I Found The USA's Poorest Town: ALLIGATOR, MISSISSIPPI - Also, I Toured Helena, AR (A Mini Gary, IN)
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- I visited these small towns:
Alligator, Mississippi
Friars Point, Mississippi
Helena - West Helena, Arkansas
Travel Vlog 274
Sadly I used to live in Alligator, MS. My family roots are from there. Those abandoned buildings downtown used to be stores. There were 2or 3 clubs (what we call "hole in a wall" or "juke joints") Even a gas station/plaza with a liquor store & pool hall called BRUNO'S on the main Hwy 61. The town used to be packed with ppl walking around town, children riding bikes & 4wheelers, families gathered in their yards BBQn, playing music, spades, and dominoes. Everyone was damn near related. Everybody knew everybody! Now, all of the store owners are dead. Everybody grew up & moved away to pursue better lives. As they should! Many are successful. Every year we have a TOWN'S REUNION. That's the ONLY time Alligator is packed with people. Most of them come back to visit. Some don't look back. There are good memories in this town. Now its a Ghost Town. See ya later Alligator 👋🐊❤
blessings sis.
This was beautifully written💯
Where do people buy groceries or get gas?
Damn, that's both sad and beautiful
Thanks for sharing.
Love from India
Will never stop being amazed by the open stretches of land and rarely seeing persons moving around
My country you can rarely go any place that doesn't have 10 ppl hanging around lol
What a freaking vast streach of land your country is ! Blessed ppl you are !
As a Mississippian I thank you for your kind words. I remember the first Indian to come to my school and how excited we all were. He made fast friends with myself and the other boys.
That is why I love my country. Humans are cockroach like and I’m glad I can go to any National Park to escape infestation.
U are from India - Caste system- holds your people down- but BLESSINGS TO THEM!
I guess our slums are considered mansions by a lot of people in India. I have seen a lot of videos of big cities in India and I would not like to live there at all. To much trash and pollution and people everywhere and clean water is a luxury there and so are public bathrooms. I would not like to defecate into a hole in a floor over a river lol.. I guess I will take our slums before anyone else's. As bad as it is here in some places it is not as bad as other 3rd world countries. For all the bad we do have its still good here in the USA. If the republikunts ever take over completely in this country then we to will slip into a third world status...MAGATS will ruin America. Vote blue or get the screw.
@@akita96th in 1988 I visited my brother at Ft. Benning, GA in basic training and we went over a bridge and ended up in Phenix City, AL and I remember the shacks and clothes hanging from porches. The houses were shacks and were the same that are found in India so it wouldn’t be a step up.
I myself have lived in 10,000 a year! And I was working 5 days a week!!! I thought I was actually doing well for my situation! I was a single Mom ! I knew we weren't living high, but we had food, a place to live, and clothes and shoes on our feet, and Hope for tomorrow!!!😊😊😊😊😊
This couldn’t have been recently. My stupid rent alone is 25K a year.
And how long ago was that?
It's funny how Alligator Mississippi is labeled as the poorest town but it is cleaner than most hoods in these popular urban cities....and 34% of folks are married.
Very good points that u make.
Yall love bringing implicit racism into this
The poor are closer to God than the wealthy or money chasers AMEN
My Dad was a minister which for us meant living in the south and traveling to some of the towns you video, during my youth in the 60's. As everyone from these places comments, they were different and thriving places with family and job connections that gave life to the town itself. Your videos chronicle the ebb and flow of fortune and circumstance, display the role of poverty and wealth while also demonstrating the capacity of humans to exist in all kinds of circumstances.
It might be poor but it is clean. The street verges and vacant land appears mowed and cared for. From that I glean it is an honorable community doing it tough, but with dignity.
Its a beautiful area❤
I see that as well.
I agree. Nothing to be ashamed of.
Being poor does not mean losing dignity
Living in a clean area
Putting on fresh but old clothes
Washing daily
Behaving in the best way
That is called being rich
A positive spin on a cr@p hole. This is in the wealthiest country in the world. Time for the state government to do something for these people. But no, focus on nonsense.
A few years ago I traveled across the USA. We drove up from Mena, Arkansas towards Memphis, and I decided to cross the Mississippi at Helena, to say that we had visited the state of Mississippi. I thought we could get some groceries in Helena... 'Holy Cow' was my reaction also... So we drove across the Mississippi where we encountered some sobering tornado damage. All together a very sad area yet somehow very fascinating.
ALL grocery stores & Walmart are in West Helena.
