With regard to the ubiquity of Dollar General stores, the chain has been very aggressive about placing stores in smaller communities too small to sustain a Walmart or Target store. In some cases the Dollar G is literally the only place in these towns to get groceries without having to go a distance to a full grocery.
Yes True It Is The Only Place. What Dollar General & Dollar Stores Do Is Come Into A Town With Only 1 Grocery Store Open & Put That Only 1 Grocery Store Out Of Business.
In many cases those towns only lack other options because Dollar General invaded and put them out of business. Then they jack up their prices so they aren’t even cheaper than the mom and pop they replaced, but Wall St takes the money instead of Main St.
I grew up here. Nokomis, specifically. I know all of the towns in this video well - worked at the DQ in Nokomis they drive by, went to the church they drive by.. stepdad was from Pana. Aunt lived in Hillsboro. Had a good friend in Ohlman. Pretty surreal seeing someone taking the time to document all of the stats of these little towns. Sometimes the youtube rabbit hole takes you down some weird paths but never imagined I'd be seeing part of my childhood just laid out there.
I live in a cute little town in northwestern IL. Not all of them are dying, in fact we have kids going out, getting their fancy degrees and choosing to come back to raise their families here. Now that working long distance is becoming more of a thing, they can earn a high income and let their kids have a childhood like they had - with freedom and relative safety.
13:49. That house with the red pickup truck in the driveway used to belong to my Uncle Ned Webster. He lived there until about 1993 when he moved to a 55+ community in the Kissimmee, Florida area. We used to visit him there back in the day and he would throw some wild parties. His parties were known all around the area - even folks from Chicago would show up. Nobody ever caused any problems in town or did any damage to other people's property. I don't recall ever hearing of any fights - everybody would just mellow out and have a good time. I hear he still throws some good parties down in Florida, but the clientele is a little bit older than in the early days.
I've lived in Florida. If you can live on the coast, on or near the beach it's fine. I lived in central Florida near The Villages and south of Gainesville. Nothing to do with politics, but I missed the mountains of NW Arkansas. And I have NO skeeters where I live. But I love the change of seasons. Always ready for summer, then always ready for fall and winter. Snow is minimal to non-existent. Some things, for some of us, we just can't do without.
Appreciate your conversion into celsius for us foreigners. I hope developers don’t get hold of those beautiful old buildings and ruin their character, but I hope they don’t become ghost towns either. Small town America is uniquely beautiful.
Yep! I always wonder what foreigners must be thinking when they hear temperatures in Fahrenheit. ... Do they make the calculations that it's a different scale, or do they think 29° is hot, not cold...?! (lol) 🌡
The whole metric thing just baffles me. It is sooooo much easier for everything. I grew up with imperial but so happy not having to deal with 42/64ths. But you guys would rather die than make your life easier it seems.
@@annierichards8027 in Australia property developers would be there the first time the lawn wasn’t mowed 😂. I exaggerate, but we have an inflated and unaffordable housing market and the US has whole suburbs of beautiful houses falling down. Some countries must have a happy medium.
Cool I''m from morrisonville, Ron Lowe was my cousin. Ran that store my whole life. Great person of the community who will be well missed. Thanks for showing all our little towns.
Wow, this is a cool video. I grew up near Pana and now live in Hillsboro. The former used to be much more lively - the building across from Casey’s used to be a Walmart. A lot of the buildings that were downtown have also been torn down to make room for a truck stop. Every time I go there, it makes me sad. Hillsboro, however, is a group effort. Lots of families here are generational (my heritage here dates back centuries) and want to keep the area thriving. It’s more alive now than it has been in the 13 years now that I’ve lived here. Thanks for showcasing our hard work! Hopefully you are able to come back to the area now that it’s warmer and there is even more to see. It’s gorgeous here when all the trees are green.
I appreciate the fact that you just lay out the facts on these places without being judgmental. It’s important to document these towns in their current state
@@Crystalblue58 agree....looking forward to the episode of Minority neighborhoods of Illinois in a "Mostly Minority" in a diverse state. This video documentation is of historical value none the less and well done.
I grew up in Nokomis. If you've ever seen "That 70's Show", that's about what growing up in the Nokomis was like. I left there a very long time ago and currently living in Florida. Politics and all of our jobs going to other countries is what's causing ghost towns all over America.
Florida has their own fair share of problems, and just wait a few year and they will keep getting worse and all hell will eventually break loose. While I tire of Illinois, I certainly wouldn't chose to move to Florida. You can have it! Good luck keeping your opinion of Florida stable over the next several years.
@@wawawis Florida has changed since I moved here in 2016, especially where I live. I think it was said to be the fastest growing county in the state. As much as I love it here I don't plan on staying. Once I retire I won't be able to afford to live here unless I work to supplement my income. That kinda takes the fun of of retirement.
The church reminded me of northern Germany. I lived in Mecklenburg for some time where the architectural style ‘red brick Gothic’ (Backsteingotik or Backsteinromanik) influences public buildings everywhere. You could transplant that church and place it in any north German, Dutch or Baltic town and it wouldn’t be out of place. Perhaps there was a strong German presence in that part of Illinois as the town’s community was being established.
The United States and Argentina has the largest German population outside of Germany. The overwhelming body of so-called white people in the United States are of German ancestry. Example. Elberta Alabama is another town started by German immigrants in the late 1800s. You must remember a lot of so-called white people do not carry names of European origins in the United States their name has been simplified into American English sounding names but none the less they are of German origins.
Yes, I laughed at the "Medieval English" architecture. There is no such style. The church does not look particularly English to my eyes. The spire, in particular, looks continental European. English spires are much plainer. German influence seems very plausible to me.
Well… I beg to differ! „Northern german style“ is quite a stretch for a or any church made of bricks. Just because some architecture in northern Germany is made of red bricks (e.g. Lübeck Holstentor), I highly doubt that they have many churches build that way. 😂 And I have been to Bremen, Hamburg, Lübeck or Oldenburg quite often. Maybe I just didn’t notice those brick made churches. Nearly ALL catholic churches are older than the US as a country and where I live in mid Germany, every shitty little town has a very old or medieval or pre medieval church in its centre!! And those do not look at all like that brick church. 😂 Our cathedral looks like a smaller version of the one in cologne and nearly all of Germany was destroyed in WW2. But it always brings a smile to my face when I hear Americans talk about what they think of as „old“ or „nice architecture“ or „medieval“!! Take care.
In case this has not already been mentioned. Hillsboro does have an all-male Illinois prison called Graham Correctional Center with an average daily population of around 1900. This would without a doubt skew the stats in regard to the male-female ratio as well as "other races" in an otherwise typical small Illinois town. Prison populations are used in the official stats of a community. This is often used by the local communities in IL especially when they are small. They do this to make a case for financial aid in form of grants and money from the state of IL. So, if Hillsboro has a population of about 5,800 people around 1900 are from the Prison.
Ina is the same way. Little bitty town but they have a prison which inflates the population stats. And probably the demographics. There are projects in Ina and there has been black people in those projects, but if Ina is anything like it traditionally was, it's no place for black people.
