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Older Adults Recall Life Before the Highway
When the interstate highway system was created in the mid-20th century, the routes isolated or destroyed urban neighborhoods nationwide, particularly ones with predominantly Black or poor populations. Seven people who lived in such places share their memories and observations.
When America’s interstate highway system was created in the mid-20th century, the routes bulldozed through thousands of homes, businesses and communities, isolating or destroying urban neighborhoods nationwide, particularly ones with predominantly Black or poor populations. The impact of those losses continues to this day.
Read: Decades of Highway Construction and Community Destruction
Then: Scroll down to meet seven people who lived in such places.
Memories and More
Mayor Ken Welch
St. Petersburg, Florida
Marvin Roger Anderson
Saint Paul, Minnesota
David Everett
Rochester, New York
Martin Pedraza
Rochester, New York
Shirley Smith Mixon
Columbus, Ohio
Moses Freeman
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Rose Childress
Houston, Texas
Learn More
Highways in Other Cities
Awards and Recognition