@googlemapsarchives: This house in East Cleveland Ohio met the fate of many other houses in the rust belt. In the early 1900s, Cleveland and East Cleveland were bustling cities home to hundreds of thousands of people. Fueled by a rising automobile industry and urban center, thousands of people flocked to this region of the country for jobs and to start families. For decades, Cleveland grew behind that automobile industry and eventually became the fifth largest city in America, with the city population peaking at over six-hundred thousand residents. In the 1970s, the United States economy declined, causing the automobile industry to slow down as people didn’t spend as much during these rough times. The decline caused many factories that supported thousands of jobs to eventually shut down, leading people to move elsewhere in search of another job. Ever since, hundreds of houses in the suburbs of Cleveland were no longer home to people and were abandoned. High poverty and crime rates continue to deter people from living there as the population has been declining since the 1950s. This house was a victim of the changing landscapes of Cleveland. Without jobs, people move out, causing local businesses to close, resulting in a cycle that has been repeating for decades. These days, Cleveland and Detroit have been trying to revamp their downtown area and many service jobs have returned to the area. East Cleveland, where this house is located, continues to struggle with crime and poverty, leading to many of the streets having empty lots and abandoned homes just like this one. For the short-term, this state of abandonment will continue with many homes in the area still standing without an owner. Cleveland might never hit it’s 20th century peak again, but it’s interesting to see nature reclaim these homes over a period of many years, and the history behind these houses, and the families they’ve held. <3 GMA

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Friday 30 October 2026 22:58:43 GMT