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@@zerosashes Not original poster. I moved away several years ago after living in the metro for years. The place has a lot of character and I think the people are great. The economy is stagnant, though, so it's hard to get ahead and a lot of neighborhoods, businesses, etc are in decline. There are definitely bright spots though and we still enjoy visiting friends and family. If I needed to move back I wouldn't feel bad about it.
Great video, soundtrack and narration quality...as usual. Excellent job showing the many different facets of the downtown general area in a short time frame. I particularly treasure this creator's ability to make me feel I have been to a place I actually never have been too. The vast available online video collection of this creator is a treasure.
The Warehouse District in Peoria is fascinating. So much history and 100+ year old industrial warehouse buildings everywhere, some with the original painted business advertisements still readable on the brick facades. I believe the entire 2-3 block area is designated a National Historic site. Always liked driving around just looking at the abandoned buildings, imagining Peoria in its hey day when all these factories and warehouses were operational in the 1800s/early 1900s. I believe Peoria was the top whiskey distilling town in America for a time.
It isn't likely, The Republican local government is transitioning to democrat socialist and with it will come higher taxes and even less opportunity for growth.
I love Peorialand. I lived at my mothers cousins family in the town of Washington a few months in 2015 and visited in my youth. My family is based there a lot still. I want to do a soap opera show called People Who Play in Peoria after that phrase. This town is beautiful and iconic. I have done a lot of writing since a teen and have ideas.
I was born in Iowa City, lived in Cedar Rapids, Peoria and San Diego growing up. The Midwest and Southern California couldn't be any more different. If you can deal with the Winters and you're involved in a high paying career, Peoria would be real sweet. GO LIONS!!!
@@zerosashes it’s all about what you make of it and what your looking for. Mid size city with some nice surrounding areas though, pretty good food around this time you can find a lot to do too!
You missed the best approach to the city. I have always loved when you are taking 74 west to Peoria, you are surrounded by trees and then you turn a corner and BAM! There's the city. And you go down the hill and cross the river, while seeing the Downtown skyline in front of you.
I always came into Peoria from the east on US 24. I was always cool to come over the rise over IL 116 and boom there was Downtown Peoria in the distance
I miss the Dungeon..went to so many concerts there can hardly remember them all..got to buy Chester Bennington a Budweiser there when Linkin Park opened for Papa Roach
I love Peoria, it's such a thrill to drive downtown! Especially if you're lucky enough to make it out alive. As long as you can keep a 10ft distance between you and the car in front of you while at traffic lights, you might be ok. But for those who want to experience Peoria and are just too far away, don't worry it's easy! Just close your eyes and imagine yourself jumping out of an airplane, you pull a parachute cord and your parachute doesn't deploy, your gaining speed and quickly approaching earth, and thank God at the very last second it actually deploys and you made it out alive. That's a 1:1 experience of the awesome feeling you get when you visit beautiful Peoria IL. It's an adrenaline junkies paradise.
These videos give a nice introduction to a part of the country that I haven't visited yet. It's nice to see both the good and the bad, so I'll look forward to seeing the bad side of Peoria in the next video. Judging from this video, it seems like Peoria would be a good place to visit.
@@urdad9724 A lot of cities have their dangerous areas. I've driven through Skid Row in Los Angeles and have walked on streets adjacent to it; that is the worst area I've personally visited, and I would not go back there after dark. It's hard to imagine that Peoria could be this bad, but I could be wrong. It's a strange area - the north side of 3rd Street is technically in Little Tokyo and isn't too bad, but the south side of the same street looks significantly worse. However, Skid Row is starting to gentrify somewhat, so it might not be so bad in the future, but I worry about what will happen to the people who live there now - they have to go somewhere, and nobody wants them. I've also spent some time in southeast San Diego for work; that is a place where I've seen bars on the windows on the upper level of a house - not a good sign. There is a Jamaican restaurant in that neighborhood that gets good reviews; even bad areas have their good points. I'll have to try it one day, but at lunch time - not after dark. In southern California, it isn't unusual to encounter patchworks of good and bad areas - a good neighborhood might be right next to a horrible one, and people who don't know the region can easily find themselves in a place where they shouldn't be. Another video from Nostalgia Tours went through a bad area of Peoria, so it gives me an idea of a part of the city where it pays to be careful. Usually, bad areas seem to be at least somewhat safe to drive through during the day (with a reliable car that won't break down), but it is best to avoid them at night. If I manage to visit Peoria one day, I'll stick to the better areas since I don't know the city. Southern California is familiar to me, so I'm more comfortable exploring sketchy areas here, but in other parts of the country, I don't know the culture so well and don't necessarily know what to expect, so I'll be a lot more careful. Downtown Peoria looks nice. After the virus has run its course and concerts resume, I would like to check out the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, which is a well respected orchestra with a long history. Also, the local museum looks like it would be worth a visit. If I don't stray too far from these activities, I'm sure I will be fine. After seeing some of the other videos, Bloomington/Normal and Urbana/Champaign look even better to me. I like college towns, and these look like good ones to visit. I think a road trip to Illinois would be a good vacation after the virus has subsided.
