Hey Nick can you do a video on southeastern Missouri the Boot Hill region it's more like the South more than the Midwest there are some interesting towns there like caruthersville and hayti
Ive lived in Missouri most of my 60 yrs and traveled across the US in a big truck for 8 yrs of that. Missouri is the most beautiful as far s landscape and best for outdoor activities. Also has the friendliest people. EVERYWHERE u go u can find crime and poverty but u wont find beauty everywhere u go. MO. HAS THAT BEAUTY almost everywhere!
These "bad" towns in Missouri are often loved by the people who actually live there. This is nothing more than a city dweller assuming every rural town that doesn't look like something out of a movie is a terrible place to live.
Agree I grew up in NW Missouri been going to St.joseph late 60s-present. Recession killed all small towns,early 80s. Downtown isn't good here,but the North part is going strong. Have lots of family and friends still there
@@lisaperry5999 downtown is wildly different since I was a kid good lord go look at Felix square on a Saturday night. All these new music venues, local restaurants, Art literally everywhere. The Downtown street are packed during summer nights
I used to live there back when it was America's City. It had run down parts but was largely safe. Now the crime is out of control. It's gotten really sad. I still have friends and family who live there but I wouldn't live there again. It's kind of a Dead End Town and has gone downhill in a lot of areas. It's really pretty sad. Meth and Heroin have taken over. Even when we had the crack epidemic St. Joe wasn't as unsafe as it is now. Drive by shootings, stolen cars, and murders have increased exponentially. It's really in horrible shape.
I usually find the people who live in these places would have no better opportunities anywhere else. They won’t really thrive anywhere because they aren’t the thriving type. The ones lucky enough to have some talent -nurtured in a family environment that doesn’t destroy their chances early - take off as soon as they can and don’t look back. But this isn’t a bad thing. We must accept places like St Joseph (and their proper inhabitants) for what they are: basically made for each other.
the amount of disrespect is unbelievable. you don’t go into a town where people are living and saying that it’s useless and that nobody deserves to live in these conditions. some of my family live in a rural missouri town.. we love it there. sometimes it great to be isolated
I moved to Missouri from New Jersey for college and I just couldn't imagine paying east coast taxes again. Sincerely hope that this decline doesn't continue, their are truly some amazing people in rural America.
Part of the problem is in your post. Lack of willingness by the locals to invest in infrastructure and attraction of business that might actually improve the quality of life 🤷♀
As someone who lives in the San Francisco bay area, this town looks quiet and peaceful, I don't see any graffiti, trash in the streets, streets congested with traffic, homeless encampments, and holy moly, gasoline is $3.59 a gallon (I'm currently paying $5.59/gallon). Yeah the downtown area has a bunch of old storefront that is not occupied, but even for unoccupied territory, there are no stripped cars on blocks, panhandlers, fentanyl zombies wandering around -- seriously he says there are drug addicts, like where? In SF they are out in the traffic lanes screaming at invisible people. The areas that are occupied look clean and well kept. Also, rent appears to be in the $700 - $1000 per unit (I'm paying $1000 a month to rent a bedroom on the SF peninsula). Edit: another thing I noticed, the streets are really well paved! Out here in California the tarmac is always cracked and rippled.
Most Californians go to Texas or Memphis, usually Californians only come to Missouri if they have kids and enjoy the outdoors. Places like lake of the ozarks and steelville are good if you like being on the water.
❤we have a beautiful state!...I don't like you running it down. I've lived here 70 yrs and would not want to go anywhere else. ❤hey everybody please ask Jesus into your heart today while you still have time ❤
As someone that's lived in Missouri for all my life. Not every city is ran down like this in Missouri you just visited one of small cities and not others that much better. It's the same as most cities in the Midwest state. Old cities that used to have big manufacturing jobs and plants before they with closed down or moved and some businesses closed up. That doesn't make Missouri bad... just that how it happens.
Yeah. It definitely appeared like even in just the title this guy decided that Missouri was awful and looked for anything that proved his predetermined point.
People forget that walmart was started next door in Arkansas and quickly spread to missouri causing many mom and pop stores to close leaving a trail of devastation as they expanded. Missouri is a hidden gem with the mountains, foothills and mazes of rivers,lakes, and creeks. Everyone seems to be outdoorsy because there are things to do that is free or almost free such as swimming in the rivers, kayaking, boating, water-skiing, snow skiing, fishing, hunting, camping and much more. If you like the bright lights there is Branson wich is like a mini Vegas, or in St Louis which there is always things happening in Dog town, U-city, or the parks and zoo by forest park. The small towns around Missouri are neat because they offer unusual sites such as a post office that was split into 2 sides with a deli and restaurant on the other side, with kind of a thrift shop in the back. Strange, but true. Missouri is very unique and wonderful to say the least IMO.
Branson, Red Neck Vegas! I say that nicely, it's also great for families with Silver Dollar City (amusement park, Six Flags like)and seemingly wall to wall go-cart tracks and shopPING!
The negative effect of Wal-Mart is populist mythology. Before WM there were small five and dime stores with sparse selection and huge markups across small towns. WM gives small towns a product selection rivaling big cities. WM also kept inflation in check for years. Read "The Walmart Effect" or watch the Penn and Teller series.
@@jesdadotcom well that's true but that's only because the small mom and pop stores cannot compete because they don't have the buying power that Walmart has
@@jesdadotcom and it does have effect on your local stores small town are closed they can't compete for in prices a friend of mine Mom and Dad lost their store because they couldn't compete with Walmart so it does affect those stores I always like to buy local before I go into any other store
I lived in MO the majority of my life (in MI now) and they are the friendliest people in the entire country. If one can get past the very long, hot, and humid summers, it can be a great place to live. There are many great state parks. The southern part of the state has very mild winters and a long spring and fall. There are a lot of small towns that are nicer than St. Joe, Cape Girardeau comes to mind. Also, as particularly compared to CA, there is not a gigantic homeless problem.
I think most Missourians are happy to be here. In southern Missouri we have some of the most beautiful and cleanest rivers in America. When you were describing St. Joseph you were describing a bunch of towns all over the US.
For those of us who were born and raised in "Misery" yes we grew up poor but we grew up fed and loved and we are damn proud of our little towns thank you for making Missouri look so crappy a
I'm a St. Joe native and a bit knowledgeable of the town's history. The best way to put St. Joe into perspective is that was once the 2nd Largest city in Missouri, as the first railroad through the state ended there. However, the city never outgrew that frontier "metropolis" era. Its population has been about 75k for about 120 years now, yet the city's land area has more than doubled. It's sort of the epitome of suburban flight. While the north end is nice, most of the "real wealth" of St. Joseph tends to be on the East side of the interstate. Even though those parts of town seem really nice, the issue is the rotting core in the middle. Most of the children in these neighbors grow up and move out of town, with- in my experience- the most commonly cited reason being simply not wanting to be in this town anymore. What St. Joseph is lacking isn't reasonable to well-paying jobs, it's prestigious jobs that attract young talent into the city. There are a few companies in town that cater to this to some degree, but none that really "put it on the map" so to speak. The town has the issue of being viewed as a random country town by those that don't know and as a place to stay away from by people who do know. I'm not entirely familiar with the city's finances, but the impression I've always got was that the city council has always been incredibly slow-moving, inept, and way too fiscally conservative. When you were talking to Kristi, every one of those things she championed is a huge milestone for the city, even if it doesn't seem like it. Development is just that slow. And while some of these things may seem mundane, St. Joe was in a really bad spot in the early 2000's. It's actually getting better, albeit struggling along the way. Sorry if this comment seems a bit scatterbrained, I was writing it throughout the video. EDIT: Oh yeah, when that study came out saying that St. Joe was the 2nd saddest city in the country, I used to joke that that's even sadder, because we couldn't even be the worst at something lol.
The crime and drugs is horrifying, I live here. You never used to hear sirens, moved here in the late 80's, but you hear them all the time now. If they ever want to get out of this mess they need to crack down on crime and drugs
I grew up in KC. My former father in-law was raised in St Joseph. He was born in 1919 he always said that the problem with St Joe was a handful of families pretty much owned and ran everything in St Joe. He said these families had been around for generations. Do you know anything about that? He. Said nothing came or went without there say in the matter.
@@dreamyjeannie311 yeah it's definitely noticeable the few families that run shit here. You'll hear their names everywhere. I'm too high to remember names off top of my head but
I was born in St. Joseph and I still live here. The western part of town is the abandon part of town though downtown is getting more life with bars/restaurants. We have good parks should of checked out Krug Park then drive down the parkway to Hyde Park. The riverfront park has a scenic river walk. The eastern part of the town is where most of everything else is at - Belt Highway. The museums is what people should check out. There is going to be more police in the future with a tax that passed.
So dangerous, my god I’m surprised that you survived such a harrowing experience. Maybe go to the south side of Chicago for some relaxation and recuperation.
The one thing I noticed as you drove through the city is that it looked very clean. There are a lot of old vacant buildings, but it wasn’t trashy like so many places.
In the part of Missouri I am in, littering is a BIG no no. We don't play with people dumping trash and shit. We will call people out, REAL quick. I'm in the Northwest area. In the Jackson County area. Born and raised here. 35 years old and I loooove it here! ❤
Ya know...about 6 years ago I was training a lady who had moved to Missouri from New York City...and when she told me that...I thought "Oh man she is going to run me down the list of everything that is wrong with us compared to New York". It shocked me when she told me she loved it here and she said she and other people she knew from New York that moved here...that Missouri is one of the best kept secrets in America.
With a crime rate of 50 per one thousand residents, St. Joseph has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes - from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 20.
I’ve never heard St Joseph referred to as St Joke. I’ve lived not too far my whole life (except for my college days). I’m more shocked that while in St. Joseph you didn’t come across the huge Psychiatric Prison which is on the grounds of the old State Insane Asylum.
That's a good point! I am a lifelong St. Joseph resident and I noticed at one point in the video where he stopped to film the Stockyards Exchange Building. He was directly behind the Hoof & Horn Restaurant and didn't even know that it is a St. Joseph staple and still thriving business!
Missouri is often referred to on the internet as one of the most super-liminal states. It's marred by the abandoned structures and traces of memories of a place once filled with people. Leaving you with a perplexing sensation that makes your teeth itch from the inability to recollect just where you've seen this place before. I personally always felt a weird dejavu wandering in the downtown of places like JoMo and Springfield and Jefferson. It always reminded me of those retro cartoons like the Ghostbusters, where bustling city skyscrapers would turn into the suburban 3 story mazes that had random nature and foliage, The "edges of society" that seem to exist to separate the yuppies from the yokels. There's actually a decent amount of classism that exists here in Missouri. Like most places, poor people keep losing, and wealthy people keep making money. There's definitely a bit of resentment, though most people are too superficially "polite," or apathetic, to do or say anything. My own town is personally in a county that's run by two family groups. Has been for a while. Running people off their properties, arresting people after they lose their homes for "harboring a homeless commune." It was a single tent in the front yard a lady was staying in after her trailer burned down. Our town's population is less than 200. 1 in 200 is barely even a campsite. As far as employment goes, we don't have employee problems. there's no shortage of people looking for work. We have employer problems, specifically that they're used to taking advantage of Missouri labor. We've been historically one of the lowest costing labor market states in America. The current generations you have in the workforce, gen-z and millennials, are sick of the rat race where we get paid an extra 50 cents every 6 months, while our bosses get 100k bonuses every quarter. If my necessary weekly expenditures leave me with 10 dollars out of my paycheck to spend on myself, there's a problem with my pay, not my willingness to work. Everybody here has some kind of side gig going for extra cash because nobody makes enough working a day job to stay afloat. It's an interesting place for sure, old Misery. It reels folks in with promises of cheap cost to live and privacy before it traps them and their descendants for generations to come, in a bog of social and economic underdevelopment, and rampant governmental corruption. But hey, at least it's a constitutional carry state. 😂
St. Joesph is amazing. We recently moved here and love the history. We purchased a victorian home and a victorian building and are renovating. A lot of people are. And we moved to the Southside. We began cleaning up our property and within a few months the other home owners began doing the same thing. Don't dismiss us just yet!
