You don’t know about Michael Watts,you don’t know about DJ screw,whatcha know about me hold up i came down with what it dew, you don’t know about P A T, whatcha know about free pimp c,whatcha know about the swisher house man,whatcha know about the SUC!
My wife and I traveled to PA a few years back when we lived in Houston (she was curious about Janis), and we were struck by how the city had deteriorated, although you could tell it had had better times in the past...I've since come to realize that the same could be said of much of the US...
Born and raised in Port Arthur...so sad how all the refineries in the area pay little to no city taxes... how city officials do nothing for city infrastructure, they fail to keep up road maintenance and keep the streets free of trash. Port Arthur truly has the potential to be a beautiful town. Hopefully it will reach its potential in the near future!
It's a failed city. More and more America will depend on renewable resources and less oil and gas and coal will be used. Texas leaders are propped up by petroleum political donations and they downplay renewable wind, solar, hydroelectric and geothermal energy. The recent loss of energy was not due to frozen wind turbines; petroleum production and generation froze because it was not insulated/winterized.
Lol motiva is dropping a dime in downtown PA. Renovating the old historic buildings, gettin rid of the condemned houses and I can't be positive but I think hotel sabine is also on the list to be remodeled
Wish everyone could have been there back in 'the day'. Great restaurants, Big Bands playing on the bandstand at Pleasure Island, a big swimming pool, it was a great place to grow up.
I was born in Port Arthur. My dad was a pharmacist at Gibson's on Gulfway Drive. I remember as a kid how cool it was. Going to Leo and Willies, Burger Chef, Monceauxs-the good ole days. Jackets-1980. Would be nice to go back in time.
@@lalarodgers3141 , Sorry to hear of her passing. I'm not from there, and would like to know more about the place; could you give me a description of what made the place special?
I was born in the Port Arthur Hospital in 1955. We lived in Nederland till 1961 when we moved to Georgia. Someday I intend to return and visit the area. Dad did a lot of photography and had a darkroom. He made a night panaroma of the oil refinery. I still have it somewhere. Thanks for the tour.
I grew up in PA, and although it wasn't always sunshine and rainbows, I have a lot of fond memories from there and that period of time. It was the people more than anything. Lot of nice, good-hearted, friendly, great people I met there, and grew up with. There's good things and bad things about every town. And the one thing that is constant in this world is change -- nothing stays the same. PA may not be what it once was, but it still pushes forward, and will always have a special place in my heart.
One thing I've learned over the years is it's very true that saying, the mind can make a heaven of a hell, or a hell of a heaven. There's plenty of people who grew up in luxury resorts that are super unhappy. Wherever you are, make the most of it. Be grateful. Count your blessings.
I'm 21 and grew up in port Arthur and groves all my life and now live in California and just recently my grandfather passed away he lived in Port Arthur all his life and has seen everything from it booming to it becoming the way it is now and he would always take us around and show us everything he knew as a kid and just seeing the statue of our lady brought a tear to my eye because that was his favorite place
One of the nicest things about PA is its location. Of course, it would probably be nicer if there were no refineries there, but it also probably wouldn't exist if there were no refineries there, so like so many things, it's a mixed blessing. It's on Sabine Lake and near the Gulf of Mexico. It's near Houston, but not in Houston. It's near Louisiana, but not in Louisiana. Most people in Texas used to driving 30 minutes or more to get places, so it has a small town, mid-size town charm to it, but it's no more than a 1 to 3 hour drive from Galveston, NASA, the Houston Zoo, Rice University, pro sports and rock concerts in Houston, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, etc., etc. It's not so great being so close to the Gulf of Mexico during tropical storm/hurricane season, but other than that I thought it was a very nice place to live. Of course, it's nice to have a job too. It's difficult to live anywhere if you're not fully employed.
Its basically not there now because of the refineries. Just a concentration camp for illegals, crooks; that's just describing the infrastructure; city council and police. Ain't got to the people yet.
I was born and raised in PA. Moved to Houston in 1996 when I was 21 and never looked back. I have a lot of great memories but the town has changed drastically since I was young.
I'm only 42, lived here all my life. Even tho we have all these refineries and the athletes that have came from PA they still don't do anything out here for the kids, "Our Future"....
Not to be that guy but it sounds like the residents of PA have a choice to stay or move to a better place. Just by reading the comments, it seems like PA will not improve any time soon :/
@@WhereisK0 don't know... how itis up to the individual to choose to stay and scrape by because that is all there is or choose to make the decision that it's time to find a way to prosper?
I enjoy watching these types of videos for interesting buildings / locations which I then try to locate in Google maps street view. For example, there's what looks to be 10 story building down the block called the Hotel Sabine - now I want to find old pics of that hotel. I'll probably never make it to Port Arthur but thanks to these videos we all get to see some interesting places.
Gordon Baxter wrote a column in Flying Magazine called Bax Seat, for many years. He was a DJ at KPAC radio in his earlier life. KPAC was operated by Port Arthur College (later Lamar University and finally the U of Texas system). My parents both attended PAC in the latter 1930's. Dad always said it was Baxter who "discovered" Janis Joplin.
gordon baxter was a sharp funny guy, he is really missed .i loved his gordon baxter stories. the two pillars of this area was baxter and al caldwell . both smart and funny
I grew up very near a refinery in California. It stunk when it was open, had several events that were bad for the surrounding area. One day we had "Black Snow" from soot and ash when there was an "event" that caused us all to have to stay inside for a while. I would never ever choose to live anywhere near a refinery...
@@richardfowler3254 We lived near a Steel belt. 25 miles along a river. Its all closed now , but the effects remain. Funny how people reminisce on the good old days when everyone had a job at the mills. It was the dirtiest, dangerous jobs to have.