@@heatherharrison264 You should check out the video channel from CharlieBo313. He's an African American gentleman who cruises in his aging product of the Golden Age of Detroit through some of the sketchiest ghettos in the United States. He doesn't provide the running commentary or the stats but geez...he is BRAVE. Probably the worst area he has visited (except for abandoned Detroit) was the Kensington district in Philadelphia. Imagine the Chicago El tracks completely taken over by meth and opiate addicts and prostitution. horrible, horrible area
Nice video--Peoria looks pretty good (has good bones as those in urban planning like to say)! Random thought, as a transit and infrastructure buff, I'd love to hear you mention stuff on biking infrastructure, Amtrak stations, city and commuter rail or BRT transit (if they have it), and the waterfront of each of these cities. When I explore a city for the first time, I always like to explore their public waterfront to gauge how well the city is investing in its downtown and embracing its past. Cool video-definitely need to check out Peoria sometime and I appreciate you taking us there in the meantime!
As a resident of Peoria all my life, I can help to answer a few of these questions to the best of my abilities. For biking infrastructure, there isn’t really much by the way of bike trails/bike lanes in Downtown. The only notable trail in the Peoria Area is the Rock Island Trail. For train stations, no passenger train stations are in the Peoria Area. The closest Amtrak stations to Peoria are in Galesburg and Bloomington. Peoria does have a fairly decent-sized freight network, with two large rail yards in East Peoria, and a freight line running along the waterfront in Downtown Peoria. For commuter rails, no commuter rails are present in Peoria. Public transportation is operated solely by bus/shuttle, and taxi/Uber. Interstate 74 serves as the main thoroughfare through the city, while Interstate 474 serves as the bypass for trucks and travelers. Illinois Route 6 serves as the main freeway for the northern suburbs. Interstate 74 was overhauled in 2005 to modernize the freeway by adding additional lanes, new exits, new interchanges, and deleting sharp turns and left exits in the Downtown area. This project was was known as the ‘Upgrade 74’ project. In 2020, the Murray Baker Bridge, aka the I-74 Bridge, was shut down for 7 months between March and October for rehabilitation. The rehabilitation included replacing the aging bridge deck along with the aging steel support beams, repainting the bridge, and adding new LED lighting. Other improvements that came with this project included matrix boards, 2 in Peoria, 2 in East Peoria along the freeway, ramp meters at the Jefferson St. on-ramp to regulate the flow of traffic entering the freeway. and flashing caution lights at the Adams St. off-ramp to better warn drivers of wrong way travel, a sign was also added in East Peoria with caution lights to warn drivers of potentially slow or stopped traffic ahead on the bridge at Adams St. exit (Exit 93). Illinois Route 6, while being fairly short at only 10 miles in length, draws more traffic that a rural highway due to it passing through the developing north and northwest edge of Peoria. The freeway ends in an abandoned spur near Chillicothe at Exit 9. It is unclear where the freeway was supposed to go, but several studies have been made to try and continue the freeway. One plan in to turn IL 6 into a loop by extending the freeway back over the Illinois River and reconnecting it with Interstate 74, thus creating a beltway for the city of Peoria. Another plan is to continue the freeway north and have it connect to a new interchange in Chillicothe, connecting it with a proposed Illinois Route 29 expressway which would continue north to Interstate 180. Interstate 474 has not changed much over the years. It is planned to have a connection to the proposed Peoria to Macomb expressway, aka Illinois Route 336. Such proof of a connection already exists with a spur traveling to the west at I-474 mile post 3. Exits at this interchange are signed with letter suffixes as Exits 3A. Since the proposed expressway has not been built yet, the 3B exits do not exist. On the northern end of the Peoria Area, the McClugage Bridges which carry US Route 150 over the Illinois River, are in the process of having the eastbound bridge replaced. Construction has already begun on the new bridge and is expected to be complete by 2023. Once complete, the old eastbound bridge will be destroyed. The new eastbound bridge will carry 3 lanes of traffic vs 2 lanes on the old bridge. It will also have a multi-use pedestrian path as well as a viewing deck at the middle of the bridge overlooking the river.
@@wtlf1026 awesome. I was born and raised in Peoria and my favorite upgrade hands down is downtown and the Riverfront. I love it. I wish it would’ve happened when I was growing up there. There was literally nothing down there when I was a kid. Born in 1967. So I remember the old Peoria.
I lived in Peoria during my self-deluded period of becoming an electric engineer. (Bradley University). I have good and bad memories, including the Italian math professor who was incomprehensibly teaching differential equations with a terrible Italian accent. :). Anyway, I have to thank Chris for this video. TBH, unlike Detroit, it seems some midwestern cities are actually BETTER than they once were. Downtown looks sleepy, but is clean and attractive and the City didn't destroy its urban fabric as grossly as my hometown (Fort Wayne) did. Still remember Grandview Drive and the amazing houses near Bradley on Moss Avenue. I was there decades ago during the nadir of Saint Ronnie Raygun's depression, so I guess it would have to be better than 1984! :)
I live in Peoria Height which is just 2 miles from downtown Peoria. There is a lot of construction going on that is making the place look a bit better. My family and I are also looking to find a better state.
I graduated from Bradley in 1979. On my graduation day, May 13 of '79 was the day they imploded the Jefferson Hotel to begin the construction of the Peoria Civic Center. I really believe downtown Peoria was was one of the outstanding downtowns in the Midwest for many years and maybe still is. I moved to the Carolinas in 2016, so I haven't been back to visit
The highest crime areas in the big cold city are the southwest side, the east bluff and just below that an area known as Averyville. Some less common violent crime occurs in apartment complexes in the north and northwest sides of Peoria mainly from Drugs gangs that have set up shop in those areas
12:40. Jumer's Castle Lodge was a Peoria institution for 40 years. The hotel was known for their great accommodations and their outstanding German cuisine and their cinnamon rolls. The building was and still is, according to reports, filled with exquisite Black Forest furnishings. The facility is now a Retirement community since 2010. A great part of Peoria's history!
