Crime Ridden and Poverty Stricken: Centralia, Illinois 4K.
Вставка
- Опубліковано 1 січ 2025
- The future of Centralia, Illinois doesn't look very bright. The town is full of drugs and crime, and there are no signs that indicate that there will be a bright economic future. Hopefully I'm wrong and the town will be able to turn things around.
Centralia Walmart: 1:28
Fairview Park: 3:32
Downtown (1st time) 5:15
Centralia's Drug Problem: 6:53
Centralia High School: 9:04
Wamac: 15:39
Downtown Centralia (2nd time. Bell Tower acknowledgement) 18:15
Central City: 19:32
Downtown (3rd time and most in depth) 23:14
====================================================================
EVERYTHING THAT I USE IN THE FIELD:
Main Camera: amzn.to/3iS4vvF
Side Cameras: amzn.to/2WuCYIs
Media Mod for Camera: amzn.to/3j7CMGF
Lav Mic: amzn.to/3lsMkz9
Drone: amzn.to/3ITcKBV
SD Cards: amzn.to/3C2co9O
Camera Mounts: amzn.to/2UXVR6p
Cables Required for Longer Recordings: amzn.to/3BYnr3Q
Computer: amzn.to/3787b2j
External Hard Drive: amzn.to/3lb23Tf
WHAT I USE AT HOME:
Computer: amzn.to/3rKIdiN
Sound Mixer: amzn.to/3C15Ubx
Microphone: amzn.to/2VaCjvo
Microphone Accessories: amzn.to/3v7A35Z
INTERACTIVE MAP that shows you all of the places that I've made videos on: (Doesn't always work on mobile devices. Will always work on PC.) www.google.com....
SOCIAL MEDIA & CONTACT INFO:
Email: ChrisHardenYT@Gmail.com
On Twitter: / chris_harden55
On Instagram: www.instagram.....
On Facebook: / chrishardenyt
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you. As an Amazon Associate I do earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. As always, thank you for supporting my channel!
Correction: The East-West State Highway number through town is 161, not 116 as I have it listed in the video.
EVERYTHING THAT I USE IN THE FIELD:
Main Camera: amzn.to/3iS4vvF
Side Cameras: amzn.to/2WuCYIs
Media Mod for Camera: amzn.to/3j7CMGF
Lav Mic: amzn.to/3lsMkz9
Drone: amzn.to/3ITcKBV
SD Cards: amzn.to/3C2co9O
Camera Mounts: amzn.to/2UXVR6p
Cables Required for Longer Recordings: amzn.to/3BYnr3Q
Computer: amzn.to/3787b2j
External Hard Drive: amzn.to/3lb23Tf
WHAT I USE AT HOME:
Computer: amzn.to/3rKIdiN
Sound Mixer: amzn.to/3C15Ubx
Microphone: amzn.to/2VaCjvo
Microphone Accessories: amzn.to/3v7A35Z
INTERACTIVE MAP that shows you all of the places that I've made videos on: (Doesn't always work on mobile devices. Will always work on PC.) www.google.com/maps/d/u/2/edit?hl=en&mid=1Lhzf04ocimPu-ROkg4cfXEYEvKMNnlI5&ll=43.06219876674538%2C-83.82163216337808&z=10
SOCIAL MEDIA & CONTACT INFO:
Email: ChrisHardenYT@Gmail.com
On Twitter: twitter.com/Chris_Harden55
On Instagram: instagram.com/c_harden7/?...
On Facebook: facebook.com/ChrisHardenYT/
DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you. As an Amazon Associate I do earn a small commission on qualifying purchases. As always, thank you for supporting my channel!
Of course you did the Walmart 😭😂😂
The east-west railway in Centralia is the former Southern, today, Norfolk Southern. The Illinois Central (today’s Canadian National) and Burlington (today’s BNSF) both are on a north-south axis. The CN line that passes through Centralia is IC’s Chicago to New Orleans mainline. All three railroads intersect in Centralia.
