I'm not as old as some people on here but I don't remember ever thinking Teesside had a pomp. Town centre's used to be busier, as they did around the country, but it has never been a destination anyone that wasn't from the area would visit for any real reason. It's never been a prosperous area full of well paying jobs, or a destination for events, it's not well connected and it doesn't really have anything to see.
I'm from the area but I no longer live there and if it wasn't for family or football I would have no reason to visit. I know people that went to uni there and they've never been back after they graduated. I couldn't believe how much more there could be in a town/city/area until I moved away.
These are some of the things that I have heard about Teesside over the years, not all desirable:
> Stockton has the widest high street in the UK.
> Stockton has the most night clubs
> Yarm has the most pubs per mile of anywhere in the UK
> Middlesbrough is the worst place to live in the UK
> Teesside has the cheapest heroine in the country
I hate to put the place down because it is home but it sounds like it has got worse since I left which is just sad.