Talk:wrong side of the tracks

Origin?

The current page says this expression originated from cities whose sections were divided by RR tracks, but that has never happened. No city has ever developed into sections, and then added tracks to divide those sections up. The origin is the antebellum South, when carpetbaggers & northern blacks were forbidden from entering southern cities by locals. The tracks (which were usually north of the city) were convenient boundaries. Settlements of transients formed there from those who chose not to go around the city & continue south (which is why each city has its own "wrong side of the tracks"). Those settlements were naturally poor, but eventually became integrated with the rest of the city, as it expanded. Steve8394 (talk) 02:18, 1 August 2023 (UTC)

Hello there @Steve8394 thanks for taking the time to leave a note on this entry's discussion page. I am interested in learning more about the origin for the term that you've described, could you point me to a source that goes into more detail? I couldn't find one while looking myself and the earliest quotation that I could find (and have added to the entry) is from after the US civil war. Thanks! —The Editor's Apprentice (talk) 22:20, 5 August 2023 (UTC)