I Spent A Day In A Poor, Dangerous Missouri Town

We give all this money overseas, and our own cities look like this??
Missouri is full of bad places.
If you measure crime, poverty, obesity, the quality of schools and jobless rates, there are a lot of cities and towns in Missouri that would be considered….bad. That’s just how it is. We all know what good and bad is.
Some say Missouri is where the worst of the south and the worst of the north meet. People call it Misery. And they live here.
Because of all of that, Missouri has a bad reputation among Americans.
I only spent a few days here on this trip, and I didn’t even come close to seeing the many places in this state that are described with such disdain. But what I saw told me a lot. It might have told me everything I needed to know about Missouri.
And now I’m gonna tell you. This is St. Joseph.
#missouri #kansascity
Email me: [e-mail]
I have a Patreon if you love it so much! Here's the link to donate to the channel: www.patreon.com/NickJohnsonYo...
You can buy my music here:
iTunes: / state-songs-an-album
More places to get my music:
-Google Play: play.google.com/store/music/a...
-Amazon Music: music.amazon.com/albums/B08D3...
This channel is about America!
The best video on this topic!

[@NickJohnson]

Here's the entire Midwest Road Trip playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLq-_cmf3H6yreUhBrJwFhC9LeCYh1TvBL

[@shellyfrumtexas8021]

Hey Nick can you do a video on southeastern Missouri the Boot Hill region it's more like the South more than the Midwest there are some interesting towns there like caruthersville and hayti

[@captainflannel8558]

n you see how she n the city dont even want to talk bout fixin the east side of st joe because they want all the money for the new side of town

[@shellyfrumtexas8021]

@@captainflannel8558 that's a common thing all around America and all these cities and towns they do the same thing

[@JK-co8og]

Thanks Nick for visiting us out here in Iowa. Can’t wait to be back visiting North Carolina again next year.

[@barbjamison2979]

Ive lived in Missouri most of my 60 yrs and traveled across the US in a big truck for 8 yrs of that. Missouri is the most beautiful as far s landscape and best for outdoor activities. Also has the friendliest people. EVERYWHERE u go u can find crime and poverty but u wont find beauty everywhere u go. MO. HAS THAT BEAUTY almost everywhere!

[@lleehome]

I moved to Missouri from California and I’ve never looked back. I love rural Missouri and the people who live here.

[@karengerman6178]

California sucks

[@tlamb1379]

Welcome to Missouri, Linda!

[@lleehome]

@@tlamb1379 thanks Tony

[@ampenokingsman8071]

Appreciate that Mo!!

[@JonWooldridge]

I agree. Beautiful countryside, sometimes still remote, no way! Uh yeah.

[@KellyJaye66]

I live in Missouri and have traveled many parts. Plenty of beautiful and good rural towns. The entire state shouldn’t be thrown under the bus. 🤷‍♀️

[@acornfed6484]

Nobody travling and visiting should show up to shit on what you have. This isn’t journalism it’s a guy being a prissy.

[@bak-mariterry5180]

@@acornfed6484 He did the same thing to Virginia. This is what is referred to as ..... Yellow Journalism.

[@roblopez767]

Me too. And I love my city and the state!

[@Fortune-kp7rh]

I live in St. Joe and this man's review of the city is terrible.

[@SHL-ge3wn]

@@bak-mariterry5180 a Leftist snowflake's take on things. He trashes every place he visits.

[@markpatro1627]

I moved to Missouri from New Jersey for college and I just couldn't imagine paying east coast taxes again. Sincerely hope that this decline doesn't continue, their are truly some amazing people in rural America.

[@kamwickw933]

Part of the problem is in your post. Lack of willingness by the locals to invest in infrastructure and attraction of business that might actually improve the quality of life 🤷‍♀

[@bobp5356]

The one thing I noticed as you drove through the city is that it looked very clean. There are a lot of old vacant buildings, but it wasn’t trashy like so many places.

[@alex-ym4bn]

it is not clean

[@meganlynn83]

In the part of Missouri I am in, littering is a BIG no no. We don't play with people dumping trash and shit. We will call people out, REAL quick. I'm in the Northwest area. In the Jackson County area. Born and raised here. 35 years old and I loooove it here! ❤

[@meganlynn83]

@@alex-ym4bn St. Joe? Do you live there?

[@centertonarkansastyrantpatrol]

Did you not see the gravel degree and homeless?

[@centertonarkansastyrantpatrol]

@@meganlynn83 yes you do. People do it all the time.

[@freddybell8328]

These "bad" towns in Missouri are often loved by the people who actually live there. This is nothing more than a city dweller assuming every rural town that doesn't look like something out of a movie is a terrible place to live.

[@lisaperry5999]

Agree I grew up in NW Missouri been going to St.joseph late 60s-present. Recession killed all small towns,early 80s. Downtown isn't good here,but the North part is going strong. Have lots of family and friends still there

[@Schyler__Parker]

@@lisaperry5999 downtown is wildly different since I was a kid good lord go look at Felix square on a Saturday night. All these new music venues, local restaurants, Art literally everywhere. The Downtown street are packed during summer nights

[@lisaperry5999]

@@Schyler__Parker Trails West,in the fall,was a huge draw. Big name concerts too.

[@libratdns1]

I used to live there back when it was America's City. It had run down parts but was largely safe. Now the crime is out of control. It's gotten really sad. I still have friends and family who live there but I wouldn't live there again. It's kind of a Dead End Town and has gone downhill in a lot of areas. It's really pretty sad. Meth and Heroin have taken over. Even when we had the crack epidemic St. Joe wasn't as unsafe as it is now. Drive by shootings, stolen cars, and murders have increased exponentially. It's really in horrible shape.

[@BillLaBrie]

I usually find the people who live in these places would have no better opportunities anywhere else. They won’t really thrive anywhere because they aren’t the thriving type. The ones lucky enough to have some talent -nurtured in a family environment that doesn’t destroy their chances early - take off as soon as they can and don’t look back. But this isn’t a bad thing. We must accept places like St Joseph (and their proper inhabitants) for what they are: basically made for each other.

[@newageorganzation]

As someone that's lived in Missouri for all my life. Not every city is ran down like this in Missouri you just visited one of small cities and not others that much better. It's the same as most cities in the Midwest state. Old cities that used to have big manufacturing jobs and plants before they with closed down or moved and some businesses closed up. That doesn't make Missouri bad... just that how it happens.

[@CarolynColburn]

Exactly.

[@katydid2877]

He could go to any really small, really old city in any state in the country and find poverty.

[@roblopez767]

Yeah. It definitely appeared like even in just the title this guy decided that Missouri was awful and looked for anything that proved his predetermined point.

[@bigdlong187]

Another short-sighted report on a small town that's out of the way and doesn't represent anything of a state. Good job for blindly reporting.

[@stevenrogers9643]

Unfortunately it's a deep red state and as long as it continues to be it will only decline.

