Declining, Yet Still Smiling | Calumet City, Illinois

[@ChrisHarden]

See more of what Calumet City, Illinois looks like here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4DRhKpmqaqogKM Illinois Playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLkAKbwTlGHeKoOBxconpFSyUSO32NKREy Chicago Suburbs Playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLkAKbwTlGHeILgN75aeaBe0EHvhBHyagP Help me grow my other channels! Chris Harden's Travel Archives: www.youtube.com/@chrishardenarchives Nostalgia Tours Radio: www.youtube.com/@Nostalgiatoursradio ==================================================================== 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=34.29834970801405%2C-91.53765609999999&z=5 SOCIAL MEDIA & CONTACT INFO: Email: [e-mail] 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!

[@DoveGirl]

I've walked through and played around in Calumet. Hey, I just had an idea. They have drag racing spots around certain areas in Chicago like Doherty Road. That's in the south suburbs I believe... Would you drive through them during the daytime? Just a content idea😊

[@ChrisHarden]

@@DoveGirl Always looking for stuff to film! Looked up Doherty Road though and couldn't find anything

[@DoveGirl]

@@ChrisHarden found this: "As of August 2005, street racing on Doty Road, also known as Stony Island Ave, in Chicago has been shut down. However, in July 2022, Axios reported that drag racing was taking place on Doty near 115th Street."

[@VickieP-kh8ze]

It still has beautiful well kept homes.

[@BigLouUSAF_VET]

I grew up a couple miles from Cal City. It used to be really nice. And River Oaks Mall was our go-to for everything. Shopping, restaurants, movies, etc. it's a shame.

[@davemeers37]

Yep grew up in Dolton and River oaks mall was our go to saw a lot of movies there

[@knightclassic1]

Blacks are to blame

[@SheriLatulip]

Me too Lansing

[@Cromose]

It's called Amazon

[@therealfredleee]

Same!!! I grew up in Cal City in the 90s and remember PLENTY OF DAYS of hanging out at the mall and going to the movies out there!!!!! A trip down memory lane. Man ……. It was a great community back then ❤

[@jondoes7836]

The Blues Brotheres are from Calumet City. It was mentioned in the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers.

[@KNS1996DFS]

St. Helen of the Blessed Shroud Orphanage.

[@Kihsiimawa]

Also mentioned in The Silence of the Lambs.

[@richardm3023]

Dick butkus called cal city home for many years.

[@bigdaddy-fk5bi]

no no no, they went to a catholic school that was in cal city but they were born elsewhere. everybody on this thread is wrong.

[@richardm3023]

@@bigdaddy-fk5bi It was a Catholic Orphanage that they were raised in.

[@DLeadVox]

St. Helen of the Blessed Shroud, Calumet City, IL The Blues Brothers Orphanage

[@PeteEvans-q2v]

I'm the owner of that bar that you stood in front of . Your report was fair I would have given you a free drink if you had come in.

[@ChrisHarden]

My man! Next time I’m in town maybe I will

[@302Mustang13]

That's what I'm talking about. Chris is definitely fair and that's a nice offer.

[@M3533ghost]

I’ll take the free drink 😂

[@youreajokerdiaz]

if thats where i remember it, my StepMom worked there in the 80s

[@tastesandtravelsnounee]

I hope your business continues to do well despite the mayor’s lack of interest in making the city better. Seems like he is more interested in funding his pockets.

[@WO2411]

Man i remember growing up in the 2000s I lived in the city but weekends I use to go to my aunts house in Cal City. I remember when river oaks mall use to look like Chicago ridge mall 😭 literally filled with stores like Toys R Us and Game stop. The food court use to be filled with restaurants and people, I even remember the old movie theater. It’s just sad seeing river oaks mall now I have so many memories there

[@fnihp30]

Imagine being a kid in the 80s. River Oaks was really booming back then!!!!

