots of crime. Just look up pictures."

BreakfastBagels

"I always said..."

"Amityville. Yes, that Amityville.

I always said the "Amityville Horror" house is for amateurs. You want something scary, put on a nice watch or a gold chain and wander around downtown Amityville after dark."

GooseNYC

I went there once.

Once.

I have not been back.

"It looks harmless..."

"Harrisburg PA. It looks harmless and maybe a little boring but holy hell that place is a giant puddle of corruption just waiting for someone to step in it. Not just state government, there's a bunch of layers you can use to crawl up the corruption ladder."

TraditionalNewt172

"Used to be..."

"Natchez, Mississippi. Use to be the headquarters for the KKK. Not much there besides crackheads, plantation homes, and European tourists. Don't own a nice place if you're black, you'll be stopped by the police and questioned."

Crolane97

Depressed yet?

It doesn't look any of these are changing anytime soon, and that's sad.

Have some small towns to tell us about? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Adults Who Still Need A Stuffed Animal To Go To Sleep Share Their Experiences

Reddit user Old-Horse1185 asked: '34 percent of adults sleep with a stuffed animal or other sentimental object. Are you one of these people? What do you sleep with?'

Old, pink stuffed animal bunny sitting on bed
Photo by Paulo Almeida on Unsplash

Stuffies, plushies, stuffed animals, or plush toys; whatever you might call them, we likely all can remember a fluffy friend we had in our childhood.

But some adults might have carried their childhood friend into adulthood, or even made others along the way, and they might even still go to sleep with them at night, too.

Keep reading...Show less
Waiter
Kate Townsend/Unsplash

Working remotely from home certainly has its advantages, including not having to endure traffic and deal with coworker drama.

But many people found that during the pandemic, the isolation of working from home left little to be desired.

People who have jobs requiring them to commute every day and arrive at the workplace are given the opportunity to be social and feel like they're a part of society.

But being a part of a work environment can come with its own unique occupational hazards.

Keep reading...Show less

Be it desperation, self-indulgence, or simply optimism, many people never leave home without a condom.

If the chances of "getting lucky" are much more likely at some places than others, one never knows where or when they might hit it off with someone.

Including a funeral.

Bizarre and tasteless as that sounds, a recent study reportedly showed that 1 in 8 men under the age of 35 do, in fact, bring condoms with them when attending a funeral, "just in case".

Whether or not these condoms were used, however, is another story entirely.

Keep reading...Show less

People will trip themselves up eventually.

Because liars and lunatics always make mistakes.

They may be small mistakes, but they leave just enough room to expose their wicked ways.

Sure we all want to fight off an enemy and be the victor.

But sometimes the victor's greatest weapon is nothing but a little patience.

Then, we celebrate with a smile as we watch the crumble.

And maybe we have a little victory dance.

Keep reading...Show less