You Will Not Believe What These Cities Used To Look Like

New York City, USA: Then

Image Source: Viewing NYC

This image shows the intersection of 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City, just off from the under-construction New York Public Library. Throughout the early 1900's New York was beginning to become one of the most populated and quickest developing cities in the world.

New York City, USA: Now

Image Source: New York Build

These days New York City is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, and one of the most technologically developed areas in the country. If you haven't been to NYC then you're doing yourself a disservice, it really is a once in a lifetime opportunity for so many people!

London, UK: Then

Image Source: NPR

London was once the capital of the largest empire in the world, and surprisingly it was very dirty, particularly during the industrial revolution. This image shows Oxford St in the 1890 with Horses dominating the streets of the bustling high street. Although it was filled with people from all walks of life, rich and poor!

London, UK: Now

Image Source: Retail Gazette

London, not the capital of an Empire anymore, is the capital of the UK and still home to millions of people. It is known to be a bustling, multicultural location where the old victorian (and older) buildings can be found mixed in with multi-billion dollar refurbished projects. It's another location you have see for yourself!

Dubai, UAE: Then

Image Source: All That's Interesting

It's hard to believe this was just 33 years ago! The now bustling city previously looked like a wasteland; In fact it was pretty much just a trading hub center with a population of under 100,000 citizens and very little infrastructure. Who would've thought it would become what it has?

Dubai, UAE: Now

Image Source: Reddit

Yep, crazy! These days Dubai is home to over 20x its population in 1990 with over 2.5m people now living in the city; it has the second largest shopping mall in the world and has become an economic hub thanks to tourism, trade and construction. And yes, the Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world!

Seoul, South Korea: Then

Image Source: Pinpoint Korea

Seoul, the capital city of South Korea used to be an overcrowded, often dirty city that wasn't particularly pleasant to live in. The overcrowding came as a result of the Korean War and many people migrated here! This led to makeshft houses alongside the stream being built and garbage being dumped in it!

Seoul, South Korea: Now

Image Source: Reddit

These days, the population situation has resolved, and the city is a beautiful representation of the popular Asian Country. The Cheonggyecheon stream is no longer smothered in makeshift housing and instead has been made a desirable date spot for the locals!

Marina Bay, Singapore: Then

Image Source: Pinterest

It's again hard to believe just how much Singapore has changed in just 30 years! This image from 1990 shows the populated city to the east but very little else. The population at this time was around 3,000,000 and this was evidenced by the low number of residential areas in the city.

Marina Bay, Singapore: Now

Image Source: Safdie Architects

These days the population of Singapore has doubled to over 6,000,000 citizens and the city has expanded outwards! Infrastructure has both increased and improved and as a result tourism has allowed to an increase in the expenditure available to make this city look even better!

Tokyo, Japan: Then

Image Source: Foreign Policy

This one is obviously a little dark, but this image shows an area of Tokyo after being a firebombed at the end of WW2. This was obviously a massive problem for the population in terms of the death and destruction that was caused. At this time the population was just over 3,000,000 people

Tokyo, Japan: Now

Image Source: Reddit

In a crazy turn of events, you can now see how densely populated the city of Tokyo now is, in fact it's the most populated city in the entire world with over 36,000,000 people living there. The city is now a mix of the modern and the old and another city that has to be seen once in your lifetime.

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil: Then

Image Source: Twitter

This historical image shows a plane flying over the ever popular Christ The Redeemer stature being built; the layout of the city hasn't changed much but the building quantity and quality has increased. And of course The Redeemer is now complete and a huge tourist attraction for those of a religious persuasion!

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil: Now

Image Source: NZ Herald

These days, Rio De Janeiro has become possibly the most well-known Brazilian city (although not the Capital!) and also the second most inhabited city in the country. It's most well known for its carnivals, the samba, and the gorgeous beaches which dominate the coastal areas.

Sydney, Australia: Then

At this time (1952) Sydney was going through a baby boom following World War 2 and thus were beginning to be forced to increase the housing available in the city. These residential areas were mostly made up of immigrants from Britain and Europe and eventually popular tourist destination the Sydney Opera house was controversially opened (too expensive!)

Sydney, Australia: Now

Image Source: Reddit

Currently, Sydney is the most populated city within the country, although 40% of the population were actually born overseas and not in Australia. The Emerald City contains World Heritage listed sites such as The Sydney Harbour Bridge and the pictured Opera House; and beside the great infrastructure there is 2.5 million acres of nature reserves and parks to admire.