@@JustineWordThat's exactly what we discovered, too. 😅But since we came through West-Helena already and my motto is 'backtracking is not an option' (not always a good motto ...) we just crossed the river into Mississippi. And since that corner of the state isn't the most busy place either, we ended up shopping in Memphis...😑
This reminds me so much of my part of town where I grew up in Gary Indiana man it’s crazy how cities can go from the happiest place to the poorest and scariest I thank my Mother and Step Dad Loudly and greatly for working hard to get us out of there my mom and dad had to drive 45 min to another city just to work and save money to get us out crazy world we live in
You always had a way with words sis! I love your comment! ❤
Us city girls grew a true appreciation for this small town Alligator. I felt like it kept us humble to see the difference from city to country regularly. Our parents would send us to Alligator in the summertime with our elders, host of cousins, & childhood friends. I believe it gave us balance to our lives because we could separate & feel FREEEEE!
We’d shuck corn, pick greens, clean fish, hang the clothes on the line, show the kids the dances we did back home (Milwaukee, WI)
tell them about the city, etc.
But to hear the statistics like this is very disheartening. Some of the most hospitable & loving folks I’ve ever known! 🐊 ❤
Lol aww thanks sis, I'm just now seeing this 🤣🥰
I like that you usually find at least a thing or two nice to say about even the poorest towns.
I am from England and watch your videos ... it really wakes me up and many like me that have this picture of everyone living in the perfect home surrounded by a white picket fence etc.
Clearly from many of your videos Nic its completely not the case especially in these rural areas ... hard to take those figures on poverty ... Alligator seems so quite so few people around ... hard to believe it was once really alive and busy with people and shops open.
I really enjoy your videos as they show the REAL America ... thanks for posting.
But in the UK we are on the flip side. Stupidly high rents and house prices, taxes and food prices.
An interesting video, as always. Some shocking statistics, very eye-opening. It was so sad seeing that beautiful old church in Helena slowly disappearing, and the many beautiful old homes and buildings downtown sitting empty. Thank you so much for showing us around, Joe. 😊💚
Regarding the church - The Lord shall provide - not!
Thanks, CL!!
Wow
The road almost look as of they are unpaved. Some of these people in the place might not have any transportation to even go to work
My favorite sign too see going to my family's hometown, because I don't have long to get to my peaceful place. I enjoyed all my summers in the Delta and still go once a year.❤
Wow. I live in Arkansas and had no idea Helena-West Helena is in this shape. It makes Pine Bluff look not so bad. One thing about these two towns and small city is there wasn't a lot of litter everywhere. That was good to see. I wanted you to go over the levee so I could see the river from ground level. Thanks for the tour.
No cat sightings in a town called Alligator. A coincidence? I think not! Interesting to see the the obvious poverty next to some nicer homes with late model cars in the driveways. Always cool to see those giant barges making their way along the Mississippi.
no alligator sightings either though...
in that region, I would have expected to see them in abandoned carparks and stuff.
@@stanislavkostarnov2157they are coming back. I have been involved in conservation since the 4th grade when my class got selected to do some kind of conservation project. Black bears are also making a comeback slowly but surely.
And, Your Point Is?😅
It's always like that
@@geraldsmith7240 Alligators!
This was so disheartening to see. All I was thinking was how do they survive without the basics. Didn’t see a store/pharmacy or clinic. It breaks your heart to see people having to live under these conditions. Great videos.
You have to have a car which is another burden along with gas so you can drive to the closest big town that has those things . Which could be 30 miles away or more
Still better than 85% of the world too. People forget just how far ahead America is in the global scheme of things. Our lowest 10% makes more annually than 85% of the world
@@Just.A.T-Rex I was thinking the same thing. I saw a video of South Sudan where soldiers make around the equivalent of $10 dollars a month, the displaced refugees live on top of cemeteries, and abject poverty is simply a daily way of life among the chaos of unending strife. Looking at a place like Alligator is like looking at paradise compared to that horror...
Yeah I mean they are poor by our standards but they still own homes and many own multiple vehicles, a few which even looked nice. They likely all have electricity internet telephones running water and air conditioning, and no one is starving.
And it wouldn't look nearly as bad if they just cleaned all the junk off their lawns
In small communities like that people look out for each other and neighbors help neighbors.
Only one person in the video for almost 8 minutes in...and he's in the middle of the street with a walker.
Good stuff, I like visiting small towns. Great stuff very informative!!
Joe, brother, if I had money I would pay you $1,000 to go to Wilson, and Victoria, Arkansas. I can barely pay bills. All I can say is that I love your channel, and I love that you went to Lepanto, Arkansas, my home town.
I hope you will consider a deep trip to Wilson, especially, as I think it will be one of the best videos of your journey. A surprise for all who view it.
Love, always, from New Orleans!
We do plan on going into Arkansas in late November, so I’ll see what I can do. I think it can be done, though. 👍
If you're in that area again, check out Anguilla, MS, in the delta, but farther south, not far north of Vicksburg. I don't know its numbers, but it looks worse than any of the towns you featured. The delta regions of MS, AR, and LA are appalling. On a recent rip through northeast LA, even dollar stores were boarded up. I have limited experience in Appalachia, but northern NM has some really abysmal looking towns, comparable to those of the delta.
