AHC: Once Prominent American Cities Stay As Such

[Umbric Man]

America actually has a number of towns and even villages that were once far more important and populous (relatively and proportionally speaking) than they currently are, as worthwhile and well-known to your average person as the names and places of (to choose randomly) 'Seattle', 'Boston', or 'Kansas City' are in the present. I'd like to see if it's possible to keep them major.

To explain, the towns I'm currently thinking of:

Salem, MA
Galveston, TX
Williamsburg, VA

These places have nearly gone off the map, certainly in national consciousness beyond historical value. Feel free to add in any other places, although they really had to have had significance within a national context once and also descended into the status of a minor town or village.

 

[Sevarics]

Well, if Galveston had had a sea wall earlier then that would have helped it with the giant storm in the early 1900s. However, the Houston ship channel also did damage to Galveston. It would be interesting to have a TL where Galveston-Houston exists as a metroplex in the same light as Dallas-Fort Worth does.

 

[Umbric Man]

Well, if Galveston had had a sea wall earlier then that would have helped it with the giant storm in the early 1900s. However, the Houston ship channel also did damage to Galveston. It would be interesting to have a TL where Galveston-Houston exists as a metroplex in the same light as Dallas-Fort Worth does.

I agree. I've noticed that, and perhaps Williamsburg-Norfolk would be something similar as well...

Interesting between those potential two, the Metroplex, and the Twin Cities such 'twin cities' situations is a potentially common schtick in American demography.