@@kathleenkirchoff9223 everyone here , my family, has sinus issues . I don't live in port Arthur anymore. But when I visit, the very next morning my sinus acts up. I hate it here. My mom is sick I have to be here to take care of her.
Born and raised in Port Arthur ,live in Port Neches now but southeast Texas has been home for me for the past 58 years , i have worked away from home also moved away for about 5 years but Port Arthur has always been home to me, Go Thomas Jefferson high school the ol' Maroon and Gold
Thomas Jefferson is now a middle school alongside Lincoln! The only high school here is Memorial High School and the colors for our school is now black and red! Go Memorial Titans Go!
I drove from Nederland on 27th Street (9th Ave in Port Arthur) all the way to the Sea Wall. Port Arthur said screw it when it comes to road repair. It was like driving in war-torn Poland. Don't even think of driving in Griffing Park unless you have a tank. Pot holes are crazy big. It's sad because it is a beautiful area with incredible potential. You would be better off visiting Chernobyl without the hazmat.
I’m from Nederland. Port Arthur will never be what it once was. Crime rate is too high. No matter how much the local government tries, it’s just too far gone. Unless the entire community changes, there’s no hope.
@@overcomer1307 Nederland will never be what it once was. Also people in Nederland work in Port Arthur, so PA is good for something. Stopping putting people and there community down.
@@yolandaanderson1069 Yes, there are people who live in one city and work in another...nothing out of the ordinary here. I’m only stating facts. Port Arthur is ranked #8 as. One of the worse places to live in Texas. I can see where you’d like to go with this and I’m not going to entertain it.
I love the PA I’m from the purple and gold I graduated in 75 From Jones hamburger stand to Antoine Drive in Antoine‘s auditorium to the afro scene oh yes the Beverly Deer and yes the Westside auditorium yes I still love the PA my people are really real oh yes😎 is the gang all here😎 always much love always oh yes😎
In 1950, I was born at St Mary's Hospital (that has now been torn down) in Port Arthur and grew up in Nederland. Port Arthur is definitely not the same city that I knew growing up. In 1972, my father and I went downtown to shop at a men's shoe store and I was shocked at what I saw and heard. I told my father that I would never come here again and I haven't. It was that bad. I still remember the good the times on Pleasure Pier, Cavalcade Parade, Jefferson City Mall, Village Theater, watch the barge bridge to the island on the intercoastal canal, etc. Pt. Arthur use to have three high schools and now has one. I've heard people refer to P.A. as the arm pit of Texas.
@@oceanjoker3544 Drug dealing, drunks walking down the middle of Procter St, filth and broken glass everywhere in downtown, store fronts covered in newspaper or whited out with shoe polish. According to the city limits sign, the population has fallen. Today, the new Pt Arthur (businesses and homes) has moved north to hwy. 365 and borders both Nederland and Pt. Neches.
Silvia’s Tacos in Port Arthur has the best birria tacos I have ever had in my life. If you are ever in the area, stop by and try some. They are truly phenomenal.
I made a special effort to visit the Pompeiian Villa and was treated to a wonderful tour by the docent. Since my visit, I happened upon a picture of the villa that the late nineteenth century Austro-Hungarian Empress Elizabeth built for herself in the Mediterranean. They are almost twins. I wonder if the Port Arthur architect modeled his on the Empress'. Beautiful home...wonderful tour...people interested in architecture should make a special effort to see it.
I lived for some time in PA around the late 80's attended Franklin Elementary . I remember riding my bike with friends to the little shops. It was so peaceful, but now it's so run down. My favorite teacher in 5th grade Ms. Charles !
I visited there from Houston about a year ago. I enjoyed the Civil War Battleground Site which you missed unless it was when you were walking along the canal. I enjoy your videos no matter what the complainers say.
Ah yes, the Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site is a great place to go. It's actually closer to the city of Sabine Pass. Nearby is the Sabine Pass Cemetery which has several historical markers.
@@secretsoftexas6872 I recently recommended your channel to people on an RV discussion forum. The original Poster was asking about places to visit in Texas (actually Austin or San Antonio), and I suggested visiting the channel to see places that had things they were interested in.
SETX had/has tons of potential and diversity. Sadly, the cities are currently infested with (first and foremost) hard drugs, poverty, unemployment, and money laundering when it comes to the people in power. Especially in Port Arthur. Not to mention the fact that so many people are more or less left with refinery and plant jobs that end up causing them cancer just to make a half decent living. I feel bad for my family and the thousands of other people who have to live here as well.
If you have ever seen The Christmas Story about a boy wanting a Red Rider BB gun, that was Pt Arthur in 1955 when I was growing up there. At Christmas, we would go downtown to see the window displays and the moving Santa. My Father worked at the Gulf Oil refinery. We played at Rose Hill Park and I was fascinated by the bridge that would be raised when ships passed on the canal. If you were a white kid living there, it was an idyllic place to be. Probably not so much if you were non-white in this segregated town. We left in 1961 and I have returned a couiple of times since to drive past places I remember. Sad to see how the town has deteriorated.
I was born there in 1947 and graduated from Thomas Jefferson high school in 1965 . I moved away in the seventies and have visited a few times since. The city now is a ghetto and one of the most dangerous cities in Texas. I would not travel through the downtown area after dark 😒
Its interesting to see my hometown through the lens of someone else. I haven't been there in about 7yrs. Moved away when I was a teen but I still have many memories of home. Will definitely visit some of the places mentioned when I return.
You need to go to the other side of Procter (7th street), its not all peaches and roses. film the real stuff, crackheads, the prostitutes and the poverty. All there is in Port Arthur on the ethnic side is gamerooms, liquor stores, churches, and washateries. Sad but true. There are no jobs on that side of town! Everyone is not designed to work at the refinies. 🤔
@Stop Racism i wouldn't call Port Arthur a major city its actually small and the video is only showing about 5 blocks of the town to you go drive around it and you will see what it really is.