I thought I was getting a little summer vacation, going with my friend up there to Eagle Lake, MS a few miles west on the old river, back around 1990 or so. His uncle was a tugboat captain & they had me doing hard labor building a deck by hand into the lake. He moved down here about 10 years later and I ended up buying his truck with 2 gas tanks after he shot himself. There was still people around that area of Mississippi in overalls and no shoes walking down the roadsides and some basically living like slaves in 1990.
I just visited Anguilla last weekend. I am a Catholic priest and I filled in for another priest, celebrating mass at the churches in Belzoni, Anguilla, and Yazoo City. From 2010 to 2013, I was pastor of the churches in Belzoni and Yazoo City. I now am pastor of two church in Hinds county just outside of the city of Jackson. I also taught high school at the public high school in Greenville in the Delta for four years. I guess I get used to the poverty that I see all around me, since it is an everyday occurence for me, but seeing these towns in videos can be shocking none the less.
The head of Dept of Human Services in Mississippi was jailed for stealing $75 million of the federal funds earmarked for TANF or welfare payments. He gave millions to friends to run scam agencies, or to Brett Favre for a volleyball court at USM.. Mississippi refuses to expand Medicaid which helps working families insure their kids. Not adults just kids. 99% of people who applied for TANF were denied. The poorest families in the poorest state are denied cash payments that cover hygiene products, utilities like water and sewage or heat. Black mothers die at a rate in Mississippi of 54/100,000. White women 21/100,000. Then the State closed the only OB?GYN clinic and a few rural hospitals.
The State is crowing about the budget surplus. I don't know how others feel but if a child goes to bed hungry in Mississippi, then the State is not fulfilling its promise and purpose. When they have funding available to help improve children's lives and also has a surplus, how can they sleep at night? They call themselves Christians but I don't see a loving God in their actions. If that is their faith, I'll have nothing to do with that. It is so hurtful for Mississippians who see neighbors living in extreme deprivation. Bryant called Mississippi the "safest state for the unborn". But I say they care not a whit for a child after he arrives in the world!!
Everything you said is definitely true.
The slums of Europe would amaze you.the caucuses mountain people, you would love the view and there diet.
Alligator seemed like such peaceful place with the elderly gentleman on the walker waved at you as you passed, so different from Helen.
Pedestrians in the rural South wave at everyone.
For experience from living in a small community like this im willing to bet the happiness of this town is above average.
Id love to live here tbh
EDIT: Didnt realize there were multiple cities in the video i was talking about Alligator MS
Alligator needs to be rebuilt
@@tyonnabennett8195 As someone who knows the town and it's people, have you thought about making a video where some residents are able to talk and give their own opinions ?
I'm from the UK and would love to know how people in these communities survive, and try to understand their life, problems and source of happiness.
I visited Sauk City, WI, this past summer, and let me tell you something extraordinary. It's a beautiful community! There are some downsides, though. Something must have happened there because, in many places throughout the area, I saw signs that read "Be Kind." That could be the motto of the village. Anyway, I took that motto home and into my workplace.
@@samolevski1119 I have thought about it years ago
@@GreggyMcflyWhat does beautiful Saulk City have to do with a place like this?
I do love America. Thank you for the informative video 🎉
another cool vid...watching from England....do you always feel safe driving through poor areas/neighbourhoods?....love watching you drive around the US 🙂
Not always. These towns didn't' scare me. East Cleveland, East St Louis, Flint...now those towns were scary.
Love all that ghost town Joe n Nick,guess people all sleep all day
I'm fascinated by these vids that explore the old south by car. The first couple places are in good shape despite the lack of money esp in comparison to other poor areas in MS and Kentucky. Is weird there are no people walking around though. Homes look pretty clean, roads paved, wood is stockpiled. These folks hv a history.
Blessing my brother love what you doing keeping we enlightening loving it ❤blessing
You do an excellent job making these videos. Thank you
I've never been to Mississippi or Alabama. Id love to visit. I really love these small towns and hearing about what they once were. There is hope 🙏🏻. I'm born and raised on Long Island, NY. There are parts of NYC that were once really bad and now their homes are selling for over one million dollars. One day I'm going to visit these states.
Alligator needs some opportunity! Were you there really early in the morning? With that many kids I was surprised to not see any outside. No playgrounds. I wonder how far they go to get to school.
I was there at about 9am, so I expected to see a few kids, but there were none. There's no school there. I'm guessing they get bussed to Clarksdale.,
My mom and dad and both set of grandparents from Helena-West Helena. Back it was segregated. I think Helena was the black side but I could be wrong . They left in the 60s after HS. Everything was on Cherry St. We used to go down every Summer when I was little
Friers Pt: You can tell crime rate is low because the abandoned bldgs in the town still have unbroken glass windows
The recyclables in these poor towns is astronomical..the jobs it could create and then to beautify the towns
A low cost home is most likely owned by the resident. Banks don't like slall mortgages or dieing towns. Taxes must be low. It beats $3000 rent or $4500 mortgage payments!