The prison? Prisons are usually highly segregated. If there are only a few Black inmates then they don't have enough of a population to protect each other from any white nationalists groups in the prison
Thank you , Mr. Spoda, I just discovered you on UTube several days ago. My family moved to Texas from Illinois ( wait for it) in 1949. My grandmother’s family moved to Pana , Christian Co in 1849 or so f Springfield. I learned this through genealogy. Grandma spoke about living in Pana, but I never had a chance to see it. You have made a older senior very happy. Thank you again…PS I’ll be watching all you future and past UTubes as I enjoy your easy explanations and driving stories .
Hi Lord Spoda Nice video. I appreciate your theme for rural videos. You show downtown, residential, neighborhoods, roads, grocery stores. That gives the correct idea of life and culture in that particular area. Thanks for the video.
Despite the fact that their Christmas decorations are still up (which is not a big deal); I can’t help but notice that it’s the end of winter and their downtown streets are spotless.
Wow what a great time watching all these towns on ur tour my mothers family are from Decatur Illinois i have flown into Bloomington many times and have many fond memories of my family visits out there seeing the soybean fields like oceans as far as the eye can see while driving! Very unique place and hoping that these quaint towns don't go by the wayside maybe with ability to earn a living remotely (UA-cam even) can prop up these towns for more generations to enjoy. Gotta love those beautiful churches!
What a surprise in my morning newsreel. I grew up in the area, went to school in Pana. It has changed a lot in the last 35yrs. I used to work a summer job in Litchfield when I was in college, mostly because the only jobs in Pana were at the grocery store or pool and there were several kids competing for those limited slots. I drove through all of these little towns on my way to and from. Time has not been kind to small town America.
Southern Illinois ,Southern Indiana and Southern Ohio are a different world than their cities .People think of Illinois,Indiana and Ohio as highly industrialized:yes .In the North and cities .The south of these states is pretty rural .
Hi, I'm really enjoying your content. I'm Scottish but live in England. When I was young we were inundated with American programs. It made me curious to understand American life styles. You have opened my eyes to how the great American dream is crumbling. I'd rather you were promoting prosperity but you have been so honest about the decline of the American dream.
Well you are being not honestly represented of facts here.. What is not being told, Is that most of these small towns were dependent upon the local farming community when it came to businesses, And when the small farms eventually got taken over by the huge industrial farming complex, That was the beginning of the end for the small towns. People started having to drive farther to work, To shop, And for pretty much all products across the board. I have lived my whole life in one of these tiny towns... I even lived in England for 3 years, During my military time. Our small town's struggle underneath the extreme taxation that is demanded of us locally, By the state, And by the federal government. The small town could not sustain all of us any longer... In some parts of the country they have degraded, And a lot of the buildings are in ruins but that does not mean the community is. It just means that there's no small farm left there... It has been bought out by the larger industrial farmers. You can go to every single state and see this same thing.. It's sad but the small farms will never come back. It would take a world Cataclysm to make that happen. Many people moved away from these small towns also. The only thing that brings any people back is perhaps the beginning of a business venture... Such as manufacturing or more stores... And this does happen. But for some small towns it's just never going to happen... America is a vast place and like anywhere business can only thrive where there is population to supply demand.
Not just the American dream is not crumbling. The entire western world. Wherever there’s not enough ‘muh diversity’, governments are intentionally crumbling the communities. It’s big business. We are just dollar signs to them.
@@c.edgerton I mean excuse me, but have you looked around New Zealand, Australia, Europe? I don’t know where you’re from but unless you’re from an African country, you have no right to complain about the USA. All western countries are simultaneously being brought to their knees. Except Russia and look what happens there.
The stereotypical "American Dream" was really just a brief period in the post war 1950's . If you a straight white Christian non-disabled male things were pretty swell for you. If you weren't ...well...😂
I grew up Petersburg/Sherman. Mom from Taylorville, grandmother in Hillsboro. Great aunt in Coffeen; another in Greenville. Hubby’s grandparents lived in Gillespie. Thank you for your kind treatment of these small towns-another person here on YT is snarky and derisive of towns like these.
Never saw one of your videos before. I hope to see many more in the future, I like your style of explaining facts and figures calmly as you drive or walk. Very enjoyable !!
I live in Austin but am from central IL so it was nice to get a glimpse of "home"! If you ever head back up that way, I recommend visiting my hometown of Carlinville. I think you'd love our million dollar courthouse and the Standard Edition neighborhood featuring Sears kit homes.
Thanks for the tour, Lived in Montgomery County, Hillsboro area for over 50 years, Not much traffic anymore, Alot of U-haul trucks waiting to head out of state, LOL.
PAY-nuh. When I was in Pana frequently I believe they're already past their Heyday but I do think that they had a lot of greenhouses that raised a lot of roses at one point. I grant you it's been five years since I've been through pain up but there are really nice parts of that small town that you never showed. Now it is essentially true that downtown's especially in small towns have declined and are declining with some notable exceptions. I live in Northern Illinois and the town of Polo is still pretty decent with their downtown and it's a very small town. The downtown in my city of 15,000 is still pretty decent by comparison as well. I used to live in that area you're in and I'm surprised you didn't go to Taylorville because while it's a small town and while it has its issues it's a lot better off in the downtown really is not too bad the last time I was there. If I remember correctly I believe there was part of the Unser family that lived on the corner near my grade school St Thomas in Decatur, IL when I was attending there as a wee lad. If you want to see a larger town that has really fallen from Grace from its heyday go through Decatur Illinois. So sad.
Funny you consider Polo a small town. I thought it was part of Buffalo Grove. Taylorville is beautiful but only has survived because of the prison. I'm in Richmond a town of 2200 and that's the largest population in its 170 year history. We have amazing schools with a killer football team go Rockets. Proof that with the right people driving the bus and a strong community small towns can stay beautiful and survive for ages.
If you ever pass thru this area of Illinois again, you were so close to Carlinville, and that courthouse and town Square is what you really missed out on. I was hoping it would be in this episode but all these nearby towns for sure had the small town Illinois vibe. Thanks! I love the channel!
😂😂 , Christmas decorations are still up, now I’ve just started, but the thumbnail and Christmas decorations have me wondering 🤷♀️😂now back to it as I laugh into Siri, stay warm, it’s 54& windy in Loxahatchee,Florida which is cold 4 us😂😂, shout out to your wife✌🏻💕
The two states that had the most “Sundown Towns” in the country were not in the south, 1 was Indiana and 2 was Illinois. Several still exist. With a history like that it’s no surprise to see all white towns in either state, it’s not likely to change very fast!
Enjoying your work. As an ex world traveler, I like seeing new places I never got to, and recalling the memories of those I had, particularly some of those in Texas where I lived for many years. Originally from Chicagoland now living in beautiful Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Come visit, I'd be glad to show it to you.