[@WO2411]

@@fnihp30 I’m already knowing it was smh sad to see

[@joannunemaker6332]

I was pleasantly surprised that Calumet City isn't as bad as what I had heard. Kudos to Calumet City. I love this video. 😊❤

[@S800389]

I lived there in 2007-2012. Seen a lot change as a teenager and lived on State line Rd. Before the split of the road. River Oaks was the stuff back in the day. Had a date at the movies that’s was right across the lot. 😢😢😢😢😢😢 I’m now 30 years old so it’s crazy to see this video ❤😮😢

[@bigronmedia159]

Fr tho

[@Supertoxie1]

Great video. You should do Hammond. It's been revived by the Mexicans.

[@WN_Byers]

Corrupted politics combined with apathetic voter base(true for the entire country if you really look) has destroyed the once great, still posessing massive potential, state of Illinois

[@camrobertss6721]

I, live in lansing Illinois, next door neighbor of calumet city!

[@ChrisHarden]

I've seen all the south suburbs at this point. Lansing easily stands out from the others imo.

[@djhaloeight]

give it another 10 years lol

[@dmarqu11]

I was a UPS driver at the River Oaks Mall 30 years ago. The whole area was booming then. What a transformation for the worse since then.

[@paulbernacki641]

Cal City is pretty much ghetto now, I would avoid it. Best advice is to stay away from any South Suburbs in Cook County if possible. It's not worth the risk. Indiana still recognizes bail laws, so it remains much safer than Chicagoland's suburbia. A word to the wise....

[@mr.w4904]

You should have stopped at schoops for cheeseburger and fries. Best burgers in the area

[@Sayso2423]

This place looks pretty well kept. The beautiful trees and grass are nice vs. all the negative take in the video not too bad ! Thanks for sharing this take it was very informative! 😂

[@shelbyz1974]

Thanks for the video Chris! I can recall seeing some bad crime incidents on the news for Cal City back in the day. Glad that it's doing better today. There's a lot of hard working people out there just trying to live their best lives.❤

[@Chitwn81]

Chris i love your videos of the Chicago suburbs and the research you do. I hope you can do the west suburbs as well...starting with Oak Park, Maywood, Bellwood, Berwyn etc

[@ChrisHarden]

One day I’ll get to those

[@Black-Pill-7411]

I'm from bellwood

[@ArethaRenee]

@@Black-Pill-7411I’m grew up in Bellwood late 70’s thru 90’s. It definitely changed.

[@Chitwn81]

@ArethaRenee I'm there now. Actually a good place. Definitely on the upswing with all the new houses. Prices have more than doubled. Taxes are high unfortunately but not higher than the South suburbs

[@michaelplanchunas3693]

Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Worked for 4 years in the destroyed 6 story office building in River Oaks Mall, directly across from the water tower. It was there that I met my overseas roommate seven years after discharge. Small world. You also took us past our first apt. after getting married. Moved in 1971 to Chesterton Indiana.

[@YaWantTaters]

Thanks for shareing this neat story! I miss the times when the old malls used to be full of working stores and almost too many people. Hey you know what will happen if you'll go to Hamond and have a cheese sandwich? You'll have a Hamond cheese sandwich 🐖🧀🥪 👍

[@JayJay91838]

Illinois taxes is insane

[@NunyaBizznaz]

$4,000 property taxes in a working class city? How can the elderly survive? 😥

[@brianwells4507]

Gene Krupa is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery, Michigan City Road and Calumet Avenue. Mike Tomzsak went to TF North, Calumet City

[@billwilson-es5yn]

Mike Tomczak, the Polish Prince of Calumet City! He was good enough at TF North to be QB at Ohio State. Believe he was an UDFA when Ditka had him signed as a backup QB in 1985 since Mike was tough enough to get into fist fights with Dan Hampton, Steve McMicheal and others during practice. Mike played as a starter for the Bears, Green Bay and a few others before ending his NFL career with Pittsburgh. Mike holds the NFL record for having the most personal fouls called against a QB.

