History Main / WrongSideOfTheTracks

* The slums of Midgar in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''. The slums are located at the ground level of the city while the towns containing the more well off and wealthy citizens live on plates that are above the slums. The train system is the only thing that allows travel between the two.

Be mindful and sensitive with any Real Life examples. Just because an area has a large number of minorities or poor people, it does not mean it applies to this trope. And even if it did, not many people would appreciate their home being labeled as such. If you add any examples, they should be areas that many commentators have already designated as such (e.g., Vancouver's [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Eastside Downtown Eastside]]), not just your personal opinion.

* The ''Barnaby Grimes'' series has the Wasp's Nest, an impoverished, crime-ridden district of the city that all [[LeParkour Tick-Tock Lads]] try to avoid as much as possible. The East Bank is even worse.

* ''Literature/TheConstantGardener'' by ''Creator/JohnLeCarre'' has a section set in Regina, Saskatchewan, where the Indians and East Europeans huddle in wretched slums while the wealthy Anglos lord it over them in stately mansions. Anyone who's been to Regina knows how ridiculous this is (about the East Europeans, anyway.)

[[folder:Real Life]]
!!Asian and Middle Eastern Cities
* The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Walled_City Kowloon Walled City]] had fame as a WretchedHive, but actually was more like this. Specially from the mid-Seventies on, when there was a tacit agreement between the mainland authorities (to whom the area ostensibly belonged) and the British, that allowed British police to operate within the Walled City. This radically brought down the crime activity and increased the quality of life, as the utilities could come there as well. (Besides, TheTriadsAndTheTongs considered the place a sort-of ''base'' and not a feeding ground, [[PragmaticVillainy so it wasn't exactly in their interests to cause mayhem.]])
* The squatters/informal settlers' slums found in UsefulNotes/{{Manila}}, Philippines are particularly infamous among Filipinos. They're partly the result of haphazard reconstruction efforts following UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, poverty, and the mass influx of arrivals from the provinces in the intervening decades (which in turn contributed to the large population growth of the metropolis).
* UsefulNotes/{{Jerusalem}} has some neighborhoods like this. Nachlaot is a poor neighborhood that's a mix of Yerushalmi, Mizrahi, and Sephardi Jewish enclaves with a liberal sprinkling of students and misfit expats. Violent crime is rare, but petty crime is rampant. Mind, locals aren't usually targeted, what with the proximity to the Machane Yehuda shuk and its influx of tourists being richer and easier pickings. Mea Shearim on the other hand...they aren't fond of tour groups. Women who enter wearing trousers, skirts above the knee, tops cut too low or with sleeves above the elbow will be yelled at and possibly spit on. And if there are noises about drafting Haredi men into the army, they will hold demonstrations where they burn trash cans. Mea Shearim is also home to the virulently anti-Zionist Neturei Karta and Sikrikim. Neturei Karta has been known to attend Holocaust denial events, and the Sikrikim have clashed with nearby Gerrer Hasidim in what police have called a "gang war," taking credit for numerous acts of vandalism and assault.
* Osaka in Japan has [[https://www.tofugu.com/japan/nishinari/ Nishinari-ku]], a short distance to the south from the much more upmarket Namba district and almost literally on the other side of a railway line. It is considered the slum of Osaka and the most dangerous place in Japan. It is infamous for multiple rioting incidents, strong {{Yakuza}} presence, and the largest RedLightDistrict in Japan. In recent years, it has seen some minor regeneration, in part due to the growth of inexpensive hotels which draw in tourists looking for somewhere to stay while visiting the city.
* [[https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jun/14/the-tokyo-neighbourhood-where-people-come-to-disappear Sanya in Tokyo, Japan]] [[{{Unperson}} officially has not existed since 1966]]. Historically, it was a dumping ground for craftsmen and undesirables. Today, it is an area of homelessness, itinerant elderly day labourers exploited by the Yakuza and bottom-tier cheap hostels.