PAY-NA. I was born in Springfield Illinois and lived in Auburn Illinois. Cousins in Taylorville & Pana! Currently in NW Indiana (Crown Point/ Valparaiso)! Can't wait to see your Gary Indiana video....
You are doing a great job. Nice images, fine narration with full of geo-statics and economic analysis. Keep going. Your project is worth sponsorship/ funding. Your touching lives past, now and those to come. I lived in America over a decade ago. Much Congrats from Tanzania. Denis.
If you get back this way during the summer definitely visit Beecher City for the track events ( mud drags and tractor pulls) , Altamont for one of the best county fairs in the state.
I’m from Northern Illinois. Thank you for the tour as I am not familiar with most of these towns. I love the architecture and houses in some of the towns. Montgomery Co courthouse is my favorite. Love the simplicity of the Manning and Manning building.
I love your channel so much. I love cruising small towns, learning and talking about it, stopping at local greasy spoons just like you do. No one I know is interested in it. I wish I could ride with you! I have a whole list of small towns I'd like to go to just because.
@@almost41632 I don't care, go ahead. But I've seen it with my own two eyes. Folks just want to keep believing the stereotypes. And it's usually the bigots.
Why listen to bigots when you can check ot the data. Plundered groups have generational poverty that just don't go away. They haven't burned all the history books yet.
I grew up in Litchfield which is between Hillsboro and Raymond on Old Route 66. Knew Hillsboro and Raymond like the back of my hand...raised our own family in Decatur and now in Bloomington. So great to see a glimpse of home.
I wish you would have come to Mattoon! We aren't that far from where you are and you could see an old Central Illinois town that looks beautiful and is thriving, even the down town area.
Nice job just came across your Ytub. I to love driving through the old small towns. This morning is 6/18/23 . As I watch your at video I went on google earth and went to street view 117 Franklin St. & Pine, Irving , IL. to see what it looks like today glad to say the 2 homes have been re-habbed . So glad I found you 2 Joe & Nic
I just came across y'all's videos today, now I'm on my 6th one in a row. 😂 I love the enthusiasm for the little things. I think the same way when I pass thro small towns. Good stuff man👍
I thoroughly enjoyed the tour of various towns,you took your time in explaining interesting facts of each town-Thank you and best wishes to you-look forward to your next video.
I grew up in a small town just a few miles to the east of Pana. Tower Hill. My grandparents lived on a farm just outside of Pana until they enlarged the lake either in 1949 or 1950 and flooded the area where their farm was located. You took me back a few years when you went downtown and passed the building where my father worked. That time frame would have been 1953 and '54. I have not been back there since 1970. But, after seeing your video I am going to go back there and see how all that area has changed and what if any remains the same. Thank you for posting this.
Christmas decorations in small towns are usually put up by older volunteers. Even the Lions club is aging around here. My old ass isn't going to climb around outside until it warms up. I guess theirs isn't either.
Most of these town in the video had coal mining as an industry. Mining jobs have almost been abolished in central Illinois. These towns are the result of a flourishing economic time gone by. As mentioned earlier almost all rely on mega agricultural and support functions of that industry.
I really enjoy watching your videos ! You show the good, the bad & the ugly in each town. It's like being in the car watching us drive by ...love it ! I noticed a lot of grain bins this last town...they were huge. It's like they take the place of skyscrapers of big cities. They're the tallest structures. Illinois is a grain state...I was raised on a farm and worked in the fields as a kid...fascinating ! It never gets old. Is there any way for you to tell the number of children living in each town who reside there in poverty by their age plus the % ? ---the actual # of kids + adults. Thank you for letting me come along with you....😊😊🚙
Demise of the family farm and rise of big ag in the 80's and 90's pretty much killed many of these small rural farming communities. The young folks had to leave for more urban areas to find work and the older folks stayed in their communities, the only thing they knew. Sad. See same across the country. Be interesting to see if the current "homesteading" movement, organic farming, and the search for affordable housing might revive some of these rural towns. Have to have high speed internet, though, for remote working.
I don't live in the USA, but I do live rural because I prefer having a bit of land I can partly live from, so consider me part of the "homesteading movement"... If only looking at the price of land and housing was to be considered, those rural towns would be ideal for the homesteading movement... However, and this is from the Wikipedia page 'Politics of Illinois': "It is considered one of the most Democratic states in the nation and following the 2018 elections, all six statewide elected offices are held by a Democrat.[1] However, there is a sharp division between Democratic cities, college towns, and population centers, and highly conservative rural regions, which continue to be dominated by Republicans". Many people who are seeking a different lifestyle than the 9-to-5 city life are also diverse from the christian straight cis white neurotypical standard. I'm a green-social-liberal-minded autistic LGBTQ atheist myself and I can safely say I would never consider moving there unless I know plenty of diverse/progressive-minded people are moving there approximately at the same time to drown out the conservative population.
@@Droo75 That's how geodemographics simply work all around the world, I don't say I like it, I don't say anyone should like it, but as long as people see issues in all kinds of cultures living together, you'll get the powergame of numbers.
It’s Pana like you say the letter A in the alphabet. What a throwback and a surprise to see this!! That’s where my great grandparents used to live. I lived with my grandma in Rockford Illinois. I would go with my grandma and my great aunt to visit my great grandparents in Pana and oh my gosh I just loved being there. I remember the trains going by. To this day every time I hear a train by my house I smile with fond memories. She made homemade peach ice cream and homemade strawberry ice cream. She had lots of peach trees. It was so awesome when I was a kid to get out of Rockford and go to Pana. I loved being there. I always loved traveling and I still do.❤
Love the cat sightings My parents are from Herrin Illinois, which is about 130 south of Witt. My dad moved us to Oklahoma in the early 50’s and I have lived in Oklahoma all my 67 years. I have visited Illinois. All my relatives lived/ live in small towns Great video,as always. Thanks for sharing. I enjoy your videos, so much!
Fellow Okie here! My husband and I moved back from the Boston area a few years ago in order to be near my aging parents, especially as my father had begun to decline due to dementia. I wouldn't give up these last few years for all the gold in Ft. Knox! And my children became the fourth generation to graduate from our local high school! Incidentally, my family has an Okiehoma- Illinois connection too! My dad's father grew up in Quincy! And he met my grandma when he came to Spavinaw as part of the team building a massive bridge to span the man- made lake that now supplies water to the city of Tulsa. Fun fact: Before my grandma met my grandfather she dated Bob Wills, the King of Texas Swing. She was in the crowd at a dance where Bob and his Texas Playboys were performing. He had one of his crew go into the crowd and bring her up to the edge of the stage, asking her, "Where can I call you?" He must've been quite taken with her because he wanted her to move to her aunt's home in Texas so they'd be near each enough to have an ongoing relationship. I asked her one time why she didn't go and she said she knew that being with a man like that--heavily drinking, always on the road, and surrounded by all the associated temptations--would ultimately lead to heartbreak and not happiness. My wise Grandma! I hope to someday visit Quincy, but Pryor Creek, Oklahoma will always be "home" to me! If the other Okies among us don't mind sharing: What town do you call home?