[@brianwells4507]

@billwilson-es5yn Mike also has the most yard return for a touchdown interception! Against the freaking Vikings in Minnesota. The Vikings defense took McMahon out in the 1st half with the Bears down by 21 points! Mike came on and was brilliant in the 2nd half tied the score in the 2 minute warning. Ist and goal, clock running out he throws the ball on 3rd down instead of calling the play dead and bringing on Kevin Butler for the FG? Ditka chewed his a$$ out!

[@youreajokerdiaz]

Tomzsaks dad was the football coach at TF North. i played under him and Roger Munda in 88-89. Go Meteors!!! lol

[@franklyncap4691]

appreciate all the research u do Awesome vids 👍🏽

[@ka06745]

Marshall Fields at River Oaks was special especially if you couldn’t get to the downtown Chicago one. Plus River Oaks was best when it was an all outside mall. Enclosing the place was cool at first but when the city went downhill, so did the mall. But Fuddruckers, Beginngans, Outback Steakhouse when it first opened, man, Cal City used to be poppin.

[@techiegirl2927]

see I said that above when it went from open air to enclosed it just didn't feel right anymore

[@MvoSean]

Hey Chris, do a video on Hammond IN. Love your videos man.

[@brianwells4507]

Cal City was a nice affordable place to live in the 70's. The Strip was always open, John's Pizza. Lauer's Restaurant on 154th Place had Prime Rib on Saturday night, King Cut was 6" thick!! Every other corner in the neighborhood had a tavern, plenty of revenue, plus River Oaks Shopping Mall! Only mall I'd ever seen that had Marshall Fields and Carson Pierre Scott next to each other? Point is with all that tax revenue the Calumet City PD was cool as hell, they didn't need to be writing traffic tickets constantly? Furthermore the Winter's in the late 70's there were horrible. Tons of snow! But unlike any other Southside Chicago area, which would ticket your parked car, or bury it plowing around it? Calumet City would have snowplows, along with City tow trucks remove the vehicle, plowing and put the f--king car back! I saw it living there, my first apartment! But as this documentary points out the demographics shifted,like my hometown of Dolton did. And, well you can fill in the blanks as to the downfall! I gotta say 1 thing most of the brick and cut stone walk up apartment buildings still look well kept!

[@jimklipper6022]

Hegewisch Records

[@techiegirl2927]

Dolton is straight up terrifying......like for real I will, in a tesla, cut through Altgeld Gardens to go to Blue Island and skip Dolton.....that place went to shit BIG TIME when you prefer driving through Altgeld over Dolton you know its badddddd

[@parispippin5321]

Next time show the real cal city please! There are beautiful homes in cal city!

[@techiegirl2927]

it wasnt so bad what he showed though

[@GonzalezSix67]

Great video! I like all these videos you make!

[@JohnDoe-qv9id]

Retail has gone online which is why the River Oaks deteriorated. Same is happening across the US for big Malls.

[@Cromose]

Yep

[@fnihp30]

Orland Park is still popping..

[@swannoir7949]

@@fnihp30Yea. Orland is, surprisingly.

[@wilpotocki2453]

I grew up in Calumet City from 1954 to 1970. It was a great place to grow up. Lived in Gold Coast at 166th and Wentworth Avenue. Most of my family lived in the north side. As a kid I had lots of kids to play with. Wentworth Woods was the shopping center we kids went to all the time. Before River Oaks everyone shopped in Hammond. River Oaks helped Hammond's decline. My family rarely shopped at River Oaks.

[@techiegirl2927]

did they shop at Woodmar

[@daveyoung5445]

I was hoping you would drive by my grandmother’s old place. It’s few houses away from the old ball of fire bar.

[@Lpm920]

I met Kanye at River Oaks. When College Dropout came out. He was filming MTV the Diary. I was working at a cell phone kiosk. I didn’t make the show but I know 20 people in it…

[@mnoliberal7335]

Calumet City would be Horrible but for having better-off neighbors in the Hoosier State.