It reminds me of the scary Garry IN...my last deliveries as a truck driver were in 2017. I've traveled a lot in all 48 states but the South is very appealing to me. I was always wondering why is the South left to die, lately i was delivering solar panels from Ohio to Louisiana (really tight turns for a 18wheeler among deep ditches) and i was amazed to see the poverty at many rural southern towns which used to be thriving. I got to know that the farm owners can have a 15 years contract with the Solar panel companies, a multi million project, but the rest of them are struggling to keep their cattle healthy! My heart aches for the farmers, the pastures, the little businesses since i come from a coastal village of Greece (Antirrio) with farmers grandparents. I hate the corporations, i used ro teach in the National University of Athens Greece (3 degrees, PhD in Business Ethics/ moral philosophy, politics and Economic Theories) but I've been a truck driver here in America 10 years now. Life is a challenge and God always designs our future in detail, but having to compete with cliques is beyond expectation. It's gut wrenching to see great friendly folks in the South (way more hospitable than the cold arrogant people of the North) suffer in circumstances they fought so hard during their lifetime to avoid, hard working - sweat and blood shedding- farmers get overpassed by the machinery of the fields! Same in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, less in Turkey...I hate this kind of "progress" which Aristotle the philosopher had predicted since 4th century B.C. writing about "a guitar that will play by itself" and "machines which can work by themselves" and until then we're forced to use "servers" [he never wrote 'slaves']. Now the humans have become jobless, homeless, desperate, depressed, deprived of any opportunity to utilize their skills, creativity and ideas. This spiritual death is way more serious than any decay, any financial hardship and hunger for food. It's an inner death which gets depicted on the death of those previously beautiful little towns. Thank you for those videos, they are like a slap on the face of the New World Order, a rude awakening. Personally i would love to have a property at a rural abandoned town, cultivating the soil and gardening when i retire, but i need 7 more years in trucking 😬
Im an OTR truck driver and often drive through Helena. I stop and get snacks at numerous convenience stores. The folks there are the nicest people you'd ever want to meet. I never felt scared or threatened in anyway. Just use a little common sense and you'll be fine.
I appreciate you showing us the heart of if the country even though I have had some weird experiences in a few lil towns its still beautiful to me ...i am always concerned when a town doesn't have a gas station , police , ems, at least a dollar general to get food ...like what do they do😢
I like this videos..everything grey sky and no one in the streets ..only some dogs..looks like apocalyptic place... I would like to see South Salem and Madrid both are in New York área..I am From Madrid Spain , Saludos!!
I remember stories my mama used to tell me. Up until the 70s Shelby Ms was a nice town, that’s back when the train was running from Greenville, through Rosedale, Gunnison
So, seriously... what gets people up & goin' in the morning at a place like this..?
Kept watching & answered my own question.
A town that is 98% black & 69% single mother households (4%!! male) is definitely a hopeless place to be. You can be certain that $10 k a year is NOT 'earned' income.
Kno'm'sayin..?
Do the income numbers include government assistance, otherwise known as welfare? And my thought on the high numbers of residents 17 and younger is....well, there's not much to do in those small towns besides procreate, I guess. Thanks, Joe and Nicole for taking us along on your adventures! Very interesting stuff out there, for sure!
You can live on a lot less if you have free housing, healthcare and food stamps. Not trying to be cruel. Just a fact of life. Also, children below the poverty line are often better off than those just above the poverty level. Those below should be entitled to free health care while those above are expected to pay.
In 1983 I met a girl from Nebraska. She said that her High School graduating class had 11 girls and 14 boys. 9 of those girls were pregnant. She said that they were so rural that the closest mall was 2 1/2 hours away. She said that there was a McDonalds 26 miles away so the only thing the kids had to do was drive 26 miles and hang out at McDonalds or stay in the area and have sex.
@jamesadams2334 Yup. I grew up in rural southwestern Pennsylvania. Pretty much the same deal.
Glad to see someone paying attention and reading between the lines.
Only 2% of Mississippians that apply for government assistance are approved. Mississippi officials has been reported to redistribute the “welfare” funds to their pet projects like the volleyball stadium at Univ of Southern Mississippi. So not a lot of the poor people in the area receive welfare. However there are some jobs in the area: local schools, colleges, hospitals, nursing homes, banks, grocery stores, Walmart, hotels, factories and the MS State Penitentiary is less than an hour from Alligator so residents can commute. There used to be buses that would transport workers, from Alligator & other small towns in the area, to jobs at the casinos in Tunica and some people drive to Memphis for jobs. The salaries aren’t high but people in the area do work.
Alligator Mississippi, they still hold on 2 traditional values. That is why they male and female household.
They're just poor.
If you look at the neighborhood. It's not trash other than being poor everything is good.
It's very tidy. I reckon residents are proud of their town.
