One of America's top 12 ghost towns right here on the shore

Who would have guessed it? A real live (or dead) ghost town right here on the eastern shore. Infact it is an entire county. Worcester County has made the top 12 list of ghost towns in the U.S. Thats right! With 55,749 homes, a population of 49,274, and vacancy rate of 60%, Worcester County is considered a ghost town. These statistics came from the State Department of Assesment and Taxation. The entire story of the ghost towns in the U.S. can be found here.

http://247wallst.com/2011/03/27/american-ghost-towns-of-the-21st-century/

I guess we can all look optimistically to the "hope and change" we were promised 4 years ago - right? I mean that was the promise, right? I wonder if thats like the promise made that the air operations in Libya were over and now NATO commanders acknowledge that the U.S. has continued to strike at targets inside Libya. I realize that they are totally different subjects but the comparison was made to show the trail of empty promises made by this administration which have contributed to the continued economic demise of our nation. Four more years? No Way!

32 comments:

joeboe said...

ARN--

When you come up with a suitable alternative to Obama, let me know.

I won't argue that he has been a big disappointment to many people who voted for him--but I have yet to read about the man or woman who might be a good replacement.

Maybe we could get that dude from NYC to run on "the gas is too high" platform.

Joe H.
Stevensville, MD

Anonymous said...

The real challenge will be finding someone who is actually interested in reducing the debt by eliminating the programs that duplicate programs already implemented by the states. Then we eliminate spending money on wars which aren't necessary for national security. We need to find someone more concerned with the nations success than with boosting their own chances of re elected. But it seems they are all cut from the same cloth. Including Obama.

afterthegoldrush said...

The Federal government has turned into an Audrey II.

Anonymous said...

FEEEEEED MEEEEEEEE!!!

Anonymous said...

ATGR--

I am the Federal government, and I heartily disagree--as long as our taxes still subsidize the oil companies, banks and other enterprises that continue to rip common folk off left and right. It was not the pension or health care benefits offered to me when I took the job that created the current fiscal woes of the U.S. It was not one of my fellow bureaucrats that refused to cut billions from the budget that are paying for unwanted aircraft engines from AL.

Joe H.
Stevensville, MD

afterthegoldrush said...

Does your company know that you are bad mouthing them on the internet?

Blog Editor said...

YOU are the government?? I thought some of your other common 'liberal elite' smoked some pretty good Thai stick, but let us leave that ego at the dock. I am also grand-poobah of a strategic hamlet in rural Indonesia, and can play 'Smoke on the Water" on bagpipes-that and about $60 gets you a tank of gas these days.

Joe-there are some good points here...I know we go back...but shat, man, you have had three years to say some good things. And when you say that YOU are the government start using the words 'you taxpaying guys' instead of WE...the REAL 'we' are tired of supporting that partisan bullshit, and if you say we, consult the mouse also in your pocket, because we don't see people on the street buying this jive from port of starboard fringes.

You've had all this time to say something positive and you say something stuck on dip-shit like that. Unbelievable-with all due respect, you are just the type of partisan clog gumming up the far left side of our collective septic tank. And none of your guys seem to have the balls to get re-elected...except Hillary.

Blog Editor said...

BTW-good to talk with you again...douche. How's life??

Blog Editor said...

Sign your name..it is Stanley Cup playoffs...douche...When one drops the gloves with consent it isn't assualt or battery.

Anonymous said...

Yeah whatever.

Blog Editor said...

Are you that piece of inevitable busted monkey spunk everybody down there hates, or just the one that used to think he had a voice here but found nobody wants to read recycled Pravda...

Anonymous said...

Bill--

What Federal government functions are you willing to forego? IRS, of course, but do you really want to start paying 100% for your elderly relatives' medical care? Do you want to buy uninspected meat or milk from uninspected cows? Do you want to drive on interstate highways that are not maintained? Do you want to go to National Parks and find the gates locked? What part of the Federal government do you want to get rid of?

Joe H.
Stevensville, MD

Blog Editor said...

Joe...if you would read with comprehension, instead of blinders {like Chuck}, you would have read very concrete dialogue I have had, in a civil fashion, with other blogs. My plan calls for raising revenue-Stevensville...waterfront...if you can afford that when i have switched, along with countless others, to pork and ground beef. Well have the balls to say you want to give more yourself. Why does everybody assume it is only republicans that are rich and have deep pockets. If you weren't acting obtuse, you would learn I am fighting for more revenue from those who can spare it because I don't want to cut those programs. But you just see and hear what you want to hear don't you?? Free your mind and your ass will follow.

Blog Editor said...

BTW-since the cat now has the wealthy communist tongue for a minute; I think for every third dollar donated to ANY PARTY political campaign; federal, state or local-the campaign should directly match the dollar to the local county school system. Instead of, say, buying chicken outfits to act like a wanker and lose elections.

Blog Editor said...

That's what I thought you said.

afterthegoldrush said...

With all due respect, we as a country are in one of those "When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary..." moments.

Blog Editor said...

I am going for a run, but when I return, if I return- I don't know but I've been told; Foster's beer and pork chops are undersold-and tell Joe {pick one} to get off my bloody obstacle!! Hoo-Rah!!