[@tuco86x]

Really enjoy watching your south side of Chicago suburbs city

[@laurice8056]

If you are would also consider covering stable, and thriving suburbs in Chicago, please do a video on Orland Park. Thanks

[@jetsons101]

Chris, another great watch. I looked around on birdseye and street view, your right about State Line Road, very interesting how it's been modified.

[@techiegirl2927]

have you seen it now without St. Margarets?

[@techiegirl2927]

Was it sin city or Sin Strip (State Street) Im actually from Calumet City - my grandparents owned State Lumber until they passed and my stupid cousin and Uncle Rick sold it. Also the hospital - where my second daughter was born :) St Margrets is in Indiana. The "street prostitution" was actually more on the Hammond side and not the Cal City Side......it mostly was centered around the Adult Book store that you no longer see they put a grocery store over it lol....there used to be a transient hotel that in my whole life had NEVER been open across from a cigarette stand there was a costume shop & a bar my grandma was the bartender at (Nick's Bar) and "Atlas News" that was the adult bookstore where AL used to manage it owned by Dave Strom (who passed away in a very controversial way lol....maybe I dated him lol he also owned Deja Vu Lake Station and the other adult bookstores in the region very wealthy man lived in the Ogden Dunes area with a beautiful house we stayed at that overlooked the beach and lake michigan) so .....across from that was the Goodwill and honestly THAT is where the majority of the hookers were......and they were out in full force......SUNDAYS.....because while all the Bappy's wives were in Church at the VERY controversial First Baptist Church of Hammond they were out picking up....."friends to pray with them" haha.............. Calumet City is more bars and such. During college my mom was a single mom and worked at Howards Cab to pay her way through college and care for little me..................Whiskey a GoGo was the "problem bar" .....Mikes Restaurant (where the owners Mike & Toni LOVED ME and basically babysat me when my mom was driving) the BEST pizza ever was on State Street The Original Johns Pizza....which has since relocated to Munster Indiana...........you passed by my grade school Wilson Elementary and our park that USED TO have a pool and we would line up every year to buy our "pool pass" the week after school let out.............the Smiley Tower literally used to always make my heart so happy as a child.......whenever we would travel out of town to visit relatives or go on a trip to Florida to visit my dads mother the moment I saw my smiley face tower I felt warm and safe and happy knowing I was home. River Oaks Mall that you showed we ALLLLLLLL hung out there and it was BETTER before they enclosed it....I loved it open but its not really a good plan to keep an "open air mall" in a suburb of Chicago because no one wants to freeze going from store to store........I never liked it when they enclosed it though it felt foreign to me. The decline happened gosh after my 2nd daughter (3rd child) was born......we lived in Cal City ...........then we moved and divorced and I didn't go back home for the longest time and the saddest news ever that came from home was when my grade school crush and friend Warren was shot outside the grocery store - I won't get into details but police shot and killed him outside the store - so tragic - The city tries so so so hard to white knuckle what it was but unless they start doing MASSIVE gentrification efforts to bring solid business to the city and develop better housing and not keep allowing vouchers (hey I grew up ON state street in the house next to the lumber yard - thats how my parents met my step dad worked at the lumber yard for her his parents and my mom was a tenant of my grandparents - they owned 90% of that section of the street.) but they have to stop with the low income housing efforts that is effectively what destroyed it.......I was actually praying that they would get the casino to take over the land where River Oaks was but sadly they didn't. I hope one day before Im gone Cal City can have some version of a come up. I live in Indy now but my son lives in Blue Island (which dear lord that went RAPIDLY bad over the last decade)

[@pattyh956]

Grew up in Cal City. The 80's was the best time ever. Love the Smiley towers

[@Wcpch2]

You should do Alsip Illinois not far from there, also an hour away Bradley Illinois is having some big changes you should stop their when u have time as well

[@adrianal3269]

Current resident, I love Cal City. In the Hammond/Lansing border; it is very quiet with forest all around. Besides my horrific tax bill, I don't mind at all.