@Meagan Jones What’s the “ethnic” side of town? Is there a side without ethnicity or are you just assuming everyone reading your comment is of the same ethnicity as you?
@@danielchilton5400 he’s showing the side of town that strictly white people go to. everywhere else in town is straight black and mexicans, he could’ve walked an extra 5000 feet past that hotel and seen the REAL Port Arthur. In my high school, there’s 1 white person and she’s adopted.
I'm from Port Arthur, left for greener pastures in the late 70s ( Humble) ,with my parents.. Still had family there ..now their all dead..I wonder did they ever passed gambling there. Something that could bring commerce to the area..town seemed to continue to die so slowly.. It was about 32,000 in the early 90s. Hadn't real been back since. Hope its doing better..lots of good fishing and hunting..pleasure island was nice..Grand parents on both sides lived on Brinkman drive..off Rose dale near Gulf freeway. Granddad was well into local baseball, LG, Bugs Lovell, if anyone remembers him..lots of great memories..
I grew up here in the 90s. Everytime I go back, it hurts to see so run down. There are so many homeless camps in places were once prominent stores were.
Howard's off 9th Ave burnt down in 04, the Golden steer( before my time) closed due to the owner getting older and died the kids didn't want to continue it either. Pops tire shop off memorial is still there but the old man recently passed of health issues. Many many places I knew as store myself is gone. The entire Jefferson city shopping strip is gone minus a few stores at either end.
My father run her and her entourage out of his bar when she made that famous class reunion trip. Messed up outta her mind. I was a kid stocking the beer coolers at the time.
First of your videos to watch. Good job, I am sure it takes time to edit and add music. My only feedback is I was hoping for a little snippet of Joplin’s music. Looking forward to future episodes from across the State. I am perusing your previous videos.
Plenty of free parking and no long lines for attractions. Joplin came back while a big star for her class reunion thinking the kids that tormented her would see her success would make amends. They laughed at her even more than before. I'm not sure she ever returned after that.
@@secretsoftexas6872 aquela foi a ultima chance de cura pra ela. fico imaginando se derrepente houvesse acontecido um milagre...tipo todos aqueles alunos algoses terem se reunido e na frente das cameras terem pedido perdao ,teria ela saido dali uma nova janis...
In the city where I live, there's no extra land to just spread out into, so it remains densely urbanized without any large abandoned areas. Watching videos like this one is hard for me to really comprehend, that so many people just leave and the buildings either get demolished or just fall down.
So much potential. Pleasure Island should be a thriving theme park. Also a great place for fishing, that aspect could also be built upon for tourism. It is only about 10 minutes away from the outskirts of Cameron Parish Louisiana.
The best architecture was the wooden castle in the children's playground. Port Arthur was on my list as one of the Southern cities (in Port Arthur's case, only sorta Southern) I could afford to move to that didn't have tons of crime. Thank you for this video, because now I don't think I could live there even if the pollution cleared up tomorrow, which it won't of course. The people are probably very nice, but it would be depressing seeing all this every day.
My mother was born and raised in P/A. YOB 1941. She said the city was bustling and prosperous until the late 1950s and very early 1960s when the Texas Rangers busted up all the entertainment venues like illegal casinos, nightclubs, drugs, and prostitution that kept the city thriving, along with the legitimate oil industry foundation. She swears that no city can afford for all illicit crime to be quashed because it crashes the economy in the worst way. I tend to believe her as many other cities have suffered the same fate. The religious zealots will decry this but the proof is in the pudding.
Moved from California to Port Arthur in 1995; when my daughter met and married someone from the area. The place has run down so much; pathetic.Almost no business on the west side to shop. Downtown; what downtown! Moved to Beaumont about 8 years ago. Nothing to move back to Port Arthur for! Someone needs to be held accountable for its rundown condition.
As a Third generation Texan, I'm loving the videos. Although at the end, wonder if the parents of the other children running around thought it was creepy that a guy with a cam was walking around a playground filming ? 😂
Born and raised in Port Arthur, the city has a lot of potential but decades of mismanagement has come to a head. The city used to be thriving, but the infrastructure has gone way down in the old part of town and people my age have mostly moved out to Houston for opportunities. The elderly folks who had nice homes on the west side, Port Acres, El Vista etc have been dying off and the properties go down until they eventually become dilapidated and torn down. Most of the new development is around Hwy 365, hardly any attention is paid to anything south of Hwy 73. Hurricane Harvey really did a number on the town because of the unprecedented flooding, PA had a population drain after that as people relocated to Dallas, San Antonio, etc during the evacuation, a lot of the younger folks didn't come back.
Awww I miss that wooden play park. Unfortunately the last hurricane did far too much damage and it had to be torn down. The city is raising funds to build a new park in its place. Please look into donating. Tug boat island park was such a big part of the community.
@@nailabelavidorico7590 Different Park, the park he showed beyond the bridge in the video was Pleasure Island’s park. Tugboat island’s park is in Port Neches. It was much bigger, and even has a water park next to it that used to be a swimming pool.
Moved here when i was 6 and I graduated last year and moved to Houston. My family still lives there but i hated it so much I couldn’t wait to get out. Bad air, nothing to do, crap roads and schools. Only good thing are the people ( there are still some shitty people tho)
My wife is from there, while she enjoyed many things there she often talks about the hazards of school because of the race wars. Some people just ruin everything. Not only that but the upkeep by the city was terrible.