Personally I reside in Centralia. It's not as bad as you think. Yes, there are lots of bad things. But if you choses to look at the good it's a great place. There are lots of nice things to do throughout the year. There are parades, festivals, and more. One of the things I do is watch trains.
That thinking is the same way we got someone like Trump lol im from there too and saying "ignore all the bad and its good" and is not the argument you think it is
sry, all your high taxes are thanks to Democrats, plain & simple. The reason why Illinois losing people!
Thank you for doing this video. I have never been to Centralia, but my ancestors settled there in the 1820s and 1830s and lived there for a few generations until my grandfather left in 1920. My 3rd great grandfather had a mill on Locust Street and my 2nd great grandfather from Centralia was a Captain who died in the Civil War. They lived on Maple Street. It is so interesting to see the town that so many of my ancestors lived in.
Centralia had the best looking town in 1970's , it has just gone down hill then , it sadden's my heart how my home town is dieing fast , where i live on N Elm St we have gun shooting about almost every night
@@LadyViper64 I think we're related. My second great grandmother was Sarah Ann Cunningham daughter of Matthew Cunningham of Centralia.
@@cparkinson6192 Well. My aunt Eve and Dad used to mention a Roy Cunningham. Any relation? Never met him.Distant relative of mine.
@@cparkinson6192 My Grandma is heavily involved with the genealogical society there. They have great records from what I hear.
@@CornWanderer i didn't know Centralia had that. How do i find them?
I loved growing up there. Graduated in 85 and left for the military. You wen nowhere near the bad areas of town where the houses are in poor condition and many vacant lots where homes used to stand. The Railroads built that town and it is such a shame to see what it has become. I am glad I got out of there with good memories of my youth because going back there today and to see what it has become just makes me sad.
I’ve worked in this area a lot. Lots of good friends there. Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t coal actually build that city? The coal mines in southern illinois were the largest in the US at one time.
@@Polack-ml9fh the railroad built the City but coal and the railroads were synonymous. a lot of southern illinois coal is gone now, our wonderful government at its finest
It was still a good town in 85
I moved out of Centralia over 13 years ago when I got married. I would have no problem moving back. It's still my hometown.
They say you can never go back home. I will attempt myself and prosper in my simulated retirement.
Great video. As a note, a major Illinois Central ran north and south through town but it’s been gone for decades
There used to be a Jack In The Box restaurant in front of the old K-Mart. Both are now closed. We used to stop here at the restaurant when travelling.😪
In front of the old Walmart
Hi ,I'm from peoria, I enjoy watching your travel videos ,thank you so much for these, quite entertaining!!!
Wow! Just found this video...we are buying a house in Central City, and actually saw it when you drove by...looking forward to enjoying that small town vibe. Will be there in about three weeks!
Best of luck!
We're moving from a small town in south TX...believe me, it will be a welcome change
I'm about to move there next month never been out of the Chicago Hts I'm only staying for 1year but if I like it then I will stay for much longer
Another jewel presentation. The video is the heart but the narration brings it to life and the music makes it unforgetable. The thorough look reveals the the town stress would be missed by focusing only in a few areas. I have a thought about drugs. It is good to want to get high/feel good. The mechanism is what matters. For me that has been nature-exploration, music and reading-learning. No surprise- I do get a high by watching this channel for those reasons. I encourage every visitor to explore the many postings here. Even if you don't get high you will learn and see a lot!
You forgot the Hollywood candy factory that employed a lot of folks in the 70s and 80s they made the payday candy bar there
They made Payday, Zero, Milk Shake and other bars with summer coating. These were popular in the summer in vending machines and pools as they didnt melt like chocolate. Milk Shakes were also popular sold frozen. I'm not from there, but I believe the factory burned.
LOVE Payday....
When did Payday leave?
@@dirtylou2962 When Hershey bought the brand rights in the late 1980's. My mom worked there right up till the buyout. Hershey chose to close the Centralia plant and move operations to PA because Centralia plant had too many workman's comp claims.
