I'm visiting every town in NC - Rocky Mount, North Carolina

No snap music, long intros, or drone montages. The real world with no filter, the good, the bad, the ugly.
A virtual walk & talk of Rocky Mount, NC.
North Carolina Towns
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[@TimothyFrench]

The town I referred to talking about the train tracks was Goldsboro, not Wilson. Sorry for the mistake.

[@cedricmiller4370]

Hey if you had to decide between the 2 towns to live in would you choose Goldsboro or Rocky Mount to live?

[@TimothyFrench]

@@cedricmiller4370 I would choose Rocky Mount. No real rhyme or reason. But driving in past Battle Park and seeing all the possibilities in town definitely influenced my decision.

[@cedricmiller4370]

@@TimothyFrench oh ok in other words based on your observation you feel Rocky Mount is somewhat more of a adventurous and explorable town to reside in and never been to battle field park I will have to visit that park

[@latonyajones606]

U should do Wilson

[@TimothyFrench]

@@latonyajones606 I have been to Wilson. Here is the link. And thanks for watching. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bmTRYY2tatOsf7Msi=Us6DzsMeki0Y1lOk

[@dougdupuis6305]

When I first moved to NC about 30 years ago Rocky Mount was a thriving little town but after all the textile mills closed down the town quickly went down hill. Great for taking pictures of urban and rural decay.

[@TimothyFrench]

It’s definitely good for that. But I hope they are able to pull new businesses in. Thanks for watching and commenting 👍

[@Kathy-bk6cg]

My father lived there in Rocky Mt NC and it was beautiful 😍

[@Focus_Fearless]

Man, that train station brings back memories. When I was seven, I used to go down there with my grandma all the time and watch trains. We’d even get ice cream inside the train station.

[@TimothyFrench]

What a great memory. Thanks for sharing it with us 👍

[@winnysneece694]

Thank you for sharing ❤

[@TimothyFrench]

You’re welcome 👍

[@tracyh2421]

Well, i love books. I collect old books in particular, i really don't read newer books. I enjoy your strolls thigh these quaint towns very much.

[@TimothyFrench]

Thank you. I love the look and feel of old books as well.

[@terrencemcphail5782]

I live in rocky mount now 3 yrs came from Raleigh lot more house and yard for the money 45 minutes away from downtown Raleigh. I never walked or been downtown rocky mount but everything is built throughout the town, the area he in is not open on the weekend. People be at the mills, the flea markets, yard sales and parks on the weekends. It is a pretty lively town, people are living well for not alot of money. I like it, I have lived in 5 previous metro areas throughout the country. Charleston, Raleigh, Charlotte, DC , Seattle, Tulsa and Atlanta previously lived in these areas atleast a year. The city is actually split between 2 different counties Nash and Edgecombe. once u cross that bridge to Edgecombe side looks like Kinston or Durham. Edgecombe side is a lil bit more ran down than the Nash county side if u understand what im typing, basically middle class upper class Nash county.

[@TimothyFrench]

Thanks for the local info. It will be helpful for those looking to move into the area. And thanks for watching.

[@kierrickedmond]

A lot of people say the county line separate the run down part from the nice parts, but I say highway 301 separates it. Cause it’s some rundown parts on the Nash county side too lol. I tell people if you wanna move to mount, look west of highway 301, anything east is cheap, but it’s cheap for a reason lol . I grew up on Cokey road, on the Edgecombe county side, trust me, I know the in and outs of Rocky mount.. I will say, the Edgecombe county side doesn’t have many big businesses, restaurants and shit.. I remember reading the city council tried to get sheetz to build a store on the Edgecombe county side, out on Raleigh blvd, coming into Rocky mount from tarboro, at the crossing at 64 area, sheetz declined because they said the population on that side of town was declining or some shit like that lol. Sheetz got 2 locations on the Nash county side. All the nice restaurants and big box retailers are on the side of town. I think the city council need to work a lil harder to get business on the Edgecombe county side

[@TimothyFrench]

@@kierrickedmond Thank you for sharing your knowledge of the area

[@davidhibbs6989]

Rocky Mount "was" a great place to live back in the 60's70,'s then slowly starting going down hill ever since! The old town is just for show only! No one wants to open anything along main street because it will be looted and destroyed. It's a very high crime area and I remember when it was nice. You couldn't pay me to live There.

[@bobby-ov9qn]

In 1962, I transferred to (then) Wesleyan College to finish up my undergraduate degree. And yes, the downtown area was beyond great. But as you say, that was then, and now is now. I remember catching the auto-train several years ago to Florida, and passing thru the town, and couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Everything closed & boarded up. So sad what is happening to these places.