I'd rather be in Missouri than Portland, Seattle, Chicago, NYC,etc. As a military family who's lived and traveled all over the world I would not consider St Joe dangerous. Run down like parts of EVERY town but no human feces or blocks of homeless tents. Actually go to a bad city and film that.
I actually like Portland, Oregon better! I grew up in Kansas City for 20 + years of my life and the small towns around it like Excelsior Springs and Richmond. I truly believe all of Oregon including Portland is better than all of Missouri. 😂😂
i love how people who move to missouri love to tell people that were born there how to feel about their state. you chose which part of the state you wanted. some of us had no choice. we grew here. you flew here. shush.
New to St. Jo myself after living all over the PNW, Idaho and Nevada. Love it hear so far. Quiet and comfortable for me. All the bad stuff I hear about I personally haven't experienced. Hope all those struggling see better days soon.
Live here as well it’s not as bad as people say just mind your own business and live your life and no one messes with you there is a little bit of crime here but there’s anywhere else.
As a truck driver who has logged 3.5 million miles in the past 25 years or so, I've noticed this has become sadly too common around the country. It's sad to see beautiful downtown districts with awesome architecture just left to rot. Not enough people care anymore I guess.
Yeah the decay of downtown in these towns is because the shopping malls came in so people moved out to those then Amazon and other online shopping services that's why there are no downtowns anymore
Tax breaks for the developers, established mom and pop businesses didn't get that break and it broke them. Still going on and everyday consumers lose choices somewhere.
@@Castleknight and that's another issue, everybody wants their 15ac "pretty spot" which is fine but don't bring your urban politics to the countryside, you leaving for a reason, don't bring it with you.
It’s okay. Frankly, it’s only there due to political pork. A duplication of services with NWMoSt in Maryville. And if NW wasn’t such a sports powerhouse, the attempt to destroy it may’ve been successful.
@@sonofagun5305 The rep on the video from the city of St. Joseph (likely chamber of commerce of economic development group). Perhaps you need to watch the video several times to take it in.
Thank you for taking the time to visit my hometown! I think you did a pretty good Job. I am a little disappointed that you didn’t capture anything in the north shops area. I spend a large amount of my time and money there. Chipolte, target, sams club, Cheddars, Olive Garden and a Beautiful brand new mini golf course. Also there are some fairly nice homes in that area west of the belt highway, near the north shops area.Also you know we have a military base here, it’s a nice asset. There’s also a hangar in there for civilian folks to fly in and out of. Not to mention a nice little cafe there you can try! I feel like you missed the fact that we have a university too! It’s a beautiful campus. I went to school there in the 90s. I wish you would do a St Joe 2.0 and capture some of this. Maybe you’d like to make a recommendation for someone to move here if you had seen that area.
We came to Missouri from California 4 years ago our little town of 3,200 ppl is a dream come true we are south central Missouri everybody has been so nice and generous they had a big plant that left the mill shut down but there is a big facility that has a lot of jobs we love it here it has everything we need you can always go to a bigger city if you need stuff the town doesn't have I will never go back to California nor live in a big city there is more here than a Starbucks or an Applebee's peace and quiet and good country folk
My grandfather is from Maysville Missouri and I feel sad because these stores are all I have left of my history which should be seen and valued with more importance and respect than this and it's tough for the locals who have roots here I'm sure because this is all they have left of those special people that once walked these streets and owned these mom and pops shops that tragically are not valued or treasured by most of today's disposable society that throws everything away so fast even our true American roots are being tossed out to the scrap yards at a very rapid rate it's truly disappointing and heartbreaking to me because this is the damaging results caused by fast growing pace of consumerism as well as the carelessness instilled in today's society that no longer knows the true value of life and this is just one of so many deeply nostalgic country ghost towns across america that still live on in the hearts of so many wonderful folks who left their hearts here...and still proudly call it home
The scene at 3:40 is eerie and beautiful, could be a painting. St. Joseph was used in the movie Paper Moon when it was still easy for parts of downtown to serve as the 1930's - it couldn't anymore.
EXACTLY! Biggest issue is the run down homes & buildings in the south & west! The north & east keep expanding & building high cost homes for the upper class & the lower & middle class are left with the rest of the city to clean up when they know they don't have $ to. Living in areas like these breed negativity. When you can have pride in your home you have pride in your street then your neighborhood then your town etc..... You also have more pride in yourself & then you care for yourself & others more. When you're surrounded by ugly things, sadness & misery it leads to more misery then follows drug abuse alcoholism & crime. Definitely need to slow down expanding & fix what's already here!
I happen to LOVE Missouri and adore going there any chance I get! Most people are AMAZING! It saddens me that some of its residents don't know how special their State really is. EVERY State has old, wornout, and forgotten downtowns, in small communities. I will ALWAYS defend Missouri, because part of my heart remains there since attending College in a tiny town in the 70's.
I started to jot down time signatures in this video and comment that some of the places shown are now thriving businesses. But my list grew so long it would take quite some time to mention it to such a narrow-minded youtube creator such as Mr. Johnson.
You note that the American Electric building was one of the previously abandoned office buildings in St. Joseph. My father worked all his working life as an executive of the American Electric Co. in St. Joseph including the time during the company's move into the building in question. The company moved to that location because the building had been so well kept up and utilized over the years.
The problem is not the money you ship overseas. The problem is that you allow corporations to ship middle class jobs overseas and the politicians profit from it. Get your jobs back and rebuild your middle class and your cities won't look like this. Keep the money here and build the city without fixing the middle class and it will be back looking like this again in less than 5 years.
I'm a St Joe resident. I have lived here on and off all of my life. I have lived in 6 other states as well. Alot of what keeps people here is family, roots & hope for change. This is not a resident issue, a crime issue, a drug issue, an economic issue or a government issue... It is an issue with all of those areas at once. Power focused in a chosen direction instead of the logical direction. The pony express (US Postal Service) Started here, we weren't just a post. If it weren't for companies that bring in help from other countries, we would have better paying jobs for residents but this scenario has damaged quality job availability. Most of the good factory jobs are hard to get/keep because either they don't have vacant positions or the turnover is so high that your a number and someone will jump right in. Temp jobs, retail, fast food then factory work. Although we all hate the way it is now, it's home for alot of people that love the history and as I said, have hope for improvement.
It's too bad he didn't actually stay and get to know the town. It's videos like this that make it harder to recruit businesses and families. He did not once mention that actual tax or crime rate. Let alone the median household income. And saying that all of the do good people live in the North-End?! Pfft! There are citizens all over town that strive to make a difference!
Hi from St Joe! I’ve been here 25 years now. I live in one of those $25k houses you pointed out. I think your north/south line could use a little more nuance but otherwise very interesting video. I don’t know what else to say… there’s lot of potential here but not a lot of money I guess? I dream of opening a business downtown to help revitalize it but I just straight up can’t afford to. I know others that want to do the same.
I spent a few weeks in St. Joseph, which originally looked to be what Kansas City came to be, but Kansas City became the major regional railroad center. The first railroad across the state was the Hannibal to St. Joe railroad. U.S. Grant began his Civil War experience attempting to protect that railroad from Confederate bushwhackers - like Jesse James. The Union Army eventually had to shutdown the railroad because of too many attacks and deaths of passengers. There are nice parts of the city, but not the downtown. I once hitch hiked from Kansas City to St. Joe - thankfully I got a ride with a state highway patrol officer. The city has a 26 mile historic parkway loop with beautiful old homes that has evidence of what the city used to be. You could live in a restored historic home for much less than other cities. Depending upon your career you can live very well in cities like St. Joe.
At about 5:30 you asked how the US can let a place like MO go downhill. Well, the Republican MO House of Reps just voted to dissolve corporate income taxes by 2028. That's how you get places like this.
I live in Mid-Missouri. Watching this video was somehow alarming. The statistics you shared about Missouri being “sad and dangerous”, just bummed me out. I am one those adult children who has returned to the roots of my raising after 20years of traveling and living in the Southwestern States. I returned to Missouri because I wanted to be here as my parents aged; and really wanted to be here for them when they needed me most. I had the best parents of all time❤❤ It was my honor and my brother’s honor to provide love, dignity, respect , and compassionate care for each of our parents before each one died. (BTW: Dad and Mom were married for 60years)(Our grandparents had 75 years together)❤️❤️ While Missouri may lack in culture, it certainly does deserve recognition for the values of Faith, Family and Freedom. ✝️❤️🇺🇸. I have chosen intentionally my perspective of Missouri. I do not allow myself to call it “Misery” like I did in my youth. I have often told myself to “Bloom Where I’m Planted”. There is nothing more satisfying than to be at peace, to feel that I’m making a positive difference in the life of my family and community. I appreciate the values that rural Missouri stands for. All of this makes up for what your journey through St. Joseph, Missouri lacks. Thank You for your highlighting Missouri. Most appreciated.
Missouri does have culture just not the kind the East and West coasts likes. Culture is created by the people who live in it. Folk Art, State Fairs, etc
With a crime rate of 50 per one thousand residents, St. Joseph has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes - from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 20.
Missouri is actually a very beautiful place . It would be nice for someone to actually come to Missouri and find all the beautiful places and Post that on UA-cam I live here at the lake of the Ozarks. You can go to any state any town any countryside and you're going to find bad people You're going to find poor housing You're going to find drugs You're going to find homeless people You're going to find everything that you find in Missouri so come on now let's try exploring and finding the good things about all these places.
Yes. It does. I had the misfortune to live there for some years after marrying my husband, we both are SO glad we no longer live there! Joplin HAS improved, however.
The old architecture in St. Jo is stunning and definitely selling super cheap.. Sad to see it falling into disrepair. We love our beautiful state of Missouri. Sending lots of love and peaceful energy to everyone reading these words.
I’m from KC, but st. Jo is on my back burner after working there for a year. I see potential, I think this is rock bottom or pretty close for its history. A decade or two from now, it could be a on par with Waterloo IA or Lincoln NE. Not amazing cities, not places you would travel to for leisure, but cities cozy enough and safe enough to stay in. St Jo is close to that, and if a few key areas are addressed, crime, education, and development incentives, it could be a great small city. It’s proximity to KC could help boost it too, being just an hour drive. Very few areas in the US can you buy a Victorian mansion for the price of a new luxury sedan.
@@SCIFIguy64 ...yes. The architecture of the historic homes in St. Joseph are quite incredible in comparison to the cracker jack boxes that they build today.
There are lots of beautiful places in Missouri you just aren't looking at them. There's tons of untouched nature that is absolutely breathtaking. You're just focusing on the bad. Every state has places like this, but this isn't what Missouri itself is. You can't let some derelict places define an entire state, a large one at that, that has 4 regions that are vastly different in wildlife and geography. What we have here is bountiful natural beauty many places lack.