Nice video! I grew up in Marion County and spent a lot of time in Centralia. You mentioned that the High School mascot is the "Orphans". A lot of people say that name originated the coal mine explosion in the 40s that left so many kids fatherless. The name actually comes from when the school couldn't afford to buy uniforms for the sports teams, so the students just wore mismatched clothes with the school colors to their games. People made fun of them calling them orphans, and they just embraced it and adopted it as their mascot.
Good insight. Interesting story to go with the mascot naming. In Indiana, there’s a high school in Frankfort that goes by the “hot dogs”.
You're partially right. There was a reporter from Chicago, I think, who watched the Centralia kids play, and remarked "They look like a bunch of orphans, but they can sure play basketball." It's in the Channel 5 video about Orphans basketball.
Are the Orphans still the winningest HS basketball team in the country?
I also heard a story the basketball team was on the way to a game and the bus got stuck and they had to push it out. So they looked like a bunch of orphans
@@dirtylou2962 yes
As a border state dweller, the flawless pavement is incredible. No potholes, no sunken manhole covers every 100 feet, no suspension thumping street cuts filled to within a foot of the crumbling pavement, fewer titanic pickups, gleaming in blazing ultra violet. Actual trees - with shade. Amazing.
hes cherry picking massively. all the money is put into a few big roads and the important suburban type ones. everything else is left to rot
You should of drove over to Salem and went through the projects. Lots of fun over there.
I grew up here, class of 03. Moved 19 years ago. Visited last xmas and it made me sad. It was never an amazing town but i had so much fun as a kid and it doesnt seem the same anymore. It seems like less people even drive through it on the 2 highways.
That’s my great grandmother trailer on the left 22:19 thank you so much for this video. She passed away, my grandmother who’s in Maryland now owns it.
Thank you for the information. What is the brand's and model of the camera you used?
My hometown. I was born at St Mary's hospital in the mid 70s. Lived here til 1986 until my family moved to Marion, Il. of course I visited it many times over the years after I moved away. Watched it slowly grow older and more run down every time I went back. Since I was a kid, I've lived in NYC for several years, Beijing, China for several more and now I live in eastern Mediterranean Europe. Doesn't matter how far I go, Centralia will always be wher I'm from. Hang in there, old friend...better days are coming
The town looks clean from what I could see. It appears that the people there are trying to do the best that they can under the circumstances.
Where did you get the psychedelic music for this video? Love it! A lot of your videos bring back my travels a few years ago. Keep up the good work!
You never said where you got this music from. 😢😢😢
@@bmcewen65 I pay for a subscription service called MusicBed. I think the song for this video I used is called "Discovery" by "Make-Up and Vanity Set."
@@ChrisHarden I totally forgot about shazam, I did that and it came up. I truly appreciate your correspondence, I have been referring your channel to anyone and everyone I know. Keep coming to St. Louis, go to Bridgeton! Once again LOVE (my favorite channel) ever!
My grandma was born in Centralia in 1922. Thanks for the tour.
You mentioned the Centralia Carillon. I’m friends with The Carillonneur, Roy Krozen, who is originally from the Netherlands and was brought to the US specifically to play this instrument. I can attest that the information is absolutely correct about the statistics of the carillonic bells. I have been honored to climb up to the Carillonneur’s Cabin & watched Roy perform. It’s a real treat & if you’ve not listened to the bells, you should go back & do a special segment on that. Well worth it!
We took our kids up and watched Roy play 2 years ago. It was great!
Grew up in Centralia during its good days and left in the mid-80s for the service. I actually moved back for a few years when I retired from the service in the 2000s and glad I escaped. Still have family there (they have all moved outside of town) and every time I visit the town gets a little trashier.
me to old goat .lindy
I remember going back to school shopping, the public pool. Great memories from the late 70s early 80s
Early 90s into the early 2000s was a fun time to grow up but ngl me and most of my friends group were all addicted to heroin by the time we graduated in 03. But I'm glad I got to experience the public pool and the old movie theater as a kid. We broke into the old roller rink building one time and swept off the old wooden floor to sk8 it. Before they got a skatepark we built our own on locust st. and the owner of the lot was cool with for a whole year but eventually the city made him shut it down. It was sketchy as shit but so awesome. It's a shame so many of us took the wrong path but I cherish growing up there. Seems like a ghost town now almost.