What a shame. This breaks my heart. All my good memories of youth, love, dating, friends, romance, weddings, were at Numbers Castle Lodge. 3 generations back werethe pastor some ancestors who came here from the Black Forest. I wish things didn't change.
As a native Peorian, I always believed the city has had a high potential to progress. I assume renovations are ongoing in the Warehouse District downtown and I can't wait to see what's new when I return. I believe it will be the most beautiful transformation Peorians have seen in decades.
Thanks for that. Had no idea it had been through so many hands since Wabco. I met Lewis Burger, who was president of Wabco, and was on the Bradley Board of Trustees when I was a student at Bradley(75-79). He was an extremely nice gentleman!
Between 1837 and 1919, Peoria was known as the Whiskey Capital of the World. After Prohibition ended, Hiram Walker came to town and, at one time, was the largest distillery in the world. HW remained a Peoria staple until the 1980's when the distillery was sold to Archer Daniels Midland to manufacture ethanol🎉
I liked Downtown Peoria, the area around Bradley and I thought that much of the northern and eastern parts of Peoria were fine. There are definitely some trashy areas of the city though. But that’s usually the case. Most people don’t know how their city measures up in comparison to other places until they go out and see (or live in) other places themselves.
@@zerosashes pros: cheap Slow pace of living (compared to big cities) No traffic, easy to commute anywhere you want to go Cons: Horrible laws (well Illinois in general) no 2A Taxes Crime ridden in half the city The area is great, move to a smaller town around peoria
twistedangel730 oh I’ll be back don’t worry. Whenever my focus changes to Missouri I’ll get Farmington and Park Hills. I already have all of the decent sized towns right off of I-55 filmed in Missouri in that area so I’ll have time for those two when I focus on Missouri.
My dad used to pick up hi-c loads for the vending machines he used to service on his side work from Transamerica insurance company we used to service all holiday inns back in the early seventies till 78 if i remember correctly back when cans were 15-25 cents a can well we serviced other places in Springfield decatur and surrounding areas like the womens fitness spa in decatur the mens fitness a few car lots we serviced mainly holidayinns until the springfield management wanted a cut and broke into our vending machine then we pulled out of all holidayinns all together then sold it to our friend and moved
Give it time, the Great Exit will eventually take it's toll on Peoria and every other town in IL. The Democrat policies always end in disaster. It's a shame because, once you get out of Chicago, this is a beautiful state, especially here in the southern quarter.
Nothing will change until Madigan is gone. Illinois debt-to-GDP is the 4th highest of the 50 states, topped only by RI, KY, and NY. What’s the first thing you do when you find yourself in a hole? Stop digging! But not in Illinois. Pritzker has the nerve to ask Illinoisans to amend the constitution, and for what you ask? To treat the symptoms with another income tax increase instead of a cure which everyone knows is State and City of Chicago pension reform! If we are going to re-open the IL Constitution let’s fix the problem, and we don’t have to screw a bunch of teachers, firefighters and police officers to do it either. Then there’s federal taxation. Illinois is getting absolutely soaked on the federal level. I don’t know what the Illinois delegation to Congress is actually doing. For every dollar Illinoisans send to Washington, we get back 60 cents in federal spending for Illinois! It’s killing us. We are subsidizing other states; many which get back more than a dollar and some more than 2 dollars! Every dollar we cut in federal taxes, puts 40 cents of incremental spending power into the pockets of Illinoisans. Any Illinoisan who doesn’t vote for cuts in federal taxes simply doesn’t understand how bad we are getting screwed.
So, based on your lack of commentary, and the fact you didn't get much out of downtown, I assume you're not from Peoria. You gave us about as much as I might normally observe by someone who has never been to Peoria and is visiting for a day business trip. If I was considering Peoria to move to, this WOULD NOT be the video to watch. I think your facts are straight, but you missed a whole bunch of commentary opportunity even just while downtown.
That's why I have a Peoria playlist that goes over more than just Downtown. This is a video on Downtown Peoria. ua-cam.com/play/PLkAKbwTlGHeIZtq4muFh_5IZnferaAGz8.html
the ORIGINAL big al's was on main street a block from the pere marquette now it's on jefferson or adams. can't remember which. but i BELIEVE it's 2 blocks towards the river then a block to the right from the old location, which i guess would make it jefferson.
Like any other city in the US…some people like are happy where they live some aren’t… after Covid and inflation hell we might all have to flock to Peoria for affordability…
I am from Peoria born and raised in Peoria and I wanted to see downtown Peoria for the stores and stuff that I remember I didn't see him in your video can you make another one showing downtown Peoria with the stores and shops and everything cuz I didn't see any and your video0
@@Arobisme I was born and raised in southern Cali and then traveled A LOT when I was in the Marine Corps until I settled down here at 24. Ive been here 11 years now and when comparing and contrasting from my own experiences, Peoria is pretty ghetto fabulous to me. I get there are some good "nice" parts to it, like any city there are good and not so good areas. It's not all bad. In general, there's not a lot of variety or things to do when I compare it to other places I've been. Peoria is not what it used to be, I think at one point it was pretty good from what I hear from older people that grew up there. Illinois in general is not the greatest state. Just my opinion.
"Downtown and the area by Bradley University are ok" No bro, they aren't. Not anymore. Downtown is a nightmare when the sun goes down. Bars on main are turn into narcotics shops at night. Along the river, Kellehers and Martinis is ok but that's about it. And Kenny's is ok but they also get some shady cats regularly in there as well. But the management is good there unlike a lot of the main st places.
