Last Updated on July 28, 2025 by Colby Droscher
It’s impossible to ignore how quickly everything around us is changing. Not long ago, we published Photos Showing How Places Have Changed Over Time, which resonated with a lot of readers and highlighted how true that is. That inspired me to create a version focused solely on locations within the United States.
Some of these side-by-side comparisons are strikingly similar, while others reveal dramatic, sometimes disheartening, sometimes welcome transformations. But together, they paint a picture of how our country has evolved over time, for better or worse.
1. Los Angeles
Before: 1880s
After: 2001
2. Detroit
Before: 1951
After: 2002
3. Boston transformed after relocating the highway underground
Before: 1980s
After: 2020s
4. Racetrack in Charlotte, NC
Before: Circa late 1970s
After: 2020
5. Ames, Iowa
Before: 1900
After: 2000
6. Woodstock Festival site
Before: 1969
After: 2020
7. Fresh Prince basketball court
Before: 1990
After: 2022
8. Figueroa St/Arroyo Seco Pkwy at College St. in Los Angeles before it was converted to the 110 freeway in 1941.
Before: 1939
After: 2021
9. Boothbay Harbor, Maine
Before: 1961
After: 2021
10. Downtown Dallas
Before: 2001
After: 2021
11. Hollywood High School
Before: 1941
After: 2021
12. University of Montana
Before: Circa 1880s
After: 2020
13. Manhattan Bridge, NYC
Before: 1908
After: 2021
14. Amy Winehouse, NYC
Before: 2007
After: 2021
15. Main and Delaware St, Kansas City, MO
Before: 1906
After: 2015
16. Grand Central Station, NYC
Before: 1912
After: 2021
17. Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Before: 1916
After: 2021
18. Vallejo St., San Francisco
Before: 1920
After: 2020
19. Restored home in Brush Park, Detroit
Before: 1993
After: 2021
20. Industrial St., Los Angeles
Before: 1960s
After: 2019
21. Yosemite National Park
Before: 1903
After: 2018
22. The Pines, Fallsburg, NY
Before: 1950s
After: 2010s
23. Old home in Omaha, Nebraska
Before: 1890
After: 2020
24. Hollywood Sign, Los Angeles
Before: 1920s
After: 2010s
25. Tunnel Rock at Sequoia National Park, California
Before: 1952
After: 2020
26. Grand Tetons, Wyoming
Before: 1878
After: 2022
27. Halcyon Hall at Bennett College, Millbrook, New York
Before: 1965
After: 2012
28. Hoover Dam
Before: 1983
After: 2022
29. Ramones, NYC
Before: 1975
After: 2021
30. Statue of Liberty, NYC
Before: 1937
After: 2019
31. The Bronx
Before: 1940s
After: 2022
32. Abraham Lincoln’s home, Springfield, Illinois
Before: 1861
After: 2021
33. Seattle Viaduct
Before: 2010s
After: 2023
34. Corner of 49th and 3rd Ave, NYC
Before: 1940
After: 2021
35. Manhattan Ave at Norman Ave, Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Before: 1920s
After: 2021
36. Manhattan, NYC
Before: 1931
After: 2018
37. Disneyland Main Street, Anaheim, California
Before: 1963
After: 2021
38. Chicago
Before: 1930s
After: 2021
39. Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia
Before: 1947
After: 2021
40. Michigan Central Railroad Depot, Detroit
Before: 1965
After: 2014
41. Mount Rushmore, South Dakota
Before: 1922
After: 2018
42. Empire State Building, NYC
Before: 1941
After: 2018
43. The Fallen Monarch, Yosemite
Before: 1899
After: 2021
44. Satiam Wagon Road, Oregon
Before: Unknown (possibly late 1800s)
After: 2022
45. House in Portland, Oregon
Before: 1919
After: 2021
46. A place called Hollywoodland
Before: 1932
After: 2025
47. The Flatiron Building, New York City
Before: 1917
After: 2012
48. A trolley ascending Mount Tom in Holyoke, Massachusetts
Before: 1905-1915
After: 2021
49. Detroit
Before: 2009
After: 2019
50. 520-522 N. Rossmore Avenue, Los Angeles
Before: 1935
After: 2023