The IC ran north and south. I lived there 10 years. What killed the town was the prison and section 8. There was a meth lab in every neighborhood.
Sec 8 isn't the problem; not screening potential tenants, is. You think ppl who pay str8 rent won't trash & totally disrespect a place? Have I got news for you..
Currently surviving on increased meth production, insurance fraud, disability scams, stimulus checks, and liquor taxes.
So basically nothing has changed since I've been gone.
05:36 Over to the right is the carillon. I remember they had bells on display while they raised funds to build the tower
Centralia has a beautiful display of fireworks on the 4th of July. Also a beautiful golf course formerly owned by Tom Wargo of Centralia renown LPGA senior Golf award winner. You also missed Castleridge and Stonehenge restaurant and beautiful wedding and conference venue, 17,000 sq ft on Raccoon Lake. So many communities in southern Illinois were mining towns. I feel this has affected the growth of many communities. And yes, the tax assessment in Centralia is outrageous! As to education…most college educated young people have moved to Metro areas which offer better job opportunities, shopping and dining.
The "shall we?" quote is a shout out to The Daily Woo?
Haha I actually didn’t discover his channel until recently. He does a good job. I can see why you or anyone else would think that as his channel has been around way longer.
I lived here 8 years ..I had an awesome large tire shop and city officials bought my building and did not compensate my family..it’s run by goons and they run our city into the ground...this city is not mom and pops business friendly...
Wamac is named such because all three counties cover it.
Washington
And
Marion
And
Clinton
FYI. Illinois Central runs North-South, not East-West.
@@ChrisHarden East-West is Norfolk Southern for some time now, an older IC branch line. THE original IC Mainline from the 1850s is North-South, now Canadian National. A very famous line, including transporting thousands of African Americans from the South to Chicago during the great blackbelt migration of the 20th Century. Burlington also maintains a line NW-SE through town, now BNSF, that parallels the IC/CN through most of the town. A very popular town for rail fanning.
@@ChrisHarden
On my first trip travelling alone (1985, 21 years old) I went to New Orleans on its eponymously named train. I remember that the train had a long stop in the middle of the night, where they added more cars to it. Would that have been Centralia?
@@thickernell The original IC mainline no longer exist. It ran from Freeport Illinois{ way north } to Centralia { south}. The east west route through Centralia was never A IC line. A check of history or looking at few maps would enlighten you .
@@1L6E6VHF not likely Centralia, the only time I recall any changes to the cars in Centralia was slightly before that where a connection was made at Centralia to st.louis. It was only a single car train between there and Stl. and was only for a short time before the connection was replaced with a bus. The city of New Orleans was a through train and stopped in Centralia late at night and then again very early before sunrise on the way back north. My uncle may have been conductor on that train when you rode it.
Illinois Central... Main line of Mid America.
I grew up here and we had a population of 17,500 in the 1970s. Route 161 is the east/west corridor.
This was a great place to grow up. Still call it home!
Have not been there since the 2nd grade at oak park in Salem. Great video but can u slow it down. I got dizzy❤. Looks like it's grown like a weed.
I went to oak park school in Salem😆1st through 4th😁👍
Thanks for the video!
Mi wife's from Centralia but we live in Collinsville. Looking at this video kind of makes the town have a different perspective because the video for some reason makes Centralia look better than what it really is.
It's a shame to see what happened to the City but you can tell there are lots of folks who still try to make the best out what they have there. I hope better times come back to town and by the way, I still make the occasional trip into town for family gatherings or some holiday weekend. And also would like to mention one of my favorite traditions in town was the annual Christmas parade which is held on one of the one way roads right in the middle of the city. I know the parade has had a lot of impact on the good memories for kids who grew up in Centralia.