* Jalan Kukoh in Singapore, also called Chin Swee Road, is one of the poorest and most homelessness-prone areas. For added adherence to the trope, it's within walking distance of the swanky Clarke Quay and River Valley Road areas. Granted, what's crappy by Singaporean standards is still better than quite a few other entries on this list.
!!European Cities
* Banlieues in UsefulNotes/{{France}}.
* Parts of London's East End are considered to be on the wrong side, such as Hackney.
** Parts of South London also have this reputation, hence the stereotyped cab driver cliche "I'm not going south of the river at ''this'' time of night!" This dates all the way back to Shakespeare's day, when London ''stopped'' at the river, hence the Borough of Southwark becoming a somewhat seedy entertainment district because the Lord Chancellor had no power to ban things there. (These days, South Bank itself is seen as the "arty" area of the city -- which Shakespeare's Globe is ''also'' an important part of.)
* In the 20th century, Russia was hit with urbanization like a 2x4, jumping from 90% rural to 80% urban in just 50 years or so. During the rapid industrialization of the '30s, a lot of communities arose around the enormous factories, often built in the middle of nowhere or on the outskirts of the existing cities, essentially becoming company towns. Populated mainly by the former peasants torn out of their traditional way of life, these quickly became almost classical Industrial Slums, full of rowdy working youths, GangBangers (often the very same youths), [[TheAlcoholic drunks]], etc. When the [[UsefulNotes/SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Soviet Union]] caved in, some of these "monotowns" and working districts, those whose plant of factory [[WhyWereBummedCommunismFell didn't fare all that well]], became Modern Ghettos, with poverty and unemployment galore, while those that fared better got even slummier, especially with the influx of cheap immigrant labor.
!!North American Cities
* There is an actual neighborhood literally called "Skid Row", the "Meatpacking District", and/or "Tenderloin" in various cities in the U.S. Such older downtown business areas are prone to general poverty, neglect and homelessness more than out-and-out crime and violence. Ironically, Times Square, which borders on Hells Kitchen, and "The Bowery" in downtown Manhattan [[{{Disneyfication}} used to be]] the UrExample of such shuttered small-business districts.
* Shanty Towns in the Caribbean islands.
* Caserios in UsefulNotes/PuertoRico.
* In the early twentieth century, the Canadian city of Winnipeg in Manitoba had a district full of poor immigrants that was actually separated from the rest of the city by the train tracks.
* This is sadly still literally true in many old-fashioned Southern towns, e.g. Memphis, albeit with quaint results (e.g. a fancy golf course guarded by rottweilers directly across the railroad tracks from an Afrocentric bookstore!).
* East {{UsefulNotes/Cleveland}}, a suburb of Cleveland that has possibly the worst crime in Ohio. Granted, it's hard to find the ''right'' side of the tracks in Cleveland nowadays, but East Cleveland has long been notorious for being the worst hellhole in the area.
* Atlanta's crime rate is above the US national average but has gone down since peaking in 1990. Most of the crime is concentrated in certain neighborhoods in the western and southern parts of the city.
* Austin, Texas traditionally had Interstate 35 taking the place of the metaphorical tracks, with the east side being seen as the "wrong" side of the tracks (partially due to racism and legalized segregation at the time; the issue is ''very'' complicated) with some overlap to the west side for a few blocks; as recently as the 1990s, the famous 6th Street and Red River area on the west side of I-35 was known less for being a haven for live music and bars every eighteen feet and more for being a place you would be reluctant to walk around in after sundown. Today, however, Austin is seen as a very safe city with few violent crimes, and the biggest annoyance most citizens have with the city is its increasing rent costs and frequent traffic throughout the day.
* Albuquerque's War Zone, an area around Central Avenue between San Mateo and Wyoming Boulevards, is known for its high level of drug-related activity.