And I want to point out that wealth isn't just material. We have wealth in nature and things that people seem to overlook. A booming town in your eyes, which seems to be over ran by big box stores coming in, is not wealth in my opinion. We should bring these towns back yes, but not destroy what they were before. We should preserve the small towns and the nature they hold, not make them cookie cutter industries.
Yes, it is sad this focuses on the bad places he chose to seek out just to get some clicks. Missouri is a wonderful and beautiful state, but he chose to ignore that.
Wow this place is actually beautiful! I’ve seen some towns that look unfixable but this one has potential. Even the ‘bad’ parts really don’t look too bad. And there’s jobs? Score!
St. Joseph is without a doubt the most forgotten place in all of Missouri, maybe even the entire Midwest! There’s people in St. Louis that have probably never even heard of St. Joseph. The Midwest has some of the worst, most run down, and depressing cities in the country. Look at Detroit, Youngstown, Dayton, East Cleveland, East St. Louis, Springfield, Gary, South Bend, Flint, and Cairo, Illinois to name a few. These Midwestern cities deserve a chance to become revitalized to their former glory especially Detroit
I have never understood why Michigan would be considered a midwestern state, or Ohio for that matter. To me, states such as Nebraska and Kansas, and maybe Iowa, are where the Midwest starts. Look at the map.
It's too bad because those are some gorgeous houses and buildings! Imagine if people did start moving there and put in some money into the communities how much progress and change it could bring for the already wonderful people living there. Some cities just can't escape 100% poverty!
They put all their $ into China, and now they’re mad at China for having the audacity to be nationalistic. As if they had no clue building up a communist country might backfire someday. Our leaders have completely sold us out, and their only “solution” is to start new wars (that they profit from) & send us to die in them.
The early 80s recession killed every smaller downtown areas in the midwest St.Joe had a city planner put in a pedestrian mall in late 80s and it killed the few businesses that survived the recession St.Joe,isn't as bad as Nick is portraying. I know many still living there and I grew up about 90 minutes away. And went there growing up in the 70s on.
I live in Wichita Kansas which is 200 miles South of Kansas city, not many abandoned home or building because there are a lot of companies and jobs here.
I use to live in st.Joe Although it’s the 3rd highest in Manufacturing in the state there is so much more room for improvement and I see exactly what you see nick! I haven’t been back for probably 20 yrs or so and this place looks horrible. I spoke to my mom last night and my mom lives in Kansas City and comparative to KC. St joes crime rate has gone up and continues to climb as a female was just killed there just a week or two ago and another family member died over there or near a surrounding town. It’s horrible. I’m sorry this lady might be somewhat right about the facts but.. def not saying a whole lot so far .. I’m not surprised that messanie st in the south side of st. Joe, was starting to go down hill.When I lived in st joe. And to me it doesn’t look like that street has gotten any better since. I remember seeing tons of traffic 20years ago! Now it’s a ghost town! I bet you that big distributors don’t even know about this town. Cause like you said they all moved out yrs ago now things are cheap there and a good time to buy these older places to keep st joe alive and create plenty of jobs they need a bud system and car pools and hell. Even ferry rides or travel by boat. A lot of these places could even be used to place the homeless in and get them help with addiction. Anyway very interesting content I looked up crime in at Joseph and your video popped up.
Next time you're here, you should visit Chase Candy Company on the East side of St.Joe. Home of the Cherry Mash! During Christmas, you can drive through Krug Park and look at the Christmas display and at the end they give you a pile of mini mashes! Such a good memory...I live in one of the small towns that Kristi mentions, that use St. Joe as our go-to for supplies...population 280 here.
'amerikans want cheap shit'- No, we NEED cheap shit bc wages have been stagnant for fifty years. And btw we don't send money to foreign countries to be nice to poor people, we use money to buy influence. Most of that money goes directly to connected contractors in THIS country.
I'd rather Americans keep their own money, as opposed to funneling it into the war machine on behalf of Israel + little Slavic Israel. You are correct, though.
Companies buy from foreign nations or move their factories there to get the lowest prices and the cheapest products. A race to the bottom. We should have learned that lessons decades ago from Taiwan. Junk for cheap. Then the jobs are gone so we need the cheap junk. Tariffs and tax structures can fix that.
Well everything is a racket that way. It's just the way it is and at least Americans have had the advantage of being the place where the rich have decided to call home so they haven't orchestrated wars in their own back yards.
No, you want cheap shit. No one is gonna pay you wages to make something in Missouri if they can make more in a county where people are desperate for crumbs. And nobody is gonna pay you for work in lead mining or farming or or meatpacking or car manufacturing, or any other dying industry. once big in Missouri But Missouri is lead by backward buffoons who act like the glory days are still here -- if not for some boogeyman. They make fun of all the future industries that are propelling jobs on the east and west coasts (technology, renewable energy, etc.) and their voters just go along (wearing that grifter congressman's hat that's made in China and waving a flag made there, too). And those people you vote for are investing in future technology companies prospering in California and elsewhere. And serving on board of "US" companies that source their manufacturing overseas. And that's bad enough for many US states these days. But it's worse in Missouri. Heck, Missouri is the new Kansas, is what people say. Only Kansas is now looked on as less backward. And the money to foreign countries is to keep them from falling under the influence of Russia, China, Iran, etc., who legitimately threaten the future of America. And don't forget, US soldiers overseas earn money and send that back to families in the US. And let's not forget all the guns and ammo the US sends to these counties, the manufacturing of which is often the only industry in some states in the Midwest and South.
St Joseph, like many areas of the state, including much of Jefferson county, has struggled with a meth pandemic for years; though a lot of that has died down now thanks to increased efforts from law enforcement. The town is kind of off the beaten path, so its no wonder its largely abandoned. A lot of those buildings are just so old they're well past their useful lifecycle and really need to be demolished. But the town has beautiful architecture that's definitely worth seeing. Poverty is an issue too. Not just for St Joseph, but for many parts of the state. We went through 2 decades of job losses where the state saw thousands upon thousands of businesses that shut down. Parts of St Louis county started to look the same exact same way over the past decade because of the rise in poverty. I watched Lemay Ferry rd here in south county turn into miles of boarded up dilapidated buildings, and even the giant shopping center next to my home remained almost totally empty for over a decade, despite the fact we live in a largely populated metropolitan area. Businesses eventually returned and the jobs with it following the health crisis, so the situation has greatly improved. Its a breath of fresh air for a lot of us. Just to note how bad things used to be, I spent 5 years at one point looking for a job and found nothing! I literally starved during that time. As far as climate goes, Missouri isn't the greatest place to live. As far as economy goes, its an excellent place to live given the high availability of jobs today and the fact the cost of living here is far cheaper than than most other states. You can rent a 1 bedroom in St Louis county for like $700 to $1,000 a month, you just aren't going to get deals like that on the east or west coast.
The problem in Missouri is the same problem as everywhere else in the USA. Globalization took away jobs and opportunities from smaller communities. Forcing the people who lost out into the larger cities or poverty. JMO. I'm doing what I can to get some tourism going in the Potosi area on my channel. There are TONS of cool crystals everyone!
As a person who lived in the town over and lives in northwest missouri, the reason why there’s rundown places is because saint Joseph used to be very prosperous and had plenty of jobs due to the big mental hospital. Once that closed down, the downtown went downhill. There’s a lot of beauty in saint Joseph, but there’s certain parts (like any big town) that are not desirable. South saint Joseph is like living in North Omaha. Also, the schools aren’t the best, there’s been a history of corruption, but they are trying to make positive strides.
Also, they turned the inmates of the State Hospital (the mental hospital) loose on the population. My earliest knowledge of this came when I was 5-years old and we had to go into this town to shop (as we still do) and as a little child I had to know things for my own safety. I knew that I wasn't safe in that town because the inmates were set free. This was in the early 1970s. Things haven't improved as it seems they may have integrated with the local population.
One of the biggest problems with all small rural communities are property values are low, as a result its cheaper to develop vacant land then to demo or refurbish older existing properties, which then waste away. Before blaming all of this on the locals remember the companies that bring in new bisinesses and choose new construction over restoration are not local! Main street usa died being unable to compete with one stop big box stores. These companies pay the absolute minimum they can to fill positions resulting in many families even with 2 incomes can barely scrape by month to month and you cant eat home improvements! You cam definately tell this guys "not from around here!"
The box stores aren't the problem. You will buy a Ford or a Toyota rather than contract with a local shop to build your vehicle. A fulltime employee at Walmart or Target who gets promoted to management can earn more than the average pay for that community. Sam Walton operated a few small town Ben Franklin stores before, at age 43 he opened a store in Rogers Arkansas that became Walmart. 30 years later he was dead of cancer, just like each of us will be dead.
If you go to only the worst places in any state you could say they're all bad. So sad that you didn't bother to look at anything beautiful that Missouri had. I've lived here my entire life. Yet I've spent time in other states that are beautiful and always come back to Missouri as I find it the most beautiful. And the best thing about Missouri are the people. It's full of people who always look at the best in people and places and don't try making a buck by talking bad about things we don't know. 🤔
the one cool thing about St.Joe is the ANG training base at their airport n of town . You get pretty close up to C130's buzzing around doing touch and goes and low flyovers of the runway and rolling in and out of the ramp area.. Maybe do a carryout from Betty's cafe drive up to Rosencran's or the park that has the hill that overlooks it and spend some time with the flyboys.
Until moving to Calif. in 1964 when I was about aged 4, my family & I lived in a small, safe rural Missouri Mayberry RFD - style town called Warrenton - - - I don't know if you passed thru there, but I sure wonder how it is today
I still go down a couple times a year and the town is still a fair place to live, schools are good, ironically though! I moved from warrenton when I was 9 years old and moved to kc and went from kc to saint Joseph the last 3 years of my life and recently moved back to kc, overall, I’ve found something to love about all the towns❤
Lived in saint joe for 4 years. Only moved because I moved up the corporate ladder from my job there. Originally moved there because of the job market there. The people that are poor in st. Joe are poor because they choose to do meth instead of working. Triumph, silgan, nestle, altec, and all the factories pay at least $20 a hour, most closer to $25-$30. Rent is cheap, housing is affordable if you want to buy, lot of stuff to do. The south end is the south end, everyone knows about the south end. The city tearing down a lot of condemned buildings, and the city gives funding to people interested in buying the old buildings and restoring them. The railways are still being used just as much as they were before.
I remember when I was a kid in the 70s my mom and her sister would save up and make a yearly pilgrimage to St. Joe to go to Einbender's Clothing Store, which they absolutely loved.
You should check out how depressing Northwest Ohio is. Unbelievable and underrated. Right up your alley lol. Especially the "city" Van Wert. Love your stuff too man
The modern history of St Joe really starts during the Civil War. The rail line from St. Louis terminated there on the bank of the Missouri river, and it became a western most outpost town for the Union... The town was completely surrounded by Bushwhackers, including the likes of Frank and Jesse James, and William Quantrill, who all survived the war. Many of the most vicious Bushwhacker leaders were hunted down and killed during the war by Union patrols coming out of St. Joe, and the town (city back then) was sacked by Bushwhackers in 1881. Bushwhackers attacked the communication lines between St. Joseph and St. Louis constantly during the war. Jesse James lived in the city, and was shot in his house in 1882. Back then the Democrats were the Confederates, and the Republicans were the party of Lincoln... Those political roles have been reversed today, but the sentiment of the Union stronghold being surrounded by Bushwhackers who want to see the town looted and burned lives on.