Chris very nice video with city description, so happy to see Centralia, my uncle is doctor in Saint Louis hospital Centralia.
My father grew up here. His family owned the hotel by the the train station in the 1920’s-1950’s(?). He was neighbors with Jim Brady, in fact teaching Mr. Brady photography. I was hoping to see his home, featured in several papers, as it was the first cement/ stucco home built there, uniquely designed by my grandfather.
Do you know where the house was located? Address or road ?
If you can tell me i can take a video for you
@@dfc666 pause at 24:18 as he is making the right hand turn and that big brick house on the corner across the street was Bradys mothers house.
I live in Centralia and still haven't seen all of Centralia. I work at a local gas station and I graduated an Orphan. We have lots of small businesses that get pretty good tractic, like C-Town Twist, The Artic Cow, Good Vibes Cafe, The Barking Lot, and others. We also have food trucks ran by people in the town. Working at a gas station has made me appreciate the people, especially our regulars. If you let it feel homey it'll feel homey. Other then the cost of living, it's not horrible.
Also, holy nostalga for me, this video is so old I got to see my gas station in its original paint job and am now grateful for the boring brown, greys/black and yellow. I forgot it looked like that when I was in high school, lol.
Very nicely said. I appreciate your work
Between this and Mount Vernon, i reside between the two and I'll say they aren't bad places however, anywhere and almost everywhere can have questionable people.
This is very interesting. Gives a better concept of towns when your not from the area.
I’m definitely late finding this video but we moved here around 4 years ago. I wish I could have been in the car with you talking about this or that and highlighting things lol. You got like 3 houses away from mine lol. We have a lot of fires and a few places are gone now. Quite a bits changed since this video. It was so cool to see.
We also have our own fire work show in Fairview park every year. Held by the city.
The cheapest they can get and don’t start till almost 10....screw the kids huh??go to Salem
@@TheStringdmn uhh no. Its at 9. After the other attractions have closed. The kids get to stay up for the shows!
Any plans to do Rockford? It's like the only large city in Illinois you didn't cover yet.
I'll have some Rockford videos up sometime in March I'm guessing.
@@ChrisHarden Ok and since it's nearby anything planned in Wisconsin? I am from the Milwaukee suburbs and it would be nice if you did us sometime.
I drove thtough Centralia twice in 2019 and stayed there one night. While I did notice definate signs of decay I didn't think it was all that bad. Most of the folks I encountered were friendly.
I Gary Gaetti were from there however the most famous person from Centralia wasn't either of them. That would be Dwight "Dike" Eddleman. He was the Bo Jackson of his day. After leading the Orphans to a state championship in basketball he played on a final four team at the U of I. He played end on a Illini football team that went to the Rose Bowl. And was a Olympic high jumper. Cenralia was also home to distinguished Holstein breeder Ralph Twenhafel.
Feel like we're going to drive up onto a murder scene with that music.
An episode of the short-lived ABC documentary series -Our World- focused on Centralia being the center of US population in the 1960 census -the epilogue showed that in 1990, the center had moved across the Mississippi River.
They used to have 4th of July carnival in strip mall. Zeigler factory was big employer til it closed down
Your video is dated 8/4/20. If that is when you took the video Centralia, as the rest of the world, is 8 months into the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The pandemic had already made things worse in Centralia as well as around the US as far as unemployment and the economy. Your video shows the parking lot in the Fairview Park shopping center. The AMC movie theater is shut down due to the pandemic and several restaurants are shut down or struggling due to the pandemic. Business in general is worse than usual. Centralia's economy is far from booming but the pandemic has also made things worse. The pandemic should be noted in your video. When you note coal mining and the railroad as key to the Centralia economy through the years you fail to mention the oil boom. The railroad and the railroad "yards" were the longer running employer of those two in Centralia. The oil boom of the late 1930s and 40s was a big boom in employment and the economy. The coal and oil booms didn't last as long as the railroad's economic benefits. At 15:54 in your video you should have taken a left and driven through the Centralia Industrial Center a mile or two down the road. There is where you would see a huge part of the unemployment problem. Manufacturing has deserted Centralia much like it has deserted the rest of the United States.....unemployment and poverty follows. Many of the manufacturing buildings are empty or under used. www.illinoistimes.com/springfield/future-shocked/Content?oid=11436184
Thank you lol
Very well- said!