[@TheBigdutchster]

I lived in MO the majority of my life (in MI now) and they are the friendliest people in the entire country. If one can get past the very long, hot, and humid summers, it can be a great place to live. There are many great state parks. The southern part of the state has very mild winters and a long spring and fall. There are a lot of small towns that are nicer than St. Joe, Cape Girardeau comes to mind. Also, as particularly compared to CA, there is not a gigantic homeless problem.

[@bekindtoeachother4737]

I happen to LOVE Missouri and adore going there any chance I get! Most people are AMAZING! It saddens me that some of its residents don't know how special their State really is. EVERY State has old, wornout, and forgotten downtowns, in small communities. I will ALWAYS defend Missouri, because part of my heart remains there since attending College in a tiny town in the 70's.

[@dragonflydreamer7658]

there is nothing to do here

[@shawnjeffmarsteller7504]

I'd rather be in Missouri than Portland, Seattle, Chicago, NYC,etc. As a military family who's lived and traveled all over the world I would not consider St Joe dangerous. Run down like parts of EVERY town but no human feces or blocks of homeless tents. Actually go to a bad city and film that.

[@NickJohnson]

Oh I agree and I said that

[@turtles02]

I’ve lived in a small town 60 miles south of St. Louis my whole time!! Go to downtown St. Louis if u wanna see bad

[@MerakiJourney]

I actually like Portland, Oregon better! I grew up in Kansas City for 20 + years of my life and the small towns around it like Excelsior Springs and Richmond. I truly believe all of Oregon including Portland is better than all of Missouri. 😂😂

[@muffinpoots]

i love how people who move to missouri love to tell people that were born there how to feel about their state. you chose which part of the state you wanted. some of us had no choice. we grew here. you flew here. shush.

[@turtles02]

@@muffinpoots I didn’t get to choose any part where I live

[@Jojo_873]

People forget that walmart was started next door in Arkansas and quickly spread to missouri causing many mom and pop stores to close leaving a trail of devastation as they expanded. Missouri is a hidden gem with the mountains, foothills and mazes of rivers,lakes, and creeks. Everyone seems to be outdoorsy because there are things to do that is free or almost free such as swimming in the rivers, kayaking, boating, water-skiing, snow skiing, fishing, hunting, camping and much more. If you like the bright lights there is Branson wich is like a mini Vegas, or in St Louis which there is always things happening in Dog town, U-city, or the parks and zoo by forest park. The small towns around Missouri are neat because they offer unusual sites such as a post office that was split into 2 sides with a deli and restaurant on the other side, with kind of a thrift shop in the back. Strange, but true. Missouri is very unique and wonderful to say the least IMO.

[@mikekeeler6362]

Yes Walmart moves into a lot of places destroys most places

[@rcstl8815]

Branson, Red Neck Vegas! I say that nicely, it's also great for families with Silver Dollar City (amusement park, Six Flags like)and seemingly wall to wall go-cart tracks and shopPING!

[@jesdadotcom]

The negative effect of Wal-Mart is populist mythology. Before WM there were small five and dime stores with sparse selection and huge markups across small towns. WM gives small towns a product selection rivaling big cities. WM also kept inflation in check for years. Read "The Walmart Effect" or watch the Penn and Teller series.

[@mikekeeler6362]

@@jesdadotcom well that's true but that's only because the small mom and pop stores cannot compete because they don't have the buying power that Walmart has

[@mikekeeler6362]

@@jesdadotcom and it does have effect on your local stores small town are closed they can't compete for in prices a friend of mine Mom and Dad lost their store because they couldn't compete with Walmart so it does affect those stores I always like to buy local before I go into any other store

[@stacytay75]

Thank you for taking the time to visit my hometown! I think you did a pretty good Job. I am a little disappointed that you didn’t capture anything in the north shops area. I spend a large amount of my time and money there. Chipolte, target, sams club, Cheddars, Olive Garden and a Beautiful brand new mini golf course. Also there are some fairly nice homes in that area west of the belt highway, near the north shops area.Also you know we have a military base here, it’s a nice asset. There’s also a hangar in there for civilian folks to fly in and out of. Not to mention a nice little cafe there you can try! I feel like you missed the fact that we have a university too! It’s a beautiful campus. I went to school there in the 90s. I wish you would do a St Joe 2.0 and capture some of this. Maybe you’d like to make a recommendation for someone to move here if you had seen that area.

[@hannahbartholomew1618]

I’m from saint joe and it is actually a horrible place to grow up. Glad it’s getting attention hopefully things will change soon.

[@amys4392]

Ya know...about 6 years ago I was training a lady who had moved to Missouri from New York City...and when she told me that...I thought "Oh man she is going to run me down the list of everything that is wrong with us compared to New York". It shocked me when she told me she loved it here and she said she and other people she knew from New York that moved here...that Missouri is one of the best kept secrets in America.

[@katiefountain2407]

Right. We need to stay underrated.. keep our prices low.

[@constantine7382]

Let's keep it that way. Don't need east coasters screwing us up the way they did to their own homes.

[@jamesbarry1673]

With a crime rate of 50 per one thousand residents, St. Joseph has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes - from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 20.

[@farmhand1969]

I think most Missourians are happy to be here. In southern Missouri we have some of the most beautiful and cleanest rivers in America. When you were describing St. Joseph you were describing a bunch of towns all over the US.

[@MsNewgirl]

Yes, Missouri has an award winning conservation dept.

[@alexandercoffman8319]

Yeah True, and much of it you all stole from Arkansas, land-wise historically-speaking..

[@alexandercoffman8319]

@@MsNewgirl Yeah True, & award stealing too.

[@user-yb2vf3yr3p]

@@alexandercoffman8319 who cares lmao. we live here, we didn't "steal" anything

[@valdivia1234567]

@@alexandercoffman8319 Maybe Arkansans should've been more badass and not let us take it?

[@FairyFrequency]

The old architecture in St. Jo is stunning and definitely selling super cheap.. Sad to see it falling into disrepair. We love our beautiful state of Missouri. Sending lots of love and peaceful energy to everyone reading these words.

[@SCIFIguy64]

I’m from KC, but st. Jo is on my back burner after working there for a year. I see potential, I think this is rock bottom or pretty close for its history. A decade or two from now, it could be a on par with Waterloo IA or Lincoln NE. Not amazing cities, not places you would travel to for leisure, but cities cozy enough and safe enough to stay in. St Jo is close to that, and if a few key areas are addressed, crime, education, and development incentives, it could be a great small city. It’s proximity to KC could help boost it too, being just an hour drive. Very few areas in the US can you buy a Victorian mansion for the price of a new luxury sedan.

[@FairyFrequency]

@@SCIFIguy64 ...yes. The architecture of the historic homes in St. Joseph are quite incredible in comparison to the cracker jack boxes that they build today.