Athens, Greece: Then

Image Source: Pinterest

One of the oldest cities in the world, and one of those that hasn't been forced through the modernisation of other cities in the last few decades. During the 1800's the population in Athens (the capital) was under 10,000 people and it wasn't until the end of the Greco-Turkish war and after that WW2 that the population increased.

Athens, Greece: Now

Image Source: Bounce Luggage Storage

A lack of free space as a result of population congestion led to Athens being forced to improve the infrastructure of the city; a new motorway was developed, as well as, a new airport and an expanded metro system! The weather here is just as beautiful as the scenery, and you have to visit the thousands of year old ruins at some time!

Toronto, Canada: Then

Image Source: Pinterest

As with many countries and cities, Toronto was overcome with immigrants moving to the country from Europe and Asia which led to shanty towns being built, and then the need for more infrastructure. Following the war there was a boom in suburban development and more developed road routes, and by 1971 the population reached over 2,000,000 people!

Toronto, Canada: Now

Image Source: Reddit

Despite being hit with some natural troubles like flash floods and and ice storms, Toronto flourishes as one of the most populated cities not just in Canada but in the whole of North America. The population has even reached nearly 7,000,000 so the need for infrastructure only continues to grow!

Seattle, USA: Then

Image Source: Crosscut

Seattle was very much a transportation center prior to the Great Depression as a result of the abundance of gold available in the city, but damage to the city followed the depression due to labor rates. The War actually did good things for the city increasing the local prosperity due to the need for parts.

Seattle, USA: Now

Image Source: Rove.me

The dominator in the Seattle skyline these days is the Space Needle that was built for the 1962 World's Fair. A big boost for the city came when Amazon moved its headquarters to the city in 2017 and led to the need for more than double the amount of aparment buildings being built in 2017 than the whole of 2016. Seattle continues to grow at a high rate (2.1% a year) and is one of the most important port sites in the US.

Berlin, Germany: Then

Image Source: All That's Interesting

Berlin, under the rule of the Nazi Regime, began developing architecture that 'represented Germany'. During the war, much of Berlin was destroyed as a result of ove 60,000 tons of bombs being dropped on the city. Following this, the country was split in two until the demolition of the Berlin wall in 1989 when Germany was reunified, Berlin becoming the Capital again.

Berlin, Germany: Now

Image Source: Reddit

Berlin is now a city filled to the brim with culture, complete with a strong media presence. It has also become a popular tourist destination containing the most visited zoo in the whole of the world, amongst other popular sites. Berlin even has 3 world heritage sites including: Museum Island, Palaces and Parks and Modernism Housing Estates. Make sure to make a trip here!

Las Vegas, USA: Then

Image Source: Casino.org

It wasn't until the 1940's that Gambling became one of the big focus points in Las Vegas with the Golden Nugget and Flamingo Hotel being built in 1946! Much of the infrastructure and entertainment came as a result of Mobsters, although, Nuclear tests were often seen in the distance, something onlookers actually enjoyed??

Las Vegas, USA: Now

Image Source: GRAND PRIX 247

Yep, these days it's very much a big money location in Las Vegas. Gambling, un-thought through weddings and a number of drunken mistakes I'm sure. Unsurprisingly, it has become one of the most visited tourist destinations worldwide and the infrastructure only continues to increase with hotels and casinos still appearing and being renovated.

Venice, Italy: Then

Image Source: Reddit

Venice was another city that suffered some damage as a result of the war, but ultimately nothing particularly strenuous to fix. Popular for its beautiful water features and the gondolas that travel on the water, it's actually water that causes this city most of its problems with flooding occuring for decades.

Venice, Italy: Now

Image Source: Reddit

Venice's population has actually decreased in recent years, falling 2.7% between 2016 and 2021, and even more from the 80's to today. Once being 120,000 it's now just over 50,000! Tourism is essential for the city, as without it the city would struggle to maintain itself, although this has led to some overcrowding and additional space being required.

Barcelona, Spain: Then

Image Source: Pinterest

Barcelona became a somewhat segregated part of Spain following the civil war within the country, with Catalonia's institutions being abolished and references to Catalonia were destroyed. Despite this, it was an industrialised and prosperous city which began to need some rapid infrastructure increases as a result of large scale immigration from poorer Spanish regions.

Barcelona, Spain: Now

Image Source: Reddit

Barcelona continues to maintain a strong and rich cultural heritage, something that brings tourists in droves still every year! It is abundantly filled with tourist destinations including the Sagrada Familia (which has technically never been finished to this day!). It is also a massive transport hub not just for Spain but the entirety of Europe.