* El Paso Texas has [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel%27s_Triangle,_El_Paso,_Texas "Angel's Triangle"]] know by locals as the Devil's Triangle until 1993- a place bordered by US Highway 54 and two streets. The crime rate was so high that the residents voted to rename the area in TheNineties in an attempt to shake this trope.
* Baltimore, Maryland has a very distinctive difference between the beautiful Inner Harbor (tourist district) and the areas surrounding it.
* In the greater UsefulNotes/{{Boston}} area, you've got Roxbury, Mattapan (known as "Murderpan" to some) and the neighborhood of Mission Hill, so much so that [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Stuart_%28murderer%29 one of the most infamous murder cases]] in Boston's history not only took place there but was deliberately committed there [[BatmanGambit because of the area's reputation]]. Somerville ("Slummervile") used to be this before it got gentrified. Head up north to the Merrimack Valley and you have Lawrence and Haverhill; Lowell, while also home to some very rough areas, has been gentrified to some degree and is now ''far'' less dangerous than the other two as a whole.
* Most of Camden County, New Jersey is a safe and affluent place, but the namesake city, Camden, is one of the worst Wretched Hives on the East Coast, with a reputation for miles around as a place one never visits unless one has no choice, because of the crime rate. U.S. Highway 130 is the dividing line between the well-off suburbanites and the crime-ridden city. Even the parts of Pennsauken west of Route 130 are relatively run down compared to the rest of the non-Camden area.
* The South Side of Chicago is infamous for its high crime rate, particularly where gang activity is concerned. The West Side isn't much better.
* Detroit is what happens when an entire city becomes this:
** In the area, anything south of 8 Mile Road(where Detroit begins) is considered this.
*** In fact, the difference is so distinct that one could drive north from a road in Detroit and go from a post-apocalyptic slum to a forested Arcadia with palatial houses in thirty minutes.
*** Specifically, driving north (especially on Telegraph Road) would get you from slums before 8 Mile Road, then going to inner(though old and slightly ill-maintained) suburbs after 8 Mile, better maintained inner suburbs after 12 Mile, larger, much newer suburban houses after Hall Road(20 Mile), and [=McMansions=], country estates, or just farmland after 24 Mile.
* Houston's murder rate ranks high among the nation's largest cities. It's also one of the nation's largest hubs for human trafficking and is a major drug trafficking center due to its size and proximity to major drug exporting nations.
* Jacksonville is known for being one of if not the most dangerous cities in Florida. It has long been known as the state's murder capital, and its overall crime rate is higher than the US national average, largely due to crimes concentrated in Northwest Jacksonville.
* Much of Kansas City's violent crime occurs on the East Side where most of the poorer neighborhoods are. Once you cross Troost Avenue, you'll see why Kansas City has a relatively high FBI ranking in terms of large cities with high crime rates.
* The Los Angeles River and Interstate 10 divide the relatively upscale neighborhoods from the poorer, dangerous areas to the east and south, respectively.
** LA's Skid Row (formally Central City East) has become a veritable dumping ground of the nation's homeless population. Over the course of the past 50 years, the city consolidated most of its services aimed at the poor, mentally ill, and/or homeless into a neighborhood that was already teetering on the ropes, which essentially turned the place into a giant homeless encampment.
** Special attention goes to the Inland Empire, and particularly the I-15 corridor between Temecula and Las Vegas. Gang and drug activity is rampant, and the local economy has never completely recovered from the 2008 housing bubble.
* Milwaukee's North Side is its highest-crime area, which really says something considering the city ranks above the national average in every type of crime except aggravated assault.