[@samanthabarry5817]

Glad everything went well for you 😊

[@jstarASMR3103]

Driving around all of these places in America, seeing first hand what's it like to live in these cities, from the comfort of your own car. As a major geography nerd myself, I'd love to do something like this someday. There's something so human about putting yourself in the environment of others, if only for a short amount of time. Loved this video :)

[@TheKeksadler]

I'm a St. Joe native and a bit knowledgeable of the town's history. The best way to put St. Joe into perspective is that was once the 2nd Largest city in Missouri, as the first railroad through the state ended there. However, the city never outgrew that frontier "metropolis" era. Its population has been about 75k for about 120 years now, yet the city's land area has more than doubled. It's sort of the epitome of suburban flight. While the north end is nice, most of the "real wealth" of St. Joseph tends to be on the East side of the interstate. Even though those parts of town seem really nice, the issue is the rotting core in the middle. Most of the children in these neighbors grow up and move out of town, with- in my experience- the most commonly cited reason being simply not wanting to be in this town anymore. What St. Joseph is lacking isn't reasonable to well-paying jobs, it's prestigious jobs that attract young talent into the city. There are a few companies in town that cater to this to some degree, but none that really "put it on the map" so to speak. The town has the issue of being viewed as a random country town by those that don't know and as a place to stay away from by people who do know. I'm not entirely familiar with the city's finances, but the impression I've always got was that the city council has always been incredibly slow-moving, inept, and way too fiscally conservative. When you were talking to Kristi, every one of those things she championed is a huge milestone for the city, even if it doesn't seem like it. Development is just that slow. And while some of these things may seem mundane, St. Joe was in a really bad spot in the early 2000's. It's actually getting better, albeit struggling along the way. Sorry if this comment seems a bit scatterbrained, I was writing it throughout the video. EDIT: Oh yeah, when that study came out saying that St. Joe was the 2nd saddest city in the country, I used to joke that that's even sadder, because we couldn't even be the worst at something lol.

[@marcmo7138]

Is Johnny Fryes still open downtown a few blocks from the Holiday Inn?

[@arohanpatla4308]

honestly, it’s a nice enough looking area, at least from how it’s portrayed in this travelogue. it’s just that the buildings aren’t well maintained and it’s obviously economically underdeveloped. still looks scenic though 🤷‍♂️

[@sarahspalding2449]

I also live in St. Joe and I feel like he was only focusing on the bad.

[@dianechristie6841]

The crime and drugs is horrifying, I live here. You never used to hear sirens, moved here in the late 80's, but you hear them all the time now. If they ever want to get out of this mess they need to crack down on crime and drugs

[@dreamyjeannie311]

I grew up in KC. My former father in-law was raised in St Joseph. He was born in 1919 he always said that the problem with St Joe was a handful of families pretty much owned and ran everything in St Joe. He said these families had been around for generations. Do you know anything about that? He. Said nothing came or went without there say in the matter.

[@charitycarey40]

For those of us who were born and raised in "Misery" yes we grew up poor but we grew up fed and loved and we are damn proud of our little towns thank you for making Missouri look so crappy a

[@CarolynColburn]

Thank you 👌🏻👏🏻

[@resipsaloquitur1857]

Overfed...with fattening food.

[@CT-uv8os]

GMOS will do that to you. Fact. That and corn syrup in every damn thing.

[@KenGoldingRealtor]

True wealth is measured by stuff money cannot buy. Never forget that. I have met many many miserable rich people.

[@darleneclarke4001]

what has and is happening to America is super crappy look at the bigger picture

[@davem6210]

Good video! Keep up the good work!

[@speedbirdxx9]

My Uncle Raymond and Aunt Ruby lived in St. Joseph, Mo. He worked for the Burlington Route Railroad back in the 50s and early 60s. I spent 2 weeks there in the summer every year. They lived on the top of a huge hill much like the one you drove up in the video but much steeper. You could hear sounds from the rail yard in the middle of the night.

[@angelaarmie5789]

New to St. Jo myself after living all over the PNW, Idaho and Nevada. Love it hear so far. Quiet and comfortable for me. All the bad stuff I hear about I personally haven't experienced. Hope all those struggling see better days soon.

[@tammybrown4901]

It's a good place to live, born n raised here I'll always call it home. Tough people here

[@daltonlynch2248]

Live here as well it’s not as bad as people say just mind your own business and live your life and no one messes with you there is a little bit of crime here but there’s anywhere else.

[@Fortune-kp7rh]

I have lived in STJ my whole life. Sure there are the "bad" parts of town, but there is also so much more to the city than what this man talked about.

[@centertonarkansastyrantpatrol]

@@tammybrown4901 tough to deal with cuz they lack intelligence

[@centertonarkansastyrantpatrol]

@@Fortune-kp7rh you mean the landfill?

[@alyssacarlisle]

I’ve never heard St Joseph referred to as St Joke. I’ve lived not too far my whole life (except for my college days). I’m more shocked that while in St. Joseph you didn’t come across the huge Psychiatric Prison which is on the grounds of the old State Insane Asylum.

[@Fortune-kp7rh]

That's because all he focused on was the rundown parts of downtown and talking down on the residents of STJ.

[@jasondingram5991]

That's a good point! I am a lifelong St. Joseph resident and I noticed at one point in the video where he stopped to film the Stockyards Exchange Building. He was directly behind the Hoof & Horn Restaurant and didn't even know that it is a St. Joseph staple and still thriving business!

[@CaliGirl9077]

My grandfather is from Maysville Missouri and I feel sad because these stores are all I have left of my history which should be seen and valued with more importance and respect than this and it's tough for the locals who have roots here I'm sure because this is all they have left of those special people that once walked these streets and owned these mom and pops shops that tragically are not valued or treasured by most of today's disposable society that throws everything away so fast even our true American roots are being tossed out to the scrap yards at a very rapid rate it's truly disappointing and heartbreaking to me because this is the damaging results caused by fast growing pace of consumerism as well as the carelessness instilled in today's society that no longer knows the true value of life and this is just one of so many deeply nostalgic country ghost towns across america that still live on in the hearts of so many wonderful folks who left their hearts here...and still proudly call it home

[@marywinn8953]

I've driven through Missouri plenty of times. Maybe we were in completely different areas but I saw beautiful farms and I thought what a pretty place.

[@kayingthao5072]

If you look for the good you’ll find it ….this channels looks for the negative..,

[@davidweber5390]

Shameful that Kristi never mentioned Missouri Western State University, not even once. Great school that should be more supported by the community.

[@seanm3ify]

Lol I’m not sure that’s anything to be proud of?

[@ubebukothepugbros.446]

It’s okay. Frankly, it’s only there due to political pork. A duplication of services with NWMoSt in Maryville. And if NW wasn’t such a sports powerhouse, the attempt to destroy it may’ve been successful.

[@ubebukothepugbros.446]

@@sonofagun5305 The rep on the video from the city of St. Joseph (likely chamber of commerce of economic development group). Perhaps you need to watch the video several times to take it in.

