Crime Ridden and Poverty Stricken: Centralia, Illinois 4K.

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
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[@ChrisHarden]

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: [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!

[@riptideblueice1andonly]

Of course you did the Walmart 😭😂😂

[@MarkHinsdale]

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.

[@littleegyptrailfan2746]

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.

[@outmywritemind1739]

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

[@orion3706]

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.

[@HighSpeedNoDrag]

They say you can never go back home. I will attempt myself and prosper in my simulated retirement.

[@yrunaked4]

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.

[@Polack-ml9fh]

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.

[@yrunaked4]

@@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

[@tomsmith-wj2vo]

It was still a good town in 85

[@cparkinson6192]

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.

[@dougcunningham1449]

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

[@cparkinson6192]

@@dougcunningham1449 I think we're related. My second great grandmother was Sarah Ann Cunningham daughter of Matthew Cunningham of Centralia.

[@erb90us]

@@cparkinson6192 Well. My aunt Eve and Dad used to mention a Roy Cunningham. Any relation? Never met him.Distant relative of mine.

[@CornWanderer]

@@cparkinson6192 My Grandma is heavily involved with the genealogical society there. They have great records from what I hear.

[@dfc666]

@@CornWanderer i didn't know Centralia had that. How do i find them?

[@wisecracker1814]

To summarize, in Illinois, "crime ridden & poverty stricken" means a majority black, welfare populace. Just sayin'...

[@beckybeegle610]

You forgot the Hollywood candy factory that employed a lot of folks in the 70s and 80s they made the payday candy bar there

[@robertamckiski5743]

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.

[@anderander5662]

LOVE Payday....

[@dirtylou2962]

When did Payday leave?

[@andiem5150]

@@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.

[@stephenchota6396]

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.

[@garydean0308]

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.

[@helprehouseourvets6919]

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..

[@wm.kipmiller4021]

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

[@JonnyBGood420]

Thank you lol

[@emu5088]

Very well- said!

[@TheStringdmn]

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..

[@gayelynnloufek830]

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.

[@midwest0pe]

Wamac is named such because all three counties cover it. Washington And Marion And Clinton

[@A_Chicago_Man]

Looks fine to me. Everythings tidy. Houses are super well maintained which costs money. Those high taxes pay for lots of services that aren't available in the other nearby states. Including highway maintence and keeping things looking nice!

[@LOMASPOV]

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.

[@ChrisHarden]

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”.

[@orion3706]

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.

[@dirtylou2962]

Are the Orphans still the winningest HS basketball team in the country?

[@heatherm.8830]

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

[@ScootsMcPoot]

@@dirtylou2962 yes

[@eyestoenvy]

It's actually a beautiful town, well manicured lawns and homes in good shape. Nice downtown district too.

[@ChrisHarden]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[@bmcewen65]

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!

[@bmcewen65]

You never said where you got this music from. 😢😢😢

[@ChrisHarden]

@@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."

[@bmcewen65]

@@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!

[@teenashafer5830]

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.

[@thickernell]

FYI. Illinois Central runs North-South, not East-West.

[@thickernell]

@@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.

[@1L6E6VHF]

@@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?

[@stanleyhoover5167]

@@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 .

[@yrunaked4]

@@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.

[@danielthoman7324]

Illinois Central... Main line of Mid America.

[@onceANexile]

USA=ANOTHER BANANA REPUBLIC USA=ANOTHER BANANA REPUBLIC USA=ANOTHER BANANA REPUBLIC USA=ANOTHER BANANA REPUBLIC USA=ANOTHER BANANA REPUBLIC

[@whiteboycantgetright4276]

You should of drove over to Salem and went through the projects. Lots of fun over there.

[@TheStringdmn]

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...

[@mr.slim6188]

You know that feeling and taste when you throw up in your mouth? That's Centralia

[@biggumstevens1784]

"Crime ridden and poverty stricken" Illinois in general.

[@oldgoat9227]

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.

[@lyndallsullens9962]

me to old goat .lindy

[@thomasr8652]

I remember going back to school shopping, the public pool. Great memories from the late 70s early 80s

[@noahsmith9025]

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.

[@walkbyfaithfirsthaitianchu4584]

Thank you for the information. What is the brand's and model of the camera you used?

[@erikscottreed5195]

Centralia is my hometown. I live in the northern part along Rt. 51. Good job, though.

[@riptideblueice1andonly]

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.

[@Eibarwoman]

The most popular dog breed in Centralia, IL is the meth lab.

[@maxwellroxy3184]

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.😪

[@loumann007-pz1ke]

In front of the old Walmart

[@agentorange2554]

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.