** The city of Milwaukee in general (minus a few select neighborhoods -- the highest-income neighborhoods, naturally) has this reputation to people outside the city, particularly among the affluent suburbs that make up the rest of the county. Locals, however, are quick to [[https://www.cbs58.com/news/bucks-respond-after-espn-host-calls-milwaukee-a-terrible-city remind people]] that there's more to Milwaukee than its worst attributes.
* Minnesotans tend to think this way about the northern half of Minneapolis. Technically, there are no tracks involved - the light rail doesn't go past Target Field for a reason. As for the Twin Cities in general, St. Paul is considered to be ''much'' rougher than Minneapolis.
* Monroe, Louisiana has anywhere south of Interstate 20 as a rough boundary between the relatively touristy parts of the city and the parts where one has to walk with more caution than usual.
* New Orleans has any part of the city outside the more touristy neighborhoods like the French Quarter or Marigny-Bywater.
* Several New York City neighborhoods in eastern Brooklyn, particularly​ Brownsville and East New York.
** Five Points in New York used to be this, TheCityNarrows, and a WretchedHive.
** Hell's Kitchen, where ''Film/WestSideStory1961'' was set and filmed, [[LighterAndFluffier used to be]] considered dangerous until the 1990s.
* The island of Oahu in Hawaii has Kalihi, Waipahu, and the ''entire'' Waianae Coast (anywhere past Ko Olina). To name a few.
* North Omaha is the roughest part of the city. Once you cross 72nd Street north of Blondo you’ll see why property values drop.
* North Philadelphia is the most dangerous part of the city due to poverty, crime, and drug use. This is a literal example as the bad area starts above Girard Avenue, which has one of the trolley lines. West Philly gets increasingly dangerous the further you get from University City (where [[UsefulNotes/IvyLeague The University of Pennsylvania]] is) and doesn't get better until you get to the neighborhoods close to City Line. Southwest Philly also has its share of bad neighborhoods, especially Kingsessing.
* The Hill District of [[UsefulNotes/{{Pittsburgh}} Pittsburgh]], separated from Downtown by Bigelow Boulevard and Interstate 579. Almost half of the Hill District's residents live in poverty, most of the homes and buildings are dilapidated, and drug-related crime is rampant. That said, the areas closest to Downtown in both are slowly gentrifying, though most areas remain best avoided.
* Southeast San Diego is the worst part of the city, being consistently responsible for half the city's homicides.
* Oakland and Richmond, California are considered this to UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco. However, most of what fits the bill is the southeast end called "East Oakland". Only the airport and Coliseum aren't considered dangerous. Oakland's downtown has been gentrifying as {{hipster}}s flee the astronomical rents across the bay. Similarly, the affluent neighborhood of Point Richmond has a small-town neighboorhood feel despite being located near a high-crime area.
** UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco itself has a seedy, former military neighborhood called Hunters Point, which has one of the highest murder rates in the state and maybe even nation.
* St. Louis has anywhere north of Delmar Boulevard.
* Most of the eastern half of Washington, D.C., primarily the area east of the Anacostia River, especially in the Southeast Quadrant (which is defined as south of East Capitol Street and east of South Capitol Street).
!!South American Cities
* Barrios and the legendary Favelas of [[TheCapitalOfBrazilIsBuenosAires Brazil.]]
* Chile has the Poblaciones Callampas (Mushroom Towns, so called like that for appearing overnight, just like mushrooms on a garden). Most of those shanty towns are located just outside the big cities like the country's capital Santiago, usually in empty lots, and lack most modern amenities like drinking water and electricity.
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[[quoteright:390:[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/5909f268_fb0d_40d1_a98f_3749ac31e8d7.png]]]]

Be mindful and sensitive with any Real Life examples. Just because an area has a large number of minorities or poor people, it does not mean it applies to this trope. And even if it did, not many people would appreciate their home being labeled as such. If you add any examples, they should be areas that many commentators have already designated as such (e.g., Vancouver's Downtown Eastside [[note]]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Eastside [[/note]]), not just your personal opinion.

* ''Manga/{{Area 88}}'': In manga issues that didn't make it stateside, we learn that Gary "Mac" Macburn grew up in poverty and squalor in Harlem.