Ex Dem Mom, The Working Man
Its gotten WAY worse.
I relocated in fall of 2010, and everytime I go back there are more stores closed, more potholes in the streets, and everything just looks worn out.
There's a store in the Sonoma area that I remember shopping at (with my father) in the 1960s. I happened to drive through that area during my last visit. I don't think the store has had a single renovation since the 60s; at best, it's had routine maintenance. That's a sad statement for what is supposedly a fairly well-off area. People can't afford to make things look nice when they're paying so much in taxes that they are struggling to make ends meet on what would be a decent income in many other states.