Schools here are weird. In 2018 during my 11th grade year we had a prep rally for our football game against the neighboring city Port Neches. Their Mascot is the Indians. They literally pulled a guy wearing a chief’s headpiece and proceeded to shave him bald while chanting “Skin those Indians! Skin those Indians!”. My friends and I were shocked as we watched our teachers and football team get pumped up for this. Also Race Wars are prob a thing because most of the students in Port Arthur are black. While the neighboring cities (Orange, Nederland, Port Neches) are mostly white.
As a black person who play high school football for Port Arthur Lincoln we were call all the names you can imagine on the field with no repercussions on the other time by the ref's that's has to many of the player before and after me so imo from my point of view you can't blame Port Arthur alone for race wars it takes two to tango
Most of the residents that did medical test in my region mostly had health problems due to those refineries and the children were failing school test more than the kids in my region . this area is a utopia of mutated genetic issues in people because of those wicked refineries . so sad they don't care about their citizens and their mental , physical, and overall health.
right not just pa but everywhere in the golden triangle area. moral to the story is DONT BUILD A HOUSE NEAR THE PETROCHEMICAL PLANTS, and blame them when you have full blown cancer. it is not rocket science.
right, i have cll cancer and merkel cell cancer due to living here all my life. i just had a best friend die from stage 4 cancer about a couple of months ago. i think many people are walking around not knowing what is in their body, time will tell. it was merkel cell cancer that just killed JIMMY BUFFETT. Hearing that news took the wind right out of my sails..
I've got a GREAT idea let's put the largest refinery in the United States right where most hurricanes make landfall.......wait why have all the employees moved away ?
My name is Delshayne Jones and I’m actually looking for a family that took care of me when I was a kid,they lived in port Arthur ,tx. The fathers name was maybe Francis or something like that. They took car of me in the 90’s and I just wish I could track them down 😔
Motiva was supposed to revitalize at least 4 of the historic buildings in downtown and they gutted those buildings but never did anything with them so it seems motiva has already given up on downtown
Not surprising. Get a group of people to work around carcinogenic refineries which shorten their lives, convince them healthcare and decent wages are driving their jobs to go overseas, tell them to blame the poor.
BIG PIMPIN' DOWN IN P.A.T.
WHAT CH'ALL KNOW BOUT THEM TEXAS BOYS?
You don’t know about Michael Watts,you don’t know about DJ screw,whatcha know about me hold up i came down with what it dew, you don’t know about P A T, whatcha know about free pimp c,whatcha know about the swisher house man,whatcha know about the SUC!
My wife and I traveled to PA a few years back when we lived in Houston (she was curious about Janis), and we were struck by how the city had deteriorated, although you could tell it had had better times in the past...I've since come to realize that the same could be said of much of the US...
Well we all know what destroyed the city but telling the truth in todays America is frowned upon
@@scottcraigen630 can you please elaborate? Was hoping to visit soon
Born and raised in Port Arthur...so sad how all the refineries in the area pay little to no city taxes... how city officials do nothing for city infrastructure, they fail to keep up road maintenance and keep the streets free of trash. Port Arthur truly has the potential to be a beautiful town. Hopefully it will reach its potential in the near future!
Very true. Its sick.
Not to mention how unhealthy it is to live near. Water quality is probably slightly better than Detroit.
It's a failed city. More and more America will depend on renewable resources and less oil and gas and coal will be used. Texas leaders are propped up by petroleum political donations and they downplay renewable wind, solar, hydroelectric and geothermal energy. The recent loss of energy was not due to frozen wind turbines; petroleum production and generation froze because it was not insulated/winterized.
Lol motiva is dropping a dime in downtown PA. Renovating the old historic buildings, gettin rid of the condemned houses and I can't be positive but I think hotel sabine is also on the list to be remodeled
@@williamkeith8944 and enlighten me on what the problem was with the power if you could please sir
Wish everyone could have been there back in 'the day'. Great restaurants, Big Bands playing on the bandstand at Pleasure Island, a big swimming pool, it was a great place to grow up.
Born in Port Arthur at St. Mary's Hospital, beautiful historic building now torn down. Grew up in Groves. Still love the seawall in Pt. Arthur!
Went sledding down the hill on the seawall the other day 😉
I was born in Port Arthur. My dad was a pharmacist at Gibson's on Gulfway Drive. I remember as a kid
how cool it was. Going to Leo and Willies, Burger Chef, Monceauxs-the good ole days. Jackets-1980.
Would be nice to go back in time.
Me too, loved Leo and Willies!
@@JP-bn2ct ,
Please...tell us more about Leo and Willie's...
My grandma was the head cook at Leo and Willies she recently passed away :( she was 83
@@lalarodgers3141 ,
Sorry to hear of her passing. I'm not from there, and would like to know more about the place; could you give me a description of what made the place special?
@@lalarodgers3141 ,
Thanks, that's great...I still don't know anything about Leo and Willie's...
Another famous Port Arthur person, Little Joe Washington #24, smoke through a key hole. My favorite football player of all time.
I was born in the Port Arthur Hospital in 1955. We lived in Nederland till 1961 when we moved to Georgia. Someday I intend to return and visit the area. Dad did a lot of photography and had a darkroom. He made a night panaroma of the oil refinery. I still have it somewhere. Thanks for the tour.
Dont go back, itll make you very I'll. It's a dead town.
I grew up in PA, and although it wasn't always sunshine and rainbows, I have a lot of fond memories from there and that period of time. It was the people more than anything. Lot of nice, good-hearted, friendly, great people I met there, and grew up with. There's good things and bad things about every town. And the one thing that is constant in this world is change -- nothing stays the same. PA may not be what it once was, but it still pushes forward, and will always have a special place in my heart.
One thing I've learned over the years is it's very true that saying, the mind can make a heaven of a hell, or a hell of a heaven. There's plenty of people who grew up in luxury resorts that are super unhappy. Wherever you are, make the most of it. Be grateful. Count your blessings.
Many good memories from time spent in Port Arthur...