Many places have the "old original township" usually deserted with old structures. Then there is a brand new section, set off from old town that has every amenity today's person could need. It's called PRESERVING HISTORY.
Hey from Springfield, Illinois Nick! If and when you decide to come to Springfield, be sure to stop by Bella Milano or Mekong cafe, I’d love to shake hands or elbow bump👊🏽. Looking forward to hear what you have to say about Springfield and Bloomington as I’m goaling to move there👍🏽
Champaign-Urbana is nice too, but I’d prefer the location of Bloomington-Normal, closer to Springfield and surrounding places I visit. Peoria & Rockford are certainly not that desirable
My husband, daughter and I live in the most beautiful town in Missouri called St. Charles. We absolutely love it here! We are right near Busch wildlife reserve, lots of gorgeous wineries, main street St Charles with great restaurants and shopping! Come check out our town. Far from small town!
St. Charles is by far one of my favorite cities. I live there for the first 3 or 4 years on my life before we moved closer to St. Louis. I often think about if I moved back to Missouri, it would be to St. Charles. Still have several friends there.
This is probably going to seem weird to you Nick, but I sold my house in Texas and moved up to St Joseph Missouri last year during March madness. Maybe it's because I moved up here to a decent part, but I've had the best time in the last year up here. Maybe it's because I don't have a mortgage anymore and haven't much bigger house and my job pays me a lot more. The only real problem I have with this town is the school systems they freaking suck.
I think what is happening here is that the town is being moved. Rather than tear down the old it's best to build the new, then tear down the old. Looks like the new is going to be fairly nice. The rich residential section shows there are people living there who have money so I don't believe this is a dying town; it's just a town that is having a rebirth.
I've lived in Sloppy Joe my entire life and it's an amazing place. The biggest problem is the rampant methamphetamine use. That's what needs to change.
I will say as much as I love these videos, and old downtowns with the architecture like this (the buildings really do have character in their lines etc…something modern architecture seems to sadly lack)my hometown of Sanford, Florida, another river town from the 1800s that began to get very run down like these towns in your vids as I got older(even though the rail went right through town so it held on much longer), has actually done a great job of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and despair. They really cleaned the place up and now it’s a great place to go and do stuff with the family, hit a cool little themed bar at night, fish in Lake Monroe, etc. When I was about to leave for the army in 96 you couldn’t go to Ft Melon park for fear of your kids possibly stepping on a needle. Complete 180 these days! Maybe there’s still hope for some of these classic small towns…but it all boils down to the people and the local government and how badly they want it to happen. I dunno, just musing…I really hate to see how many of these awesome classic small towns are just rotting away…
I’d planned to move into that high-rise for low-income elderly. But the lady said they wouldn’t take me, because I’m disabled. Turns out they take homeless, alcoholic, addicted, mentally sick folks, just so they can do their own housework. The building has scant parking. Well. (Ended up buying a condo.)
I enjoyed this video. You’re doing a real folksy journalism here. The fact you mentioned the lack of police is certainly a contributing factor toward people not wanting to be there. A city with a sizable ghetto and homeless population is not desirable. They’re in the same boat as Detroit, Memphis, Gary, New Orleans-historic old cities with dilapidated areas which are cheap and have potential, but the area is too dangerous.
2:27 I was born in Saint Joe, as we call it, and this turd is a joke. I’ve also been to Detroit and Chicago. The bad parts make those towns look like a war zone. Yes, the powers that be wanted to build a railroad bridge in St. Joe but they said NO. So they went to Possum Trot which changed its name to Kansas City. Back in the 80s the downtown was dead because of the 229 bypass. I’d come home at 3AM and the downtown was just black. The street lights had been turned off!
I actually really enjoyed the aesthetics of this city. I think it's a beautiful looking place. But I also reject modernity. I like run down looking things. I guess what you're asking of this place is for multibillion dollar corporations to come and take over the city and turn it into what exactly? Like Chicago or St. Louis or something? Nah. This place looks perfect just the way it is in my opinion. I had a really good time watching this video. Thanks.
I moved to Missouri from Southern California and absolutely love it here! It isn't fair how poorly you represent it here. It has a wealth of history AND money. The people, schools, healthcare, and employment opportunities are wonderful, too.
Looks like a nice area, might move my family there, I have 3 kids 20 to 26, they are HS grads, no college bc they don't want the debt but they are smart enough to get good jobs.
I lived in St Joseph for 7 years. Moved there cause hubby is from there. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else. Lots of drugs and crime. LOTS. The education system is a joke, cops are glorified security for the rich. Much better places further south or another state. It is cheap in Missouri though...
@@bentnickel7487 Thank you for the advice, think I might just take it, bc I have a part time job n about $30k a year, I want a place where my young, but adult kids can do better but it's not happening here under the toilet man Pritzker for sure , of course nothing good is happening in this whole damn country under bumbling, Biden, we need Trump back.
Trump is a morally corrupt crook who never pays his bills and believe me he doesn’t care one bit about you or your adult children. He cares about himself, sex, power and proving to everyone he is more successful than them or he will turn on you like a snake.
You can be absolutist in your thinking if you want, but having been born and raised in Missouri and later having lived literally from one coast to another, I'll cast my vote for Missouri people. Kind, considerate, and good-humored. Sure, a baddy or two here and there, but I ran into a lot worse on the east coast and the west and it was enough to decide to retire in Old Misery where things are a lot more mellow.
I lived in saint joseph mo for 6 years... there are some true statements of course... lots of auto lefts for example is very true. At 13:12 when she is talking about the downtown being revitalized, the video clip he shows isn't downtown. It's a dilapidated part of frederick ave which does eventually run downtown, but not where he's including video. This is basically what most of this video is. A semi truth spun in the worst light to paint the worst side of the city. The North side has really nice homes (although he's actually showing homes in country club missouri, which is north of saint joseph) but there are also very nice homes on the east side, the very south has huge homes, and in the saxton area the crime rate is actually quite low... despite being south. Even near downtown (like actual down town) there are great homes and historic buildings being restored. When you're a hammer all you see is nails, and when you are looking for the worst, all you see is the worst. This video does a disservice to the reality of saint joseph, and even though I don't live there now, I feel compelled to point out most of this video is pretty much a lie.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Here's the entire Midwest Road Trip playlist: ua-cam.com/play/PLq-_cmf3H6yreUhBrJwFhC9LeCYh1TvBL.html
Hey Nick can you do a video on southeastern Missouri the Boot Hill region it's more like the South more than the Midwest there are some interesting towns there like caruthersville and hayti
n you see how she n the city dont even want to talk bout fixin the east side of st joe because they want all the money for the new side of town
@@captainflannel8558 that's a common thing all around America and all these cities and towns they do the same thing
Thanks Nick for visiting us out here in Iowa. Can’t wait to be back visiting North Carolina again next year.
Ive lived in Missouri most of my 60 yrs and traveled across the US in a big truck for 8 yrs of that. Missouri is the most beautiful as far s landscape and best for outdoor activities. Also has the friendliest people. EVERYWHERE u go u can find crime and poverty but u wont find beauty everywhere u go. MO. HAS THAT BEAUTY almost everywhere!
These "bad" towns in Missouri are often loved by the people who actually live there. This is nothing more than a city dweller assuming every rural town that doesn't look like something out of a movie is a terrible place to live.
Agree I grew up in NW Missouri been going to St.joseph late 60s-present.
Recession killed all small towns,early 80s. Downtown isn't good here,but the North part is going strong. Have lots of family and friends still there
@@lisaperry5999 downtown is wildly different since I was a kid good lord go look at Felix square on a Saturday night. All these new music venues, local restaurants, Art literally everywhere. The Downtown street are packed during summer nights
@@Schyler__Parker Trails West,in the fall,was a huge draw. Big name concerts too.
I used to live there back when it was America's City. It had run down parts but was largely safe. Now the crime is out of control. It's gotten really sad. I still have friends and family who live there but I wouldn't live there again. It's kind of a Dead End Town and has gone downhill in a lot of areas. It's really pretty sad. Meth and Heroin have taken over. Even when we had the crack epidemic St. Joe wasn't as unsafe as it is now. Drive by shootings, stolen cars, and murders have increased exponentially. It's really in horrible shape.
I usually find the people who live in these places would have no better opportunities anywhere else. They won’t really thrive anywhere because they aren’t the thriving type. The ones lucky enough to have some talent -nurtured in a family environment that doesn’t destroy their chances early - take off as soon as they can and don’t look back. But this isn’t a bad thing. We must accept places like St Joseph (and their proper inhabitants) for what they are: basically made for each other.
the amount of disrespect is unbelievable. you don’t go into a town where people are living and saying that it’s useless and that nobody deserves to live in these conditions. some of my family live in a rural missouri town.. we love it there. sometimes it great to be isolated
I moved to Missouri from California and I’ve never looked back. I love rural Missouri and the people who live here.
California sucks
Welcome to Missouri, Linda!
@@tlamb1379 thanks Tony
Appreciate that Mo!!
I agree. Beautiful countryside, sometimes still remote, no way! Uh yeah.
I moved to Missouri from New Jersey for college and I just couldn't imagine paying east coast taxes again. Sincerely hope that this decline doesn't continue, their are truly some amazing people in rural America.
Part of the problem is in your post. Lack of willingness by the locals to invest in infrastructure and attraction of business that might actually improve the quality of life 🤷♀
@kamwickw933 I am a local and most of us quietly disagree that higher taxes and more government intervention improve anyone's quality of life.
@@jasonbourne7950and that’s why rural areas will continue to struggle once all the old head die
As someone who lives in the San Francisco bay area, this town looks quiet and peaceful, I don't see any graffiti, trash in the streets, streets congested with traffic, homeless encampments, and holy moly, gasoline is $3.59 a gallon (I'm currently paying $5.59/gallon). Yeah the downtown area has a bunch of old storefront that is not occupied, but even for unoccupied territory, there are no stripped cars on blocks, panhandlers, fentanyl zombies wandering around -- seriously he says there are drug addicts, like where? In SF they are out in the traffic lanes screaming at invisible people. The areas that are occupied look clean and well kept. Also, rent appears to be in the $700 - $1000 per unit (I'm paying $1000 a month to rent a bedroom on the SF peninsula). Edit: another thing I noticed, the streets are really well paved! Out here in California the tarmac is always cracked and rippled.
If you move out here, just don't try to change it
@@Shifty-hb4fv I don't want to change it, I want to be a part of it.
@@Howwwwwl Heck yeah, that's a good mindset. Do know that it's not as perfect out here as it sounds, but at least we're not Oklahoma lol
Most Californians go to Texas or Memphis, usually Californians only come to Missouri if they have kids and enjoy the outdoors. Places like lake of the ozarks and steelville are good if you like being on the water.
❤we have a beautiful state!...I don't like you running it down. I've lived here 70 yrs and would not want to go anywhere else. ❤hey everybody please ask Jesus into your heart today while you still have time ❤
As someone that's lived in Missouri for all my life. Not every city is ran down like this in Missouri you just visited one of small cities and not others that much better. It's the same as most cities in the Midwest state. Old cities that used to have big manufacturing jobs and plants before they with closed down or moved and some businesses closed up. That doesn't make Missouri bad... just that how it happens.
Exactly.
He could go to any really small, really old city in any state in the country and find poverty.
Yeah. It definitely appeared like even in just the title this guy decided that Missouri was awful and looked for anything that proved his predetermined point.
Another short-sighted report on a small town that's out of the way and doesn't represent anything of a state. Good job for blindly reporting.