He told the truth....I brought my buisiness here ,bought a home,been robbed 4 times in 2 years,met thousands of people addicted to meth and Heroin and the town is run by people who grew up and went to high school together.also will not allow “out of towers in to do buisiness”,unless you fir their agenda..this breeds ignorance and poverty..
It's actually a beautiful town, well manicured lawns and homes in good shape. Nice downtown district too.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I grew up in the same county as Centralia, Pennsylvania. Did hundreds of visits in the last few decades. There is essentially nothing left there now, but if you’re ever on the region, you could make a cool video
At the 7:50 mark you have your location listed as McCord St/116. That is not 116. It is 161. I lived in Centralia for a while. Just wanted to let you know :)
Yeah I realized I messed that up afterwards.
Blue goose still there in wamac?
Main problem with this town is it's NEAR Saint Louis and IN Illinois...
65 miles away is really near STL
I am surprised you didn’t mention anything about country bobs!?
They're going to have a hard time finding the place if they look for State Route 116 on the map. The main east-west corridor is Route 161.
Good Catch
Centralia is a great place if you like trains. IC (now CNNA), Southern (now NS), and BN (now BNSF) all run through with NS doing so on trackage rights. Amtrak also rolls through here. I was there strictly to railfan about 10 years ago so I didn’t notice how bad it really was.
The State of Illinois is slowly but surely snuffing out the small rural communities in the state. Too bad these southern counties can't secede to another state.
Slowly but surely many small rural communities are experiencing the same unemployment and poverty throughout the US not just in Illinois.
Cool locomotive!
the story behind how it was saved and moved there is just as cool
You Also forgot the Centralia industrial park that has big three precision,swan Inc. Kaskaskia workshop, mid-am building supply Inc., Centralia industrial painting, American equipment and machine Inc., EFI solutions, intermountain electronics but I guess if you would’ve drove through Wamac you would’ve found that
Do you ever do updates?
I lived there from 0 to 12 years old. Came back for 4 years when I was 35. Lived there for 4 years with my wife and kids, to be near my father. I was lucky to have a good paying job there. A lot of folks , most of them actually, did not. A filthy town, full of sad lost souls. As a very small child I remember the huge candy bar factory fire. I was with my grandma and she lived about a block away from it. I was allowed to stay up late to watch from the porch. Lot of good memories as a child.
Do you know when the factory fire was?
@@dfc666 had to be late 70s
My friend lives there and says there are 2-3 overdoses every week DRUGS ARE VERY BAD🙁🙁🙁🙁🙁
Oh, those property taxes, again.
Don't property taxes differ between communities within a given state, and, for that matter, even between cities or townships within a county?
I believe I've read about great differences between places in Illinois.
Winnebago County supposedly has the highest property taxes in IL. This makes sense, as Rockford has been known for being a weak economy for decades.
There's a county in Southern Illinois that has very low residential property tax. Surprisingly, it's just northeast of Cairo.