I'm 21 and grew up in port Arthur and groves all my life and now live in California and just recently my grandfather passed away he lived in Port Arthur all his life and has seen everything from it booming to it becoming the way it is now and he would always take us around and show us everything he knew as a kid and just seeing the statue of our lady brought a tear to my eye because that was his favorite place
One of the nicest things about PA is its location. Of course, it would probably be nicer if there were no refineries there, but it also probably wouldn't exist if there were no refineries there, so like so many things, it's a mixed blessing. It's on Sabine Lake and near the Gulf of Mexico. It's near Houston, but not in Houston. It's near Louisiana, but not in Louisiana. Most people in Texas used to driving 30 minutes or more to get places, so it has a small town, mid-size town charm to it, but it's no more than a 1 to 3 hour drive from Galveston, NASA, the Houston Zoo, Rice University, pro sports and rock concerts in Houston, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, etc., etc. It's not so great being so close to the Gulf of Mexico during tropical storm/hurricane season, but other than that I thought it was a very nice place to live. Of course, it's nice to have a job too. It's difficult to live anywhere if you're not fully employed.
Its basically not there now because of the refineries. Just a concentration camp for illegals, crooks; that's just describing the infrastructure; city council and police. Ain't got to the people yet.
I agree. I was born and raised there. It was a great place, close to the beach, great food, plenty to do and friendly folks to do it with.
Jimmy Johnson and Janis Joplin were classmate in high school. cool video!
Janis hated the place, Johnny and Eagar Winter were also from Port Arthur
@@ericsimpson1176 Johnny and Edgar were from Beaumont.
Yea, cool. But I have a feeling they traveled in different social circles.
@@ragasthegascap1 i stand corrected i just looked it up, born in Beaumont tx sorry about that...(
Beaumont tx is about 20 miles from port authur)
@@ericsimpson1176 Yes, sir. I live in Beaumont. Not far from the Winter's childhood home. I was born in the same hospital as Janis, in Port Arthur.
I was born and raised in PA. Moved to Houston in 1996 when I was 21 and never looked back. I have a lot of great memories but the town has changed drastically since I was young.
I'm only 42, lived here all my life. Even tho we have all these refineries and the athletes that have came from PA they still don't do anything out here for the kids, "Our Future"....
Not to be that guy but it sounds like the residents of PA have a choice to stay or move to a better place. Just by reading the comments, it seems like PA will not improve any time soon :/
@@MC4D. some of us people don’t have options we have to get it how it’s given u may not understand but you don’t know pa
@@WhereisK0 don't know... how itis up to the individual to choose to stay and scrape by because that is all there is or choose to make the decision that it's time to find a way to prosper?
Well stop voting for crooked Democrat politicians lile yall have done for decades and that would be a good start...
@@MC4D. yeah, a 1 bdr condo unit is only $800k in a good city, or rent for only $2k a month. Everybody can afford that easily
I grew up across the Neches River in Bridge City. Spent a lot of time fishing in Sabine Pass marshes and on Pleasure Island
I’m 20, born and raised in Port Arthur, can’t wait to move lol
I enjoy watching these types of videos for interesting buildings / locations which I then try to locate in Google maps street view. For example, there's what looks to be 10 story building down the block called the Hotel Sabine - now I want to find old pics of that hotel. I'll probably never make it to Port Arthur but thanks to these videos we all get to see some interesting places.
I have been all over Texas, and Texas is so big, there still many places that I had not visited yet,
Have you been to menard high school in houston
Gordon Baxter wrote a column in Flying Magazine called Bax Seat, for many years. He was a DJ at KPAC radio in his earlier life. KPAC was operated by Port Arthur College (later Lamar University and finally the U of Texas system). My parents both attended PAC in the latter 1930's. Dad always said it was Baxter who "discovered" Janis Joplin.
True Story
gordon baxter was a sharp funny guy, he is really missed .i loved his gordon baxter stories. the two pillars of this area was baxter and al caldwell . both smart and funny
I was born here! We left when I was 3 or 4 and have never been back, so this video is awesome! My dad flew helicopter for the refinery
That refinery looks really healthy to live next to, bet the water quality is great.
Stinks,oily
I grew up very near a refinery in California. It stunk when it was open, had several events that were bad for the surrounding area. One day we had "Black Snow" from soot and ash when there was an "event" that caused us all to have to stay inside for a while. I would never ever choose to live anywhere near a refinery...
@@richardfowler3254 We lived near a Steel belt. 25 miles along a river. Its all closed now , but the effects remain. Funny how people reminisce on the good old days when everyone had a job at the mills. It was the dirtiest, dangerous jobs to have.
I grew up in the area and we called it the toxic triangle of Beaumont, Port Arthur and Orange. I have lost several class mate to cancer.
@@kathleenkirchoff9223 everyone here , my family, has sinus issues . I don't live in port Arthur anymore. But when I visit, the very next morning my sinus acts up. I hate it here. My mom is sick I have to be here to take care of her.
I love my city Port Arthur Tx
Born and raised in Port Arthur ,live in Port Neches now but southeast Texas has been home for me for the past 58 years , i have worked away from home also moved away for about 5 years but Port Arthur has always been home to me, Go Thomas Jefferson high school the ol' Maroon and Gold
Thomas Jefferson is now a middle school alongside Lincoln! The only high school here is Memorial High School and the colors for our school is now black and red!
Go Memorial Titans Go!
Port Arthur definitely needs some TLC,hopefully better days will be ahead!!
I drove from Nederland on 27th Street (9th Ave in Port Arthur) all the way to the Sea Wall. Port Arthur said screw it when it comes to road repair. It was like driving in war-torn Poland. Don't even think of driving in Griffing Park unless you have a tank. Pot holes are crazy big. It's sad because it is a beautiful area with incredible potential. You would be better off visiting Chernobyl without the hazmat.