[@djhaloeight]

South Hammond has some beautiful homes. South of 165/159th to the border with Munster along Hohman Ave. Gorgeous houses. Lifelong Lansing resident here. Have lots of friends from Cal City, and work in Hammond. The area is getting worse though. Hear lots of gunshots in Lansing now. Unheard of 20 years ago.

[@JohnDoe-qv9id]

Area is overly burden with high property taxes.

[@ChrisHarden]

And all they have to do to escape those taxes is move a few miles east, which… is what people have been doing

[@DaveJarosiewicz-fl1wr]

Mayor Jerry Genova brought an end to all the chaos in Cal City. He essentially shut down the sin city strip.

[@ernestconnell8087]

Cal City, the Venice of the Midwest 🍻

[@albertsancho5909]

River oaks mall was my childhood. Sauk Village, Crete, Steger or Matteson soon?

[@ChrisHarden]

Stay tuned

[@BZendry]

The blacktivity in the area will destroy anything that they try to do.

[@TitanicTubi]

Have u seen the video on white kids in the Appalachia those dudes are on drugs, don't work, on ssi. Bs on that blacktivity .

[@benjamintaylor4402]

Your comment was the kind I knew would be here..RACIST!!!

[@techiegirl2927]

wow not cool go away

[@Cromose]

I still live here by the video, state line and sorry to say, Calumet city is starting to boom again 😊, house property values went up by 30% to 40% , a lot of new Mexican Families with very young kids, no one to bad influence them lol, almost no abandoned borded house around 😅. We have easy bus and train acces witch helps get jobs from downtown, we have acces other towns like Harvey , dolton, the and village dont have

[@martinamccline1314]

Never realized we had a Mr. and Mrs. Smiley….very interesting 🤭

[@williamdavidson3143]

I worked as a county police officer in the area and I’ve never seen anything more than some gang activity.. the state line road portion was pretty much empty by the mid 90’s

[@avonee1976]

I called Calumet City home from September 6, 1976 to July 10, 2001. I spent the first 25 years of my life there. I have so, so many memories of growing up in CC.

[@302Mustang13]

South suburbs are just sad. The first water tower was definitely sexist but weird with the smile.

[@alvinjohnson9531]

Calumet City BAD? At least it's NOT Ford Heights!😮

[@ChrisHarden]

Far from being Ford Heights

[@rstepney63]

TRUE VERY TRUE 💯

[@cashIND219]

My aunt n uncle have lived out there for almost 50 yrs.. They updated n remodeled thw kitchen and inside.. but man their property has went to crap.. they was gone leave the house to my cousin but he passed.. the only thing it has going for it.. is the fact its tucked away on a quiet street across from a forest preserve.. so they cant build across the street.. always use to travel the 20 min to river oaks back in the day..

[@martinamccline1314]

I was so sad to see the movie theater go 😢

[@pitbossea]

River oaks mall is on serious life support.

[@ryantinley81]

I grew up in Cal City in the 80's and 90's. The reason for the blight isn't because of the economy, it was because of what happened in the Mid 90's. The projects started closing on the near south side, and pushed all of the bad characters south. That is the main reason why all of the people who built cal city left and closed their businesses. Joe's Video, John's pizza, Burnham Pharmacy are to just name a few. There was even taverns on almost every block, sometimes in the middle of the block. My grandfather lived a couple of blocks away from us, and he built his own home there in the 40's. I still take a ride out there occasionally, and I am sad to see what that town has become. People look at me like I don't belong there, and I just stop and tell them "this is my town" LOL........

[@paulbernacki641]

I'm originally from the near west side of Chicago, and I don't even feel safe going to Sunday Mass at the old Catholic church I went to grammar school at. Stay away from Cook County,

[@youreajokerdiaz]

what yrs you went to TF North? i left there in 90. do ya know the Embreys?