Seriously! It's so ridiculously face-palming how he does that in every single Illinois video. He told me he's not siding with any political party, but it's clear he's been sipping on the Fox News Kool-Aid. I'm honestly just looking forward to the day where he runs out of Illinois towns to show so he can stop regurgitating that, or comes face to face with the same problems that occur in low-taxed states. I tried to reason with him to look at all factors, including the fact that manufacturing is declining almost everywhere in the USA, but I've franking given up that he can become more open-minded and evidence based. It's funny how he bashes IL so much, yet 75% of his videos are from there lol. And you're right about it varying greatly between counties in IL. I commented on his Urbana-Champaign video about that. He ALMOST admitted other factors like education in this video, but still had it from the wrong perspective and quickly doubled down on the tax talking point. So frustrating. I want to support this guy but he's making it difficult with his incessant unsubstantiated ramblings. It contrasts so sharply with the peaceful music in his videos. His humor delivery needs work too -- he claims to be joking sometimes but I think he means a lot of it. It's like watching a kid with so much potential refusing to think more critically.
@@emu5088 Maybe he thinks critically but just tends to come to different conclusions then you.
At 18:57 although you said legally there can’t be fireworks being set off. At the park you drove by Earlier in the video with the train, every year there is a festival and a huge firework show that lasts about a hour there on July 4th.
And the hot air balloon thing is a much smaller event.
I missed seeing where the old hotel and restaurant was. I saw a big empty lot near downtown in your video that may have been where it was located. When bicycling through Centralia in the 70s, I stayed at the hotel and ate breakfast at the restaurant there. People were interested in talking to me about my adventures, as I have bicycled all over the United States. I remember sitting at the counter speaking with a few retired railroad workers. Sadly, I read that the historic hotel building succumbed to fire. I will have to research the location and the exact date of the fire.
If you are talking about the langenfeld its still there but empty and falling apart
@@dfc666 That may have been the one; however, someone mentioned - or I had read somewhere - that it had burned down. I saved some of the receipts from that bike tour, and my still have it. Thank you.
i have family that currently lives there and i used to think it was the most perfect small town ever just because when i was young everyone went to my grandparents to visit me and they'd take me around the city. i will say great video but centralia has a bit more in them.
There's also a Centralia, Iowa. It's closer to NE Iowa. Would have been nice if it was right smack dab in the middle of the state. Cuz, ya know...
Another note about Centralia, PA, it was the impetus of the Dan Ackroyd comedy 'nothing but trouble', with Demi Moore John Candy.
Actually the "nicer part" of town as you referred was there before the new h.s. I grew up there, lots of nice house's. Just not as much as it was back in the day. I was in the band and it big in Centralia when Marie Allen director.
Have a nice weekend this weekend
While it is sad that Centralia has changed from its "boom" day. There's so much more you should know. Another great event is the Centralia Holiday Tournament. There are many great people who came from here (besides the ones you listed). There's much history here. Wamac is named because it is where three counties come together. The "nicer looking neighborhood" has been there many more years than the "new" high school and there are several "nice" neighborhoods and many good neighbors. It is not a ghost town as depicted in this video as you created the video in the pandemic. There was a decision made years ago between having the highway run through town or having the prison come to town and bring jobs. The decision was to create jobs. As you have stated, Centralia has changed but in the hearts and minds of many, so much has stayed the same.
Coal mining went out.
The rail line once was the main rail line in the state.
However with merges some of the old main line is abandoned
Or a side line.
The city is a little too far from the interstate.
Big coal mine disaster here in the old days.
The big mall in town used to be a rail yard. (south of downtown)
Interesting to see this city. I had a great visit back in 1970’s. My grandmother took us to see a great aunt.
You should have put Wamac on the Southside of Centralia. It's a superb and is probably the part that's poverty stricken, and is also where most of the crime happens.
You missed the awesome sign on the east side of the main rail road track on top of a building that says..... "Centralia your opportunity" I still haven't figured out what opportunities they were talking about 😆😆😆 maybe the clods that run the town were smoking some of the meth you were referencing in your overview when they erected the sign.... LMAO 😆😆😆 please note: the black cloud of doom hanging over centralia @ 25:00..
It's a mixed emotion. Sad to watch the dying of what was once a booming oil bomb area. I grew up in the Salem Centralia oilfield which is also a lost memory. I do remember when fireworks were banned.
Mom was born in Ina..hope
you do that town one day.