The town with the empty storefronts you can tell it once was a prosperous town which is not unusual in the united states.. Theres many towns that were once prosperous..But our government has screwed up the economy so bad and have taxed people to death this is the results over the last 50 or 60 years..Inflation , and over taxing..They tax your paycheck at over 30 % then you pay sales tax on everything.Then if you invest your money your gains are taxed , If you get married your taxed , If you have kids your taxed , If you buy a home not only are you taxed but you have to pay a yearly property tax to own it. If you die you pay a death tax , and then your children pay an inheritance if you leave them anything..then theres healthcare that is ultra expensive i can go on and on..where does it stop .Its our system that keep People in poverty..People do go broke from our greedy tax system .our greedy government..
The alligators in the lake say, "There is a town nearby infested with humans." 🤣
Hi Joe
Thanks for the video.
Got to know how people live in these small dying towns under the dark shadows of poverty and crime. Another side of America.
Stay safe.
I agree with the previous poster you should have interviewed the elderly black man in a walker. Just because folks are poor dont mean there's no man or husband in the house ! I have watched a few of your videos 📹 showing America's forgotten people. It makes me very angry and sad at the same time how we are sending millions overseas to help other countries instead of helping Americans , tax paying citizens.
Mississippi receives billions of dollars from the federal government. Some states do a better job of handling their finances than others. And there are very good reasons for us to help rescue democracies that have been attacked by their enemies.
I lived in Biloxi MS 1977-1981 on the coast and we used to trip up into that area and the things
we saw were unbelievable, inbred families, block buildings as houses with dirt floors, inncredible
poverty almost like Deliverance. I was stationed at Keesler AFB and the Klan stood on street corners
handing out flyers in full dress and racism was the norm but amazingly most of them were good people just dealt a bad hand in life...this is bad but nothing like what I saw in the 70's..fun tour..thanks
That’s wild. I make $11k in 2 months. The median age scared me but it also makes me wonder if infant mortality plays a role in dragging the age down. “Easy” to get pregnant but due to poor prenatal healthcare, they may have poorer birth outcomes.
I’m surprised I don’t see garden spots
Go to Holly Grove, Arkansas. That is where my grandparents were from. Check it out. I go down all the time since we got a house down there. Population about 600 and the fire station burned down. 😮
It's like watching that TV show, "In the Heat of the Night".
I like this I have family members from cotton plant Arkansas raised in cotton plant Arkansas
I do find it odd that people are rarely spotted outside in these small town tours. Almost like you’re riding through a ghost town. Little activity
Was he driving through on a weekend or weekday? That may explain why he doesn’t see anyone. Perhaps the people are at work & school?!! 🤷🏾♀️
So many people living with candles instead of electricity, is my guess at why so May are burned out.
I wonder if food stamps, housing assistance and general welfare are counted in those household income amounts.
Mississippi people are the sweetest people on earth.
Joe&Nic: the grain trucks you saw in Helena weren't waiting to be loaded. They were waiting to be unloaded. Major barge loading area for shipping on the river and its harvest time here in the Delta.
Why do you think crime is so bad in Helena?
You left out some of the stats
Thank you !
If You ever go back through Helena-West Helena, AR again one day, go through the West Helena Side of the town. Its pretty run down too!!!
The numbers make it sound like a town full of grandparents raising their grandkids.
Holly Springs, Ms You Should See There
I'm British and we used to visit Disneyworld most years when growing up. We had (and still do) nice memories of our time in America. But one thing that always shocked us was the contrast between rich and poor, often between black and white. We couldn't believe the low quality of some of the homes and neighbourhoods that black people were seemingly heavily encouraged to live in.
I would love it if you could stop in some of the stores and interview some actual residents.
My grandmother was born there but migrated north in the 40s.
My grandmother's family is from Helena, AR went to visit a few months ago for a reunion it has a lot of history from the Civil Rights and how the blacks were part of that.
Real quality....of video such as this should have components of interviewing people. See what Santennello does. it makes the videos ineresting and relatable. up your game and talk to people..
A lot in common, just being poor. There's nothing wrong with being poor. Just as long there's something good to eat. 😊
I'm absolutely amazed how you don't see one piece of trash laying on the ground down there. I struggle to find the reason why all the poverty stricken place down south still maintain litter-free streets. At least it's the impression I'm getting since I visited Florida and it was the same way. I live up north and poverty stricken areas are littered with trash.
My husband is from Alligator, and I’m from down the road. Let me tell you about Mississippi folks: They don’t have money, but they are some of the richest people you will ever meet. The strong love for family and community they have is worth its weight in gold.
Sad 😢
They are some of the nicest people who will give yout he shirt off their backs.
don't see any. stores
Where do they buy their food?
@@1928jazz
or anything ?
There's no shame in being poor if you're a good and decent person. I've been poor all my adult life because of severe and chronic illness. God bless 🙌 🙏.
