Portsmouth. Hum.

 

It's kind of like Steubenville...same river, lot of murals, nice skyscrapers (yes, skyscrapers), too narrow a main street, gritty feel, abandonment, isolation, hidden treasures...

 

Not only does Portsmouth have a large downtown, but they have a second commerical district in Bonneyfiddle just a block or two away. The courthouse floats in a residential area between the districts and is flanked by parking lots that come right up to the structure.

 

I just don't know how they can bring it all back.

 

 

 

 

Bonneyfiddle, then:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

c

 

 

A number of buildings have been saved as part of a rest home

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey, what's over there?

 

It's downtown.

 

This building is my heart's desire

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The new concrete-tastic cable-stayed:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take it from me, don't try this while driving.

 

 

 

The entrance needs a little work.  :|

^ Closed due to arson. Owner spent millions to restore it to its former glory only to have it all vanish. It was attracting a lot of youth to the downtown and bringing vitality back to the core...

 

As far as Portsmouth goes, the area has seen its share of losses over the past 20 years. Detroit Steel closed up shop in the 1980s after peaking at 4,800. Modernization in 1965 made the plant one of the most efficient in the nation, but shutdowns began in 1972 and it closed by 1980. At the time, it employed 1,200 (numbers combined with the coke plant). In 2002, the coke plant closed, shaving off 200 high-paying jobs -- but the plant had NUMEROUS EPA violations that made the area one of the highest cancer at-risk areas in the United States.

 

Selby Shoe Factory closed. The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion plant downsized and closed. Schools lagged behind due to declines in property values. Wal-Marts and K-Marts replaced vacant industry lots. What was once the hotbed of southern Ohio ceased to exist over the course of a decade. The same can be said for Ironton, which lost _all_ of its major industry in the period of 20 years.

 

It's sad.

I like Portsmouth.  I feel it has the most "big city" feel in all of Southeast Ohio.

^Not that there is much competition.

^Bingo.

Looks like a great small city.