Terrible State Government.. Very High Taxes..!!! Significant crime problems.. Lousy job market.. Horrible schools in District 150.. Terrible public services.. Showing buildings that have many vacancies.. Rent is cheap..!!
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Kickapoo Building 3:14
Madison Theater 5:44
Plaza Tire "Vanna Whitewall" 9:18
former Jumer's Castle Lodge 12:43
I hope your next Peoria video shows the pretty works.😢 This was all ugly.
As someone who was born and raised in Peoria it's great to see this video. Thanks for the commentary!
Do you like it in Peoria? Considering moving there. Interested in your pros and cons.
@@zerosashes Not original poster. I moved away several years ago after living in the metro for years. The place has a lot of character and I think the people are great. The economy is stagnant, though, so it's hard to get ahead and a lot of neighborhoods, businesses, etc are in decline. There are definitely bright spots though and we still enjoy visiting friends and family. If I needed to move back I wouldn't feel bad about it.
Great video, soundtrack and narration quality...as usual. Excellent job showing the many different facets of the downtown general area in a short time frame. I particularly treasure this creator's ability to make me feel I have been to a place I actually never have been too. The vast available online video collection of this creator is a treasure.
Caterpillar was once headquarted in Peoria...up until only a few years ago
I lost so many clients when that happened 😪
Now they are headquarters in Deerfield.
@@conservativehippie9736 are you a food server or something
i was going to comment the same thing
If it ain't about the money and being exploited then call me jack willis
I love Peoria, it’s the only place I’ve ever lived, but man I wish it was built more for people and less for cars. Anyway great video!
YES! I totally agree with your comment
Do you like it in Peoria? Considering moving there. Interested in your pros and cons.
@@zerosashesdid you move? I’m thinking if it
The Warehouse District in Peoria is fascinating. So much history and 100+ year old industrial warehouse buildings everywhere, some with the original painted business advertisements still readable on the brick facades. I believe the entire 2-3 block area is designated a National Historic site. Always liked driving around just looking at the abandoned buildings, imagining Peoria in its hey day when all these factories and warehouses were operational in the 1800s/early 1900s. I believe Peoria was the top whiskey distilling town in America for a time.
Impressive skyline for a city that size
Don't be fooled, Peoria is a craphole..
@@nicholasjohnson6267 stop!
Thank you!
@@vmikerotch5464 peoria has one ghetto area in thesouth end. The rest is not at all.
@@Arobisme north end isn't any better
Fantastic video guy. Made me tear up a bit. I hope someday Peoria will be vibrant again
It isn't likely, The Republican local government is transitioning to democrat socialist and with it will come higher taxes and even less opportunity for growth.
Thanks for bringing me along.
I love Peorialand. I lived at my mothers cousins family in the town of Washington a few months in 2015 and visited in my youth. My family is based there a lot still. I want to do a soap opera show called People Who Play in Peoria after that phrase. This town is beautiful and iconic. I have done a lot of writing since a teen and have ideas.
Coming from CA, this place looks so nice! Only expensive places look like this here.
I was born in Iowa City, lived in Cedar Rapids, Peoria and San Diego growing up. The Midwest and Southern California couldn't be any more different. If you can deal with the Winters and you're involved in a high paying career, Peoria would be real sweet. GO LIONS!!!
I live in Peoria.. and I can’t wait to get out of not only this city but this entire state.
Bye-bye Felicia!
@@prairiedoggy1 because of people like you
Bye 👋
Same
He doesn't live on Peoria he lives in Kingston mines and can you blame him
Great video amazing place wonderful location 👍👍👍👍
Peoria Illinois Born and raised 🙌🏼🙌🏼
Sorry about that
S @@jw1741 😂
I’m so sorry for your loss
Do you like it in Peoria? Considering moving there. Interested in your pros and cons.
@@zerosashes it’s all about what you make of it and what your looking for. Mid size city with some nice surrounding areas though, pretty good food around this time you can find a lot to do too!
You missed the best approach to the city. I have always loved when you are taking 74 west to Peoria, you are surrounded by trees and then you turn a corner and BAM! There's the city. And you go down the hill and cross the river, while seeing the Downtown skyline in front of you.
I was going to but there was construction when I came through
Always look forward to that coming home for a visit...
This was shot while the Murray Baker Bridge was undergoing it's rebuild a couple of years ago. It sucked for everyone
I always came into Peoria from the east on US 24. I was always cool to come over the rise over IL 116 and boom there was Downtown Peoria in the distance
@5:44 the old Madison Theater on the right. Went to many concerts there and has beautiful Neoclassical architecture inside.
I miss the Dungeon..went to so many concerts there can hardly remember them all..got to buy Chester Bennington a Budweiser there when Linkin Park opened for Papa Roach
I love Peoria, it's such a thrill to drive downtown! Especially if you're lucky enough to make it out alive. As long as you can keep a 10ft distance between you and the car in front of you while at traffic lights, you might be ok. But for those who want to experience Peoria and are just too far away, don't worry it's easy! Just close your eyes and imagine yourself jumping out of an airplane, you pull a parachute cord and your parachute doesn't deploy, your gaining speed and quickly approaching earth, and thank God at the very last second it actually deploys and you made it out alive. That's a 1:1 experience of the awesome feeling you get when you visit beautiful Peoria IL. It's an adrenaline junkies paradise.
@benjamin ramsey You clearly missed the fact that this is all satire.