Unfortunately it's a deep red state and as long as it continues to be it will only decline.
I live in Missouri and have traveled many parts. Plenty of beautiful and good rural towns. The entire state shouldn’t be thrown under the bus. 🤷♀️
Nobody travling and visiting should show up to shit on what you have. This isn’t journalism it’s a guy being a prissy.
@@acornfed6484 He did the same thing to Virginia.
This is what is referred to as .....
Yellow Journalism.
Me too. And I love my city and the state!
I live in St. Joe and this man's review of the city is terrible.
@@bak-mariterry5180 a Leftist snowflake's take on things. He trashes every place he visits.
People forget that walmart was started next door in Arkansas and quickly spread to missouri causing many mom and pop stores to close leaving a trail of devastation as they expanded. Missouri is a hidden gem with the mountains, foothills and mazes of rivers,lakes, and creeks. Everyone seems to be outdoorsy because there are things to do that is free or almost free such as swimming in the rivers, kayaking, boating, water-skiing, snow skiing, fishing, hunting, camping and much more. If you like the bright lights there is Branson wich is like a mini Vegas, or in St Louis which there is always things happening in Dog town, U-city, or the parks and zoo by forest park. The small towns around Missouri are neat because they offer unusual sites such as a post office that was split into 2 sides with a deli and restaurant on the other side, with kind of a thrift shop in the back. Strange, but true. Missouri is very unique and wonderful to say the least IMO.
Yes Walmart moves into a lot of places destroys most places
Branson, Red Neck Vegas! I say that nicely, it's also great for families with Silver Dollar City (amusement park, Six Flags like)and seemingly wall to wall go-cart tracks and shopPING!
The negative effect of Wal-Mart is populist mythology. Before WM there were small five and dime stores with sparse selection and huge markups across small towns. WM gives small towns a product selection rivaling big cities. WM also kept inflation in check for years. Read "The Walmart Effect" or watch the Penn and Teller series.
@@jesdadotcom well that's true but that's only because the small mom and pop stores cannot compete because they don't have the buying power that Walmart has
@@jesdadotcom and it does have effect on your local stores small town are closed they can't compete for in prices a friend of mine Mom and Dad lost their store because they couldn't compete with Walmart so it does affect those stores I always like to buy local before I go into any other store
I've been saying for a long time that a big reason for the Rust Belt is because of the exporting of labor overseas.
I lived in MO the majority of my life (in MI now) and they are the friendliest people in the entire country. If one can get past the very long, hot, and humid summers, it can be a great place to live. There are many great state parks. The southern part of the state has very mild winters and a long spring and fall. There are a lot of small towns that are nicer than St. Joe, Cape Girardeau comes to mind. Also, as particularly compared to CA, there is not a gigantic homeless problem.
I think most Missourians are happy to be here. In southern Missouri we have some of the most beautiful and cleanest rivers in America. When you were describing St. Joseph you were describing a bunch of towns all over the US.
Yes, Missouri has an award winning conservation dept.
Yeah True, and much of it you all stole from Arkansas, land-wise historically-speaking..
@@MsNewgirl Yeah True, & award stealing too.
@@alexandercoffman8319 who cares lmao. we live here, we didn't "steal" anything
@@alexandercoffman8319 Maybe Arkansans should've been more badass and not let us take it?
For those of us who were born and raised in "Misery" yes we grew up poor but we grew up fed and loved and we are damn proud of our little towns thank you for making Missouri look so crappy a
Thank you 👌🏻👏🏻
Overfed...with fattening food.
GMOS will do that to you. Fact. That and corn syrup in every damn thing.
True wealth is measured by stuff money cannot buy. Never forget that. I have met many many miserable rich people.
what has and is happening to America is super crappy look at the bigger picture
I'm a St. Joe native and a bit knowledgeable of the town's history. The best way to put St. Joe into perspective is that was once the 2nd Largest city in Missouri, as the first railroad through the state ended there. However, the city never outgrew that frontier "metropolis" era. Its population has been about 75k for about 120 years now, yet the city's land area has more than doubled. It's sort of the epitome of suburban flight.
While the north end is nice, most of the "real wealth" of St. Joseph tends to be on the East side of the interstate. Even though those parts of town seem really nice, the issue is the rotting core in the middle. Most of the children in these neighbors grow up and move out of town, with- in my experience- the most commonly cited reason being simply not wanting to be in this town anymore. What St. Joseph is lacking isn't reasonable to well-paying jobs, it's prestigious jobs that attract young talent into the city. There are a few companies in town that cater to this to some degree, but none that really "put it on the map" so to speak. The town has the issue of being viewed as a random country town by those that don't know and as a place to stay away from by people who do know.
I'm not entirely familiar with the city's finances, but the impression I've always got was that the city council has always been incredibly slow-moving, inept, and way too fiscally conservative. When you were talking to Kristi, every one of those things she championed is a huge milestone for the city, even if it doesn't seem like it. Development is just that slow. And while some of these things may seem mundane, St. Joe was in a really bad spot in the early 2000's. It's actually getting better, albeit struggling along the way.
Sorry if this comment seems a bit scatterbrained, I was writing it throughout the video.
EDIT: Oh yeah, when that study came out saying that St. Joe was the 2nd saddest city in the country, I used to joke that that's even sadder, because we couldn't even be the worst at something lol.
Is Johnny Fryes still open downtown a few blocks from the Holiday Inn?
I also live in St. Joe and I feel like he was only focusing on the bad.
The crime and drugs is horrifying, I live here. You never used to hear sirens, moved here in the late 80's, but you hear them all the time now. If they ever want to get out of this mess they need to crack down on crime and drugs
I grew up in KC. My former father in-law was raised in St Joseph. He was born in 1919 he always said that the problem with St Joe was a handful of families pretty much owned and ran everything in St Joe. He said these families had been around for generations. Do you know anything about that? He. Said nothing came or went without there say in the matter.
@@dreamyjeannie311 yeah it's definitely noticeable the few families that run shit here. You'll hear their names everywhere. I'm too high to remember names off top of my head but
I was born in St. Joseph and I still live here. The western part of town is the abandon part of town though downtown is getting more life with bars/restaurants. We have good parks should of checked out Krug Park then drive down the parkway to Hyde Park. The riverfront park has a scenic river walk. The eastern part of the town is where most of everything else is at - Belt Highway. The museums is what people should check out. There is going to be more police in the future with a tax that passed.
Great Steve!
So dangerous, my god I’m surprised that you survived such a harrowing experience. Maybe go to the south side of Chicago for some relaxation and recuperation.
Lol- well said
The one thing I noticed as you drove through the city is that it looked very clean. There are a lot of old vacant buildings, but it wasn’t trashy like so many places.
it is not clean
In the part of Missouri I am in, littering is a BIG no no. We don't play with people dumping trash and shit. We will call people out, REAL quick.
I'm in the Northwest area. In the Jackson County area.
Born and raised here. 35 years old and I loooove it here! ❤
@@alex-ym4bn St. Joe? Do you live there?
Did you not see the gravel degree and homeless?
@@meganlynn83 yes you do. People do it all the time.
Ya know...about 6 years ago I was training a lady who had moved to Missouri from New York City...and when she told me that...I thought "Oh man she is going to run me down the list of everything that is wrong with us compared to New York". It shocked me when she told me she loved it here and she said she and other people she knew from New York that moved here...that Missouri is one of the best kept secrets in America.
Right. We need to stay underrated.. keep our prices low.
Let's keep it that way. Don't need east coasters screwing us up the way they did to their own homes.
With a crime rate of 50 per one thousand residents, St. Joseph has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes - from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 20.
I’ve never heard St Joseph referred to as St Joke. I’ve lived not too far my whole life (except for my college days). I’m more shocked that while in St. Joseph you didn’t come across the huge Psychiatric Prison which is on the grounds of the old State Insane Asylum.
That's because all he focused on was the rundown parts of downtown and talking down on the residents of STJ.
That's a good point! I am a lifelong St. Joseph resident and I noticed at one point in the video where he stopped to film the Stockyards Exchange Building. He was directly behind the Hoof & Horn Restaurant and didn't even know that it is a St. Joseph staple and still thriving business!
@@Fortune-kp7rhyou didnt even watch the video dawg? he talked about the nicer northeastern side of town
Missouri is often referred to on the internet as one of the most super-liminal states. It's marred by the abandoned structures and traces of memories of a place once filled with people. Leaving you with a perplexing sensation that makes your teeth itch from the inability to recollect just where you've seen this place before.
I personally always felt a weird dejavu wandering in the downtown of places like JoMo and Springfield and Jefferson. It always reminded me of those retro cartoons like the Ghostbusters, where bustling city skyscrapers would turn into the suburban 3 story mazes that had random nature and foliage, The "edges of society" that seem to exist to separate the yuppies from the yokels.
There's actually a decent amount of classism that exists here in Missouri. Like most places, poor people keep losing, and wealthy people keep making money. There's definitely a bit of resentment, though most people are too superficially "polite," or apathetic, to do or say anything.
My own town is personally in a county that's run by two family groups. Has been for a while. Running people off their properties, arresting people after they lose their homes for "harboring a homeless commune." It was a single tent in the front yard a lady was staying in after her trailer burned down. Our town's population is less than 200. 1 in 200 is barely even a campsite.
As far as employment goes, we don't have employee problems. there's no shortage of people looking for work. We have employer problems, specifically that they're used to taking advantage of Missouri labor. We've been historically one of the lowest costing labor market states in America. The current generations you have in the workforce, gen-z and millennials, are sick of the rat race where we get paid an extra 50 cents every 6 months, while our bosses get 100k bonuses every quarter. If my necessary weekly expenditures leave me with 10 dollars out of my paycheck to spend on myself, there's a problem with my pay, not my willingness to work. Everybody here has some kind of side gig going for extra cash because nobody makes enough working a day job to stay afloat.
It's an interesting place for sure, old Misery. It reels folks in with promises of cheap cost to live and privacy before it traps them and their descendants for generations to come, in a bog of social and economic underdevelopment, and rampant governmental corruption. But hey, at least it's a constitutional carry state. 😂
St. Joesph is amazing. We recently moved here and love the history. We purchased a victorian home and a victorian building and are renovating. A lot of people are. And we moved to the Southside. We began cleaning up our property and within a few months the other home owners began doing the same thing. Don't dismiss us just yet!
I'd rather be in Missouri than Portland, Seattle, Chicago, NYC,etc. As a military family who's lived and traveled all over the world I would not consider St Joe dangerous. Run down like parts of EVERY town but no human feces or blocks of homeless tents. Actually go to a bad city and film that.
Oh I agree and I said that
I’ve lived in a small town 60 miles south of St. Louis my whole time!! Go to downtown St. Louis if u wanna see bad
I actually like Portland, Oregon better!
I grew up in Kansas City for 20 + years of my life and the small towns around it like Excelsior Springs and Richmond. I truly believe all of Oregon including Portland is better than all of Missouri. 😂😂
i love how people who move to missouri love to tell people that were born there how to feel about their state.
you chose which part of the state you wanted. some of us had no choice.
we grew here. you flew here. shush.
@@muffinpoots I didn’t get to choose any part where I live
New to St. Jo myself after living all over the PNW, Idaho and Nevada. Love it hear so far. Quiet and comfortable for me. All the bad stuff I hear about I personally haven't experienced. Hope all those struggling see better days soon.
