I think this depends entirely on where you are. I'm from the Phoenix metro area, which has more than doubled in population since the 90s with millions of new inhabitants. From my experience, stuff looks nicer every time I go back. The area around my old university looks MUCH shinier and newer than it did when I was a student (completely unrecognizable in some areas), downtown areas in several metro-area cities have been revitalized, etc. I find Arizona to be more developed every time I go back. I found it felt newer and more modern than most of where I went to in Europe (though old looking Europe is part of the charm).
My friend from Ohio has the opposite experience. Every time he returns to Cleveland, it's older and worse than it was before. I think this experience very much depends on where you're from.
I think this depends entirely on where you are. I'm from the Phoenix metro area, which has more than doubled in population since the 90s with millions of new inhabitants. From my experience, stuff looks nicer every time I go back. The area around my old university looks MUCH shinier and newer than it did when I was a student (completely unrecognizable in some areas), downtown areas in several metro-area cities have been revitalized, etc. I find Arizona to be more developed every time I go back. I found it felt newer and more modern than most of where I went to in Europe (though old looking Europe is part of the charm).
My friend from Ohio has the opposite experience. Every time he returns to Cleveland, it's older and worse than it was before. I think this experience very much depends on where you're from.