Forgotten are the locals: structures of common differences and the inauthentic curation of western boom town main streetscapes

Historic Boom Town (HBT) main streetscapes were once the centerpieces of everyday life in rural Western America. Today, these historic streetscapes are increasingly staged as consumption spaces that amplify nostalgia and convey notions of rugged, yesteryear wholesomeness. The current study qualitatively explores four HBT main streetscapes across the State of Arizona, located in the southwestern region of the United States, with the intent of empirically identifying and analyzing the visual structures and narratives that characterize these public spaces. Data consist mostly of 293 still photographs of the streetscapes taken during a six-month period (November 2023–April 2024). Collateral materials consisting of destination webpages (e.g., tourism and visitor center sites) and observational field notes bring greater richness and trustworthiness to the analysis and findings. Structures of common difference (SCD) are used to theoretically guide the study. The findings contribute new insights into how HBT's main streetscape is inauthentically curated into homogenized consumption spaces that are attached to the everyday livedscapes of surrounding communities. Recommendations for how SCD can be further applied to future research on community gentrification are proposed.