I'm from Raymond, folks still live there. Too funny to see it on your channel! I'm 52, when I was a kid there were two small grocery stores at one time downtown. As well as a bowling alley, newspaper, library & a few other businesses. Not much left as can be seen.
As they put in the first railroads, towns sprung up along the route. (Steam trains needing water & fuel OR selling land to settlers so they could continue to build Westward?) On the state maps they look like a "dotted line" along the highway that parallels the railroad. RT 24 across Indiana & Illinois is a good example of this. A lot of small towns , evenly spaced. Great to drive & dine at "mom & pop's" diners and sightsee if you are not in a hurry. These "dotted line of small towns" is a good way to locate the "OLD" original rail lines cutting across America.
I'm been in little towns that leave their lights up yr round. An then all they do is change the light bulbs 💡 great watchin ya. It cool to watch just in case I want to move u show little towns an city's that r fairly cool places or most of them r. 😎 peace Dj
Thank you for sharing the video. Lived in Pana in the late 1970’s. Was a wonderful area and people. Had forgotten about the towns surrounding the area. ❤ 12:59
From 2012 to 2018 I traveled a lot through the middle of the country and made a point to get off the main path into towns. I was surprised at the decay of small towns. I wonder if you ever noticed something of a shanty town off the side of i-80 as I recall in Indiana.
Do you remember Rockhome gardens ? I know it’s gone now - but we enjoyed it ! We saw a bluegrass festival there once . Mostly enjoyed how peaceful that area is and the Buggies - the ice Cream shop -
I love watching you, loved seeing Illinois! Is possible for you to do something in Rock Island? The towns surrounding there. I'll be waiting and watching.
I love your channel, i want to see more towns, if you could drive to montana and North Dakota (not sure if you have already) but i just love this drive through with narration :)
Water Tower: There is a smaller pipe inside of the one you are looking at as well structural material. There may be a ladder there also. The base flares out. There may be a work area, bur whole reason for the base chamber is for a furnace to keep the entire system ice free in the winter.
Town can be restored. It's your mayor who needs to go to Springfield, IL personally and get grants for your building bricks, structure and more repairs from ILLINOIS State. Elderly who are low income can get $10,000 or little more for personal elderly and disabled people help on their home. Vets never forgotten for grants are their to grab too. Go ask your mayor to get grants. Fairfield, IL got big ones.
With regard to the ubiquity of Dollar General stores, the chain has been very aggressive about placing stores in smaller communities too small to sustain a Walmart or Target store. In some cases the Dollar G is literally the only place in these towns to get groceries without having to go a distance to a full grocery.
Dollar General Stock Price: $209 - MARKET CAP $47.02B It's an amazing company
Yes True It Is The Only Place. What Dollar General & Dollar Stores Do Is Come Into A Town With Only 1 Grocery Store Open & Put That Only 1 Grocery Store Out Of Business.
In many cases those towns only lack other options because Dollar General invaded and put them out of business. Then they jack up their prices so they aren’t even cheaper than the mom and pop they replaced, but Wall St takes the money instead of Main St.
This is very true! My hometown of Red Bud has a population of 3k and they have not 1 but 2 DG stores!!
@@DuckOfRubber yeah walmart too
I grew up here. Nokomis, specifically. I know all of the towns in this video well - worked at the DQ in Nokomis they drive by, went to the church they drive by.. stepdad was from Pana. Aunt lived in Hillsboro. Had a good friend in Ohlman. Pretty surreal seeing someone taking the time to document all of the stats of these little towns. Sometimes the youtube rabbit hole takes you down some weird paths but never imagined I'd be seeing part of my childhood just laid out there.
Currently living in ,Pana. The town is tearing down most of these buildings. The town is working on revitalizing downtown. Pana will be better soon.
I live in a cute little town in northwestern IL. Not all of them are dying, in fact we have kids going out, getting their fancy degrees and choosing to come back to raise their families here. Now that working long distance is becoming more of a thing, they can earn a high income and let their kids have a childhood like they had - with freedom and relative safety.
And their kids could continue to be as ignorant as they are.
Fancy degrees. Lol
@@markmaciag235nce she called it a “fancy” degree I immediately knew what generation she was born in. I would just say “OK Boomer”. LOL
Why are these replies hateful and cynical?Sign of the times I guess.
@@JimSmith-ct6in maybe it’s due to the cynicism and dog whistles that are coming from the original post.
13:49. That house with the red pickup truck in the driveway used to belong to my Uncle Ned Webster. He lived there until about 1993 when he moved to a 55+ community in the Kissimmee, Florida area. We used to visit him there back in the day and he would throw some wild parties. His parties were known all around the area - even folks from Chicago would show up. Nobody ever caused any problems in town or did any damage to other people's property. I don't recall ever hearing of any fights - everybody would just mellow out and have a good time. I hear he still throws some good parties down in Florida, but the clientele is a little bit older than in the early days.
That's cool.ya it's hard to do the swing in orthopedic shoes.
I've lived in Florida. If you can live on the coast, on or near the beach it's fine. I lived in central Florida near The Villages and south of Gainesville. Nothing to do with politics, but I missed the mountains of NW Arkansas. And I have NO skeeters where I live. But I love the change of seasons. Always ready for summer, then always ready for fall and winter. Snow is minimal to non-existent. Some things, for some of us, we just can't do without.
Sounds cool!
@@Theywaswrong I live in NW AR and am sorry that I ever left the Smokey Mtns. area of western NC...Much more beautiful overall !
@@brianmatthews4149 😅Come on, now. My orthopedic shoes are new and they support "swing", even if my hip doesn't.
I absolutely love driving the backroads. Small town USA usually always has me in a good mood.
Appreciate your conversion into celsius for us foreigners. I hope developers don’t get hold of those beautiful old buildings and ruin their character, but I hope they don’t become ghost towns either. Small town America is uniquely beautiful.
Yep! I always wonder what foreigners must be thinking when they hear temperatures in Fahrenheit.
... Do they make the calculations that it's a different scale, or do they think 29° is hot, not cold...?! (lol) 🌡
@@helloxonsfan I’m from England and anything above 30 degrees is hot 😅
There are so many beautiful old homes just falling down
The whole metric thing just baffles me. It is sooooo much easier for everything. I grew up with imperial but so happy not having to deal with 42/64ths. But you guys would rather die than make your life easier it seems.
@@annierichards8027 in Australia property developers would be there the first time the lawn wasn’t mowed 😂. I exaggerate, but we have an inflated and unaffordable housing market and the US has whole suburbs of beautiful houses falling down. Some countries must have a happy medium.
Cool I''m from morrisonville, Ron Lowe was my cousin. Ran that store my whole life. Great person of the community who will be well missed. Thanks for showing all our little towns.
