I've long been a fan of Back the the Future. As an adult I see the movies in a different light though. In the background of the plot is the story of America's suburban experience, including genocide & racism.

Hill Valley was settled in 1850 & the city grew as most American cities did. Buildings were built for businesses black smith, undertaker, butcher, law office, dry goods and saloon. The new courthouse was a symbol of civility. Growth was guaranteed due to the passenger rail line.

When Marty travels from 1955 to 1885 there's a gag about him running into the Native Americans under the screen. Not only do they exist in 1885, they're being chased by the Calvary, a brief nod to the genocide & removal of American's indigenous people by Whites.

By 1955, Hill Valley had peaked like many American towns. The next step was towards suburbia. Just outside of town a planned community had broke ground. It was called Lyon Estes. Subdivision builders put up the cost for the housing but cities had to bring infrastructure to them.

I didn't catch this in the movie as a kid but the family on the billboard is all white. The suburbs were a tool of segregation. Lenders would not give loans to Black families & many deeds were written to forbid non-white occupants of suburb homes.

By 1985, Lyon Estates is pictured lined with trees & next to an electrical grid. Reminds me of many of the subdivision in Sterling Heights or Warren, MI.

By 1985 downtown Hill Valley is shown as run down. The green town square is now a parking lot. There is even an adult novelty store & the small theater is showing XXX movies. Downtowns across America had a hard time competing with another 1950's invention: The Shopping Mall.

Doc, like many boomers, recalls when the mall used to be farmland. These malls dominated the retail scene through the 70's-80's & have since declined. If a BTTF movie was made today, the mall would be dead & downtown Hill Valley revitalized.

In 1985 there was more urban sprawl happening. Lyon Estates, built in 1955, was losing its luster. A newer subdivision is mentioned, Hilldale, a McMansion style subdivision where Marty will live in 2015. In the second movie the police call it a dump that should be torn down.

You can see in this clip from the third movie that Hilldale was build across from a farm field. We have built over thousands of acres of farmland in the US most of which was only farmed for a few generations. Future generations will pay the high cost of maintaining this sprawl.

Back to the Future II veers off into an alternative 1985 that wasn't too alternate for some cities. Building Casinos downtown was something that happened in Detroit & other cities to "bring them back." In the movie, Biff (aka Trump), builds a casino on top of the courthouse.

In the alternate 1985 it shows the school burned up & a Black family living in Marty's house. These scenes reinforce the negative stereotype that POC will bring crime & violence to the suburbs & why suburbs reject mass transit. For many families, this ALT 1985 was their reality.

I didn't learn until I was an adult how much of a white narrative is present in pop culture & our history books. There is far more to the American story than the white experience. While I still love these movies, I see them through a different lens.