How do places change and grow over time?

I GREW UP IN MARIETTA, Georgia near the Chattahoochee River. Like most places, there was a rich history to everything–the woods we played in, the stores where we bought our food, the roads we drove our cars and road our bikes on–although as is usually the case , it wasn’t something readily accessible or spoken about. They were just woods and roads and stores. Few people knew where their names came from or what their stories were.

Only now after having grown up and seen the place change over 30 years, do I realize how unique this particular corner of the world really is.

The following photo essay shows 21 iconic places with photos taken a century ago compared to present day. In some places, the changes have been dramatic. Others seem to have changed little at all. As you look through the photos, think about where you came from and how it’s changed in your lifetime, and over the last century.