[@gumby511]

They would probably rather head up the road to Maryville and support NWMSU.

[@ArachniusWebb]

@@gumby511 Go Bearcats!

[@Newswithagnome]

As a truck driver who has logged 3.5 million miles in the past 25 years or so, I've noticed this has become sadly too common around the country. It's sad to see beautiful downtown districts with awesome architecture just left to rot. Not enough people care anymore I guess.

[@mikekeeler6362]

Yeah the decay of downtown in these towns is because the shopping malls came in so people moved out to those then Amazon and other online shopping services that's why there are no downtowns anymore

[@yougonnaeatthat9889]

Tax breaks for the developers, established mom and pop businesses didn't get that break and it broke them. Still going on and everyday consumers lose choices somewhere.

[@thisisashan]

It isn't just people. It's politicians. It isn't tax breaks, it's tax fraud on the politicians side.

[@Castleknight]

And rural America, with the exception of some real pretty spots, is empting out. Old river towns and towns based on agriculture or dying out.

[@yougonnaeatthat9889]

@@Castleknight and that's another issue, everybody wants their 15ac "pretty spot" which is fine but don't bring your urban politics to the countryside, you leaving for a reason, don't bring it with you.

[@deniseshephard3347]

Thank you for the videos you make it’s sad this town is the way it is I just hope things do progress what’s sad is that animals are still tested on

[@husky7985]

Doing the lords work. I would not know how other places are without this channel.

[@stepheethee9103]

We don't need NEW housing, Kristi! We need to update all the Historical buildings down town to AFFORDABLE housing for everyone!!

[@captainironbat8193]

Yes, nothing says vegan environmentalist city boy like bull dozing old houses and destroying trees to build new stuff.

[@crystaleldredge7394]

EXACTLY! Biggest issue is the run down homes & buildings in the south & west! The north & east keep expanding & building high cost homes for the upper class & the lower & middle class are left with the rest of the city to clean up when they know they don't have $ to. Living in areas like these breed negativity. When you can have pride in your home you have pride in your street then your neighborhood then your town etc..... You also have more pride in yourself & then you care for yourself & others more. When you're surrounded by ugly things, sadness & misery it leads to more misery then follows drug abuse alcoholism & crime. Definitely need to slow down expanding & fix what's already here!

[@teresabarrett3266]

I live in Mid-Missouri. Watching this video was somehow alarming. The statistics you shared about Missouri being “sad and dangerous”, just bummed me out. I am one those adult children who has returned to the roots of my raising after 20years of traveling and living in the Southwestern States. I returned to Missouri because I wanted to be here as my parents aged; and really wanted to be here for them when they needed me most. I had the best parents of all time❤❤ It was my honor and my brother’s honor to provide love, dignity, respect , and compassionate care for each of our parents before each one died. (BTW: Dad and Mom were married for 60years)(Our grandparents had 75 years together)❤️❤️ While Missouri may lack in culture, it certainly does deserve recognition for the values of Faith, Family and Freedom. ✝️❤️🇺🇸. I have chosen intentionally my perspective of Missouri. I do not allow myself to call it “Misery” like I did in my youth. I have often told myself to “Bloom Where I’m Planted”. There is nothing more satisfying than to be at peace, to feel that I’m making a positive difference in the life of my family and community. I appreciate the values that rural Missouri stands for. All of this makes up for what your journey through St. Joseph, Missouri lacks. Thank You for your highlighting Missouri. Most appreciated.

[@ubebukothepugbros.446]

He needs to go to Columbia, even Jeff City.

[@ericfisher1360]

Missouri does have culture just not the kind the East and West coasts likes. Culture is created by the people who live in it. Folk Art, State Fairs, etc

[@doneown503]

thank you , for that heartwrenching input,,❤

[@jamesbarry1673]

With a crime rate of 50 per one thousand residents, St. Joseph has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes - from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 20.

[@TheAlphaBette]

THANK YOU FOR THE INFORMATION 😀🍇🍇🍇

[@annhowcroft9493]

Thanks for the info.

[@lonewolfrides314]

I've lived in Missouri all my life and love it, you don't have to like it, just move along back to wherever you came from

[@raybones3150]

"move along"😂

[@raybones3150]

Move along is a really nice way of cussing somebody out.🤷😬😂

[@Bluelinechevy82]

We don't like them kinds around here anyway.

[@seangall123]

A lot of those brick buildings look they are still in good shape, what a shame they can't find a second life. Great video.

[@jasondingram5991]

I started to jot down time signatures in this video and comment that some of the places shown are now thriving businesses. But my list grew so long it would take quite some time to mention it to such a narrow-minded youtube creator such as Mr. Johnson.

[@david2727]

So pretty much you described the whole state.. thanks for the info.

[@poetcomic1]

The scene at 3:40 is eerie and beautiful, could be a painting. St. Joseph was used in the movie Paper Moon when it was still easy for parts of downtown to serve as the 1930's - it couldn't anymore.

[@timothykeith1367]

I spent a few weeks in St. Joseph, which originally looked to be what Kansas City came to be, but Kansas City became the major regional railroad center. The first railroad across the state was the Hannibal to St. Joe railroad. U.S. Grant began his Civil War experience attempting to protect that railroad from Confederate bushwhackers - like Jesse James. The Union Army eventually had to shutdown the railroad because of too many attacks and deaths of passengers. There are nice parts of the city, but not the downtown. I once hitch hiked from Kansas City to St. Joe - thankfully I got a ride with a state highway patrol officer. The city has a 26 mile historic parkway loop with beautiful old homes that has evidence of what the city used to be. You could live in a restored historic home for much less than other cities. Depending upon your career you can live very well in cities like St. Joe.

[@davidprosser7278]

That city loop area sounds nice.

[@angelaarmie5789]

I used to hitchhike all over the pacific north west. Can't wait to start hitching around these parts.

[@marfin4325]

My family is from St. Jo. My aunts and uncles have some real horror stories about growing up there

[@yougonnaeatthat9889]

@@angelaarmie5789 plan on many rides to the county or maybe state line depending on who picks you up. 🤣

[@SCIFIguy64]

Grant burnt my county down. Deserved, but all but two buildings here date past 1866.

[@Nita_6]

I'm a St Joe resident. I have lived here on and off all of my life. I have lived in 6 other states as well. Alot of what keeps people here is family, roots & hope for change. This is not a resident issue, a crime issue, a drug issue, an economic issue or a government issue... It is an issue with all of those areas at once. Power focused in a chosen direction instead of the logical direction. The pony express (US Postal Service) Started here, we weren't just a post. If it weren't for companies that bring in help from other countries, we would have better paying jobs for residents but this scenario has damaged quality job availability. Most of the good factory jobs are hard to get/keep because either they don't have vacant positions or the turnover is so high that your a number and someone will jump right in. Temp jobs, retail, fast food then factory work. Although we all hate the way it is now, it's home for alot of people that love the history and as I said, have hope for improvement.