I’m from Nederland. Port Arthur will never be what it once was. Crime rate is too high. No matter how much the local government tries, it’s just too far gone. Unless the entire community changes, there’s no hope.
That is tha truth.
@@overcomer1307 Nederland will never be what it once was. Also people in Nederland work in Port Arthur, so PA is good for something. Stopping putting people and there community down.
@@yolandaanderson1069 Yes, there are people who live in one city and work in another...nothing out of the ordinary here. I’m only stating facts. Port Arthur is ranked #8 as. One of the worse places to live in Texas. I can see where you’d like to go with this and I’m not going to entertain it.
Many parts of Poland have their streets were redone and no potholes. How do I know I have family there and they say very little potholes
Show me ANY town 100+ years old where the inner city doesn't look run down. Once the bad element moves in every thing moves out to surrounding areas.
I love the PA I’m from the purple and gold I graduated in 75 From Jones hamburger stand to Antoine Drive in Antoine‘s auditorium to the afro scene oh yes the Beverly Deer and yes the Westside auditorium yes I still love the PA my people are really real oh yes😎 is the gang all here😎 always much love always oh yes😎
Afro Scene..funny, I used to see that as a kid..hadn't thought about that place in forever...
As a person who lives in this City, I recommend visiting these places if u are here to visit, especially Pleasure Island!
Greetings from Corpus Christi Texas
In 1950, I was born at St Mary's Hospital (that has now been torn down) in Port Arthur and grew up in Nederland. Port Arthur is definitely not the same city that I knew growing up. In 1972, my father and I went downtown to shop at a men's shoe store and I was shocked at what I saw and heard. I told my father that I would never come here again and I haven't. It was that bad. I still remember the good the times on Pleasure Pier, Cavalcade Parade, Jefferson City Mall, Village Theater, watch the barge bridge to the island on the intercoastal canal, etc. Pt. Arthur use to have three high schools and now has one. I've heard people refer to P.A. as the arm pit of Texas.
What did you see n hear? Why did you not go back?
@@oceanjoker3544 Drug dealing, drunks walking down the middle of Procter St, filth and broken glass everywhere in downtown, store fronts covered in newspaper or whited out with shoe polish. According to the city limits sign, the population has fallen. Today, the new Pt Arthur (businesses and homes) has moved north to hwy. 365 and borders both Nederland and Pt. Neches.
@@williamclark6555 oh. Ty for the info. That's too bad. Very sad when things like this happen.
Silvia’s Tacos in Port Arthur has the best birria tacos I have ever had in my life. If you are ever in the area, stop by and try some. They are truly phenomenal.
Literally the most useful comment (for me) because nothing else was really making me want to go see. Thanks for that!
I worked on the building across the hotel, before the hurricanes hit in 2020 ...then job site got shut down in November
You should've stopped by the Queen Vietnam Shrine on 9th Ave.
That's exactly what I thought!
Hometown of the legendary rap group UGK🤘🏽😏
I made a special effort to visit the Pompeiian Villa and was treated to a wonderful tour by the docent. Since my visit, I happened upon a picture of the villa that the late nineteenth century Austro-Hungarian Empress Elizabeth built for herself in the Mediterranean. They are almost twins. I wonder if the Port Arthur architect modeled his on the Empress'. Beautiful home...wonderful tour...people interested in architecture should make a special effort to see it.
I lived for some time in PA around the late 80's attended Franklin Elementary . I remember riding my bike with friends to the little shops. It was so peaceful, but now it's so run down. My favorite teacher in 5th grade Ms. Charles !
I'm from Cali and this is where I now live and love it...
Great channel. I just subscribed because I ❤ the state of Texas. Excellent content
Awesome! Thank you!
I visited there from Houston about a year ago. I enjoyed the Civil War Battleground Site which you missed unless it was when you were walking along the canal. I enjoy your videos no matter what the complainers say.
Ah yes, the Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site is a great place to go. It's actually closer to the city of Sabine Pass. Nearby is the Sabine Pass Cemetery which has several historical markers.
Texas is so cool. Everything about it is different.
Man this video and your subs have really taken off. Congrats!
Thanks man. I'm sure how but it seems to be taking off right now. One of my videos has 26k views all of a sudden.
@@secretsoftexas6872 I recently recommended your channel to people on an RV discussion forum. The original Poster was asking about places to visit in Texas (actually Austin or San Antonio), and I suggested visiting the channel to see places that had things they were interested in.
HOME OF UGK👑
R.I.L CHAD BUTLER🙏💯
SETX had/has tons of potential and diversity. Sadly, the cities are currently infested with (first and foremost) hard drugs, poverty, unemployment, and money laundering when it comes to the people in power. Especially in Port Arthur. Not to mention the fact that so many people are more or less left with refinery and plant jobs that end up causing them cancer just to make a half decent living. I feel bad for my family and the thousands of other people who have to live here as well.
Love it. I need to get down there.
If you have ever seen The Christmas Story about a boy wanting a Red Rider BB gun, that was Pt Arthur in 1955 when I was growing up there. At Christmas, we would go downtown to see the window displays and the moving Santa. My Father worked at the Gulf Oil refinery. We played at Rose Hill Park and I was fascinated by the bridge that would be raised when ships passed on the canal. If you were a white kid living there, it was an idyllic place to be. Probably not so much if you were non-white in this segregated town. We left in 1961 and I have returned a couiple of times since to drive past places I remember. Sad to see how the town has deteriorated.
After a great dinner and atmosphere there was always the cigar case at the register. As a kid I always wished
I could have one. The place was swank.
