I have always thought that places/buildings, etc, possess their own kind of energy. Maybe this collects over time and is the product/residue of the people who have lived in them, but often, I liken it to how the weather seems to affect us all too, albeit unconsciously for many..
My old home town has an area that just feels wrong. I could go out walking and draw a line in chalk to mark it off. It begins adjacent to the town centre, then widens out into a large kidney shape. It encompasses several areas within the borough, which takes in a good chunk of the town centre, veers off into a collection of small naighbourhoods, paths and trees, then circles back around to the central train stations.
The feeling is one of depression, restlessness, a potential for violence. And this isn't just mere association: the town has changed over the years, but the feeling is always there. Certain spots are known for their crime rate, which include areas where a majority of the town's poorest live. Cause and effect? Or something else? I recall the areas in question to have had an unsettling darkness about them long before the council decided to pool the more troubled souls into it.
The area is close to a canal, with the addition of redeveloped housing (post war council properties) and old mill terraces. It is sadly a rather depressed and rough area nowadays, but wasn't always. It would be too easy to attribute it to social issues, if you were unfamiliar with it. Which came first, the feeling/energy, or the collective, human malaise?
The interesting thing is that I really could begin walking at one point on the canal, feel the damn feeling and 'walk with it'. I can tell when I have 'stepped out of it'.
Perhaps I ought to dig deeper, check out some of the area's history.
Back to my thoughts about the weather, at least in the North West UK: People become restless and angrier in periods of strong winds. This collective oddness can quickly disappear if the next day is either still, rainy or sunny. I have been intrigued by this over the years and am quite sure it's a thing! I was even going to begin a new post on it - if it hasn't been done before?
In this town of which I speak, I had many years to observe prior to moving away. Hot sunny days made even the most aggressive groups more amiable. Likewise very cold, still days. A couple of school teachers I know agreed - that many pupils tend to be difficult to work with on windy days.
In my old town, this is also a seasonal thing. I noticed more crime and restlessness shoot up at the start of October, becoming more pronounced approaching Bonfire Night. As November (and winter) progressed, the feelings of calamity wear off again, until May - July! Maybe it is specific to this one place, an ex industrial town, as I can't say that I have observed it when living in other, more suburban or rural areas - I am not so sure the Lake District counts (tourism and diversity) and my childhood was farmland, with it's own very special corners of darkness, which are for another thread!