[@TimothyFrench]

It is, I hope they can turn things around. Thanks for sharing your experience. And thanks for watching 👍

[@jackrussell3104]

If you want to see people in rocky mount ride along the 301 corridor

[@louisbatchelor5546]

Downtown is the one safe place to walk around like this in Rocky Mount. Also, Saturday night is not Sunday morning 😂

[@TimothyFrench]

Thanks 👍

[@karolinestephens7389]

I wish you had been able to take a little bit of time to do some research on the town before doing the video and also chosen a different time of day/week to film. Yes, the majority of buildings on main street and the surrounding area are still empty and there's not nearly enough people downtown, but there is a lot of progress happening and we actually have some really amazing small businesses in the city center doing a great job at slowly revitalizing the community. And The Mills on Falls Road are a really cool project that actually attract a good bit of attention even from out-of-towners. We bought our house in downtown RM earlier this year and are very happy with our neighborhood and the direction the city is headed in. This is a great place for people to make a home and start a business from. We expect steady growth for the coming decades given how the triangle area has basically maxed out it's growth potential and the coast is going to be increasingly challenged by flooding.

[@TimothyFrench]

Thank you for sharing your local knowledge of the area.

[@VibeRockyMount]

We love living in Rocky Mount 🙌🏽

[@TimothyFrench]

Thanks for sharing your experience 👍

[@MegaBait1616]

Another good video.... 👍. I've been all over our country and ya just see towns like in NC..... Except for the major cities most of NC towns are alive n well...... Rocky Mount is a major stop over for the people Up North that are going to Florida........ be well n Keep America Great..

[@TimothyFrench]

I will. Thanks

[@genuinelypink3838]

I live in Rocky mount and frequently visit downtown. The places you have passed such as 4:09 used to be a décor store which moved somewhere by a Roses. 6:20 used to be the old Citi trends clothing store which moved to another location....closer to Walmart in fact. Both of these places are now in high traffic areas. Nowadays we find the occasional store attempting to open there. Downtown sits in a place where traffic was high years ago but now it feel kinda eerie and surreal going to grab a coffee or lunch when I only see like 2 people during my entire visit.

[@TimothyFrench]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge of the town. I hope people start coming back to their town centers and all the great architecture.

[@MontezHoward6]

Me to

[@monie2193]

There are a lot of new stores and restaurants down there, most are on the side streets of the main street. There is even a new event center right on the strip your walking. Also, Sunday mornings you will not find a lot of traffic because most people are at church.

[@TimothyFrench]

Thanks for the local info 👍

[@kellyparis9147]

I grew up in Rocky Mount. I was a child in the 1970s. I recall Belk Tyler's, JC Penney, and Sears and Roebuck were along Main Street. Also Cato, a women's store. I recall other stores but not their names. Many of these stores relocated to Golden East Crossing when it was built in 1986. Main STreet began to suffer. Remaining businesses either relocated or closed up shop. But we used to go shopping there all the time. I remember in 1990 when actress Michelle Pfeiffer filmed some scenes on Main Street for a film called "Love Field" which came out in 1992. She played a hair stylist and the plot had to do with the assassination of JFK. Main Street was "Dallas" in the film They asked many people with old cars to be in the movie so the street looked very busy.

[@TimothyFrench]

I could tell it was once a thriving town center. Thanks for sharing it’s history with us 👍

[@kellyparis9147]

@@TimothyFrench no problem! :-) I was born in the Rocky Mount Sanitarium, which was torn down in the late 1970s and it was in the area you were walking on the Nash County side of the tracks. A strip mall currently is there.

[@rachelbey7008]

Hey Timothy, what time of day is this? You're right it does have an apocalyptic vibe. Glad to see Rocky Mt again your way. Its been a looong time. Thanks

[@TimothyFrench]

Sunday morning around 9:30am.

[@jbarnes2288]

Thanks for doing this walk- I was looking at all that downtown on a map just today I would have loved to have seen the river and or falls........... They should get a traditional American dish restaurant, a pizza place and an ice cream place by the antique stores. Can't you see people walking around with cones looking at antiques after a meal?

[@TimothyFrench]

Thanks for watching. Here is a link to the my Battle Park video where you can see the falls. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aGWWo4tnfpqci80si=0FY4gkR3SY7X9vSS

[@kennethstuckey7823]

Many folks who have been voted in to be in charge of and run towns don't possess the required experience, business acumen, marketing/branding expertise, or other relevant skills necessary to do so effectively! Because of this, countless towns have suffered greatly to the point of the abandonment and decay of town centers.

[@bobby-ov9qn]

I met my wife of now 58 years while attending NCWC in the early ‘60’s when the school was just getting started. Her folks lived in Rocky Mount and I got to know the area well. Back then Main Street was booming, and crime was relatively low. I briefly revisited about 15 or 20 years ago and was shocked what was allowed to happen to that town. The malls took over at the expense of the town. Was so sad to witness.

[@TimothyFrench]

The malls definitely did damage to our town centers. I hope, now that many have closed, that citizens will return.