Wow, this is a cool video. I grew up near Pana and now live in Hillsboro. The former used to be much more lively - the building across from Casey’s used to be a Walmart. A lot of the buildings that were downtown have also been torn down to make room for a truck stop. Every time I go there, it makes me sad. Hillsboro, however, is a group effort. Lots of families here are generational (my heritage here dates back centuries) and want to keep the area thriving. It’s more alive now than it has been in the 13 years now that I’ve lived here. Thanks for showcasing our hard work! Hopefully you are able to come back to the area now that it’s warmer and there is even more to see. It’s gorgeous here when all the trees are green.
Grew up right by you. Was just in Hillsboro yesterday haha!
I appreciate the fact that you just lay out the facts on these places without being judgmental. It’s important to document these towns in their current state
Yes! The documentation is important for the future! These videos are not only enjoyable but historically important.
He judged it to be mostly white-that IS judging.
@@Crystalblue58 There’s this amazing thing called the census, you should check it out
@@Crystalblue58 agree....looking forward to the episode of Minority neighborhoods of Illinois in a "Mostly Minority" in a diverse state. This video documentation is of historical value none the less and well done.
@@Crystalblue58 How is reading demographic statistics judging?
I grew up in Nokomis. If you've ever seen "That 70's Show", that's about what growing up in the Nokomis was like. I left there a very long time ago and currently living in Florida. Politics and all of our jobs going to other countries is what's causing ghost towns all over America.
Florida has their own fair share of problems, and just wait a few year and they will keep getting worse and all hell will eventually break loose. While I tire of Illinois, I certainly wouldn't chose to move to Florida. You can have it! Good luck keeping your opinion of Florida stable over the next several years.
@@wawawis Florida has changed since I moved here in 2016, especially where I live. I think it was said to be the fastest growing county in the state. As much as I love it here I don't plan on staying. Once I retire I won't be able to afford to live here unless I work to supplement my income. That kinda takes the fun of of retirement.
The church reminded me of northern Germany. I lived in Mecklenburg for some time where the architectural style ‘red brick Gothic’ (Backsteingotik or Backsteinromanik) influences public buildings everywhere. You could transplant that church and place it in any north German, Dutch or Baltic town and it wouldn’t be out of place.
Perhaps there was a strong German presence in that part of Illinois as the town’s community was being established.
The United States and Argentina has the largest German population outside of Germany. The overwhelming body of so-called white people in the United States are of German ancestry. Example. Elberta Alabama is another town started by German immigrants in the late 1800s. You must remember a lot of so-called white people do not carry names of European origins in the United States their name has been simplified into American English sounding names but none the less they are of German origins.
The church he saw was EXACTLY like St. Mary's church in Sterling, IL. 509 AVE B . Go check it out. Weird.
Yes, I laughed at the "Medieval English" architecture. There is no such style. The church does not look particularly English to my eyes. The spire, in particular, looks continental European. English spires are much plainer. German influence seems very plausible to me.
Well… I beg to differ!
„Northern german style“ is quite a stretch for a or any church made of bricks.
Just because some architecture in northern Germany is made of red bricks (e.g. Lübeck Holstentor), I highly doubt that they have many churches build that way. 😂 And I have been to Bremen, Hamburg, Lübeck or Oldenburg quite often. Maybe I just didn’t notice those brick made churches.
Nearly ALL catholic churches are older than the US as a country and where I live in mid Germany, every shitty little town has a very old or medieval or pre medieval church in its centre!!
And those do not look at all like that brick church. 😂
Our cathedral looks like a smaller version of the one in cologne and nearly all of Germany was destroyed in WW2.
But it always brings a smile to my face when I hear Americans talk about what they think of as „old“ or „nice architecture“ or „medieval“!!
Take care.
Most of the population in the rural So. IL area is German. So, yes the church may look like one you would see in Germany.
In case this has not already been mentioned. Hillsboro does have an all-male Illinois prison called Graham Correctional Center with an average daily population of around 1900. This would without a doubt skew the stats in regard to the male-female ratio as well as "other races" in an otherwise typical small Illinois town. Prison populations are used in the official stats of a community. This is often used by the local communities in IL especially when they are small. They do this to make a case for financial aid in form of grants and money from the state of IL. So, if Hillsboro has a population of about 5,800 people around 1900 are from the Prison.
Ina is the same way. Little bitty town but they have a prison which inflates the population stats. And probably the demographics. There are projects in Ina and there has been black people in those projects, but if Ina is anything like it traditionally was, it's no place for black people.
Just as I commented earlier that all these stats are BS. Common sense will dispute these numbers. High crime equals high black populous....period!
Understanding statistics is huwhite supremacy...
Why? What does it lack that blacks requires to thrive?
The prison? Prisons are usually highly segregated. If there are only a few Black inmates then they don't have enough of a population to protect each other from any white nationalists groups in the prison
Thank you , Mr. Spoda, I just discovered you on UTube several days ago.
My family moved to Texas from Illinois ( wait for it) in 1949. My grandmother’s family moved to Pana , Christian Co in 1849 or so f Springfield. I learned this through genealogy. Grandma spoke about living in Pana, but I never had a chance to see it. You have made a older senior very happy. Thank you again…PS I’ll be watching all you future and past UTubes as I enjoy your easy explanations and driving stories .
Thanks for making these videos, they're very helpful to folks looking for places to relocate to or avoid altogether.
I came here after watching several videos of collapsing neighborhoods in Detroit. These Illinois towns look great in comparison.
EAST St. Louis begs to differ!
No one can afford those huge houses in detroit,
I think you need to interview people who live there. They have their daily life activities, work, hobbies, holidays, social activities etc.
Hi Lord Spoda
Nice video.
I appreciate your theme for rural videos. You show downtown, residential, neighborhoods, roads, grocery stores.
That gives the correct idea of life and culture in that particular area.
Thanks for the video.
Thanks, Rajeev!
Despite the fact that their Christmas decorations are still up (which is not a big deal); I can’t help but notice that it’s the end of winter and their downtown streets are spotless.
I was thinking the same exact thing.
I was going to say that Al Unser was a race car driver, but see that there was a baseball player by that name. Didn't know that.
Your uploads are always interesting to watch. Thank you for showing me around. Still watching from Denmark, and I will keep watching.
Thanks, Peter!
Wow what a great time watching all these towns on ur tour my mothers family are from Decatur Illinois i have flown into Bloomington many times and have many fond memories of my family visits out there seeing the soybean fields like oceans as far as the eye can see while driving! Very unique place and hoping that these quaint towns don't go by the wayside maybe with ability to earn a living remotely (UA-cam even) can prop up these towns for more generations to enjoy. Gotta love those beautiful churches!
What a surprise in my morning newsreel. I grew up in the area, went to school in Pana. It has changed a lot in the last 35yrs. I used to work a summer job in Litchfield when I was in college, mostly because the only jobs in Pana were at the grocery store or pool and there were several kids competing for those limited slots. I drove through all of these little towns on my way to and from. Time has not been kind to small town America.
I’m a ‘Down Under Aussie’ & I find your taking me on this tour so good!!
Thankyou for showing me a small part of USA, can’t wait to see more 😃
Welcome!!
@14:10 the Invisible cat 🐈⬛ Found cat #2 😻 Thanks for the ride along you did find some nice homes.
