Camden has had such a problem with violent crime and corruption that the city got fed up and decided to disband and rebuild its entire police department from scratch in the early 2010s. Located across the river from the hustling and bustling City of Brotherly Love, 33% of Camden’s residents live below the poverty level, and the streets are lined with abandoned buildings and houses. The one bright side is the waterfront development initiative that has seen parts of the city revitalized.
8. East St. Louis, Illinois
On one side of the Mississippi River, you have the relatively safe and prosperous St. Louis, where you can catch a baseball game, enjoy authentic cuisine in the neighborhood of Little Italy, and chill in the large park along the bank of the river. On the other side you have East St. Louis, which serves as the poster child for urban collapse. For decades the city has had to endure economic decline and government dysfunction. Violent crime is 20 times the national average while the landscape is dotted with abandoned buildings and houses.