[@wm.kipmiller4021]

Slowly but surely many small rural communities are experiencing the same unemployment and poverty throughout the US not just in Illinois.

[@harmonybarnes5986]

Not me seeing my house 😭 tbh I have lived here my whole life and it really isn’t bad.

[@reneejr3650]

Any Black people live there yet..besides in the prison of course?

[@harmonybarnes5986]

@@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 😘

[@reneejr3650]

@@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.

[@steveshafer4023]

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..

[@reidbauer46]

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.

[@paullindstrom7635]

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.

[@jamesjenkins3384]

Currently surviving on increased meth production, insurance fraud, disability scams, stimulus checks, and liquor taxes.

[@andiem5150]

So basically nothing has changed since I've been gone.

[@MrPhotodoc]

The "shall we?" quote is a shout out to The Daily Woo?

[@ChrisHarden]

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.

[@anderander5662]

Main problem with this town is it's NEAR Saint Louis and IN Illinois...

[@mr.slim6188]

65 miles away is really near STL

[@gennisegunn4210]

I'm about to move there and thank you for the video because I never been I'm only saying for 1 year

[@ChrisHarden]

Best of luck

[@bradquayle7983]

Bobby Joe Mason. A Harlem Globe Trotter in tha fifties and sixties.

[@harleanlester775]

And Meadowlark Lemon

[@harleanlester775]

Balloon festivals have replaced aloft of air shows.

[@edwardlobb4446]

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.

[@outmywritemind1739]

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

[@kzloyd75]

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

[@timothyfrey5413]

Cool locomotive!

[@yrunaked4]

the story behind how it was saved and moved there is just as cool

[@aaliyahmarie..24]

Lol I saw my house and my old apartment

[@harleanlester775]

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.

[@tyriedle2658]

Have a nice weekend this weekend

[@1L6E6VHF]

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.

[@emu5088]

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.

[@jKLa]

@@emu5088 Maybe he thinks critically but just tends to come to different conclusions then you.

[@hoppes9658]

Why are taxes so high in this shit show?

[@karlpiepenburg3157]

Great video. As a note, a major Illinois Central ran north and south through town but it’s been gone for decades

[@chewychews221]

Feel like we're going to drive up onto a murder scene with that music.

[@bradforddillman7671]

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

[@nottthereyet4872]

This is very interesting. Gives a better concept of towns when your not from the area.

[@leslietolbert1289]

Hi ,I'm from peoria, I enjoy watching your travel videos ,thank you so much for these, quite entertaining!!!

[@williamodom2698]

Tour was great since I have relatives that lived in Centralia, but your music sucked big time same thing over and ovee

[@ChrisHarden]

You should play the piano and write me a tune that I can use for my videos.

[@oldschoollgearjammerlongmi5209]

You sure hate Illinois huh Chris?

[@bigturtle9918]

2 years late but that’s what I’m sayin 😭

[@blahblahblah7384]

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 :)

[@ChrisHarden]

Yeah I realized I messed that up afterwards.

[@kathleenadams6974]

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!

[@ChrisHarden]

Best of luck!

[@kathleenadams3231]

We're moving from a small town in south TX...believe me, it will be a welcome change

[@gennisegunn4210]

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

[@WayneSummey]

A friend of mine went to school there. I have relatives on the wabash against Indiana border.

[@arpschneider]

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!

[@b0bbyha11]

We took our kids up and watched Roy play 2 years ago. It was great!

[@kelcibaum5703]

We also have our own fire work show in Fairview park every year. Held by the city.

[@TheStringdmn]

The cheapest they can get and don’t start till almost 10....screw the kids huh??go to Salem

[@dfc666]

@@TheStringdmn uhh no. Its at 9. After the other attractions have closed. The kids get to stay up for the shows!

[@crystalbundy-contri4337]

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

[@markscott5421]

I expected a whole lot worse than what I actually saw during the video. You can see people still take pride in their town but the lack of jobs is hurting them as a whole and of course Illinois loves their taxes which just kills job growth.

[@craignovy2090]

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!

[@gayelynnloufek830]

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!

[@doctorgrim3334]

ah centralia. my favorite dumpster fire. 10/10 would want to be born somewhere else

[@noahsmith9025]

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.

[@bobwallace9814]

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.

[@ChrisHarden]

Good question and good point.

[@ashtinharrison5185]

Most. -a local

[@ashleytaylor9413]

You couldn't be more correct- Centralian

[@braydenoetjen6376]

Most but not all are natural-also a local

[@actionsub]

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.

[@blackbelt2000]

This music gives me "Stranger Things" vibes.

