Why are there so many Bars?

Trying to beat the competition?

I thought is was Oneonta New York, but I found references to Athens Georgia and Fell's Point Maryland.

Fell's Point has the peculiar distinction of having more bars per square mile than anywhere else in the US. What's even more strange- there are FEWER bars here now than there were 100 years ago! We're not kidding! Literally every other building in Fell's Point seems to be a bar, so you will have no shortage of places to imbibe. http://www.fellspointghost.com/guide.html

Having been to Fell's Point, I can attest to that.

(4). Bars have relatively low barriers to entry in terms of investment, relative to their potential profit, than other types of businesses.

My complete speculation on this question:

1) In a down economy people drink more, so opening a bar during a recession is a good business

2) The neighborhood has more young adults, older adults masquerading as young adults, and extremely mature post-adolescents than it has in the past and each of those demographics believe that getting shitfaced on a regular is a time honored tradition that they need to uphold.

3) As the demographics of the neighborhood have changed, white folks needed some place to socialize where they didn't have to worry about running into their "less desirable" neighbors. Now that most of those people have moved, the bars remain as reminder of how gentrification is only a jar of sour mash away.

4) Cash businesses are the perfect way to launder money from ill-gotten gains. The PH demographics don't allow for a fake-hair shop, nail salon, and barbershop on every corner, but they will support any place with a decent selection of micro-brews and the ability to support a)trivia nights, b)readings by pretentious authors and/or c) karaoke so the greenbacks have found their way to the neighborhood.

As the demographic changed, there was an equivalent increase for rent of retail/commercial space. This drove out the existing businesses that weren't able to pay the rent. A bar catering to the new demographic brings in much more revenue than a hair braiding place, so it can afford to pay the high rent. It becomes a cycle of success: bars do well and attract other bars, so the commercial rents go up further, and existing businesses continue to leave and are replaced by high revenue places like bars. It is a pretty typical cycle of gentrification. Look at Williamsburg.

I suspect if one were able to pawn stolen jewlery at a bar there would be a different attitude. Bars bring the criminals? And here, this whole time I thought bars just brought people who liked craft beer!

I live right by a bunch of bars on Washington and the most late night noise ever was a few weeks ago when ice formed on the sidewalk on a cold night and patrons one by one would leave the bar and wipe out on the sidewalk. Otherwise people are very well behaved at the local bars by me. No complaints.