Absolutely! Of course there's no shame. If there's any shame involved it should start at the top where decisions on how to manage the resources of this very wealthy country are made, decisions that leave most people out in the cold on their own, especially the children. God Bless. 🙏
I grew up in Helena and still have family there. It breaks my heart to see how it has gone down. Helena was a beautiful, thriving city with big, beautiful historic homes. My dream is to help rebuild the city one day. 🙏🏾
My family is from Helena, AR
Grundy was my grandmother's maiden name.
Good luck with the rebuilding efforts, I hope you have some billionaire friends. Down is an understatement… it’s just gone. My grandparents were born there. I remember how it was when I was a kid. I remember visiting from Chicago and there were outhouses and gravel roads. It was traumatic. Who wants to go outside to use the toilet?
My daddy was from Helena!❤
@@tarnishermack94 what’s your dad’s name?
At least it’s clean. Looks way better than a lot of other places. 😢🙏🏾
There's also lots of green on there
A lot of what is seen in this video, and others like it, is the result of the shift from small family farm agriculture to massive corporate agribusiness operations employing only a fraction of the people. The little towns all over the south and mid west that used to service the needs of the farming community have just dried up and blown away. Now we have cheap food and thousands of ghost towns.
Some say this was done by design. How do you control the masses? You congregate them geographically. You isolate them where the better jobs, schools, restaurants, options, etc you name the category. Why would they want a populous spread throughout? That would be vastly harder to control and manipulate. Food for thought. Good post.
Yes it seems as if a lot of people there are unemployed. There are no businesses nearby.. Maybe people aren't allowed to plant their own food.
People can plant their own food no issue. I don’t think that’s really the issue. Good comment 😊
@@heatherfulmore3412 Those that own homes can't sell them when there are no buyers willing to buy their homes. It is difficult to relocate for better opportunity without selling your home. In these old homes in small towns, most of these homes are paid for and only have to pay taxes to remain. So many are caught in a catch 22 situation. If they do sustain the financial lost leaving their home without selling it, they face significant housing cost increase either buying a home or renting a home...
Same goes for the rust belt towns all along the railroad.
im a retired nurse but i still work part time for a company that requires us to drive to all kinds of areas to see patients/ clients. i prefer these sweet little towns that are just a remnant of a former thriving area. there is such a difference in the people from big towns like dallas to small towns with 400 + people in them. so many homes are dilapidated and no way to actually repair due to lack of finances. but the people seem to be kinder, more laid back, happier and hold God at the top of thier world.. ill drive by sad for the state of the houses.. and my mind thinking.. if i ever win the lotto im coming back and fixing up these houses for folks... worry that they may be hungry or cold or too warm or whatever.. but they always smile and greet you like you are somebody.. yes. there are jewels that have fallen and tarnished..but the overall feeling i feel is just love for them...
Such a great comment, 👍so sweet and humane, it made me cry 😢
❤ LOVE ONE ANOTHER. ❤ LOVE THE TOWN YOU WAS BORN. TRY TO HELP YOUR NEIGHBORS...DO NOT LET THEM DOWN...HELP, PLEASE 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺
That's a beautiful thought! Jobs would be fabulous 🎉
that’s how god treats his greatest fans
I totally get it.
It amazes me that we have so many homeless people sleeping on the streets yet there are so many abandoned houses everywhere.
Have you ever given thought as to why homeless people choose large metropolitan areas and a sidewalk or under a bridge instead of the countryside?
@@CarsandCats Yes I have! It's just a shame there are empty homes. It would be nice if there was a solution. I know it would be hard for all those who wouldn't have access to drugs but surely their are some families out there that would be happy to have a roof over their heads even in a small town.
@@Crystl22 When the largest earners work for the government and with their town and county losing population reducing government employment, its a vicious circle... Unfortunately those working for Dollar General and Walmart don't earn as much as those working at a Tesla factory... And far too many major manufacturers have outsourced their production, surely not in the Mississippi River delta...
It amazes me that there are so many homeless people and yet so many advertisements for jobs.
it amazes me that so many people work 40hr+ a week jobs and are homeless...
I am a hospice nurse who works a lot on the Mississippi Delta. One of the main reasons for the low median age is the very shortened life expectancy due to poverty and lack of access to quality healthcare.
Thank you for all you do for Hospice patients and their families 💙
Thank you for your care. It is shocking to me to see maternal mortality in Black women in the upstate . And the state closing clinics and hospitals. And not expanding Medicaid. Mississippi has a surplus. And children go to bed hungry. To me that represents a total failure of the State to provide the basic elements of life: food, water, housing, health care, education. Or offer opportunities for people to thrive. It does neither, and wins every election. I live on the coast and we do much better due to military bases, casinos and tourism. Not the high paying jobs but we get by. The Delta is still just barely in the 1900s, not close to 2000s.
So sad
OMG that is shocking and deplorable. The United States should do better with health care. EVEN IF IT MEANS CUTTING FORIEGN AID.
@@sharronlee4641 we should stop all foreign aid
This is truly heartbreaking 💔 so many people living in poverty in the American 🇺🇸 but yet sending billions to other countries make this make sense 🤦🏻♀️ the United States need to start helping our people and families first.