@benjamin ramsey yeah they do lol
@@kumd needs some work ☮
I can't believe he drove by the old Jumers building and didn't say anything about it.
11:20 is one of the two most dangerous clubs in Peoria. LA Connection. In the 80's and 90's Peoria had dozens of night clubs.
I live near Peoria, and it always impresses me going on 74 at night. Really reminds me of a mini Chicago.
Yep
It's turning into a mini Chicago unfortunately.
Yeah Mini shitcago. S******* City in a s******* state.
It reminds me more of a mini atlanta
The bridge was closed from that direction all you would have seen was construction left and right
Just glad you didn't fall into a pothole on your visit to Peoria. These roads will eat up a tire for lunch.
I haven’t lost a tire to the potholes yet, but they have fucked up my truck’s alignment...
Lost 2 tires and a gas tank last yr
@@conservativehippie9736 you must be a horrible driver
Wow. Someone actually cared enough about peoria to do this? Awesome!! My city isn't the worst. It's actually a pretty cool city.
YES I LOVE PEORIA!🖤❤️
It was voted the best city in Illinois to live by U.S. News & World report
I love the old warehouse district. Theres something about those old red brick buildings.
These videos give a nice introduction to a part of the country that I haven't visited yet. It's nice to see both the good and the bad, so I'll look forward to seeing the bad side of Peoria in the next video. Judging from this video, it seems like Peoria would be a good place to visit.
I live like 15 minutes away there is some places in peoria you should stay away from it can be dangerous
@@urdad9724 A lot of cities have their dangerous areas. I've driven through Skid Row in Los Angeles and have walked on streets adjacent to it; that is the worst area I've personally visited, and I would not go back there after dark. It's hard to imagine that Peoria could be this bad, but I could be wrong. It's a strange area - the north side of 3rd Street is technically in Little Tokyo and isn't too bad, but the south side of the same street looks significantly worse. However, Skid Row is starting to gentrify somewhat, so it might not be so bad in the future, but I worry about what will happen to the people who live there now - they have to go somewhere, and nobody wants them. I've also spent some time in southeast San Diego for work; that is a place where I've seen bars on the windows on the upper level of a house - not a good sign. There is a Jamaican restaurant in that neighborhood that gets good reviews; even bad areas have their good points. I'll have to try it one day, but at lunch time - not after dark. In southern California, it isn't unusual to encounter patchworks of good and bad areas - a good neighborhood might be right next to a horrible one, and people who don't know the region can easily find themselves in a place where they shouldn't be.
Another video from Nostalgia Tours went through a bad area of Peoria, so it gives me an idea of a part of the city where it pays to be careful. Usually, bad areas seem to be at least somewhat safe to drive through during the day (with a reliable car that won't break down), but it is best to avoid them at night. If I manage to visit Peoria one day, I'll stick to the better areas since I don't know the city. Southern California is familiar to me, so I'm more comfortable exploring sketchy areas here, but in other parts of the country, I don't know the culture so well and don't necessarily know what to expect, so I'll be a lot more careful. Downtown Peoria looks nice. After the virus has run its course and concerts resume, I would like to check out the Peoria Symphony Orchestra, which is a well respected orchestra with a long history. Also, the local museum looks like it would be worth a visit. If I don't stray too far from these activities, I'm sure I will be fine.
After seeing some of the other videos, Bloomington/Normal and Urbana/Champaign look even better to me. I like college towns, and these look like good ones to visit. I think a road trip to Illinois would be a good vacation after the virus has subsided.
@@heatherharrison264 it's not bad at all. Their is one area on the south end to stay away from. The rest is great
@@SCOTTFREE226 just because it is exaggerated does not mean there is not parts of the place to stay clear of
@@heatherharrison264 You should check out the video channel from CharlieBo313. He's an African American gentleman who cruises in his aging product of the Golden Age of Detroit through some of the sketchiest ghettos in the United States. He doesn't provide the running commentary or the stats but geez...he is BRAVE. Probably the worst area he has visited (except for abandoned Detroit) was the Kensington district in Philadelphia. Imagine the Chicago El tracks completely taken over by meth and opiate addicts and prostitution. horrible, horrible area
Nice video--Peoria looks pretty good (has good bones as those in urban planning like to say)! Random thought, as a transit and infrastructure buff, I'd love to hear you mention stuff on biking infrastructure, Amtrak stations, city and commuter rail or BRT transit (if they have it), and the waterfront of each of these cities. When I explore a city for the first time, I always like to explore their public waterfront to gauge how well the city is investing in its downtown and embracing its past. Cool video-definitely need to check out Peoria sometime and I appreciate you taking us there in the meantime!