I was born there in 1947 and graduated from Thomas Jefferson high school in 1965 . I moved away in the seventies and have visited a few times since. The city now is a ghetto and one of the most dangerous cities in Texas. I would not travel through the downtown area after dark 😒
What is a ghetto
Lies
@@..I lived in Port Arthur from 1982 to 2005 ….then moved to Richmond Tx…
Its interesting to see my hometown through the lens of someone else. I haven't been there in about 7yrs. Moved away when I was a teen but I still have many memories of home. Will definitely visit some of the places mentioned when I return.
You need to go to the other side of Procter (7th street), its not all peaches and roses. film the real stuff, crackheads, the prostitutes and the poverty. All there is in Port Arthur on the ethnic side is gamerooms, liquor stores, churches, and washateries. Sad but true. There are no jobs on that side of town! Everyone is not designed to work at the refinies. 🤔
yikes....As if working for a bomb was an "honor" lol sheesh. Some of us have larger dreams/education. I loathe the plants personally.
@Stop Racism i wouldn't call Port Arthur a major city its actually small and the video is only showing about 5 blocks of the town to you go drive around it and you will see what it really is.
@Meagan Jones What’s the “ethnic” side of town? Is there a side without ethnicity or are you just assuming everyone reading your comment is of the same ethnicity as you?
@@danielchilton5400 he’s showing the side of town that strictly white people go to. everywhere else in town is straight black and mexicans, he could’ve walked an extra 5000 feet past that hotel and seen the REAL Port Arthur. In my high school, there’s 1 white person and she’s adopted.
@@lazyman20645 I k is what she’s referring to, simply calling her out for the label she chooses and how bigoted it is.
I'm from Port Arthur, left for greener pastures in the late 70s ( Humble) ,with my parents.. Still had family there ..now their all dead..I wonder did they ever passed gambling there. Something that could bring commerce to the area..town seemed to continue to die so slowly.. It was about 32,000 in the early 90s. Hadn't real been back since. Hope its doing better..lots of good fishing and hunting..pleasure island was nice..Grand parents on both sides lived on Brinkman drive..off Rose dale near Gulf freeway. Granddad was well into local baseball, LG, Bugs Lovell, if anyone remembers him..lots of great memories..
I grew up here in the 90s. Everytime I go back, it hurts to see so run down. There are so many homeless camps in places were once prominent stores were.
Howard's off 9th Ave burnt down in 04, the Golden steer( before my time) closed due to the owner getting older and died the kids didn't want to continue it either. Pops tire shop off memorial is still there but the old man recently passed of health issues. Many many places I knew as store myself is gone. The entire Jefferson city shopping strip is gone minus a few stores at either end.
Janis Lyn Joplin was born January 19, 1943 in Port Arthur Texas.
My father run her and her entourage out of his bar when she made that famous class reunion trip. Messed up outta her mind. I was a kid stocking the beer coolers at the time.
Very favorite content. Excellent presentation
Hey I’m from port Arthur and hey I work in those refineries
First of your videos to watch. Good job, I am sure it takes time to edit and add music. My only feedback is I was hoping for a little snippet of Joplin’s music. Looking forward to future episodes from across the State. I am perusing your previous videos.
If you use copyrighted music in videos, UA-cam can take down the video
I wish, but I can't.
Plenty of free parking and no long lines for attractions. Joplin came back while a big star for her class reunion thinking the kids that tormented her would see her success would make amends. They laughed at her even more than before. I'm not sure she ever returned after that.
I saw the video of her interview during the 10-year reunion and you could see the pain in her face as she answered the questions
@@secretsoftexas6872 aquela foi a ultima chance de cura pra ela. fico imaginando se derrepente houvesse acontecido um milagre...tipo todos aqueles alunos algoses terem se reunido e na frente das cameras terem pedido perdao ,teria ela saido dali uma nova janis...
She didnt, she overdosed not long after that and died.
My dad was the pastor of Trinity Lutheran church on proctor street. The church is closing it's being merged with st Paul n groves
Looks like interesting place. Live in neighboring state, want to move. Watching to learn more of tx.
This is a nice video. However port arthur is NOT where you want to move!
Dont move to Port Arthur, you'll regret it.
Born and raised in Port arthur,TX I still live here too. It's sad to see it like this everyday.
In the city where I live, there's no extra land to just spread out into, so it remains densely urbanized without any large abandoned areas. Watching videos like this one is hard for me to really comprehend, that so many people just leave and the buildings either get demolished or just fall down.
I use to live in Beaumont use to go to Port Arthur often
anyone remember Fast Freddys in Port Neches!!! also remember going crab fishing off the side of the road by Bridge City. good times
Here I am in Toronto Canada reading all the comments
Very interesting
So much potential. Pleasure Island should be a thriving theme park. Also a great place for fishing, that aspect could also be built upon for tourism. It is only about 10 minutes away from the outskirts of Cameron Parish Louisiana.
Sabine hotel closed after the owner was robbed and murdered in his room in the hotel around 1987
The best architecture was the wooden castle in the children's playground. Port Arthur was on my list as one of the Southern cities (in Port Arthur's case, only sorta Southern) I could afford to move to that didn't have tons of crime. Thank you for this video, because now I don't think I could live there even if the pollution cleared up tomorrow, which it won't of course. The people are probably very nice, but it would be depressing seeing all this every day.
That is one epic playground.
WOW!! I haven't been there in many years. Use to live in a nearby town in the '70's. Had no idea it had gone to chit like that. Sad to see.
My mother was born and raised in P/A. YOB 1941. She said the city was bustling and prosperous until the late 1950s and very early 1960s when the Texas Rangers busted up all the entertainment venues like illegal casinos, nightclubs, drugs, and prostitution that kept the city thriving, along with the legitimate oil industry foundation. She swears that no city can afford for all illicit crime to be quashed because it crashes the economy in the worst way. I tend to believe her as many other cities have suffered the same fate. The religious zealots will decry this but the proof is in the pudding.