It's a good place to live, born n raised here I'll always call it home. Tough people here
Live here as well it’s not as bad as people say just mind your own business and live your life and no one messes with you there is a little bit of crime here but there’s anywhere else.
I have lived in STJ my whole life. Sure there are the "bad" parts of town, but there is also so much more to the city than what this man talked about.
@@tammybrown4901 tough to deal with cuz they lack intelligence
@@Fortune-kp7rh you mean the landfill?
As a truck driver who has logged 3.5 million miles in the past 25 years or so, I've noticed this has become sadly too common around the country. It's sad to see beautiful downtown districts with awesome architecture just left to rot. Not enough people care anymore I guess.
Yeah the decay of downtown in these towns is because the shopping malls came in so people moved out to those then Amazon and other online shopping services that's why there are no downtowns anymore
Tax breaks for the developers, established mom and pop businesses didn't get that break and it broke them. Still going on and everyday consumers lose choices somewhere.
It isn't just people. It's politicians. It isn't tax breaks, it's tax fraud on the politicians side.
And rural America, with the exception of some real pretty spots, is empting out. Old river towns and towns based on agriculture or dying out.
@@Castleknight and that's another issue, everybody wants their 15ac "pretty spot" which is fine but don't bring your urban politics to the countryside, you leaving for a reason, don't bring it with you.
I'm from NYC. I was AMAZED how CLEAN south St. Joe's is! No garbage in the streets or sidewalks like in NYC!
Honestly I’m from Missouri and I 100% agree. They sold a lot of jobs overseas and also businesses left due to politicians
Shameful that Kristi never mentioned Missouri Western State University, not even once. Great school that should be more supported by the community.
Lol I’m not sure that’s anything to be proud of?
It’s okay. Frankly, it’s only there due to political pork. A duplication of services with NWMoSt in Maryville. And if NW wasn’t such a sports powerhouse, the attempt to destroy it may’ve been successful.
@@sonofagun5305 The rep on the video from the city of St. Joseph (likely chamber of commerce of economic development group). Perhaps you need to watch the video several times to take it in.
They would probably rather head up the road to Maryville and support NWMSU.
@@gumby511 Go Bearcats!
Thank you for taking the time to visit my hometown!
I think you did a pretty good Job. I am a little disappointed that you didn’t capture anything in the north shops area. I spend a large amount of my time and money there. Chipolte, target, sams club, Cheddars, Olive Garden and a Beautiful brand new mini golf course. Also there are some fairly nice homes in that area west of the belt highway, near the north shops area.Also you know we have a military base here, it’s a nice asset. There’s also a hangar in there for civilian folks to fly in and out of. Not to mention a nice little cafe there you can try! I feel like you missed the fact that we have a university too! It’s a beautiful campus. I went to school there in the 90s. I wish you would do a St Joe 2.0 and capture some of this. Maybe you’d like to make a recommendation for someone to move here if you had seen that area.
We came to Missouri from California 4 years ago our little town of 3,200 ppl is a dream come true we are south central Missouri everybody has been so nice and generous they had a big plant that left the mill shut down but there is a big facility that has a lot of jobs we love it here it has everything we need you can always go to a bigger city if you need stuff the town doesn't have I will never go back to California nor live in a big city there is more here than a Starbucks or an Applebee's peace and quiet and good country folk
My grandfather is from Maysville Missouri and I feel sad because these stores are all I have left of my history which should be seen and valued with more importance and respect than this and it's tough for the locals who have roots here I'm sure because this is all they have left of those special people that once walked these streets and owned these mom and pops shops that tragically are not valued or treasured by most of today's disposable society that throws everything away so fast even our true American roots are being tossed out to the scrap yards at a very rapid rate it's truly disappointing and heartbreaking to me because this is the damaging results caused by fast growing pace of consumerism as well as the carelessness instilled in today's society that no longer knows the true value of life and this is just one of so many deeply nostalgic country ghost towns across america that still live on in the hearts of so many wonderful folks who left their hearts here...and still proudly call it home
The scene at 3:40 is eerie and beautiful, could be a painting. St. Joseph was used in the movie Paper Moon when it was still easy for parts of downtown to serve as the 1930's - it couldn't anymore.
We don't need NEW housing, Kristi! We need to update all the Historical buildings down town to AFFORDABLE housing for everyone!!
Yes, nothing says vegan environmentalist city boy like bull dozing old houses and destroying trees to build new stuff.
EXACTLY! Biggest issue is the run down homes & buildings in the south & west! The north & east keep expanding & building high cost homes for the upper class & the lower & middle class are left with the rest of the city to clean up when they know they don't have $ to. Living in areas like these breed negativity. When you can have pride in your home you have pride in your street then your neighborhood then your town etc..... You also have more pride in yourself & then you care for yourself & others more. When you're surrounded by ugly things, sadness & misery it leads to more misery then follows drug abuse alcoholism & crime. Definitely need to slow down expanding & fix what's already here!
Also a lot of very upper class people buy up land that could be used for housing or other purposes.
I happen to LOVE Missouri and adore going there any chance I get! Most people are AMAZING! It saddens me that some of its residents don't know how special their State really is. EVERY State has old, wornout, and forgotten downtowns, in small communities. I will ALWAYS defend Missouri, because part of my heart remains there since attending College in a tiny town in the 70's.
there is nothing to do here
A lot of those brick buildings look they are still in good shape, what a shame they can't find a second life. Great video.
I started to jot down time signatures in this video and comment that some of the places shown are now thriving businesses. But my list grew so long it would take quite some time to mention it to such a narrow-minded youtube creator such as Mr. Johnson.
You note that the American Electric building was one of the previously abandoned office buildings in St. Joseph. My father worked all his working life as an executive of the American Electric Co. in St. Joseph including the time during the company's move into the building in question. The company moved to that location because the building had been so well kept up and utilized over the years.
The problem is not the money you ship overseas. The problem is that you allow corporations to ship middle class jobs overseas and the politicians profit from it. Get your jobs back and rebuild your middle class and your cities won't look like this. Keep the money here and build the city without fixing the middle class and it will be back looking like this again in less than 5 years.
I'm a St Joe resident. I have lived here on and off all of my life. I have lived in 6 other states as well. Alot of what keeps people here is family, roots & hope for change. This is not a resident issue, a crime issue, a drug issue, an economic issue or a government issue... It is an issue with all of those areas at once. Power focused in a chosen direction instead of the logical direction.
The pony express (US Postal Service) Started here, we weren't just a post. If it weren't for companies that bring in help from other countries, we would have better paying jobs for residents but this scenario has damaged quality job availability. Most of the good factory jobs are hard to get/keep because either they don't have vacant positions or the turnover is so high that your a number and someone will jump right in. Temp jobs, retail, fast food then factory work.
Although we all hate the way it is now, it's home for alot of people that love the history and as I said, have hope for improvement.
It's too bad he didn't actually stay and get to know the town. It's videos like this that make it harder to recruit businesses and families. He did not once mention that actual tax or crime rate. Let alone the median household income. And saying that all of the do good people live in the North-End?! Pfft! There are citizens all over town that strive to make a difference!
Hi from St Joe! I’ve been here 25 years now. I live in one of those $25k houses you pointed out. I think your north/south line could use a little more nuance but otherwise very interesting video. I don’t know what else to say… there’s lot of potential here but not a lot of money I guess? I dream of opening a business downtown to help revitalize it but I just straight up can’t afford to. I know others that want to do the same.
I spent a few weeks in St. Joseph, which originally looked to be what Kansas City came to be, but Kansas City became the major regional railroad center. The first railroad across the state was the Hannibal to St. Joe railroad. U.S. Grant began his Civil War experience attempting to protect that railroad from Confederate bushwhackers - like Jesse James. The Union Army eventually had to shutdown the railroad because of too many attacks and deaths of passengers. There are nice parts of the city, but not the downtown. I once hitch hiked from Kansas City to St. Joe - thankfully I got a ride with a state highway patrol officer. The city has a 26 mile historic parkway loop with beautiful old homes that has evidence of what the city used to be. You could live in a restored historic home for much less than other cities. Depending upon your career you can live very well in cities like St. Joe.
That city loop area sounds nice.
I used to hitchhike all over the pacific north west. Can't wait to start hitching around these parts.
My family is from St. Jo. My aunts and uncles have some real horror stories about growing up there
@@angelaarmie5789 plan on many rides to the county or maybe state line depending on who picks you up. 🤣
Grant burnt my county down. Deserved, but all but two buildings here date past 1866.
At about 5:30 you asked how the US can let a place like MO go downhill. Well, the Republican MO House of Reps just voted to dissolve corporate income taxes by 2028. That's how you get places like this.
Wow! A 1979 Buick Le Sabre Coupe at 6:26. Those were the days . . .
I've lived in Missouri all my life and love it, you don't have to like it, just move along back to wherever you came from
"move along"😂
Move along is a really nice way of cussing somebody out.🤷😬😂
We don't like them kinds around here anyway.
I live in Mid-Missouri.
Watching this video was somehow alarming. The statistics you shared about Missouri being “sad and dangerous”, just bummed me out. I am one those adult children who has returned to the roots of my raising after 20years of traveling and living in the Southwestern States. I returned to Missouri because I wanted to be here as my parents aged; and really wanted to be here for them when they needed me most.
I had the best parents of all time❤❤ It was my honor and my brother’s honor to provide love, dignity, respect , and compassionate care for each of our parents before each one died. (BTW: Dad and Mom were married for 60years)(Our grandparents had 75 years together)❤️❤️
While Missouri may lack in culture, it certainly does deserve recognition for the values of Faith, Family and Freedom. ✝️❤️🇺🇸.
I have chosen intentionally my perspective of Missouri. I do not allow myself to call it “Misery” like I did in my youth. I have often told myself to “Bloom Where I’m Planted”. There is nothing more satisfying than to be at peace, to feel that I’m making a positive difference in the life of my family and community. I appreciate the values that rural Missouri stands for. All of this makes up for what your journey through St. Joseph, Missouri lacks. Thank You for your highlighting Missouri.
Most appreciated.
He needs to go to Columbia, even Jeff City.
Missouri does have culture just not the kind the East and West coasts likes.
Culture is created by the people who live in it.
Folk Art, State Fairs, etc
thank you , for that heartwrenching input,,❤
With a crime rate of 50 per one thousand residents, St. Joseph has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes - from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 20.
Honestly there really is so much more in MO to see and I really hope you can show more of the state.
That’s not his Schtick. He’s a coastal leftist whose entire channel is dedicated to trashing red states
Missouri is actually a very beautiful place . It would be nice for someone to actually come to Missouri and find all the beautiful places and Post that on UA-cam I live here at the lake of the Ozarks. You can go to any state any town any countryside and you're going to find bad people You're going to find poor housing You're going to find drugs You're going to find homeless people You're going to find everything that you find in Missouri so come on now let's try exploring and finding the good things about all these places.
Exactly! I think Missouri is beautiful
i love living here. small town life for me. from the city to nowhere. never looked back
There's towns like this in every part of the world. Towns that hit their boom 80 years ago. Doesn't make Missouri a bad place to live.
Of course not. I've been all through that state and found much beauty but I have no use for cities or tall buildings. Give me green space any day.
Exactly Emily
Yes. It does. I had the misfortune to live there for some years after marrying my husband, we both are SO glad we no longer live there! Joplin HAS improved, however.
Exactly it's all over
It's a bad place to live if you can't find a job there.