I agree with you completely! 💯 All of Congress have stocks that make money from war.
That low crime rate just goes to show that poverty isn’t the motivation for crime. You raise your kids right and teach them to respect others, and you can be a dirt poor single mom, and still have kids that stay out of trouble.
Good for that town for raising good kids.
It's really not that simple. Multiple factors influence the likelihood that someone will commit a crime. Poverty is one of them. Parenting, culture, population density, appropriate problem-solving skills, and mental health & substance use status are some other factors. Keep in mind also that crime rate statistics only reflect what is reported.
Nothing from Nothing leaves Nothing
@@spookyvondoom4624Boy, it sounds like we need a multi billion dollar government program to fix it, huh? Oh, wait. That happened. Over and over and look at how much better… no, it’s actually worse. Hmmm.
@@spookyvondoom4624 What are you going to steal from poor people!
Just a correction to how the town got its name. There are actually very few alligators in the lake we use to swim in almost daily. In fact, only about 4-5 gators have been seen in or near the town since I started visiting my grandparents in 1979 and actually moved there in 1983.
It’s named Alligator because from an aerial view, the long and winding lake is shaped like an Alligator.
I still have an aerial photo on the wall in my Alligator home from the 1960’s, showing the whole lake and town.
And regardless of what statistics say, the most valuable home their right now, according to true market value (and not the number that the owner puts on it) is less than $200K
Looks like a snake, not an alligator.
Imagine being a teenager growing up there. Poverty, no shops and alligator infested lake. As a UK citizen I find your videos fascinating but it would be cool to see you chat with the locals.
Kids need shops? That's important?
Alligator steaks, soup, gumbo, goulash, deep fried, pit baked whole, and you can start a hand crafted boot company.
They'll need to call the place "Opportunity" once yall find some cheap, mix and match, paint store returns to liven the place up.
To,-- Wang Foo, "Thanks for everything." --Julie Newmar.
YOU GUYS DONT TALK TO LOCALS . LOCAL DONT KNOW THE PERCENTAGE OF THIS OR THAT ,THATS WHY WE WATCH HERE ITS DIFFERENT ..TALK TO LOCALS GO THERE AND TALK I WISH I COULD ..
@@p.s.7430 Don't act like growing up in poverty in a super rural area is the same for a kid as living in a place that has access to greater knowledge. How many piano teachers or math tutors do you think this town has?
@@JohnDoe-gy5dr I was talking about shops. In other countries, where people can live a decent life on the countryside like in Sweden, good schools and teachers are actually available. The US is not the role model.
My grandmother was born in Alligator, Mississippi in 1905. This is the closest I will get to where she's from.
Was she buried there? Might be interesting to see the family cemetery?
Alligator is just about litter free! good for them 👍
Unfortunately when small towns LOSE their major industry/business employer, another one doesn't pop up quickly like in major large cities, if not their suburbs. When that major job creator leaves, the small towns lose a significant percentage of their tax base with just the employees themselves. No jobs means workers leave. Not only is small town America hurting nationwide, some big cities are having difficulties when job creators close as well.. As FDR noted, the best social program is a JOB during the Depression...
Totally agrer, but I noticed Helena, AR has a pretty busy grain elevator but it doesn't seem to be helping the town any. It looks worse than the towns in MS.
They make $11,000 a year, live in a shack and can't feed their kids...
- New $90,000 truck parked on the front lawn.
The median income is $11K. That means half the community makes above that.
I think you’re overestimating the value of the vehicles they drive. For all you know that truck belongs to the landlord who is collecting the rent.
I was born and raised in Helena and in the 1950’s and 1960’s it was a great place to live in. It was at one time a very wealthy town, as demonstrated by the old homes that you showcased. Helena and West Helena were separate towns with a combined population over 25,000. There was a Mohawk tire factory, a Bobbie Brooks clothing factory, a Doughboy swimming pool factory. Wages were high and the economy, much revenue derived from industry and agriculture, had a reasonably high standard of living. But the factories closed and as someone else indicated the mechanization of farming caused the severe downturn of the economy. And on another note, during those times the black and white people lived together with little racial tension. I wish that your tour had allowed some time to showcase the nicer parts of the town, for example the area around the Phillips county college of the University of Arkansas. And there are others.
I lived on Caney Creek from 1969 to 1973 then we moved to Texas. I missed it very much. Its a very beautiful place. You are right about the economics of the area. Take it easy.
@@williamkelly6319 Thanks for your comment. I had already graduated from Central High during the years that you were there and was in the military. But I still have fond memories of my childhood there. And you’re right, it was a beautiful town.
❤
It appears totally empty now 😢
@@laralaralara7335 It’s not he just highlights the worst parts of the towns that he visits.