As a resident of Peoria all my life, I can help to answer a few of these questions to the best of my abilities. For biking infrastructure, there isn’t really much by the way of bike trails/bike lanes in Downtown. The only notable trail in the Peoria Area is the Rock Island Trail. For train stations, no passenger train stations are in the Peoria Area. The closest Amtrak stations to Peoria are in Galesburg and Bloomington. Peoria does have a fairly decent-sized freight network, with two large rail yards in East Peoria, and a freight line running along the waterfront in Downtown Peoria. For commuter rails, no commuter rails are present in Peoria. Public transportation is operated solely by bus/shuttle, and taxi/Uber. Interstate 74 serves as the main thoroughfare through the city, while Interstate 474 serves as the bypass for trucks and travelers. Illinois Route 6 serves as the main freeway for the northern suburbs. Interstate 74 was overhauled in 2005 to modernize the freeway by adding additional lanes, new exits, new interchanges, and deleting sharp turns and left exits in the Downtown area. This project was was known as the ‘Upgrade 74’ project. In 2020, the Murray Baker Bridge, aka the I-74 Bridge, was shut down for 7 months between March and October for rehabilitation. The rehabilitation included replacing the aging bridge deck along with the aging steel support beams, repainting the bridge, and adding new LED lighting. Other improvements that came with this project included matrix boards, 2 in Peoria, 2 in East Peoria along the freeway, ramp meters at the Jefferson St. on-ramp to regulate the flow of traffic entering the freeway. and flashing caution lights at the Adams St. off-ramp to better warn drivers of wrong way travel, a sign was also added in East Peoria with caution lights to warn drivers of potentially slow or stopped traffic ahead on the bridge at Adams St. exit (Exit 93). Illinois Route 6, while being fairly short at only 10 miles in length, draws more traffic that a rural highway due to it passing through the developing north and northwest edge of Peoria. The freeway ends in an abandoned spur near Chillicothe at Exit 9. It is unclear where the freeway was supposed to go, but several studies have been made to try and continue the freeway. One plan in to turn IL 6 into a loop by extending the freeway back over the Illinois River and reconnecting it with Interstate 74, thus creating a beltway for the city of Peoria. Another plan is to continue the freeway north and have it connect to a new interchange in Chillicothe, connecting it with a proposed Illinois Route 29 expressway which would continue north to Interstate 180. Interstate 474 has not changed much over the years. It is planned to have a connection to the proposed Peoria to Macomb expressway, aka Illinois Route 336. Such proof of a connection already exists with a spur traveling to the west at I-474 mile post 3. Exits at this interchange are signed with letter suffixes as Exits 3A. Since the proposed expressway has not been built yet, the 3B exits do not exist. On the northern end of the Peoria Area, the McClugage Bridges which carry US Route 150 over the Illinois River, are in the process of having the eastbound bridge replaced. Construction has already begun on the new bridge and is expected to be complete by 2023. Once complete, the old eastbound bridge will be destroyed. The new eastbound bridge will carry 3 lanes of traffic vs 2 lanes on the old bridge. It will also have a multi-use pedestrian path as well as a viewing deck at the middle of the bridge overlooking the river.
@@wtlf1026 awesome. I was born and raised in Peoria and my favorite upgrade hands down is downtown and the Riverfront. I love it. I wish it would’ve happened when I was growing up there. There was literally nothing down there when I was a kid. Born in 1967. So I remember the old Peoria.
I lived in Peoria during my self-deluded period of becoming an electric engineer. (Bradley University). I have good and bad memories, including the Italian math professor who was incomprehensibly teaching differential equations with a terrible Italian accent. :). Anyway, I have to thank Chris for this video. TBH, unlike Detroit, it seems some midwestern cities are actually BETTER than they once were. Downtown looks sleepy, but is clean and attractive and the City didn't destroy its urban fabric as grossly as my hometown (Fort Wayne) did. Still remember Grandview Drive and the amazing houses near Bradley on Moss Avenue. I was there decades ago during the nadir of Saint Ronnie Raygun's depression, so I guess it would have to be better than 1984! :)
Peoria used to be a wonderful place to live.
Not anymore
Kiss that goodbye
Peoria is still pretty good just avoid the south end
@@mariomario9209
Are where the twin towers located a safe area. The condos look nice there.
I live in Peoria Height which is just 2 miles from downtown Peoria. There is a lot of construction going on that is making the place look a bit better. My family and I are also looking to find a better state.
Do you like it in Peoria? Considering moving there. Interested in your pros and cons.
Your pretty good at your videos actual research and no political bias keep up the work
Appreciate that! I’ll do my best.
Nice video, was there 2018 to visit Caterpillar center, be back soon
I graduated from Bradley in 1979. On my graduation day, May 13 of '79 was the day they imploded the Jefferson Hotel to begin the construction of the Peoria Civic Center. I really believe downtown Peoria was was one of the outstanding downtowns in the Midwest for many years and maybe still is. I moved to the Carolinas in 2016, so I haven't been back to visit
Home Of Richard Pyror
7:16 is where his statue is on the right..
🥰🥰
JoJo Dancer was filmed there and it flopped big time
I Love Your Thumbnail On Peoria!!
The highest crime areas in the big cold city are the southwest side, the east bluff and just below that an area known as Averyville. Some less common violent crime occurs in apartment complexes in the north and northwest sides of Peoria mainly from Drugs gangs that have set up shop in those areas
Are where the twin towers a safe area. The condos are nice there
Why did you take the NW route? A better intro would have been from I -74 E heading west into Peoria. Way better skyline intro lol
Excellent point...especially at night
He didn't even drive down Water St. 🤔
12:40. Jumer's Castle Lodge was a Peoria institution for 40 years. The hotel was known for their great accommodations and their outstanding German cuisine and their cinnamon rolls. The building was and still is, according to reports, filled with exquisite Black Forest furnishings. The facility is now a Retirement community since 2010. A great part of Peoria's history!
What a shame. This breaks my heart. All my good memories of youth, love, dating, friends, romance, weddings, were at Numbers Castle Lodge. 3 generations back werethe pastor some ancestors who came here from the Black Forest. I wish things didn't change.
I miss going to Alexander's Steakhouse and cooking my own steak! Nothing like it here in the South.
As a native Peorian, I always believed the city has had a high potential to progress. I assume renovations are ongoing in the Warehouse District downtown and I can't wait to see what's new when I return. I believe it will be the most beautiful transformation Peorians have seen in decades.