The old architecture in St. Jo is stunning and definitely selling super cheap.. Sad to see it falling into disrepair. We love our beautiful state of Missouri. Sending lots of love and peaceful energy to everyone reading these words.
I’m from KC, but st. Jo is on my back burner after working there for a year. I see potential, I think this is rock bottom or pretty close for its history. A decade or two from now, it could be a on par with Waterloo IA or Lincoln NE. Not amazing cities, not places you would travel to for leisure, but cities cozy enough and safe enough to stay in. St Jo is close to that, and if a few key areas are addressed, crime, education, and development incentives, it could be a great small city. It’s proximity to KC could help boost it too, being just an hour drive. Very few areas in the US can you buy a Victorian mansion for the price of a new luxury sedan.
@@SCIFIguy64 ...yes. The architecture of the historic homes in St. Joseph are quite incredible in comparison to the cracker jack boxes that they build today.
Glad everything went well for you 😊
There are lots of beautiful places in Missouri you just aren't looking at them. There's tons of untouched nature that is absolutely breathtaking. You're just focusing on the bad. Every state has places like this, but this isn't what Missouri itself is. You can't let some derelict places define an entire state, a large one at that, that has 4 regions that are vastly different in wildlife and geography. What we have here is bountiful natural beauty many places lack.
And I want to point out that wealth isn't just material. We have wealth in nature and things that people seem to overlook. A booming town in your eyes, which seems to be over ran by big box stores coming in, is not wealth in my opinion. We should bring these towns back yes, but not destroy what they were before. We should preserve the small towns and the nature they hold, not make them cookie cutter industries.
But yet people define NY by just NYC. hmmm.
Yes, it is sad this focuses on the bad places he chose to seek out just to get some clicks. Missouri is a wonderful and beautiful state, but he chose to ignore that.
@@ksavage681 exactly. Upstate NY is absolutely beautiful. Finger Lakes area as well as others are awesome.
@@KS5040Ticks! Your pets will be covered on ticks if you let them roam
Doing the lords work. I would not know how other places are without this channel.
Wow this place is actually beautiful! I’ve seen some towns that look unfixable but this one has potential. Even the ‘bad’ parts really don’t look too bad. And there’s jobs? Score!
St. Joseph is without a doubt the most forgotten place in all of Missouri, maybe even the entire Midwest! There’s people in St. Louis that have probably never even heard of St. Joseph. The Midwest has some of the worst, most run down, and depressing cities in the country. Look at Detroit, Youngstown, Dayton, East Cleveland, East St. Louis, Springfield, Gary, South Bend, Flint, and Cairo, Illinois to name a few. These Midwestern cities deserve a chance to become revitalized to their former glory especially Detroit
Agreed. All the places you named are very sucky.
Ya, you're right there are no bad places to live in New York, California, etc. They are all heaven on Earth. LOL, you guy are entertaining.
Midwest suck that why I left for San Diego California, America finest city after spend 20 years working In Kansas and Missouri.
@Nosson Rossman it does have the worst roads ive ever driven on
I have never understood why Michigan would be considered a midwestern state, or Ohio for that matter. To me, states such as Nebraska and Kansas, and maybe Iowa, are where the Midwest starts. Look at the map.
It's too bad because those are some gorgeous houses and buildings! Imagine if people did start moving there and put in some money into the communities how much progress and change it could bring for the already wonderful people living there. Some cities just can't escape 100% poverty!
They put all their $ into China, and now they’re mad at China for having the audacity to be nationalistic. As if they had no clue building up a communist country might backfire someday. Our leaders have completely sold us out, and their only “solution” is to start new wars (that they profit from) & send us to die in them.
The early 80s recession killed every smaller downtown areas in the midwest St.Joe had a city planner put in a pedestrian mall in late 80s and it killed the few businesses that survived the recession St.Joe,isn't as bad as Nick is portraying. I know many still living there and I grew up about 90 minutes away. And went there growing up in the 70s on.
In San Diego California, these houses worth no less than $800,000.
I live in Wichita Kansas which is 200 miles South of Kansas city, not many abandoned home or building because there are a lot of companies and jobs here.
@@charleshoang566 they look better than they actually are in the video. There’s some real dumps that need bull dozed
I love how you are showcasing the Midwest. Such a great and underrated part of the country. Great job!
I use to live in st.Joe Although it’s the 3rd highest in Manufacturing in the state there is so much more room for improvement and I see exactly what you see nick! I haven’t been back for probably 20 yrs or so and this place looks horrible. I spoke to my mom last night and my mom lives in Kansas City and comparative to KC. St joes crime rate has gone up and continues to climb as a female was just killed there just a week or two ago and another family member died over there or near a surrounding town. It’s horrible. I’m sorry this lady might be somewhat right about the facts but.. def not saying a whole lot so far .. I’m not surprised that messanie st in the south side of st. Joe, was starting to go down hill.When I lived in st joe. And to me it doesn’t look like that street has gotten any better since. I remember seeing tons of traffic 20years ago! Now it’s a ghost town! I bet you that big distributors don’t even know about this town. Cause like you said they all moved out yrs ago now things are cheap there and a good time to buy these older places to keep st joe alive and create plenty of jobs they need a bud system and car pools and hell. Even ferry rides or travel by boat. A lot of these places could even be used to place the homeless in and get them help with addiction. Anyway very interesting content I looked up crime in at Joseph and your video popped up.
This is happening to every town as businesses move near the Wal-Mart cities.
Next time you're here, you should visit Chase Candy Company on the East side of St.Joe. Home of the Cherry Mash! During Christmas, you can drive through Krug Park and look at the Christmas display and at the end they give you a pile of mini mashes! Such a good memory...I live in one of the small towns that Kristi mentions, that use St. Joe as our go-to for supplies...population 280 here.
'amerikans want cheap shit'-
No, we NEED cheap shit bc wages have been stagnant for fifty years.
And btw we don't send money to foreign countries to be nice to poor people, we use money to buy influence.
Most of that money goes directly to connected contractors in THIS country.
I'd rather Americans keep their own money, as opposed to funneling it into the war machine on behalf of Israel + little Slavic Israel.
You are correct, though.
Companies buy from foreign nations or move their factories there to get the lowest prices and the cheapest products. A race to the bottom. We should have learned that lessons decades ago from Taiwan. Junk for cheap. Then the jobs are gone so we need the cheap junk. Tariffs and tax structures can fix that.
Well everything is a racket that way. It's just the way it is and at least Americans have had the advantage of being the place where the rich have decided to call home so they haven't orchestrated wars in their own back yards.
No, you want cheap shit. No one is gonna pay you wages to make something in Missouri if they can make more in a county where people are desperate for crumbs. And nobody is gonna pay you for work in lead mining or farming or or meatpacking or car manufacturing, or any other dying industry. once big in Missouri But Missouri is lead by backward buffoons who act like the glory days are still here -- if not for some boogeyman. They make fun of all the future industries that are propelling jobs on the east and west coasts (technology, renewable energy, etc.) and their voters just go along (wearing that grifter congressman's hat that's made in China and waving a flag made there, too). And those people you vote for are investing in future technology companies prospering in California and elsewhere. And serving on board of "US" companies that source their manufacturing overseas. And that's bad enough for many US states these days. But it's worse in Missouri. Heck, Missouri is the new Kansas, is what people say. Only Kansas is now looked on as less backward.
And the money to foreign countries is to keep them from falling under the influence of Russia, China, Iran, etc., who legitimately threaten the future of America. And don't forget, US soldiers overseas earn money and send that back to families in the US. And let's not forget all the guns and ammo the US sends to these counties, the manufacturing of which is often the only industry in some states in the Midwest and South.
@@ubebukothepugbros.446 The federal government can fix all that but we have to find someone who wants it and we know who that is.
St Joseph, like many areas of the state, including much of Jefferson county, has struggled with a meth pandemic for years; though a lot of that has died down now thanks to increased efforts from law enforcement. The town is kind of off the beaten path, so its no wonder its largely abandoned. A lot of those buildings are just so old they're well past their useful lifecycle and really need to be demolished. But the town has beautiful architecture that's definitely worth seeing.
Poverty is an issue too. Not just for St Joseph, but for many parts of the state. We went through 2 decades of job losses where the state saw thousands upon thousands of businesses that shut down. Parts of St Louis county started to look the same exact same way over the past decade because of the rise in poverty. I watched Lemay Ferry rd here in south county turn into miles of boarded up dilapidated buildings, and even the giant shopping center next to my home remained almost totally empty for over a decade, despite the fact we live in a largely populated metropolitan area.
Businesses eventually returned and the jobs with it following the health crisis, so the situation has greatly improved. Its a breath of fresh air for a lot of us. Just to note how bad things used to be, I spent 5 years at one point looking for a job and found nothing! I literally starved during that time.
As far as climate goes, Missouri isn't the greatest place to live. As far as economy goes, its an excellent place to live given the high availability of jobs today and the fact the cost of living here is far cheaper than than most other states. You can rent a 1 bedroom in St Louis county for like $700 to $1,000 a month, you just aren't going to get deals like that on the east or west coast.
Bro I live in at joe and have never even seen someone even look high on weed let alone meth.
The problem in Missouri is the same problem as everywhere else in the USA. Globalization took away jobs and opportunities from smaller communities. Forcing the people who lost out into the larger cities or poverty. JMO. I'm doing what I can to get some tourism going in the Potosi area on my channel. There are TONS of cool crystals everyone!
As a person who lived in the town over and lives in northwest missouri, the reason why there’s rundown places is because saint Joseph used to be very prosperous and had plenty of jobs due to the big mental hospital. Once that closed down, the downtown went downhill. There’s a lot of beauty in saint Joseph, but there’s certain parts (like any big town) that are not desirable. South saint Joseph is like living in North Omaha. Also, the schools aren’t the best, there’s been a history of corruption, but they are trying to make positive strides.
Also, they turned the inmates of the State Hospital (the mental hospital) loose on the population. My earliest knowledge of this came when I was 5-years old and we had to go into this town to shop (as we still do) and as a little child I had to know things for my own safety. I knew that I wasn't safe in that town because the inmates were set free. This was in the early 1970s. Things haven't improved as it seems they may have integrated with the local population.
I love Missouri! The sky is the sky and earth is the earth, you make of it what you choose. Love you each other and work hard.
Missouri is such a beautiful state. I love living here.
It really is an alot of hidden, gems to find to.
Same
I love my home state, and Dayton Missouri is the biggest dump in Missouri ,
@@SteveoGregg there's nothing like a good dump 😂
@@AppealToHeaven A good healthy dump, 🤣✌️
The new Missouri River Bluffs trail system has some of the gnarliest mountain biking trails in the Midwest.
One of the biggest problems with all small rural communities are property values are low, as a result its cheaper to develop vacant land then to demo or refurbish older existing properties, which then waste away. Before blaming all of this on the locals remember the companies that bring in new bisinesses and choose new construction over restoration are not local! Main street usa died being unable to compete with one stop big box stores. These companies pay the absolute minimum they can to fill positions resulting in many families even with 2 incomes can barely scrape by month to month and you cant eat home improvements! You cam definately tell this guys "not from around here!"
The box stores aren't the problem. You will buy a Ford or a Toyota rather than contract with a local shop to build your vehicle. A fulltime employee at Walmart or Target who gets promoted to management can earn more than the average pay for that community.
Sam Walton operated a few small town Ben Franklin stores before, at age 43 he opened a store in Rogers Arkansas that became Walmart. 30 years later he was dead of cancer, just like each of us will be dead.