[@jasondingram5991]

It's too bad he didn't actually stay and get to know the town. It's videos like this that make it harder to recruit businesses and families. He did not once mention that actual tax or crime rate. Let alone the median household income. And saying that all of the do good people live in the North-End?! Pfft! There are citizens all over town that strive to make a difference!

[@colekelleyoutdoors816]

as a South end native with a family who has been in this town for generations I love it here but I also agree with a lot of what you are saying and Betty's Cafe is amazing btw

[@hme5157]

Wow this place is actually beautiful! I’ve seen some towns that look unfixable but this one has potential. Even the ‘bad’ parts really don’t look too bad. And there’s jobs? Score!

[@karenrollins1469]

We came to Missouri from California 4 years ago our little town of 3,200 ppl is a dream come true we are south central Missouri everybody has been so nice and generous they had a big plant that left the mill shut down but there is a big facility that has a lot of jobs we love it here it has everything we need you can always go to a bigger city if you need stuff the town doesn't have I will never go back to California nor live in a big city there is more here than a Starbucks or an Applebee's peace and quiet and good country folk

[@davidmollard9832]

Missouri is one of the prettiest states, we have a wide variety of landscapes, prairie to older mountains. Ozark national scenic Riverways. I love it here, it's home.

[@chadjohnson3958]

I live in O’Fallon Missouri and it is nice here. I have lived in Missouri my whole life, there are bad areas, but many nice areas.

[@BuySellColoradoHomes]

Great job Nick and I agree completely. I was born there in 1957, schooled and then got a job out of State in 1979. I hope their plans work because I still hold many memories from there.

[@NickJohnson]

Me too

[@julzstramara3047]

Honestly there really is so much more in MO to see and I really hope you can show more of the state.

[@richardlucascronley5128]

That’s not his Schtick. He’s a coastal leftist whose entire channel is dedicated to trashing red states

[@eternalflame99]

There are lots of beautiful places in Missouri you just aren't looking at them. There's tons of untouched nature that is absolutely breathtaking. You're just focusing on the bad. Every state has places like this, but this isn't what Missouri itself is. You can't let some derelict places define an entire state, a large one at that, that has 4 regions that are vastly different in wildlife and geography. What we have here is bountiful natural beauty many places lack.

[@eternalflame99]

And I want to point out that wealth isn't just material. We have wealth in nature and things that people seem to overlook. A booming town in your eyes, which seems to be over ran by big box stores coming in, is not wealth in my opinion. We should bring these towns back yes, but not destroy what they were before. We should preserve the small towns and the nature they hold, not make them cookie cutter industries.

[@ksavage681]

But yet people define NY by just NYC. hmmm.

[@maureenmillikan6518]

Yes, it is sad this focuses on the bad places he chose to seek out just to get some clicks. Missouri is a wonderful and beautiful state, but he chose to ignore that.

[@jackdaniels2882]

@@ksavage681 exactly. Upstate NY is absolutely beautiful. Finger Lakes area as well as others are awesome.

[@KS5040]

Most of the wooded areas in Missouri are filled with mosquitoes and ticks everywhere.

[@angelat.8997]

Great video, Nick! Will you tell me where you get your crime stats from? As a frequent solo road-tripper, I’m always on the lookout for the best statistics sites. Thanks!

[@karenburkhart3717]

I lived in Missouri from 2004 till 2013 I cannot tell you how awful it was I almost lost my life there and it was around a town called Mansfield Missouri it was horrible no work for the people these people all they did was sell dope it was the most unbelievable experience I've ever had in my life I came out of there with PTSD and I'm still very very cautious of strangers now I used to talk to anybody but not no more

[@LC-iw3ll]

Lol I actually bought my Akita puppy from Allen’s Akitas in Mansfield. It is a pretty desolate town but they are making do and a mint breeding those dogs.

[@keeranimal8]

I will say as much as I love these videos, and old downtowns with the architecture like this (the buildings really do have character in their lines etc…something modern architecture seems to sadly lack)my hometown of Sanford, Florida, another river town from the 1800s that began to get very run down like these towns in your vids as I got older(even though the rail went right through town so it held on much longer), has actually done a great job of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat and despair. They really cleaned the place up and now it’s a great place to go and do stuff with the family, hit a cool little themed bar at night, fish in Lake Monroe, etc. When I was about to leave for the army in 96 you couldn’t go to Ft Melon park for fear of your kids possibly stepping on a needle. Complete 180 these days! Maybe there’s still hope for some of these classic small towns…but it all boils down to the people and the local government and how badly they want it to happen. I dunno, just musing…I really hate to see how many of these awesome classic small towns are just rotting away…

[@rubyparchment5523]

I’d planned to move into that high-rise for low-income elderly. But the lady said they wouldn’t take me, because I’m disabled. Turns out they take homeless, alcoholic, addicted, mentally sick folks, just so they can do their own housework. The building has scant parking. Well. (Ended up buying a condo.)

[@buckwilson4167]

Hi from St Joe! I’ve been here 25 years now. I live in one of those $25k houses you pointed out. I think your north/south line could use a little more nuance but otherwise very interesting video. I don’t know what else to say… there’s lot of potential here but not a lot of money I guess? I dream of opening a business downtown to help revitalize it but I just straight up can’t afford to. I know others that want to do the same.

[@tatembarber6927]

I have never even seen the north side of st joe, I mostly grew up downtown, these are the very streets I walked on a daily basis I love this town, sure ita little run down but I call it my hometown and I love it, you passes a few of my old homes, it may be dangerous and I've had my dangerous moments there finding used needles and what not but we are still a community I went to woods mini mart almost every day, seeing this video is so surprising to me because this is a town I saw as normal but seeing how others react to it is so weird

[@barentspringsted8392]

You note that the American Electric building was one of the previously abandoned office buildings in St. Joseph. My father worked all his working life as an executive of the American Electric Co. in St. Joseph including the time during the company's move into the building in question. The company moved to that location because the building had been so well kept up and utilized over the years.

[@user-dw4ei6cb9v]

It's too bad because those are some gorgeous houses and buildings! Imagine if people did start moving there and put in some money into the communities how much progress and change it could bring for the already wonderful people living there. Some cities just can't escape 100% poverty!

[@joeyshabbadoo]

They put all their $ into China, and now they’re mad at China for having the audacity to be nationalistic. As if they had no clue building up a communist country might backfire someday. Our leaders have completely sold us out, and their only “solution” is to start new wars (that they profit from) & send us to die in them.

[@lisaperry5999]

The early 80s recession killed every smaller downtown areas in the midwest St.Joe had a city planner put in a pedestrian mall in late 80s and it killed the few businesses that survived the recession St.Joe,isn't as bad as Nick is portraying. I know many still living there and I grew up about 90 minutes away. And went there growing up in the 70s on.

[@charleshoang566]

In San Diego California, these houses worth no less than $800,000.