[@swannoir7949]

This is the truth. Then Mayor Daley had promised to rebuild and relocate the people in the projects. Instead, the City of Chicago kept the 500 million federal dollars, and used it to gentrify Chicago (along with the pension fund, which is why there's a shortage today). People who have grown-up in projects have a different way of life. But when you house ppl like animals for decades, how do you expect them to act? Unfortunate for the South Suburbs. Thanks for your post.

[@1rjbrjb]

I grew up in Oak Forest in the 60s & 70s. Depending on traffic, maybe 20-25 minutes to Cal City on 159th street. The mall was lovely. I saw Apocalypse Now with 3 buddies at the mall theater in 1979 - $7 tickets but you got a program; a line around the block. Very nice people. Hard working, high end blue collar. Always felt safe and welcome. Wish them the best.

[@swannoir7949]

I Apocalypse Now was really that popular?

[@1rjbrjb]

@@swannoir7949 It was well and truly hyped; tickets were jacked 40%; and there was a printed program which you didn't usually see by 1979. It made money. Not Star Wars money, but Brando gave it class. And girth.

[@conartistap8831]

Bro, you explored my whole riverdale il,caulment city burlington iowa all lots of memories of both

[@corywalker9498]

Clean cut grass no trash laid back. Another simple suburb or midwest town

[@michaelajayi1587]

4:50 OMG I USED TO GO TO THAT SCHOOL IN THE PLAZA ON THE FAR LEFT 😭

[@rafaelrazzo8614]

There aren’t high paying jobs in Indiana. Most folks in Indiana work in Illinois.

[@techiegirl2927]

true we live in Indiana and commute - the skyway is worth it lol

[@allmightygreat1892]

First name of this town was shrumsville after the first family to aquire 600 acreas . They started many business to produce dariy and pickels. Shrum pickels and the dairy became part of borden.

[@billwilson-es5yn]

The Schrum pickle plant was near State Line by 165th St. across from the forest preserves. Us Hammond kids would ride our bicycles in the woods and see Schrum workers sitting on the back dock drinking out of brown bags.

[@allmightygreat1892]

@@billwilson-es5yn cool thanks. My old neighbors moms madien name was schrum. He said by the time his mom was born all of the wealth was pissed away.

[@swannoir7949]

Man, I miss Borden's milk. Taste like it came straight from the cow

[@YaWantTaters]

14:44 ROFL I can just see at a tourism board meeting "Let's see, what could we use to draw people to our town. What might they like to visit... Oh, I know! They could come see our dirt pile!" 🤣😂 No for real, thank you for putting these videos on. They let me see places I'd probably otherwise never see. Even being mostly a lifelong IL resident, I likely never go to Calumet City.

[@techiegirl2927]

thats sad its our history and if we don't want to see it get better - it wont - no one cares about it the way we should

[@YaWantTaters]

@@techiegirl2927 I know well it's a sincursed earth. We know nothing as we ought. I always reorient my mind on greater heavenly things when I get too anxious or depressed(which is lots of times, really every day)

[@thrashmetalfiend]

My maternal grandma (RIP) was born in Cal City and I was close to attending the now defunct Westwood college in 2007.

[@JaniceThomas-vs2fu]

Lived in Calumet City Illinois 1966-1985 I though Kim F cousin had the idea to paint that water tower yellow Kim and I went to same elem school Sandridge Elem. GREAT Video Thanks

[@techiegirl2927]

oh fancy - most of us went to Wilson and Wenworth

[@craignovy2090]

Wow it all comes together here. An extremely well sourced straight shooting easy to follow technically beautiful video with spot on commentary. The how and the why of the place are joined throughout. Chris is also fortunate to have a pitch perfect voice which is artistically blended in. I see this work as a documentary in its own unique class. This demonstrates how learning can be so enriching, entertaining and enjoyable. Way to go!

[@ChrisHarden]

Thanks!