I wonder if you actually did the math, how "poor" those folks are...Assuming they own their trailer and land, there's a couple grand of scrap medal in the yard. That's a positive net worth. VS a cul-de-sac full of new cars with loans and houses with mortgages. Debtors who look wealthy vs people with no debt, thats what I see.
Interesting point
I didnt wanna say anything but coming from England... if they own that property, all it needs is maintenance and they have a pretty sweet deal going on. I saw 3 story homes with 360 degree yards, peace and quiet, lush greenery all over... not too shabby in that context. But unless I ask someone I'll never know for sure. It just looks a bit nicer than your typical british working class life shoved in a shoebox of a home wall-to-wall with every other home, renting til death
Indeed true. Thx for the insight.
@ABombs1
I know an investor with 100s of properties. He owns a few beautiful old Victorian homes near downtown. They look derelict and abandoned from the outside.
I asked him why one time. He told me, the value was the land, and he would never sell and would only do a 99yr lease to some chain franchise. If he made the houses nice, his taxes would skyrocket. So, let them fall into disrepair until CVS or McDonald's needs a new location. And save on taxes in the meantime.
Many places that look abandoned, trashed etc are owned by wealthy investors playing the long game. Never judge a book by its cover.
Yes, but you're describing the urban poor in the U.K.
Go to new York and see how the homeless people live and then come back and say who needs help
At least you don't see homeless people living on the streets.
Hello Joe, watched your trip through Alligator, Mississippi. I was born and raised in Port Gibson, Mississippi. I have resided in the state of Oklahoma since 1978. I was one of about 20 people who worked out of Alligator when I was about 15 or 16 years old. We hauled pulp wood from that area. Traveled from there back to Port Gibson every two weeks for about two years. Often wondered what happened to the people I met in that little town. I am now subscribed to your channel. Enjoy your work, keep it up.
Awesome!
@@JoeandNicsRoadTripAny idea on how many blacks occupy this area?
Aww heck Joe, Who amongst us do you think didnt want to see that Alligator infested lake?
With that many, surprised we didn't see them roaming the streets!
Amazing to see such small towns in this country that are still barely hanging on . Eye opening. Thanks for the insight.
I wonder how these poor towns keep the lights on and pick up the trash.
Yes, where is the infrastructure and facilities. Do they go down to a local creek and see if they can catch some fish?
Tornado alley, the people stiil living there are of a special kind, ver rare community spirit, rich in virtues and vallues, great !
Lots of crime goes unreported...especially in small towns. Often in really small towns they don't even have a local police department to call. Besides that they often know everyone and know who did them wrong...but if they were to get some distant authorities involved the perp would likely just get a slap on the wrist and return and give you more that just a slap for turning them in.
Explain better
Most of the crimes in small times like this are petty crimes. They usually don't get reported because the victim usually knows the culprit so the crime usually gets handled face to face. Fighting in public is usually the number one crime in these towns followed by burglaries.
Towns like this with no police dept usually rely on the county sheriff's dept.
This guy knows what he's talking about, police nowadays are worthless, crime rates only tell half the story
Really! Only 250 in a town? I can see why crime is low. Identifying the perps is easy when everyone knows each other and good number of them are kinfolks.
📺 🏃🏾 🏠🚶🏿♂️---“Hey! Unc’l Bill, what you mean by stealing my tv?”
I'm from MS and all these MS travel videos make me home sick no matter how much poverty they show. I might move back there but have absolutely no family left there, or job prospects. It's like looking at an old village thats all underwater now. The only things left there are memories, no space for building a future.
I get u that's Ur home, all Ur best memories r fm there
Watching that stupid vid I noticed loads of opportunities 4 growth Nd happiness in gator, I know I'd luv 2 improve my old community
Come back when you retire, there is no future here. My 27 yo daughter is finally giving up. She said I've outgrown Mississippi and there's no future for me. WSe gave our blessing though it kills me.
That state is cursed all the wrongdoings of the past Mississippi has never been a decent state for EVERYONE.
You would be supprised what someone can live on when you have nothing..
Do you ever get folks rush out of their houses as you drive slowly past? Some of those roads look so quiet that a car would be an event 👍
I wonder the same thing
Thanks for the video of Alligator. It is a trip back in time for me. My grandparents had a cotton farm there. They passed in 60 and 62. Still remember the road trips from Seattle in the 50s and first of the 60s for summer visits and when they died.
What became of their land?
@@cherrysmart3500 my uncle moved back and farmed for a few years after my grandfather died. 2 yrs later grandma died and he only farmed about 5 more years then left around the first of the 70s and none of the siblings wanted it so it was abandoned. My aunt told me after the bridge was rebuilt in became a hunting club.
Cotton farm?
Your grandparents contributed to this issue bye John!
Stop @@DJLisha
What a amazing portrait of these pockets of American towns, my heart breaks for all those gorgeous structures going derelict! Thank you for recording this moment in history
I heard George Strait is from here
@@chrishamilton1189 He Is from rural Texas south of San Antonio...