[@charleshoang566]

I live in Wichita Kansas which is 200 miles South of Kansas city, not many abandoned home or building because there are a lot of companies and jobs here.

[@putitback4789]

@@charleshoang566 they look better than they actually are in the video. There’s some real dumps that need bull dozed

[@markdarus8540]

Downtown: So sad, yet nice buildings abandoned. Thanks for sharing, Nick.

[@momsahh]

Missouri is actually a very beautiful place . It would be nice for someone to actually come to Missouri and find all the beautiful places and Post that on KZbin I live here at the lake of the Ozarks. You can go to any state any town any countryside and you're going to find bad people You're going to find poor housing You're going to find drugs You're going to find homeless people You're going to find everything that you find in Missouri so come on now let's try exploring and finding the good things about all these places.

[@kayingthao5072]

Exactly! I think Missouri is beautiful

[@StevenSiebern]

I was born in St. Joseph and I still live here. The western part of town is the abandon part of town though downtown is getting more life with bars/restaurants. We have good parks should of checked out Krug Park then drive down the parkway to Hyde Park. The riverfront park has a scenic river walk. The eastern part of the town is where most of everything else is at - Belt Highway. The museums is what people should check out. There is going to be more police in the future with a tax that passed.

[@NickJohnson]

Great Steve!

[@ericvulgate]

'amerikans want cheap shit'- No, we NEED cheap shit bc wages have been stagnant for fifty years. And btw we don't send money to foreign countries to be nice to poor people, we use money to buy influence. Most of that money goes directly to connected contractors in THIS country.

[@23mxk]

I'd rather Americans keep their own money, as opposed to funneling it into the war machine on behalf of Israel + little Slavic Israel. You are correct, though.

[@bobbybooker2123]

Companies buy from foreign nations or move their factories there to get the lowest prices and the cheapest products. A race to the bottom. We should have learned that lessons decades ago from Taiwan. Junk for cheap. Then the jobs are gone so we need the cheap junk. Tariffs and tax structures can fix that.

[@andymullarx6365]

Well everything is a racket that way. It's just the way it is and at least Americans have had the advantage of being the place where the rich have decided to call home so they haven't orchestrated wars in their own back yards.

[@ubebukothepugbros.446]

No, you want cheap shit. No one is gonna pay you wages to make something in Missouri if they can make more in a county where people are desperate for crumbs. And nobody is gonna pay you for work in lead mining or farming or or meatpacking or car manufacturing, or any other dying industry. once big in Missouri But Missouri is lead by backward buffoons who act like the glory days are still here -- if not for some boogeyman. They make fun of all the future industries that are propelling jobs on the east and west coasts (technology, renewable energy, etc.) and their voters just go along (wearing that grifter congressman's hat that's made in China and waving a flag made there, too). And those people you vote for are investing in future technology companies prospering in California and elsewhere. And serving on board of "US" companies that source their manufacturing overseas. And that's bad enough for many US states these days. But it's worse in Missouri. Heck, Missouri is the new Kansas, is what people say. Only Kansas is now looked on as less backward. And the money to foreign countries is to keep them from falling under the influence of Russia, China, Iran, etc., who legitimately threaten the future of America. And don't forget, US soldiers overseas earn money and send that back to families in the US. And let's not forget all the guns and ammo the US sends to these counties, the manufacturing of which is often the only industry in some states in the Midwest and South.

[@bobbybooker2123]

@@ubebukothepugbros.446 The federal government can fix all that but we have to find someone who wants it and we know who that is.

[@christineburns6852]

My husband, daughter and I live in the most beautiful town in Missouri called St. Charles. We absolutely love it here! We are right near Busch wildlife reserve, lots of gorgeous wineries, main street St Charles with great restaurants and shopping! Come check out our town. Far from small town!

[@maggiecole3452]

St. Charles is by far one of my favorite cities. I live there for the first 3 or 4 years on my life before we moved closer to St. Louis. I often think about if I moved back to Missouri, it would be to St. Charles. Still have several friends there.

[@laurabentzinger200]

St charles is great i grew up there id have to say its rapidly growing and changing right now but ,to me its still wonderful !

[@susielove6012]

Thank you for this. Perhaps it will help keep people from wanting move here.

[@balisongman07]

One of the positives of the town aren't the done by town itself. Some of the libraries switched over to the county and have so many great classes and programs. And there's groups always trying to do things for people like Bob S. and Jay W. Doing activities and movies free with the community. I grew up there and my heart breaks watching what it's become.

[@calebhurleymusic8035]

You should check out how depressing Northwest Ohio is. Unbelievable and underrated. Right up your alley lol. Especially the "city" Van Wert. Love your stuff too man

[@NewHaven203]

St. Joseph is without a doubt the most forgotten place in all of Missouri, maybe even the entire Midwest! There’s people in St. Louis that have probably never even heard of St. Joseph. The Midwest has some of the worst, most run down, and depressing cities in the country. Look at Detroit, Youngstown, Dayton, East Cleveland, East St. Louis, Springfield, Gary, South Bend, Flint, and Cairo, Illinois to name a few. These Midwestern cities deserve a chance to become revitalized to their former glory especially Detroit

[@chuckinhouston9952]

Agreed. All the places you named are very sucky.

[@chriscoleman7169]

Ya, you're right there are no bad places to live in New York, California, etc. They are all heaven on Earth. LOL, you guy are entertaining.

[@charleshoang566]

Midwest suck that why I left for San Diego California, America finest city after spend 20 years working In Kansas and Missouri.

[@calebrickard3294]

@Nosson Rossman it does have the worst roads ive ever driven on

[@carlhaldeman420]

I have never understood why Michigan would be considered a midwestern state, or Ohio for that matter. To me, states such as Nebraska and Kansas, and maybe Iowa, are where the Midwest starts. Look at the map.

[@freebirdmissouri8727]

Next time you're here, you should visit Chase Candy Company on the East side of St.Joe. Home of the Cherry Mash! During Christmas, you can drive through Krug Park and look at the Christmas display and at the end they give you a pile of mini mashes! Such a good memory...I live in one of the small towns that Kristi mentions, that use St. Joe as our go-to for supplies...population 280 here.

[@AbcDef-iq4no]

I remember when I was a kid in the 70s my mom and her sister would save up and make a yearly pilgrimage to St. Joe to go to Einbender's Clothing Store, which they absolutely loved.

[@Jeannified]

I love how you are showcasing the Midwest. Such a great and underrated part of the country. Great job!

[@davidprosser7278]

Interesting video. Can you do one on the good places next please. I liked the Springfield one.

[@IrishKG]

I live in St Joe and while we all shake our head at the decay, we do it on the way to spend time in the multitude of parks and lakes near by. I have a 111 year old house with wood floors and 15 ft ceilings. My backyard backs up to a city woodland and is a good size. In the summer me and my neighbors gather around the fire pits in our backyards and chat and laugh to the chorus of frogs and crickets and cicadas. And since Missouri passed legal cannabis, we pass that around listen to music. We all have our backyard gardens and share. In the back of our houses, small town manners and hometown charm still lives. Yep, we are poor and too many people are on meth and pills, but that's going on everywhere. The good thing about a town this size is the abundance of community resources available. I won't be leaving any time soon.