Southern Illinois ,Southern Indiana and Southern Ohio are a different world than their cities .People think of Illinois,Indiana and Ohio as highly industrialized:yes .In the North and cities .The south of these states is pretty rural .
Hi, I'm really enjoying your content. I'm Scottish but live in England. When I was young we were inundated with American programs. It made me curious to understand American life styles. You have opened my eyes to how the great American dream is crumbling. I'd rather you were promoting prosperity but you have been so honest about the decline of the American dream.
When someone only shows degradation, I can see how you would think that. This channel is notorious for that.
Well you are being not honestly represented of facts here.. What is not being told, Is that most of these small towns were dependent upon the local farming community when it came to businesses, And when the small farms eventually got taken over by the huge industrial farming complex, That was the beginning of the end for the small towns. People started having to drive farther to work, To shop, And for pretty much all products across the board. I have lived my whole life in one of these tiny towns... I even lived in England for 3 years, During my military time. Our small town's struggle underneath the extreme taxation that is demanded of us locally, By the state, And by the federal government. The small town could not sustain all of us any longer... In some parts of the country they have degraded, And a lot of the buildings are in ruins but that does not mean the community is. It just means that there's no small farm left there... It has been bought out by the larger industrial farmers. You can go to every single state and see this same thing.. It's sad but the small farms will never come back. It would take a world Cataclysm to make that happen. Many people moved away from these small towns also. The only thing that brings any people back is perhaps the beginning of a business venture... Such as manufacturing or more stores... And this does happen. But for some small towns it's just never going to happen... America is a vast place and like anywhere business can only thrive where there is population to supply demand.
Not just the American dream is not crumbling. The entire western world. Wherever there’s not enough ‘muh diversity’, governments are intentionally crumbling the communities. It’s big business. We are just dollar signs to them.
@@c.edgerton I mean excuse me, but have you looked around New Zealand, Australia, Europe? I don’t know where you’re from but unless you’re from an African country, you have no right to complain about the USA. All western countries are simultaneously being brought to their knees. Except Russia and look what happens there.
The stereotypical "American Dream" was really just a brief period in the post war 1950's . If you a straight white Christian non-disabled male things were pretty swell for you. If you weren't ...well...😂
I grew up Petersburg/Sherman. Mom from Taylorville, grandmother in Hillsboro. Great aunt in Coffeen; another in Greenville. Hubby’s grandparents lived in Gillespie. Thank you for your kind treatment of these small towns-another person here on YT is snarky and derisive of towns like these.
Who's this UA-camr that has this attitude? How unkind of that person.
Springfield here, wife is from Taylorville. She calls it Tatterpeel.
Never saw one of your videos before.
I hope to see many more in the future, I like your style of explaining facts and figures calmly as you drive or walk. Very enjoyable !!
Awesome, thank you!
Welcome to the Lord Spoda community.
I live in Austin but am from central IL so it was nice to get a glimpse of "home"! If you ever head back up that way, I recommend visiting my hometown of Carlinville. I think you'd love our million dollar courthouse and the Standard Edition neighborhood featuring Sears kit homes.
That sounds interesting. I will definitely have ti do that.
Brilliant! Love exploring America with you guys )) Jumping to the next one
just wanted to tell you, your videos and commentary are amazing. thanks for giving us all a tour of current day America from our living rooms.
Wow, thank you!
Thanks for the tour,
Lived in Montgomery County,
Hillsboro area for over 50 years,
Not much traffic anymore,
Alot of U-haul trucks waiting to head out of state, LOL.
PAY-nuh. When I was in Pana frequently I believe they're already past their Heyday but I do think that they had a lot of greenhouses that raised a lot of roses at one point. I grant you it's been five years since I've been through pain up but there are really nice parts of that small town that you never showed. Now it is essentially true that downtown's especially in small towns have declined and are declining with some notable exceptions. I live in Northern Illinois and the town of Polo is still pretty decent with their downtown and it's a very small town. The downtown in my city of 15,000 is still pretty decent by comparison as well. I used to live in that area you're in and I'm surprised you didn't go to Taylorville because while it's a small town and while it has its issues it's a lot better off in the downtown really is not too bad the last time I was there. If I remember correctly I believe there was part of the Unser family that lived on the corner near my grade school St Thomas in Decatur, IL when I was attending there as a wee lad. If you want to see a larger town that has really fallen from Grace from its heyday go through Decatur Illinois. So sad.
Was in Decatur a few month ago it was terrible
Funny you consider Polo a small town. I thought it was part of Buffalo Grove. Taylorville is beautiful but only has survived because of the prison. I'm in Richmond a town of 2200 and that's the largest population in its 170 year history. We have amazing schools with a killer football team go Rockets. Proof that with the right people driving the bus and a strong community small towns can stay beautiful and survive for ages.
Yes pronounced pay-nuh. I am from Mt. Pulaski. Lived in Decatur when a kid a few yrs. Also lived in lakefork. Fished alot at lake Shelbyville.
If you ever pass thru this area of Illinois again, you were so close to Carlinville, and that courthouse and town Square is what you really missed out on. I was hoping it would be in this episode but all these nearby towns for sure had the small town Illinois vibe. Thanks! I love the channel!
Love your videos, very interesting and relaxing to watch. Thanks.
Thanks for your great tour around Illinois. I m in Australia, and love to see these places.
😂😂 , Christmas decorations are still up, now I’ve just started, but the thumbnail and Christmas decorations have me wondering 🤷♀️😂now back to it as I laugh into Siri, stay warm, it’s 54& windy in Loxahatchee,Florida which is cold 4 us😂😂, shout out to your wife✌🏻💕
The two states that had the most “Sundown Towns” in the country were not in the south, 1 was Indiana and 2 was Illinois. Several still exist. With a history like that it’s no surprise to see all white towns in either state, it’s not likely to change very fast!
And that's the truth. Thank you very much for testifying on these historical facts about Illinois and Indiana.
Damn, I didn't know that those 2 had the most. Living in NE Ohio it's bad. 10 minutes from the Pro football hall of Fame is a Sundown town.
I just moved to maryland by West Virginia a lot of the predominantly all white towns are poor and run down
yeah saw the Trump sign right after the church in fist few mins & that was enough of this place. Good riddance.
Indiana was the only state where many elected officials were "endorsed" by the KKK. 1924. Read about D. C. Stephenson.
That was a very interesting tour again , I just love your drives, realy fantastic. Thanks!
Many thanks! :)
I'm glad I found your videos. They are fascinating.
Enjoying your work. As an ex world traveler, I like seeing new places I never got to, and recalling the memories of those I had, particularly some of those in Texas where I lived for many years. Originally from Chicagoland now living in beautiful Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Come visit, I'd be glad to show it to you.
PAY-NA. I was born in Springfield Illinois and lived in Auburn Illinois. Cousins in Taylorville & Pana! Currently in NW Indiana (Crown Point/ Valparaiso)! Can't wait to see your Gary Indiana video....