[@jimk4419]

And the common denominator is. Ahh

[@youreajokerdiaz]

just brought back alot of memories. i left Cal City in 91. went to TF North. lived at 647 Gordon. seeing all this makes me realize i left to florida at the right time. i dont miss it

[@caveredecorator5310]

got my first apartment in calumet city in 1972. right between castaways bowl and dolton bowl. bowling was the main recreation of the area i guess.

[@user-qb3zf2bq9p]

Sadly its become a hole

[@rialohaguy]

Back in my long-gone youth (around 1978-80) I often roller skated at the Roller Dome in Hammond, not far from Calumet City. I met a lot of really nice girls at that rink, from Calumet City, during its couples only skates.

[@joelsandler1119]

Cook county should be called Crook county!

[@ChrisHarden]

… Yup!

[@Kihsiimawa]

Clearly, the flood in that mobile home park wasn't THAT bad; most of the homes there are probably as old as the park itself.

[@mdmarko]

Calumet City isn't the only place that's had a happy face on the water tower. During the 1980's, Goodfellow Air Force Base, San Angelo, TX had a happy face on the base water tower.

[@JeremyLeePotocki]

My dad was raised in this town (through the 50's & 60's). No one on that side of the family lives there anymore (the last to leave Illinois all together was my aunt & grandmother in the 2010's). Most of my dad's old neighborhood got mostly razed (he lived near State St.).

[@theSimpsons-sd5ro]

The city of Calumet city, Illinois is in the south suburbs of Illinois, In the south suburbs of Illinois environment , The south suburbs of Illinois people, Ride regular paddle bicycles, you have "strip clubs", skating rinks , the people in the south suburbs of Illinois drive, Ford focus similar cars and have Driving school bus jobs. Its impossible to go broke in the south suburbs of Illinois. Their are "money street clicks" in the city of Calumet city, Illinois, That are about money, No rules or structure. The violence in the south suburbs of Illinois doesn't go over Fist fights . It's impossible to go broke on the south suburbs of Illinois for anyone doesn't matter who you are or where your from.

[@jenniferenck2827]

I lived behind the River Oaks Mall on the other side of the tracks back in the 70's. So many memories!

[@cygnusx-1862]

I worked at River oaks Mall in the mid 80's. It was a nice community had a lot Polish, Ukrainian and Hispanic people. Everybody was nice and polite and I enjoyed working there but things have changed.

[@erictorow250]

And don’t forget East Cleveland Ohio what a dump of a city that place is 😊

[@trillgod1455]

Yooo you should really come check out Valparaiso! Im born and raised here and live right downtown. LOT’S of cool history here. Town has nice architecture, lots of civil war era homes, some brick paved streets, several buildings on the national historic registry, downtown is beautiful and best of all its safe and always has stuff going on.

[@datdamnevansboy6535]

Just recently moved to Cal City. They have some good food/restaurants. I knew that b4 I moved here from Addison because I'm familiar and be all over the state of Illinois. Goals of moving to Hyde Park or the south Loop

[@neospouro6824]

i have family in cal city and its always been my home, my dad and gma would alwaysntell me that on state line thered be sex workers on the illinois side and when the cops tried to get them theyd run over to the indiana side which i find kind of funny because whenever i was on state line i wanted to stand directly on the dotted line on the road with my feet apart so one is on indiana and one is on illinois seriously, tons of love to cal city. my second home

[@StayingBack71]

Valparaiso Indiana for a $200,000 home Is around $2400 a year.. I live in Crown Point Indiana, And my home is valued at 200000 and I pay $2100 a year. So the $1600 per year in Indiana is a little bit on the low side

[@stevenboll322]

Chris great videos on the south suburbs including cal city ive noticed you're getting really close to northwest indiana hopefully you'll be doing some videos here in nwi where I live but still appreciate all the videos in cook county because that's where I grew up

[@loudbrunette420]

I grew up in Lansing, right next to cal city. I remember going to river oaks mall with my grandma and always being excited to see the smiley face tower. Miss those days. Lansing used to be really nice too and has went downhill. Can you do a video about Lansing?