[@peacetrain3320]

Book Stores, yeah!

[@GeraldM_inNC]

The one place that never gets looted.

[@TimothyFrench]

So true 🤣

[@Scythecleff]

First electric guitar I ever had came from Music City. Damn shame they went under. Glad we still have RedPhish, but it's just not the same.

[@TimothyFrench]

It is. Thanks for commenting 👍

[@jocelyncarpenter5063]

I LIVE GERE IN THIS TOWN THANK YOU

[@TimothyFrench]

You’re welcome. And thanks for watching 👍

[@peacetrain3320]

And Goldsboro, yeah, my hometown.

[@TimothyFrench]

I love Goldsboro’s town center. ❤️

[@ruthsills7207]

That was a Belks and then Belks moved to the mall and Towel Town took that spot. Towel Town still exists in a small shop that is west of downtown. Nobody goes downtown anymore. You will get mugged or shot. I miss the old downtown and its department stores. I despise a mall.

[@TimothyFrench]

Same here. Hopefully people will start shopping downtown again one day. If a town loses its core it just becomes another cold franchise town. Thanks for posting and for sharing your thoughts 👶

[@Littlleverything]

Towel Town was in that building up until about two years ago. They closed because they had someone come in and buy the building. They moved to the other side if town. My ex's family owned that building for decades. They sold a little bit of everything but over the years they just didn't the business that they had in the beginning. They now have a much smaller business that is easier on them.

[@TimothyFrench]

Thanks for sharing. I hope they do well in their new location.

[@tsnovak20]

Sad that the downtown is like a ghost town

[@TimothyFrench]

They have a beautiful town center. Hopefully, more people will move to the area and help revitalize it. And it would be great to see the buildings filled with mom-and-pop businesses offering unique experiences that you cannot get at a chain store. Thanks for posting. 👍

[@91210paige]

Dang Timothy that looks like an abandoned town. What time were you walking around?

[@TimothyFrench]

Early on a Sunday Morning.

[@Alvarez486]

Put a Walmart dollar tree subway ext and it will come alive not to mention a bojangles

[@axgrinder6420]

towel town was Belk Tyler's

[@TimothyFrench]

Thanks for the info. I loved the old downtown Belks

[@winnysneece694]

Beautiful town! Hopefully younger generation can get great tax breaks opening up businesses as long as they stay in the town. Grow the town again. So sad to see America decline. Heart breaking.

[@TimothyFrench]

I agree. We need to encourage young entrepreneurs

[@TimothyFrench]

Every town has good and bad sections. And the places I visited seem safe. The people I talked to were also friendly. I think it would be worth a visit to check things out.

[@Gemni65]

Murder mount

[@99Doogs]

is it true about the crime? I was interested in buying a home because of how cheap it is, im coming in from Miami

[@TimothyFrench]

I cannot answer your question, but my time there seemed safe and the park I visited was the same. I liked the area but maybe someone who lives there can provide a better answer.

[@gregmcnamee9037]

I live in Wilson, but worked in Rocky Mount for years. City does have a gang problem and lots of drug issues. It's right on I-95 halfway between NYC and Miami, Big drug corridor. There is a good amount of violent crime associated with the drug trade and gangs. Locals call it Murder Mount. However, it's not all bad. Low cost of living, commutable to RDU and research triangle, and some really nice neighborhoods. Plenty of jobs for those with a high school diploma and without a criminal record. Good amount of large manufacturing employers, and is a transportation hub with the railways and interstate highway. Also a big plus is the outer banks are just down highway 64, close enough for a day trip to some of the most beautiful beaches NC has to offer.

[@dariusx4829]

​@@gregmcnamee9037Excellent comment 💯👍🏾

[@cedricmiller4370]

​@@gregmcnamee9037correct I've heard about the big amount of gangs in rocky mount. Do you feel rocky mount is more dangerous to live in than Kinston NC?

[@kierrickedmond]

Was raised in Rocky mount… its not bad as long as you stay out the way. Most of the crime is isolated incidents, meaning them people know each other lol. It’s not like if you go walking you got a high chance of somebody robbing you at gunpoint.. it’s not that bad . I will say, if you plan on moving here , move west of highway 301, everything east is kinda run down… so just pull up a map, and look at the city, you’ll see highway 301 runs directly north to south through the city, look west of that highway lol, it’s nice out that way. . I grew up east of it, on Cokey road.. Edgecombe county side..

[@devinbass2833]

Yeah worst place to go to 😂he showing the decent spots trust me rocky mount shit

[@AnthonySmith-mx1dn]

I live here and why you say that?

[@erickanew]

My daughter just moved there, said it was nice peaceful, lol of course he's not going to show u the ghetto

[@rizzlaxl]

Desolation for 30 years now....

[@TimothyFrench]

I hope it can make a comeback. Thanks for sharing.

[@CreaminDemon]

Rocky Mount should be burned completely down