Yeah Warehouse District will remain a work in progress. It's got some pretty solid spots already. Zion Coffee, Ardor Bakery to name a few.
Didn't mention KOMATSU which is at N.E. Adams street. I was born, raised and worked in Peoria 57 years and moved far away
Did the neighborhood get to bad to stay?
I believe Komatsu was originally known as WABCO before Komatsu purchased it.
@@berniemarkley before Komatsu it was Dresser, then Komatsu but before them and Wabco it was Letouneau
@@berniemarkley yes wabco but before Komatsu it was Dresser and before that Letournea
Thanks for that. Had no idea it had been through so many hands since Wabco. I met Lewis Burger, who was president of Wabco, and was on the Bradley Board of Trustees when I was a student at Bradley(75-79). He was an extremely nice gentleman!
Thanks for posting
It is more like 2:30 from Chicago and 2:50 from St. Louis.
Much cleaner than Chicago
Thanks! I’m Proud To Say “I Live In Peoria!!”❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Between 1837 and 1919, Peoria was known as the Whiskey Capital of the World. After Prohibition ended, Hiram Walker came to town and, at one time, was the largest distillery in the world. HW remained a Peoria staple until the 1980's when the distillery was sold to Archer Daniels Midland to manufacture ethanol🎉
Haven’t been back in 6 years. Still looks pretty trashy, but I didn’t know it was trash until I left. Still want to move back tho
I liked Downtown Peoria, the area around Bradley and I thought that much of the northern and eastern parts of Peoria were fine. There are definitely some trashy areas of the city though.
But that’s usually the case. Most people don’t know how their city measures up in comparison to other places until they go out and see (or live in) other places themselves.
Nostalgia Tours yea DC is a little better lol
Do you like it in Peoria? Since you want to go back. I’m Considering moving there. Interested in your pros and cons.
@@zerosashes pros: cheap
Slow pace of living (compared to big cities)
No traffic, easy to commute anywhere you want to go
Cons:
Horrible laws (well Illinois in general) no 2A
Taxes
Crime ridden in half the city
The area is great, move to a smaller town around peoria
Caterpillar had their headquarters in Peoria for years, they moved up to Chicago just a few years ago
You should've seen about doing a Farmington/Park Hills, Missouri video when you were down that way
twistedangel730 oh I’ll be back don’t worry. Whenever my focus changes to Missouri I’ll get Farmington and Park Hills. I already have all of the decent sized towns right off of I-55 filmed in Missouri in that area so I’ll have time for those two when I focus on Missouri.
Nothing says home like coming toward Peoria and seeing the skyline. You know your home
Yep, coming around that curve on the East Peoria side of 74 and seeing the skyline is awesome..
Why didnt you go through the east bluff in peoria right above the Hospital
That's sketchiest part of city nowadays
That's where I live, it's a shithole man
He wanted to make it home
My dad used to pick up hi-c loads for the vending machines he used to service on his side work from Transamerica insurance company we used to service all holiday inns back in the early seventies till 78 if i remember correctly back when cans were 15-25 cents a can well we serviced other places in Springfield decatur and surrounding areas like the womens fitness spa in decatur the mens fitness a few car lots we serviced mainly holidayinns until the springfield management wanted a cut and broke into our vending machine then we pulled out of all holidayinns all together then sold it to our friend and moved
Beautiful city
I grew up in Peoria. I love it and always will.
Do you like it in Peoria? Considering moving there. Interested in your pros and cons.
@@zerosashes Don’t move to Illinois. It’s a liberal cesspool that will never get out of the hole it’s in.
Maui Jim is headquartered in Peoria.
Nice video
Caterpillar leaving hurt. Still have hope for the future. Bluffs and forests are beautiful.
What part of Peoria do you recommend me to buy a home
Dunlap is where all the growth is. Morton and Washington are also highly rated.
3:09 was the YMCA I used to go to also that's the area code
Give it time, the Great Exit will eventually take it's toll on Peoria and every other town in IL. The Democrat policies always end in disaster. It's a shame because, once you get out of Chicago, this is a beautiful state, especially here in the southern quarter.
Nothing will change until Madigan is gone. Illinois debt-to-GDP is the 4th highest of the 50 states, topped only by RI, KY, and NY. What’s the first thing you do when you find yourself in a hole? Stop digging! But not in Illinois. Pritzker has the nerve to ask Illinoisans to amend the constitution, and for what you ask? To treat the symptoms with another income tax increase instead of a cure which everyone knows is State and City of Chicago pension reform! If we are going to re-open the IL Constitution let’s fix the problem, and we don’t have to screw a bunch of teachers, firefighters and police officers to do it either. Then there’s federal taxation. Illinois is getting absolutely soaked on the federal level. I don’t know what the Illinois delegation to Congress is actually doing. For every dollar Illinoisans send to Washington, we get back 60 cents in federal spending for Illinois! It’s killing us. We are subsidizing other states; many which get back more than a dollar and some more than 2 dollars! Every dollar we cut in federal taxes, puts 40 cents of incremental spending power into the pockets of Illinoisans. Any Illinoisan who doesn’t vote for cuts in federal taxes simply doesn’t understand how bad we are getting screwed.
Chicago is beautiful wtf
Video for Green Bay Wisconsin Duluth MN superior WI and Rochester MN
One day
The overall tax rate is higher in Fl...include the insurance costs in FL and IL is a bargin
Evidence? As a former Illinoisian (literally from the Peo area) and current Floridian, I challenge your comment.
As a Mexican, I can't really pronounce Peoria so it's just easier for me to say Pedorra.