[@keithwilson6060]

To be honest, there are dilapidated, crime-ridden areas in every medium to large sized city.

[@laurahagan9494]

Those houses get bought to be rented out - as a middle class person we pay almost $1300 for a 3 bedroom 1½ bath

[@emilythompson7771]

There's towns like this in every part of the world. Towns that hit their boom 80 years ago. Doesn't make Missouri a bad place to live.

[@andymullarx6365]

Of course not. I've been all through that state and found much beauty but I have no use for cities or tall buildings. Give me green space any day.

[@deniseunknown4576]

Exactly Emily

[@jukesd1597]

Yes. It does. I had the misfortune to live there for some years after marrying my husband, we both are SO glad we no longer live there! Joplin HAS improved, however.

[@tammybrown4901]

Exactly it's all over

[@ksavage681]

It's a bad place to live if you can't find a job there.

[@DalV]

St. Joesph is amazing. We recently moved here and love the history. We purchased a victorian home and a victorian building and are renovating. A lot of people are. And we moved to the Southside. We began cleaning up our property and within a few months the other home owners began doing the same thing. Don't dismiss us just yet!

[@frontlinewitness]

As a small Missouri native (10k pop) it makes me sad and angry. It's a reality of Capitalism, jobs move to where cheap labor is, leaving everyone in the dust and no safety net for citizens it's left behind. we build houses, got married, raised families in these towns, had great memories, then your job gets sent overseas and the company just throws you out with nothing, our neighbors move away, government doest get the taxes to help the situation, homes become abandoned and no one moves in because there's no opportunity unkles you wanna be a cashier or a burger flipper, people turn to crime and violence to survive.. Makes me cry what happened to our towns and is happening to our country since the 70s

[@tonimilstead5089]

Oh yes socialism/communism is so much better. It allows everyone except a handful of people to be in utter poverty. Go to Cuba and see how wonderful it is.

[@frontlinewitness]

@@tonimilstead5089 my friends are from Cuba. They left not because communism made Cuba bad, but because the USA made Cuba bad with sanctions and the embargo and spies. They lived there during the bay of pigs invasion. Their grandparents stayed because the healthcare and wonderful social safety net. They had their child in Cuba because the USA has a higher child mortality rate and said they will return there when they are older or when the embargo ends

[@Zapruderfilm1963]

Nick, your subscriber count is catching up to Briggs! Well deserved!🔥👍

[@AppealToHeaven]

Missouri is such a beautiful state. I love living here.

[@tammybrown4901]

It really is an alot of hidden, gems to find to.

[@christianstrickland6744]

Same

[@SteveoGregg]

I love my home state, and Dayton Missouri is the biggest dump in Missouri ,

[@AppealToHeaven]

@@SteveoGregg there's nothing like a good dump 😂

[@SteveoGregg]

@@AppealToHeaven A good healthy dump, 🤣✌️

[@peaceforyou-ag]

Thank you for doing these videos. I'm watching this from India to get a better sense of American life and it's very interesting. If possible, next time, could you please try to add the art/music/cultural backgrounds of these towns as well? I think seeing these towns from an economic perspective only give a superficial understanding. If you include art/culture/history etc, we could also see the heart of these towns. Oh btw, I love the towns. Especially the cleanliness. It might be "lower" compared to other American cities but it's still heaven compared to where I live. I just wish I could see some nature and "heritage" as well. Maybe in another video..

[@allysonaa5730]

When I lived in KCMO back in the 2000’s, I had a friend who lived in St. Joe. I partied there a few times. It was a pretty decent place. Almost thought about moving there back then.

[@jamesjolly7406]

👋 hey 👋 from Dexter,Missouri Super awesome video. Be safe on interstate 🛣️ roads 🛣️

[@Lapeerphoto]

Interesting. Good coverage, great interview with Chamber of Commerce.

[@danield7263]

This is probably going to seem weird to you Nick, but I sold my house in Texas and moved up to St Joseph Missouri last year during March madness. Maybe it's because I moved up here to a decent part, but I've had the best time in the last year up here. Maybe it's because I don't have a mortgage anymore and haven't much bigger house and my job pays me a lot more. The only real problem I have with this town is the school systems they freaking suck.

[@user-tf5ze5fo3i]

Asbestos is one of the biggest problems with these older industrial buildings

[@snoopyloopy]

State-level politics are a huge turnoff for a lot of people who would otherwise consider relocating.

[@chrisbrown-jw4ce]

The woman you interviewed when describing the city was clearly an example of hope triumphing over reality.

[@neilwoshnak6968]

I agree

[@vaszi101]

she’s delusional

[@yougonnaeatthat9889]

Chamber of Commerce is fake bs pushing a agenda that isnt in the best interests of the citizens, kinda like school boards, they have slowly been taken over by lunatics and grifters.

[@briansmith48]

I've seen other travel vloggers do the same filming of downtown areas and wondered why they never got out and talked to the locals. He did miss his opportunity to speak to those home owners, but did interview someone on the chamber of commerce. Nice going. 👍

[@mikec6733]

A win's a win...

[@carolinacracker8849]

Love this video. Just left there. Love it but sad that it is neglected governmental and finding wise. Beautiful homes there , need to help our own cities most .

[@missahsee]