Tammy is correct. It is pronounced PAY-NA not PAN-AH. Former Litchfield, IL resident.
You are doing a great job. Nice images, fine narration with full of geo-statics and economic analysis. Keep going. Your project is worth sponsorship/ funding. Your touching lives past, now and those to come. I lived in America over a decade ago. Much Congrats from Tanzania. Denis.
Thank you! 👍
Your channel is awesome ! Watching from Canada. Makes me wanna visit all these places !
If you get back this way during the summer definitely visit Beecher City for the track events ( mud drags and tractor pulls) , Altamont for one of the best county fairs in the state.
I’m from Northern Illinois. Thank you for the tour as I am not familiar with most of these towns. I love the architecture and houses in some of the towns. Montgomery Co courthouse is my favorite. Love the simplicity of the Manning and Manning building.
Thank you. I love watching your videos. You was about hours and half from where I live. I'm in Jacksonville Illinois. Keep videos coming (kim)
I love your channel so much. I love cruising small towns, learning and talking about it, stopping at local greasy spoons just like you do. No one I know is interested in it. I wish I could ride with you! I have a whole list of small towns I'd like to go to just because.
Thank you for the kind words. :)
Just goes to show you that poverty looks the same no matter the color. I get so sick of the bigots saying that it's only one group
@@almost41632 Not if you count random mass killings.
@@almost41632 It does not, so that's a lie. It's just that a lot of Wht crime isn't reported that's all. 😒
@@almost41632 I don't care, go ahead. But I've seen it with my own two eyes. Folks just want to keep believing the stereotypes. And it's usually the bigots.
@@dglorious1269 How would you know if wht crime wasn't reported? Is it phantom crime you're seeing, or are you delusional?
Why listen to bigots when you can check ot the data. Plundered groups have generational poverty that just don't go away. They haven't burned all the history books yet.
I grew up in Litchfield which is between Hillsboro and Raymond on Old Route 66. Knew Hillsboro and Raymond like the back of my hand...raised our own family in Decatur and now in Bloomington. So great to see a glimpse of home.
Raymond - the speeding ticket capital of route 48 🤣
I was born in Litchfield in 1957.
Go Big Blue!
My grandparents had a farm in Raymond at least until the late 60s or early 70s. Also had cousins in Decatur.
Thank you for sharing your videos. I enjoy them
Thank you, Cathy!
Thank you for sharing your adventure. Greetings from York. England.
Oh yes huh, sensational, I am delighted to see these places there, very good...
I wish you would have come to Mattoon! We aren't that far from where you are and you could see an old Central Illinois town that looks beautiful and is thriving, even the down town area.
Nice job just came across your Ytub. I to love driving through the old small towns. This morning is 6/18/23 . As I watch your at video I went on google earth and went to street view 117 Franklin St. & Pine, Irving , IL. to see what it looks like today glad to say the 2 homes have been re-habbed . So glad I found you 2 Joe & Nic
Awesome! Thank you! :)
I just came across y'all's videos today, now I'm on my 6th one in a row. 😂 I love the enthusiasm for the little things. I think the same way when I pass thro small towns. Good stuff man👍
Welcome!!
I thoroughly enjoyed the tour of various towns,you took your time in explaining interesting facts of each town-Thank you and best wishes to you-look forward to your next video.
Thank you, Marti!
I grew up in a small town just a few miles to the east of Pana. Tower Hill. My grandparents lived on a farm just outside of Pana until they enlarged the lake either in 1949 or 1950 and flooded the area where their farm was located. You took me back a few years when you went downtown and passed the building where my father worked. That time frame would have been 1953 and '54. I have not been back there since 1970. But, after seeing your video I am going to go back there and see how all that area has changed and what if any remains the same. Thank you for posting this.
I lived in tower hill too...
Most lovely, one's childhood surroundings
Thank you for showing your beautiful America❤❤❤
Enjoy your Blogs!
Christmas decorations in small towns are usually put up by older volunteers. Even the Lions club is aging around here. My old ass isn't going to climb around outside until it warms up. I guess theirs isn't either.
Most of these town in the video had coal mining as an industry. Mining jobs have almost been abolished in central Illinois. These towns are the result of a flourishing economic time gone by. As mentioned earlier almost all rely on mega agricultural and support functions of that industry.
Yeah, that was a plank in Obama's platform, close all coal mines.
They did the same to Southern Illinois too. Where I'm from we don't consider these towns on this video to be Southern Illinois.
I live in Coal City. You can guess what the main industry was, and we're right by the river, too.
Thank you very much for remembering the coal mine history of central Illinois!
Isn’t Illinois coal bad quality compared to lets say Wyoming or is it just cheaper to import out of state?
Enjoying the backroad trips. Please keep it up 😎
Thank you, Chris!
I really enjoy watching your videos ! You show the good, the bad & the ugly in each town. It's like being in the car watching us drive by ...love it ! I noticed a lot of grain bins this last town...they were huge. It's like they take the place of skyscrapers of big cities. They're the tallest structures. Illinois is a grain state...I was raised on a farm and worked in the fields as a kid...fascinating ! It never gets old. Is there any way for you to tell the number of children living in each town who reside there in poverty by their age plus the % ? ---the actual # of kids + adults. Thank you for letting me come along with you....😊😊🚙
Tracey Ullman Show
Great comment, Nancy!
*Sorry, but those towns mostly look so dismal & dilapidated!!! (SMH!!!)*
The house in Nokomis is going for 237,500. But there is a small house going for 14,500. Pretty nice. Needs a bathroom remodeling.
Thanks! I was going to look that up.
Demise of the family farm and rise of big ag in the 80's and 90's pretty much killed many of these small rural farming communities. The young folks had to leave for more urban areas to find work and the older folks stayed in their communities, the only thing they knew. Sad. See same across the country. Be interesting to see if the current "homesteading" movement, organic farming, and the search for affordable housing might revive some of these rural towns. Have to have high speed internet, though, for remote working.
Yeah - it will be interesting !
I don't live in the USA, but I do live rural because I prefer having a bit of land I can partly live from, so consider me part of the "homesteading movement"...
If only looking at the price of land and housing was to be considered, those rural towns would be ideal for the homesteading movement...
However, and this is from the Wikipedia page 'Politics of Illinois': "It is considered one of the most Democratic states in the nation and following the 2018 elections, all six statewide elected offices are held by a Democrat.[1] However, there is a sharp division between Democratic cities, college towns, and population centers, and highly conservative rural regions, which continue to be dominated by Republicans".
Many people who are seeking a different lifestyle than the 9-to-5 city life are also diverse from the christian straight cis white neurotypical standard. I'm a green-social-liberal-minded autistic LGBTQ atheist myself and I can safely say I would never consider moving there unless I know plenty of diverse/progressive-minded people are moving there approximately at the same time to drown out the conservative population.
It’s like this in western maryland too
@@Candisa’m not American either but your rhetoric is bigoted. ‘Drowning out’. Stay in your lane if you assign others their own.