Two Sentz said...

The 60% vacancy rate mentioned wouldn't have anything to do with the resort nature of OC would it?

Blog Editor said...

See that is the thing. I know who you are. And I'm not getting divorced, nor would go back to a franchise restaurant that serves horse-meat. Shall I introduce you, and who you represent?? Think I don't know?? Friend of Frank...

Blog Editor said...

BTW-I will have to step away for a minute..I have to defecate 'out back'...

Blog Editor said...

It's amazing how you little anonymous coward mooks have a lot to say anonymously..tell the story-then I'll tell my version!

Daniel Plainview said...

I drink your milkshake. I drink it up.

Liberal Elite said...

@TS "The 60% vacancy rate mentioned wouldn't have anything to do with the resort nature of OC would it?"

It says the vacancy rate applies to homes. The main point in the article is that remote places that rely on tourism have been especially hard hit by the recession.

Anyway, Interesting article. It seems that it is a good time to look at real estate in Worcester County...

Michael Swartz said...

For those of you who may not be aware I had my own take on this:

http://monoblogue.us/2011/04/11/the-ghost-towns/

Most of the top ones are dependent on tourism, and in Worcester County's case we're all well aware that a city which can cram visitors into the low six figures within itself during the summer really has fewer than 10,000 permanent residents. When the Census is based on a moment in time outside the tourist season there's some misinformation going on.

Having said that, though, there's a foreboding sense of dread in some quarters that things are going to get worse around here before they get better. It's sort of a shame that this conversation was sidetracked into a personal debate rather than discuss what can be done about the issue at hand.

You know what my opinion is on the size and scope of government at all levels, but let me say that Joe H. is artificially making things an either/or case when reality is that these things aren't so.

Anonymous said...

Confidence plays a major part in any economic situation.

Liberal Elite said...

@MS "I had my own take on this:"

Interesting read. I have my own take, but you wont like it. I see Worcester County as being somewhat parasitic. It takes in far more money from the state than it gives back. It sucks whatever money it can from tourists. Who do you think pays for the roads around here? Worcester County has tried to become something that it is not. It's a typical red state mentality in a rather blue state. That's great when things are going well, but in a downturn, the state holds back and tourism doesn't make up the difference. So the basic problem is that it's just too damn Republican.


@MS "It's sort of a shame that this conversation was sidetracked into a personal debate"

Ha. A debate? Don't you mean a whole lot of stupid irrelevant stuff?

Anonymous said...

Everybody thank Bill Livingston for ruining yet another conversation.

Anonymous said...

Leave Bill alone.

Anonymous said...

@2:09

3:16 is right. You're part of the problem here...

Michael Swartz said...

LE: (Worcester County) takes in far more money from the state than it gives back. It sucks whatever money it can from tourists. Who do you think pays for the roads around here? Worcester County has tried to become something that it is not. It's a typical red state mentality in a rather blue state.

Is there a way of proving this assertion, or are you just spouting opinion?

It would seem to me that those areas which are government-dependent would be the takers and those who have producers would be the givers. If anything, I would think Worcester is a redistributor in that most tourists come from outside the area but bring the money in to spend there, at least what the state doesn't try to confiscate.

I know Maryland doesn't spend an equal amount in each county nor do they derive the same amount of revenue from each. How about a source for your so-called 'red state mentality'?

Liberal Elite said...

@MS

To be fair, I am both right and wrong, depending on how one sees tax revenue.

It's true that the neither the residents of Worcester County, nor the residents of Prince Georges County come anywhere close to covering their cost of county operations.

PG County gets the shortfall from direct aid, mostly student aid from the state. In direct state aid, Montgomery County is the big giver, and Baltimore City and PG County are the largest takers.

Worcester County gets very little direct student aid, since it has the highest wealth per student ratio when that "wealth" includes non-resident tax payers. With that "wealth" included, it's more than triple the per student wealth of Montgomery County.

I used the term "parasitic" to include taxes paid by nonresidents. Sure they get something back for their taxes, but really not all that much. With those taxes included, Worcester County is as red as it can be.

As for areas that are "Government Dependent", don't confuse PG County with Montgomery County. PG County gets a lot of government aid, but Montgomery County has a lot more highly paid government workers. Montgomery County has the highest per capita college graduates in the country. It has the highest per capita MD/PhD's in the world.

Montgomery County doesn't depend on the Government, the Government depends on Montgomery County.

Liberal Elite said...

@MS

And as for my comment "Worcester County has tried to become something that it is not."

I was referring to the loss of natural beauty and the expectation that tourists would continue to come as the place starts to look more and more like crap.

Ocean City is an eyesore. Even the supposedly upscale places like Ocean Pines are best to avoid. Banks don't want to give 30 year loans, since many of the houses that are being thrown up wont stand that long. Was every architect the lowest bidder? Does every builder use the cheapest materials? Does every town have a dysfunctional zoning board?

It's the attitude of "let's milk it for all we can get" instead of "How can we preserve this treasure while we enjoy it as we can?" that is most galling and most "Republican".

Well.. At least Assateague is still great. Camping at Pine Tree is as good as it gets.