Yep in pa right now nothing going
I forgot too say tho I get free food here every single day. God bless that at least
Everything was so much better before, now we just wait for 1984 to come
بالتوفيق ✔️🤩
Moved from California to Port Arthur in 1995; when my daughter met and married someone from the area. The place has run down so much; pathetic.Almost no business on the west side to shop. Downtown; what downtown! Moved to Beaumont about 8 years ago. Nothing to move back to Port Arthur for! Someone needs to be held accountable for its rundown condition.
Muy bonito lugar
As a Third generation Texan, I'm loving the videos. Although at the end, wonder if the parents of the other children running around thought it was creepy that a guy with a cam was walking around a playground filming ? 😂
I thought the same... lol... but then I saw the cute girl in some other videos... I think is his daughter! 🤣🤗
@@Cutiefroggy633 Ahh that makes sense. 😂😂
I was assaulted on the seawall there in port Arthur a few years back never went back
Spindletop is about 10 miles FROM Port Arthur in Beaumont. It is not in and never was in Port Arthur.
Got that democratic touch.
Born and raised in Port Arthur, the city has a lot of potential but decades of mismanagement has come to a head. The city used to be thriving, but the infrastructure has gone way down in the old part of town and people my age have mostly moved out to Houston for opportunities. The elderly folks who had nice homes on the west side, Port Acres, El Vista etc have been dying off and the properties go down until they eventually become dilapidated and torn down. Most of the new development is around Hwy 365, hardly any attention is paid to anything south of Hwy 73. Hurricane Harvey really did a number on the town because of the unprecedented flooding, PA had a population drain after that as people relocated to Dallas, San Antonio, etc during the evacuation, a lot of the younger folks didn't come back.
Im moving offshore, as a digital nomad. No time to wait on US...
Wow Port Arthur, Tx I had cousins that lived there.
I worked at that refinery a few months ago. Small world
Nice houses and park.
Awww I miss that wooden play park. Unfortunately the last hurricane did far too much damage and it had to be torn down. The city is raising funds to build a new park in its place. Please look into donating. Tug boat island park was such a big part of the community.
seriously?! oh no!!! I'm terrified of the bridge, so I havent been over there in some time.
@@nailabelavidorico7590 Different Park, the park he showed beyond the bridge in the video was Pleasure Island’s park. Tugboat island’s park is in Port Neches. It was much bigger, and even has a water park next to it that used to be a swimming pool.
i went there to janic joplin museum.
Ily port arthur land of the trill baby. Home where I stay
Moved here when i was 6 and I graduated last year and moved to Houston. My family still lives there but i hated it so much I couldn’t wait to get out. Bad air, nothing to do, crap roads and schools. Only good thing are the people ( there are still some shitty people tho)
Look my hometown 💕 Land of the Trill
😍😍she bad bad bad
My wife is from there, while she enjoyed many things there she often talks about the hazards of school because of the race wars. Some people just ruin everything. Not only that but the upkeep by the city was terrible.
Schools here are weird. In 2018 during my 11th grade year we had a prep rally for our football game against the neighboring city Port Neches. Their Mascot is the Indians. They literally pulled a guy wearing a chief’s headpiece and proceeded to shave him bald while chanting “Skin those Indians! Skin those Indians!”. My friends and I were shocked as we watched our teachers and football team get pumped up for this.
Also Race Wars are prob a thing because most of the students in Port Arthur are black. While the neighboring cities (Orange, Nederland, Port Neches) are mostly white.
Tell me about city/public school administrations
As a black person who play high school football for Port Arthur Lincoln we were call all the names you can imagine on the field with no repercussions on the other time by the ref's that's has to many of the player before and after me so imo from my point of view you can't blame Port Arthur alone for race wars it takes two to tango
What year was this?
Most of the residents that did medical test in my region mostly had health problems due to those refineries and the children were failing school test more than the kids in my region . this area is a utopia of mutated genetic issues in people because of those wicked refineries .
so sad they don't care about their citizens and their mental , physical, and overall health.
right not just pa but everywhere in the golden triangle area. moral to the story is DONT BUILD A HOUSE NEAR THE PETROCHEMICAL PLANTS, and blame them when you have full blown cancer. it is not rocket science.
right, i have cll cancer and merkel cell cancer due to living here all my life. i just had a best friend die from stage 4 cancer about a couple of months ago. i think many people are walking around not knowing what is in their body, time will tell. it was merkel cell cancer that just killed JIMMY BUFFETT. Hearing that news took the wind right out of my sails..
Please Pray for those who Persecute us . We will heal ourselves and others. Immanuel God with spoke Truth Forever. Peace
mason?
Lose the religious bullshit.
I've got a GREAT idea let's put the largest refinery in the United States right where most hurricanes make landfall.......wait why have all the employees moved away ?
Nooe they just don't hire locals so all the money goes to other city's bout 20% of the locals work at these refineries....facts
I have a better idea. Let's go back in time and move the Spindletop oil field somewhere else and then build the refinery there.
Janice Joplin isn’t the only one there by the way -
My name is Delshayne Jones and I’m actually looking for a family that took care of me when I was a kid,they lived in port Arthur ,tx. The fathers name was maybe Francis or something like that. They took car of me in the 90’s and I just wish I could track them down 😔
Motiva was supposed to revitalize at least 4 of the historic buildings in downtown and they gutted those buildings but never did anything with them so it seems motiva has already given up on downtown
RIP PimpC
Not surprising. Get a group of people to work around carcinogenic refineries which shorten their lives, convince them healthcare and decent wages are driving their jobs to go overseas, tell them to blame the poor.
Pimp c was African American Hip hop artist from port Arthur as well