Driving Around Small Town Jacksonville, IL in 4k Video

[@marcusphelon4034]

Thanks for taking me down memory lane❤ 1994 JHS Grad. Actually thinking about moving back.

[@exploreusacities]

Jacksonville is doing great, they recently got a Hy-Vee grocery store and their first Starbucks

[@marcusphelon4034]

@@exploreusacities yes, could hardly recognize from your drive but did see some of my old stomping grounds

[@TravelOVibes]

Nice scenary , Wish to drive around here one day.

[@exploreusacities]

It's a great small town!

[@IM68Guns]

Lived there from1980 to 1987. Moved after my sophmore year in high school. Downtown looks like it hasn't changed much though I seem to remember you were not able to drive completely around the square back then. Seeing the Illinois theater brought back a lot of memories and you can briefly see the old Times theater (now called Krush Time I guess) just off to the right at 13:49 as well. Everything looks a little more run down than I remember too but it's also been over 30 years so I'm a bit more run down myself. Amazed that I was able to pick out several other familiar landmarks after all this time as well. Thanks for the drive down memory lane.

[@bettylaw2244]

That's my place. Nice to see it getting recognized

[@jacquelineflores8393]

Cute town...looks like its doing good😊

[@CMCFamilyChannel]

Black Person To Walk Around Hi Im A Beautiful Black Person And With An Amazing Family I Hope We Welcomed Here In Jacksonville Cause We From Another Part Of Illinois We Come In Peace Looking For Peace & Love All Love No Hate Cant Wait To Move Here 💯❤️☀️

[@exploreusacities]

Jacksonville is a lovely little town, you will like it

[@CMCFamilyChannel]

I Sure Hope So I Just Want Peace Amongst Citizens Of Different Color Equally & Respectfully 🙏🏾❤️

[@Townesvanwaits]

​@@CMCFamilyChannelhonestly, except for a few places in the Pacific North West where a lot of "neo-nazis" and Aryan Brotherhood types are and a small select few places in the middle of nowheres in the south, there's not a lot of places these days where black people won't be welcomed with open arms, or at least treated differently than other races. I grew up in North Georgia in a little place called Forsyth County (the towns name is, and I wish I was joking, "Cumming" lol) and Forsyth County was known for a long time as THE most racist place in the country. We (or should I say they) forced out all the black people/families after a bunch of lynchings happened in the early 1900s when a man who happened to be black murdered a young white girl (though its not clear if he was truly guilty) and this also rejuvenated the KKK. They even literally kicked out Oprah Winfrey from the county lines in the 80s when she tried to march there in the streets for civil rights, and when I was born (1992) there were only 2 black families in the entire county of tens of thousands. Nowadays, it's a lot wealthier, less hick, MUCH more welcoming to black people, and has a much larger black population. You'd be perfectly fine walking the streets and what not after dark, no one would ever call you the N word, and so on. Just goes to show how much the times have been a-changin.

[@1024dram]

The pacific northwest sounds great. I want to live amongst european americans only​@@Townesvanwaits

[@hwhilse]

Visited on an exchange program w/ Jacksonville High School about 1996 (or was it 1995?). It formed my idea of a rural US small town in the corn belt. The whole town knew when we, the German exchange students, were in town as we all were driving around on our host families' bicycles, which - at that time, too - about nobody else did. I don't remember the shiny sidewalks that are now present in the video, but it might just be other parts of town than we frequented back then. We were 15/16/17 at that time and for us Europeans, the scarce availability of alcohol and tobacco was a point of small grief :-) On sundays, when our host families were off to church, they allowed us (thinking it would be rude to encourage us to go to churches of other protestant confessions, which it certainly wouldn't have be, but we did play along happily) to go to the public 9 hole golf course instead, which was great fun for us amateurs to teach ourselves to golf. I've never eaten so many variants of heavily sugared food ever since I've been there 🙂

[@exploreusacities]

Great story, I love it. You are right, Jacksonville is a very typical corn belt small town. It’s a great place!

[@CK-lo2bn]

Would have been good if there was commentary or a ticker that said what streets you were on. I lived in Jacksonville in my teens and would have liked to know where you were at. Couldnt read street signs and the only thing i recognized was the downtown square.

[@calhounhills860]

Nice commentary. I believe Capitol Records had a plant produced vinyl records here also in the 60s and 70s. The Jacksonville Bowl is a great place to watch a basketball game.

[@Townesvanwaits]

Whats funny is that the only reason I'm here and even knew that this place existed is because I was just listening to my Bob Seger record (Night Moves) and I noticed on the back in small letters that the album was produced in Jacksonville, Illinois. And I was like "wtf there's a Jacksonville, Illinois??"

[@calhounhills860]

🤣@@Townesvanwaits

[@PaulSmith-fr8by]

Would have been good to see Illinois College and Mound Avenue.

[@martyaz]

Another 45 or 50 year old CB antenna @10:53 There used to be a Honda MC dealer on the main street.

[@nancyrobbins8987]

Why did you leave out beautiful Nichols Park?

[@Sharona-21]

Would have liked to know if you went by the hospital where my husband was born, but no commentary.

[@exploreusacities]

Sorry about that. I spoke to the hospital, and it turns out your husband was not born, he was dropped off by the stork. Have a great day!

[@RFE812]

Great town, but it shouldn't be on signs in Springfield instead of Kansas City though.

[@exploreusacities]

that's funny

[@paulthomasshepherd5156]

Looks dead with no people walking on streets!

[@exploreusacities]

Jacksonville is actually a pretty vibrant small town, give it a chance!

[@kepperMN]

People do not walk much anymore! Too car oriented! One reason obesity is on the rise in the US.

[@cathyelmore295]

Jacksonville Illinois sucks