Not me seeing my house 😭 tbh I have lived here my whole life and it really isn’t bad.
Any Black people live there yet..besides in the prison of course?
@@reneejr3650 For your information I am mixed. The comment you left was very disrespectful and racist. I hope you get the help you need! I’ll be praying for you 😘
@@harmonybarnes5986 My apologies for offending u but my qstn is very valid. I'm Black. There were no Black people living in Centralia or Vandalia until the prisons opened there. I just wanted to know if the demographics has changed.
I left Centralia in 76 coz it was hard to get a decent job. Just drove through and it’s becoming a ghost town🙁🙁🙁🙁🙁🙁🙁
What Corporations are putting factories in Illinois when you would have to support Union wages?
You need me to give you a on foot tour of downtown Centralia. It has a fascinating tale to tell. The remnants can be seen by some of the architecture that still stands that dates back to the 1800's (our restored wooden water tower that once provided water for steam powered locomotives, for example). Here's a few things that you might take note of ... #1. Fireworks are legal in Illinois, it just depends upon your municipality laws (I legally purchase fireworks online for my 4th of July celebration party every year). #2. Centralia has had the designation of Tree City USA since 1989 (not only are there a plethora of trees throughout the city as you can see in your video, but there's also Foundation Park). #3. There's a building that still stands between Centralia and Irvington on Highway 51 that used to host Big Bands such as the Count Basie Orchestra. #4. Centralia also has other notable people who came from our community. I won't even go into the list because it's too lengthy ...
Make a video on it!
Born and raised there my dad still live there and hes a railroader
Typical good job. Being somewhat insulated, how many of these folks are born, live and then die there? It also seems that a good chunk would be related to each other.
Good question and good point.
Most. -a local
You couldn't be more correct- Centralian
Most but not all are natural-also a local
My ex-wife is from Centralia. We moved there for a while. Over time, it appeared that there seemed to be three or four large clans that intermarried over the years.
First I've heard there can never be fireworks in Illinois. If True, the law must have been passed in the last five months. Also, Illinois Central Railroad runs North South through Centralia.
My ex-husband ,last year did this world a favor and took a drug overdose and made Centralia one less drug dealer.
He never bought our kids one thing. He beat on me when I was almost 8 months pregnant, on my 21st birthday. His friends down there were EVIL.
I took our children and ran for the safety of our lives.
My father is from there. Grew up on pine st. Have cousins who still live there
I was definitely trying to see if I was out and about this day or going to work, lol.
I would like to know what camera or dash cam you used?
"Crime ridden and poverty stricken"
Illinois in general.
The most popular dog breed in Centralia, IL is the meth lab.
I’ve been to Centralia for a hot second. Just a lay over at the penitentiary back in1994. Haven’t been there since👍
You know that feeling and taste when you throw up in your mouth? That's Centralia
I remember living there a few years when I was very young. Remember watching the fireworks show there during 76, the nation's bicentennial. And a few days later my first younger brother was born. Also where I almost got bit by a rattlesnake during recess at school. And then there was the day the cops came to school talking about what they did and I got my very own mugshot picture.
If I'm not mistaken, the reason you went through three separate communities was largely based on liquor sales and the railroad.
As I understand it, Centralia was dry, so Wamac on the south and Central City on the north incorporated as wet towns so railroad workers on layovers would have a place to drink.
Nah. Went to all three as all three cities are all right next to each other. As simple as that.
not true
This is my hometown. Crazy to see how its changed since I left in 1994. Go Orphans! Still the best mascot ever.
Why does Illinois hate fireworks so much?
Do Monmouth IL. Just west of Galesburg
22:39 check out the little bar on the right.
Centralia is my hometown. I live in the northern part along Rt. 51. Good job, though.
A friend of mine went to school there. I have relatives on the wabash against Indiana border.
As someone who lives here now, it’s sad. Honestly, it seems like every night there’s a gang shoot out. I love the country side but Centralia sucks