@@Droo75 That's how geodemographics simply work all around the world, I don't say I like it, I don't say anyone should like it, but as long as people see issues in all kinds of cultures living together, you'll get the powergame of numbers.
Thanks mr spade content was great. Long live all the Pana citizens
It’s Pana like you say the letter A in the alphabet.
What a throwback and a surprise to see this!! That’s where my great grandparents used to live. I lived with my grandma in Rockford Illinois.
I would go with my grandma and my great aunt to visit my great grandparents in Pana and oh my gosh I just loved being there.
I remember the trains going by. To this day every time I hear a train by my house I smile with fond memories.
She made homemade peach ice cream and homemade strawberry ice cream. She had lots of peach trees.
It was so awesome when I was a kid to get out of Rockford and go to Pana. I loved being there. I always loved traveling and I still do.❤
Love the cat sightings
My parents are from Herrin Illinois, which is about 130 south of Witt.
My dad moved us to Oklahoma in the early 50’s and I have lived in Oklahoma all my 67 years.
I have visited Illinois. All my relatives lived/ live in small towns
Great video,as always. Thanks for sharing.
I enjoy your videos, so much!
I live in Herrin right now! Lol
small world... my grandma (also named Dorothy) was born and raised in Herrin and I visited there several times as a child.
@View Bot Our Dodge Caravan Is from Logan County , Ok and moved to Kane County ,Ill . Now it is in Western , N.Y ,small world .
My mom's best friend moved from Herrin. I'm going there tomorrow.
Fellow Okie here! My husband and I moved back from the Boston area a few years ago in order to be near my aging parents, especially as my father had begun to decline due to dementia. I wouldn't give up these last few years for all the gold in Ft. Knox! And my children became the fourth generation to graduate from our local high school!
Incidentally, my family has an Okiehoma- Illinois connection too! My dad's father grew up in Quincy! And he met my grandma when he came to Spavinaw as part of the team building a massive bridge to span the man- made lake that now supplies water to the city of Tulsa.
Fun fact: Before my grandma met my grandfather she dated Bob Wills, the King of Texas Swing. She was in the crowd at a dance where Bob and his Texas Playboys were performing. He had one of his crew go into the crowd and bring her up to the edge of the stage, asking her, "Where can I call you?" He must've been quite taken with her because he wanted her to move to her aunt's home in Texas so they'd be near each enough to have an ongoing relationship. I asked her one time why she didn't go and she said she knew that being with a man like that--heavily drinking, always on the road, and surrounded by all the associated temptations--would ultimately lead to heartbreak and not happiness. My wise Grandma!
I hope to someday visit Quincy, but Pryor Creek, Oklahoma will always be "home" to me!
If the other Okies among us don't mind sharing: What town do you call home?
This may sound weird but your voice makes the channel. It’s a good timbre and resonance. Perfect narration voice. 👍
Thanks! 😃
Nokomis looks like a nice place to settle down. I'm addicted to these videos.
Looks like the Hood!
I'm from Raymond, folks still live there. Too funny to see it on your channel! I'm 52, when I was a kid there were two small grocery stores at one time downtown. As well as a bowling alley, newspaper, library & a few other businesses. Not much left as can be seen.
As they put in the first railroads, towns sprung up along the route. (Steam trains needing water & fuel OR selling land to settlers so they could continue to build Westward?) On the state maps they look like a "dotted line" along the highway that parallels the railroad. RT 24 across Indiana & Illinois is a good example of this. A lot of small towns , evenly spaced. Great to drive & dine at "mom & pop's" diners and sightsee if you are not in a hurry. These "dotted line of small towns" is a good way to locate the "OLD" original rail lines cutting across America.
I'm been in little towns that leave their lights up yr round. An then all they do is change the light bulbs 💡 great watchin ya. It cool to watch just in case I want to move u show little towns an city's that r fairly cool places or most of them r. 😎 peace Dj
Hello, I do enjoy your videos. Thank you so much.
Thank you!
I'm tree watching in these videos and you're passing a lovely veteran tree on the left at minute 17:48 ❤
Great video....shows stuff Joe Tourist will never see......!!!!!!!
Thank you for sharing the video. Lived in Pana in the late 1970’s. Was a wonderful area and people. Had forgotten about the towns surrounding the area. ❤ 12:59
I always got a root beer at the drive in on the south of the park. In the 70s
I love it you all bring things out ìn the world
Appreciate the information. Thanks.
From 2012 to 2018 I traveled a lot through the middle of the country and made a point to get off the main path into towns. I was surprised at the decay of small towns. I wonder if you ever noticed something of a shanty town off the side of i-80 as I recall in Indiana.
Go to Arthur, it's very close to Pana & is a tiny Amish village, you'll see all the roads have horse & buggy lanes.
Do you remember Rockhome gardens ? I know it’s gone now - but we enjoyed it ! We saw a bluegrass festival there once . Mostly enjoyed how peaceful that area is and the
Buggies - the ice
Cream shop -
Mennonites horse n buggy folk in Ramsey now and Shobonier
I saw the cat when you stopped. Still wondering how you saw it a half mile away 😂😂
I carry cat food in my car for occasions like that🤣😻
I love watching you, loved seeing Illinois! Is possible for you to do something in Rock Island? The towns surrounding there. I'll be waiting and watching.
I love your channel, i want to see more towns, if you could drive to montana and North Dakota (not sure if you have already) but i just love this drive through with narration :)
We will be. :)
Water Tower: There is a smaller pipe inside of the one you are looking at as well structural material. There may be a ladder there also. The base flares out. There may be a work area, bur whole reason for the base chamber is for a furnace to keep the entire system ice free in the winter.
Doing a great job, very interesting thanks buddy 😊
Thanks, Aaron!
Great tour of downstate Illinois Joe and Nic.
March is the most depressing month in Illinois. The snow is mostly gone, but the skies are lead gray and the trees are bare.
With the wind and humidity it feels like one of the coldest.
Pana takes pride in their Elks Club. It's well taken care of while the surrounding buildings not so much.
Segregation Forever
Thanks for this video. I like watching a lot of these but it's a little sad to see these little towns die.
This is fun watching from Toronto canada
The controls for a water tower like that(flow meter, chemical addition/disinfection, etc) are often in the base of a tower like that.
Town can be restored. It's your mayor who needs to go to Springfield, IL personally and get grants for your building bricks, structure and more repairs from ILLINOIS State. Elderly who are low income can get $10,000 or little more for personal elderly and disabled people help on their home. Vets never forgotten for grants are their to grab too. Go ask your mayor to get grants. Fairfield, IL got big ones.
Thank you for all your hard work
Watched not skipping the ads.
Hello from the Philippines! 🇵🇭
I’ll bet these towns would be so pretty to see in the summer months 🌳 🌹 ⛅️
I grew up right in this area. I went to high school in Nokomis!!!
And yes grandma’s kitchen in Irving is open, but sometimes not too many customers. Good fried chicken and pizza
Beautiful old properties......worth renovating...
Fascinating Video Again - I'm getting the Jim Rockford Vibe