[@Jennifer-bv8hr]

They used to have 4th of July carnival in strip mall. Zeigler factory was big employer til it closed down

[@gidgetfinley6140]

You should've checked your facts and shown son of centralia's History instead of just pointing out everything that was bad

[@josephjohnson9805]

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)

[@melaniebayles4245]

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.

[@teachercrue4350]

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.

[@dfc666]

Do you know where the house was located? Address or road ?

[@dfc666]

If you can tell me i can take a video for you

[@warrenmichael918]

@@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.

[@jasonbastian9901]

Centralia, I lived there for years,graduated from Kaskaskia college. A victim of US's rust belt. No opportunity.period.

[@clovisbarbeta511]

Fiquei um mês nesta cidade o povo educado e simpático lugar muito bonito. Sou do Brasil.

[@jeffking9234]

The two big events for centralia is 4th July carnival an balloon fest

[@wm.kipmiller4021]

I would add the Centralia Halloween Parade as well.

[@midwest0pe]

And COVID killed them all in 2020

[@TimEric4d3d3d3]

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...

[@jksynth]

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.

[@dvferyance]

Any plans to do Rockford? It's like the only large city in Illinois you didn't cover yet.

[@ChrisHarden]

I'll have some Rockford videos up sometime in March I'm guessing.

[@dvferyance]

@@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.

[@loumann007-pz1ke]

I got nothing nice to say about Centralia, except maybe the Centralia House but that's when curt owned it, it went downhill also.

[@earboneztv3062]

Ahhh yes The city that had the 2 square horned aca Hurricane 130 sirens. Some of you all may remember it going off before its removal in 2010.

[@mzimsosupadope]

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.

[@Christina-q1i]

Jerk in maps..get your own phone ..wonder boy ..going to jail..

[@aprilbardle472]

I mover away and I do much better got myself so many drugs and so much crime. Best decision I ever made moving from this town

[@ChadQuick270W]

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.

[@Mish1035]

Awwwww, come on! It isn’t all that bad!

[@ChrisHarden]

True… but is it really all that good?!

[@stevenhohenzy8074]

My grandma was born in Centralia in 1922. Thanks for the tour.

[@sherriecallahan6506]

I lived in centralia sense march 1. Of 1977.n this town isnt as bad as ppl say it is....

[@brettldouglas]

I'm going to spend the next 2 nights in Centralia. It's not that bad.

[@isaacwilmingtonjr9524]

The music to this video sounds a lil bit like Michael Myers "Halloween" theme.

[@momoftwins8440]

This is awful. Where are the Senators and Congressman for this area?

[@GG-vx7gi]

Overall not a particularly bad looking town considering all. Thefactors working against it

[@ashtinharrison5185]

It's worse in person. Surrounding towns are just as bad. - a local

[@stevenmorton2059]

One part of downtown that it doesn't show is on the west side of the tracks. Craploads of abandoned buildings there. There are few people trying to improve things. The major problem, other than the infamous Illinois taxes, is apathy. People either lock themselves away or lose themselves in an alcohol/drug ridden stupor, or both. Property taxes are MURDER here. If you try to improve anything, you hike the property values which in turn hike the taxes. That pretty much kills any incentive to invest. The tax structure punishes anyone who tries to improve the property for any purpose other than selling it. Not everyone who buys a house is a house-flipper, you know.

[@stevehady915]

@@stevenmorton2059 Unlike CharlieBo, this guy doesn't show you the worst areas of these small towns where most of the serious crime occurs.

[@stevenmorton2059]

@@stevehady915 Really? Check out his Mt. Vernon video. The worst part of town was basically where he stayed.

[@Jennifer-bv8hr]

I believe Country Bob's was started there

[@DarekKoczwara]

I wish I didn't watch it on Saturday morning. It ruined my weekend.

[@ChrisHarden]

You shouldn’t be letting any KZbin video ruin your weekend.

[@DarekKoczwara]

@@ChrisHarden Too late for that. I'm from Lake County, IL. My hood is nowhere near that bad but it's still upsetting. Cool videos, by the way.

[@mrpenland]

i live here you didnt go in the real ghetto looking spots lol

[@Christina-q1i]

Rt 50 salem ill ..next door to showtime .huh..

[@Jennifer-bv8hr]

Centralia is better than rockfalls Illinois

[@azthundercloud]

My father is from there. Grew up on pine st. Have cousins who still live there

[@1L6E6VHF]

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.

[@toddbradham9986]

Flora ill full of meth also n all serounding countys its bad

[@joanna7350]

You think this is bad? Try Harvey, East St. Louis, Cairo, Lenzburg, Fayetteville, Marissa, Sparta, Cutler.

[@ChrisHarden]

East St. Louis? Cairo? Where are those places?