[@kerrykeane4623]

Thank you. Some positive things - they tear down blighted buildings so that the streets look cleaner. Born and raised. Some buildings still standing look better than they did when I was a teen.

[@allmightygreat1892]

Sure flood wall. We can call it that. Thank you for all your efforts. Enjoy your videos. Appreciate your research. Look forward to viewing your videos. Recently found your channel.

[@tastesandtravelsnounee]

How can anyone hold the mayor accountable? What government agency is above the mayor that can hold a city accountable?

[@VERYOLDTIMER1]

Lived in the condos across the street from Holy Cross Cemetery 86 to 87 moved to Indiana in late 87

[@bigdaddy-fk5bi]

Up until the racial conversion of cal city, cal city had the highest per capita volunteer rate in the country in every war cince ww2.

[@tonetone2707]

Calumet city still looks good in spite of the closures I believe it can be turned around and continue to be a great place to live

[@steve3790bday]

Dixmoor Illinois next ? Glenwood Illinois ?!!

[@ChrisHarden]

Dixmoor soon, Glenwood a while away and on my archive channel when I get to it

[@33Donner77]

Thornton Fractional North High School - Home of the Meteors. Now there's a name that won't offend anyone. Right?

[@youreajokerdiaz]

dont make fun of my old school. lol

[@techiegirl2927]

lol you must have never saw our beloved Meteor Man josh

[@NunyaBizznaz]

Every street light was on during the daylight! LOL. Democrat incompetence at it's finest.

[@kerrykeane4623]

One thing, however. You cannot have a "Sin City" without attendant crime and predation. Gangs? Sin City = gangs. I myself was more afraid of people in those "Section 8" buildings in the 1970s than in the 1990's. There were drugs back then as well. Anyone who thinks the problem was all "gangs" or "section 8" is straight up WRONG or didn't live there.

[@willgrellosbelts8695]

No surprise that this whole "Calumet Region" consumes the bottom spots on Chris' Livability Score. Which means keep the videos about this area coming.

[@ChrisHarden]

Haha yup

[@daveyoung5445]

Mike tomsack

[@ledongoodwin4252]

Nobody will live in or around those cities

[@jimk4419]

Why waste 10s of thousands of dollars repainting the tower pink? Why not give that money to a breast cancer fund? Virtue signaling. Ahh

[@techiegirl2927]

shhhh you aren't a resident be quiet

[@bigdaddy-fk5bi]

sorry friend, wrong again. calumet city was the very last holdout in the area. trouble stayed in hammond, lansing, and dolton but stayed out of cal city. bad elements started to creep in in the 80s and by the early 90s it was a murder and crime haven. talk to the people that lived thru it.

[@techiegirl2927]

come on now ....lets not lie......we had our fair share of problems my mom was robbed as a cab driver in 1978/9 ......growing up we knew to stay on the path in the forest preserve on our "tree walks to gather leaves for our leaf collection journals" because everyones parents talked about the dead body pond at the corner on River Oaks Drive and Torrence LOL....we just grew up knowing people dumped dead bodies in there lol.......wasn't shocking just ....was aware.....mob, gangs, pimps, etc all of them used it as a dumping ground......the city was a known lure for low level mob affiliation....hell talk about the tunnels just a couple minutes north in Hegewisch ......literally mob tunnels for Al Capones house to get across the street when the cops raided him .....thats our history it got WORSE I think you meant to say in 90s but we always had "bad elements" but the low income bad elements started flocking the more vouchers were issued and people got out and started renting those houses to literally ANYONE that would pay......and code enforcement on those rentals was a joke my first adult apartment was the first street off state line across from St Margarets and we had the basement and it was TERRIBLE bad wiring it literally was terrifying we moved out like 3 months into it and got a nice apartment but man that was 1992 and landlords were chopping the houses up into apartments like depression era style.

[@1576bmoc]

your timelines are off