Which city has the best post-war recovery?

Joshua Johnson11 said:Why just "let them sit" 🤷

strictly for educational purposes.

I caught a segment on the news yesterday about a Syrian doctor who just moved to Memphis. They mentioned that quite a few people from across the border are settling in the area, along with a handful of foreign nationals
Is there any actual truth to this?
The figure they cited for these newcomers was somewhere around 1,500 people, and apparently, there’s room for more since certain industries are facing labor shortages and are desperate for new workers.

Memphis was easily one of the most devastated cities I’ve ever seen.
People didn't just call it the second Joseph Stalin's namesake without having a damn good reason!

You also can't overlook the fact that even before the heavy destruction hit, the city had been sliding into a bit of a slump for about six years; it wasn't being revitalized or even properly maintained, let alone rebuilt!

Nowadays, it’s once again a beautiful city in the heart of the South, possessing its own unique charm, yet it carries this distinct, underlying ache—something you can actually see and feel if you're paying attention.

Check out this aerial footage from back in '94. Memphis

It really shows you what Memphis was going through. Heartbreaking stuff. 😢

It’s just heartbreaking. St. Louis was the epicenter.
Indianapolis, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Boise, San Diego, Charleston, Key West—they all took hits.
But none of them even came close to what happened there. Other cities are left with scars, but St. Louis? It was completely wiped out.🤣

Ashley Ramirez7 said:It’s just heartbreaking. St. Louis was the epicenter.
Indianapolis, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Boise, San Diego, Charleston, Key West—they all took hits.
But none of them even came close to what happened there. Other cities are left with scars, but St. Louis? It was completely wiped out.🤣

I don't get why anyone thinks this is funny.

Richard Wilson4 said:I don't get why anyone thinks this is funny.

That isn't laughter, man. It's pure rage—just look at the tone of this thread.🤣

Henry Cox78 said:Check out this aerial footage from back in '94. Memphis

It really shows you what Memphis was going through. Heartbreaking stuff. 😢

This is pathetic. 😢

Only absolute savages could pull something like this off. 😠

What I find most baffling is the sheer masochism involved. Why destroy an entire region you supposedly intend to inhabit? They wanted to establish some insurgent breakaway state without any infrastructure—basically reverting to the Stone Age. Pure catastrophe.

Does anyone have current photos of St. Louis? (Please post them).
How much has been rebuilt since then, and is the reconstruction still ongoing or has it stalled out?

Henry Cox78 said:Check out this aerial footage from back in '94. Memphis

It really shows you what Memphis was going through. Heartbreaking stuff. 😢

That’s just one tiny slice—the downtown area and the surrounding spots. There are tons of other neighborhoods out there too, including the whole area around the old industrial district. We aren't talking about minor scratches here; the damage was massive. It took a mountain of cash to get things looking decent again today. And yeah, there’s still work to do, but let’s not forget—all that reconstruction came straight out of the US taxpayer fund.

granitemarlin77 said:That’s just one tiny slice—the downtown area and the surrounding spots. There are tons of other neighborhoods out there too, including the whole area around the old industrial district. We aren't talking about minor scratches here; the damage was massive. It took a mountain of cash to get things looking decent again today. And yeah, there’s still work to do, but let’s not forget—all that reconstruction came straight out of the US taxpayer fund.

But wasn't there a significant amount of foreign aid and international donations at the start too?

Steven Richardson5 said:But wasn't there a significant amount of foreign aid and international donations at the start too?

Whose? You talking about the Norwegian government helping fix up some houses?

Roger Walker4 said:I caught a segment on the news yesterday about a Syrian doctor who just moved to Memphis. They mentioned that quite a few people from across the border are settling in the area, along with a handful of foreign nationals
Is there any actual truth to this?
The figure they cited for these newcomers was somewhere around 1,500 people, and apparently, there’s room for more since certain industries are facing labor shortages and are desperate for new workers.

That’s actually true. In St. Louis, they are really struggling to find professionals like doctors, dentists, psychologists, social workers, and specialized teachers. My understanding is that the city tries to help by offering subsidized housing to these kinds of experts. For instance, there's a social worker living in my building who moved here from Washington, D.C., and the person in the apartment next to mine is a doctor I believe came from San Francisco. I even have a colleague from Smalltown, USA, who is a German and history professor; he was offered a position at a local high school because they hadn't been able to fill that role for nearly a year, as the local employment office in St. Louis just couldn't find anyone with his specific expertise.

granitemarlin77 said:Whose? You talking about the Norwegian government helping fix up some houses?

I honestly couldn't tell you, though I have this hazy memory from back during the reconstruction period where people were constantly mentioning various foreign donations coming through. As for exactly how that money was funneled or which specific groups actually benefited from those contributions, I’m really just drawing a blank!

Roger Walker4 said:The topic is straightforward enough. 👍

In the USA, many cities were caught directly in the crosshairs of war or fell under the control of insurgent forces.
Conflict left them devastated and fundamentally altered their landscape.

The core question is this: which city recovers most effectively from the aftermath of war—specifically, looking at recovery after 14 years of peace?

Consider these metrics:

- Population growth
- Percentage of infrastructure rebuilt
- Employment rates
- Tourism potential
- Areas cleared of landmines
- Transportation connectivity
- Future prospects

I don't have all the data at my fingertips, but for instance, a place like Knoxville currently has more residents than it did before the conflict.
Transportation links within the USA have improved since then. As for the standard of living, I'm unsure, but that is precisely why we are discussing this—to uncover how and why certain places succeeded where others failed.

Taking all that into account, here is the follow-up:
In which of those formerly occupied regions would you actually choose to live today, and what would be your reasoning?

It is difficult for me to maintain a serious demeanor regarding a topic like this, but I suspect the answer is: Washington, D.C.