If you go to only the worst places in any state you could say they're all bad. So sad that you didn't bother to look at anything beautiful that Missouri had. I've lived here my entire life. Yet I've spent time in other states that are beautiful and always come back to Missouri as I find it the most beautiful. And the best thing about Missouri are the people. It's full of people who always look at the best in people and places and don't try making a buck by talking bad about things we don't know. 🤔
the one cool thing about St.Joe is the ANG training base at their airport n of town . You get pretty close up to C130's buzzing around doing touch and goes and low flyovers of the runway and rolling in and out of the ramp area.. Maybe do a carryout from Betty's cafe drive up to Rosencran's or the park that has the hill that overlooks it and spend some time with the flyboys.
Until moving to Calif. in 1964 when I was about aged 4, my family & I lived in a small, safe rural Missouri Mayberry RFD - style town called Warrenton - - - I don't know if you passed thru there, but I sure wonder how it is today
Thats actually my hometown and where a lot of my family still live today! I would love for him to do a video on that town!
I still go down a couple times a year and the town is still a fair place to live, schools are good, ironically though! I moved from warrenton when I was 9 years old and moved to kc and went from kc to saint Joseph the last 3 years of my life and recently moved back to kc, overall, I’ve found something to love about all the towns❤
@@MrSpartacus129 Wow small world. The house my grandfather built in the early 50's still sits at 606 2nd street - - hope to get back there someday
Interesting video. Can you do one on the good places next please. I liked the Springfield one.
Lived in saint joe for 4 years. Only moved because I moved up the corporate ladder from my job there. Originally moved there because of the job market there. The people that are poor in st. Joe are poor because they choose to do meth instead of working. Triumph, silgan, nestle, altec, and all the factories pay at least $20 a hour, most closer to $25-$30. Rent is cheap, housing is affordable if you want to buy, lot of stuff to do. The south end is the south end, everyone knows about the south end. The city tearing down a lot of condemned buildings, and the city gives funding to people interested in buying the old buildings and restoring them. The railways are still being used just as much as they were before.
I remember when I was a kid in the 70s my mom and her sister would save up and make a yearly pilgrimage to St. Joe to go to Einbender's Clothing Store, which they absolutely loved.
You should check out how depressing Northwest Ohio is. Unbelievable and underrated. Right up your alley lol. Especially the "city" Van Wert. Love your stuff too man
The modern history of St Joe really starts during the Civil War. The rail line from St. Louis terminated there on the bank of the Missouri river, and it became a western most outpost town for the Union... The town was completely surrounded by Bushwhackers, including the likes of Frank and Jesse James, and William Quantrill, who all survived the war. Many of the most vicious Bushwhacker leaders were hunted down and killed during the war by Union patrols coming out of St. Joe, and the town (city back then) was sacked by Bushwhackers in 1881. Bushwhackers attacked the communication lines between St. Joseph and St. Louis constantly during the war. Jesse James lived in the city, and was shot in his house in 1882. Back then the Democrats were the Confederates, and the Republicans were the party of Lincoln... Those political roles have been reversed today, but the sentiment of the Union stronghold being surrounded by Bushwhackers who want to see the town looted and burned lives on.
Many places have the "old original township" usually deserted with old structures. Then there is a brand new section, set off from old town that has every amenity today's person could need. It's called PRESERVING HISTORY.
You should've taken a trip down Gordon Street, your mind would have been blown away. Your socks would have been long gone. Great Vid!!!!!! :)
So True!!!!🤣🤣
They used downtown St. Joe in the movie Paper Moon and with a few little touches it looked like the Great Depression and that was 40+ years ago.
Hey from Springfield, Illinois Nick! If and when you decide to come to Springfield, be sure to stop by Bella Milano or Mekong cafe, I’d love to shake hands or elbow bump👊🏽. Looking forward to hear what you have to say about Springfield and Bloomington as I’m goaling to move there👍🏽
Why not Champaign?
Anywhere but Rockford or Peoria, GROSS
Champaign-Urbana is nice too, but I’d prefer the location of Bloomington-Normal, closer to Springfield and surrounding places I visit. Peoria & Rockford are certainly not that desirable
My husband, daughter and I live in the most beautiful town in Missouri called St. Charles. We absolutely love it here! We are right near Busch wildlife reserve, lots of gorgeous wineries, main street St Charles with great restaurants and shopping! Come check out our town. Far from small town!
St. Charles is by far one of my favorite cities. I live there for the first 3 or 4 years on my life before we moved closer to St. Louis. I often think about if I moved back to Missouri, it would be to St. Charles. Still have several friends there.
St charles is great i grew up there id have to say its rapidly growing and changing right now but ,to me its still wonderful !
Hey Nick I live in Missouri and to me it's a wonderful state.
Of course it is but it's not politically correct to say so.
👍I prefer living in Missouri than all other places I've been.
@@andymullarx6365 Its better than living in a liberal state and most of the run down cities in Missouri are run by Democrats not Republicans mate.
Asbestos is one of the biggest problems with these older industrial buildings
I still love and have hope we can get this place back together can't leave 😅
Downtown: So sad, yet nice buildings abandoned. Thanks for sharing, Nick.
I live in O’Fallon Missouri and it is nice here. I have lived in Missouri my whole life, there are bad areas, but many nice areas.
This is probably going to seem weird to you Nick, but I sold my house in Texas and moved up to St Joseph Missouri last year during March madness. Maybe it's because I moved up here to a decent part, but I've had the best time in the last year up here. Maybe it's because I don't have a mortgage anymore and haven't much bigger house and my job pays me a lot more. The only real problem I have with this town is the school systems they freaking suck.
I think what is happening here is that the town is being moved. Rather than tear down the old it's best to build the new, then tear down the old. Looks like the new is going to be fairly nice. The rich residential section shows there are people living there who have money so I don't believe this is a dying town; it's just a town that is having a rebirth.
I've lived in Sloppy Joe my entire life and it's an amazing place. The biggest problem is the rampant methamphetamine use. That's what needs to change.
I live there
When I was young, people on meth used to get things done. Today they just take apart and put back together their VHS machines.
Meth is a problem in every US city as far as I know.
@@usingmybrain100 but especially here
I will say as much as I love these videos, and old downtowns with the architecture like this (the buildings really do have character in their lines etc…something modern architecture seems to sadly lack)my hometown of Sanford, Florida, another river town from the 1800s that began to get very run down like these towns in your vids as I got older(even though the rail went right through town so it held on much longer), has actually done a great job of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and despair. They really cleaned the place up and now it’s a great place to go and do stuff with the family, hit a cool little themed bar at night, fish in Lake Monroe, etc. When I was about to leave for the army in 96 you couldn’t go to Ft Melon park for fear of your kids possibly stepping on a needle. Complete 180 these days! Maybe there’s still hope for some of these classic small towns…but it all boils down to the people and the local government and how badly they want it to happen. I dunno, just musing…I really hate to see how many of these awesome classic small towns are just rotting away…
I’d planned to move into that high-rise for low-income elderly. But the lady said they wouldn’t take me, because I’m disabled. Turns out they take homeless, alcoholic, addicted, mentally sick folks, just so they can do their own housework. The building has scant parking. Well. (Ended up buying a condo.)
I enjoyed this video. You’re doing a real folksy journalism here. The fact you mentioned the lack of police is certainly a contributing factor toward people not wanting to be there. A city with a sizable ghetto and homeless population is not desirable.
They’re in the same boat as Detroit, Memphis, Gary, New Orleans-historic old cities with dilapidated areas which are cheap and have potential, but the area is too dangerous.
Read somewhere the police force is really under staffed. Should be three times as many officers for a full force.
If I remember correctly, there are only 3 patrol officers in St. Joe at any given time. Which is astronomically low.
There are some pretty areas in downtown st Joe, and even some really nice restaurants; it’s weird that you left those images out.
2:27 I was born in Saint Joe, as we call it, and this turd is a joke. I’ve also been to Detroit and Chicago. The bad parts make those towns look like a war zone. Yes, the powers that be wanted to build a railroad bridge in St. Joe but they said NO. So they went to Possum Trot which changed its name to Kansas City. Back in the 80s the downtown was dead because of the 229 bypass. I’d come home at 3AM and the downtown was just black. The street lights had been turned off!
I've driven through Missouri plenty of times. Maybe we were in completely different areas but I saw beautiful farms and I thought what a pretty place.
If you look for the good you’ll find it ….this channels looks for the negative..,
I actually really enjoyed the aesthetics of this city. I think it's a beautiful looking place. But I also reject modernity. I like run down looking things. I guess what you're asking of this place is for multibillion dollar corporations to come and take over the city and turn it into what exactly? Like Chicago or St. Louis or something? Nah. This place looks perfect just the way it is in my opinion. I had a really good time watching this video. Thanks.
I’m from saint joe and it is actually a horrible place to grow up. Glad it’s getting attention hopefully things will change soon.
Misery is correct. I will never set foot in that God forsaken state again. Cops will get you in their speed traps.
I moved to Missouri from Southern California and absolutely love it here! It isn't fair how poorly you represent it here. It has a wealth of history AND money. The people, schools, healthcare, and employment opportunities are wonderful, too.
Missouri is a great affordable beautiful place to live. It looks like you were there on a Sunday.
Looks like a nice area, might move my family there, I have 3 kids 20 to 26, they are HS grads, no college bc they don't want the debt but they are smart enough to get good jobs.
Heather, start businesses
I lived in St Joseph for 7 years. Moved there cause hubby is from there. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else. Lots of drugs and crime. LOTS. The education system is a joke, cops are glorified security for the rich. Much better places further south or another state. It is cheap in Missouri though...
@@gloriahughes1512 Thank you for the heads up.
@@bentnickel7487 Thank you for the advice, think I might just take it, bc I have a part time job n about $30k a year, I want a place where my young, but adult kids can do better but it's not happening here under the toilet man Pritzker for sure , of course nothing good is happening in this whole damn country under bumbling, Biden, we need Trump back.
Trump is a morally corrupt crook who never pays his bills and believe me he doesn’t care one bit about you or your adult children. He cares about himself, sex, power and proving to everyone he is more successful than them or he will turn on you like a snake.
Moved to Saint Joe last year from the PNW, wouldn't go back to Seattle/Portland if you paid me! Love this quiet town full of history.
Nice, I was born in Portland and yeah there's a whole entire America outside east and west coast
You can be absolutist in your thinking if you want, but having been born and raised in Missouri and later having lived literally from one coast to another, I'll cast my vote for Missouri people. Kind, considerate, and good-humored. Sure, a baddy or two here and there, but I ran into a lot worse on the east coast and the west and it was enough to decide to retire in Old Misery where things are a lot more mellow.
I lived in saint joseph mo for 6 years... there are some true statements of course... lots of auto lefts for example is very true. At 13:12 when she is talking about the downtown being revitalized, the video clip he shows isn't downtown. It's a dilapidated part of frederick ave which does eventually run downtown, but not where he's including video. This is basically what most of this video is. A semi truth spun in the worst light to paint the worst side of the city. The North side has really nice homes (although he's actually showing homes in country club missouri, which is north of saint joseph) but there are also very nice homes on the east side, the very south has huge homes, and in the saxton area the crime rate is actually quite low... despite being south. Even near downtown (like actual down town) there are great homes and historic buildings being restored. When you're a hammer all you see is nails, and when you are looking for the worst, all you see is the worst. This video does a disservice to the reality of saint joseph, and even though I don't live there now, I feel compelled to point out most of this video is pretty much a lie.