I'm not Mexican but I agree lol
The housing prices are cheaper in illinois because the taxes on property is higher than anywhere.
i live off western and bradley campus gettin fangerous also but yea i live in the scetch part
Fangerous? That sounds horrible!!!
@@jesuguru2394 fuckin dangerous it is horrible
Gotta get some ice cream or shakes from Emos
As a Illinois resident, I’ve always seen Peoria as the place you go for club meets (volleyball, basketball) or for science fairs. Just me?
So, based on your lack of commentary, and the fact you didn't get much out of downtown, I assume you're not from Peoria. You gave us about as much as I might normally observe by someone who has never been to Peoria and is visiting for a day business trip. If I was considering Peoria to move to, this WOULD NOT be the video to watch. I think your facts are straight, but you missed a whole bunch of commentary opportunity even just while downtown.
That's why I have a Peoria playlist that goes over more than just Downtown. This is a video on Downtown Peoria. ua-cam.com/play/PLkAKbwTlGHeIZtq4muFh_5IZnferaAGz8.html
@Nice One Springfield doesn’t even have a Costco.
Do you like it in Peoria? Considering moving there. Interested in your pros and cons.
Peoria is like the 7th largest urban area in Illinois Aurora IL 40 min from Chicago on 88
Aurora is part of the chicago metro
What is the Hospital name to good for work in nursing jobs?
OSF and Methodist
@@NathanH83 thank you so much
A lot of jobs were created for peorians and the housing is cheap so it's easy to see why people would want to move here
Can you do other parts of Peoria like the northend and east end
Where's big al's.?
Lol if he would’ve drove a little pass the towers you would’ve saw it it’s literally right by the towers
the ORIGINAL big al's was on main street a block from the pere marquette now it's on jefferson or adams. can't remember which. but i BELIEVE it's 2 blocks towards the river then a block to the right from the old location, which i guess would make it jefferson.
@@davidburton3447 you’re correct that was yearssss ago I’ve been here my whole life
@@davidburton3447 it was a strip of clubs on Main Street back then
Like any other city in the US…some people like are happy where they live some aren’t… after Covid and inflation hell we might all have to flock to Peoria for affordability…
I was born and raised there but moved away 8 years ago. Taxes are so high it's crazy.. won't move back but love to go home and visit.
Detroit is the same size now, used to be third largest city in America.
I am from Peoria born and raised in Peoria and I wanted to see downtown Peoria for the stores and stuff that I remember I didn't see him in your video can you make another one showing downtown Peoria with the stores and shops and everything cuz I didn't see any and your video0
He clearly likes it!
Are you going to upload a video on Labor Day
Yes and I’m gonna try to have 5 next week too
Nostalgia Tours Most of not all of the videos you gonna do this week is Illinois related videos
Yup
That’s the city that I was born….Peoria, Illinois.
Make no mistake, this town is a terrible place to live lol. I can literally smell this city through the video.
Yah, I'm like ughhh, this place in reality sucks. Cant wait to get the heck out!!!
@@NessieNessie85 Peoria is pretty great as far as midsize cities go, I get it's the cool thing to hate on it
@@NessieNessie85 - Bye-bye, Felicia!
@@Arobisme I was born and raised in southern Cali and then traveled A LOT when I was in the Marine Corps until I settled down here at 24. Ive been here 11 years now and when comparing and contrasting from my own experiences, Peoria is pretty ghetto fabulous to me. I get there are some good "nice" parts to it, like any city there are good and not so good areas. It's not all bad. In general, there's not a lot of variety or things to do when I compare it to other places I've been. Peoria is not what it used to be, I think at one point it was pretty good from what I hear from older people that grew up there. Illinois in general is not the greatest state. Just my opinion.
@@prairiedoggy1 That comment is old...who says that anymore! I'm stating my opinion, thanks!
Downtown look dead, roads look empty, did you go there on a Sunday.
Your hauln ass on western !! lmao Thanks now I dont have to leave my house to cruise Peoria today !!
Is Peoria safe!!
I live here my whole life
Is it a good place?
My sister goes to Bradley! :)
It definitely looks way better on your tour than in person
I'm from peoria
Do you like it in Peoria? Considering moving there. Interested in your pros and cons.
2 words BIG AL’S
Peoria has the second best skyline in Illinois
Grew up there from 88 to 95 was treacherous s/o to the DuB HH Gz
I live in Peoria
Should go to Big Als!
So HAPPY I left the hellhole state of Hellinois years ago.
I'm from Peoria
Do you like it in Peoria? Considering moving there. Interested in your pros and cons.
"Downtown and the area by Bradley University are ok" No bro, they aren't. Not anymore. Downtown is a nightmare when the sun goes down. Bars on main are turn into narcotics shops at night. Along the river, Kellehers and Martinis is ok but that's about it. And Kenny's is ok but they also get some shady cats regularly in there as well. But the management is good there unlike a lot of the main st places.
I'm from peoria az, had to know
you know you're in sw peoria when you see vogues on the tahoe
You vote for what you get unfortunately...Peoria is losing with what it's had voted in in the last couple decades.
My mother's family been here before Illinois was a state and Peoria was nothing more then a village .
I remember aunt Alice
Terrible State Government.. Very High Taxes..!!! Significant crime problems.. Lousy job market.. Horrible schools in District 150.. Terrible public services.. Showing buildings that have many vacancies.. Rent is cheap..!!
Peoria is dumpy…was just there this week.
My brother went to Bradley
my dad went there too
From peoria & still here lol