My grandparents settled in St. Jo in 1918. Grandfather was a relatively new Swedish immigrant who followed 2 older brothers & a sister to Chicago on 1911. He worked there crafting furniture (he was a certified furniture craftsman in Sweden, but left due to lack of economy. 1/3rd of Scandinavians left for America, 1845-1920, as did most of Europe at that time). He moved to St. Jo in 1915 due to the opening of the Midwestern Furniture Company - hailed as the first mostly-automated American furniture factory). He met my grandmother at a Norwegian Lutheran Church picnic on the NE KS prairie - just an hour west of St. Jo. My grandmother & grandfather married in 1918, and my grandfather had saved, and bought a new lot on the new Mitchell Avenue - just past 28th St. in St. Jo. Their neighbors were a new Czech family, another from Italy, & another from China. The four men had varied talents - a carpenter, a certified electrician (Chinese neighbor), a plumber (Italian) & another carpenter (Czech neighbor). The four neighbors all from different lands, different races & religions, helped each other build their 4 modest bungalows on Mitchell Ave. My grandfather told me his plan was from Sears & Roebuck, so I'd bet the others were as well. My grandparents had 3 children, born in the 1920s, and so did the other families. My Mother was friends with the other kids for the rest of her life. My family lived all over, as my Dad worked for Gulf Oil, but we did live in Overland Pk, Kansas for a few years - just an hour south of St. Jo. I have the BEST memories of my time visiting my grandparents & cousins during the 1960s & 70s. I remember swimming in the city pools (one on Noyes?), going to the drive-in with my cousins, & building snow forts in my grandparent's back yard. I remember my grandfather's terrific garden out back - he could grow anything. My grandmother was a fabulous baker - from her fam farm in KS, she got all kinds of fresh produce. My uncle owned a boat factory in St. Jo - & we water skied on Lake Contrary & my grandfather taught me howe to fish at Krug Park when I was a kid - cane pole w worms we'd dig up on the edge of his garden. My grandmother passed in '73, so my grandfather, legally blind & hard of hearing, came to live with us near Houston. I became even close to him the next 8 yrs. He passed when I was in Graduate School at age 95. My wife's parents had moved to WY by the 1990s, so one summer, we drove from Houston up to Kansas City, then over to Denver & north into Cheyenne. But we stopped a night in St. Jo, and took the next days to go by my grandparent's home on Mitchell Ave., & to go out to the Norwegian Lutheran Church Cemetery. I had a nice visit with the young woman who answered the door - told her how my grandfather & her neighbors had built each other's homes almost 100 years earlier... & I drove my young family around the places I remembered... Krug Park, the bowling alley on "The Belt", Central HS, the downtown 1st Lutheran Church... I hadn't been to St. Jo since 1973 & 1980, when my grandparents had their funerals...& in the span of those 40 or so years, I noticed how the city had, overall, fell into disrepair in many areas. My wife, who'd herself grown up in Detroit, told me it reminded her of Detroit in areas. I told her areas did look run-down to me, but that St. Jo had a LOT of pre-1930s homes inside the outer "Belt" & those were pretty well-kept as far as I remembered, but I did know that more people were moving further out north & east as newer subdivisions were being built. And, that, as in any town or city, wooden homes more than 100 years old were past their usual life expectancy - so that since St. Jo had the majority of its homes built over 100 years ago, a great many would be simply falling down. And, so it seems. My Dad used to say St. Jo reminded him of St. Louis, Davenport, Quincy, and a lot of Mississippi River towns he'd seen back in the 1950s-1980s... old towns built just before or after the Civil War... now falling into disrepair & neglect. I think St. Jo was very vibrant very early as a city that get up almost overnight due to the CA Gold Rush & settlers moving west before & after the Civil War. No doubt, St. Jo was in its "heydey" between 1880 & 1960. And likely, the decline started then, egged on by the high inflation of the 1970s & 80s.Not to get too political here, but Reganomics didn't help anyone but the wealthiest in the 80s to 2000. America needs to get back to the days of strong UNION WAGES & growth to help the Middle Class instead of growth only helping the top 1 or 2% (I'm talking to YOU, Republican politicians & your false "trickle-down," refusing to raise the minimum wage to one that's livable, w/ Health Care being a PRIVILEGE, not a RIGHT, as you say...policies). The shift of growth from union economics to a high-tech computerized world has left cities like many in the Midwest behind... St. Joseph, Youngstown, Ohio (and hundreds more in Ohio, PA, MI, IL, IA, IN, etc.). I think St. Joseph may look like more of a "disaster area" ONLY because so much of the city was indeed built before 1920/1930. I guess my grandparent's blocks on Mitchell Avenue between 28th & 30th Avenues...were some of the very last of the newer building in the city. Some of the nicest, most genuine people I've ever met in my long life I met in St. Joseph.

[@barbaraamoroso7020]

I love Missouri! The sky is the sky and earth is the earth, you make of it what you choose. Love you each other and work hard.

[@malakiandrewchatmon265]

Hey from Springfield, Illinois Nick! If and when you decide to come to Springfield, be sure to stop by Bella Milano or Mekong cafe, I’d love to shake hands or elbow bump👊🏽. Looking forward to hear what you have to say about Springfield and Bloomington as I’m goaling to move there👍🏽

[@seanm3ify]

Why not Champaign?

[@NewHaven203]

Anywhere but Rockford or Peoria, GROSS

[@malakiandrewchatmon265]

Champaign-Urbana is nice too, but I’d prefer the location of Bloomington-Normal, closer to Springfield and surrounding places I visit. Peoria & Rockford are certainly not that desirable

[@hypehouse4734]

I came from a Missouri town of 2500. Loved every minute of it. Right by a beautiful river ❤

[@lisareed5669]

OMG. I've been to St. Joe ONCE, and guessed that was the place from the thumbnail! Lol

[@GamersBay]

St Joseph, like many areas of the state, including much of Jefferson county, has struggled with a meth pandemic for years; though a lot of that has died down now thanks to increased efforts from law enforcement. The town is kind of off the beaten path, so its no wonder its largely abandoned. A lot of those buildings are just so old they're well past their useful lifecycle and really need to be demolished. But the town has beautiful architecture that's definitely worth seeing. Poverty is an issue too. Not just for St Joseph, but for many parts of the state. We went through 2 decades of job losses where the state saw thousands upon thousands of businesses that shut down. Parts of St Louis county started to look the same exact same way over the past decade because of the rise in poverty. I watched Lemay Ferry rd here in south county turn into miles of boarded up dilapidated buildings, and even the giant shopping center next to my home remained almost totally empty for over a decade, despite the fact we live in a largely populated metropolitan area. Businesses eventually returned and the jobs with it following the health crisis, so the situation has greatly improved. Its a breath of fresh air for a lot of us. Just to note how bad things used to be, I spent 5 years at one point looking for a job and found nothing! I literally starved during that time. As far as climate goes, Missouri isn't the greatest place to live. As far as economy goes, its an excellent place to live given the high availability of jobs today and the fact the cost of living here is far cheaper than than most other states. You can rent a 1 bedroom in St Louis county for like $700 to $1,000 a month, you just aren't going to get deals like that on the east or west coast.

[@parble1475]

Bro I live in at joe and have never even seen someone even look high on weed let alone meth.

[@markbajek2541]

the one cool thing about St.Joe is the ANG training base at their airport n of town . You get pretty close up to C130's buzzing around doing touch and goes and low flyovers of the runway and rolling in and out of the ramp area.. Maybe do a carryout from Betty's cafe drive up to Rosencran's or the park that has the hill that overlooks it and spend some time with the flyboys.

[@cameomiddleton79]

I am born, raised, and love in Missouri. I do disagree with the negative generalizations about the state. There are many places that are very beautiful, safe, and happy places to live and raise children.

[@Censorshipisillegal]

If you go to only the worst places in any state you could say they're all bad. So sad that you didn't bother to look at anything beautiful that Missouri had. I've lived here my entire life. Yet I've spent time in other states that are beautiful and always come back to Missouri as I find it the most beautiful. And the best thing about Missouri are the people. It's full of people who always look at the best in people and places and don't try making a buck by talking bad about things we don't know. 🤔

[@JennyDelich]

The new Missouri River Bluffs trail system has some of the gnarliest mountain biking trails in the Midwest.

[@scootermcgee8064]

I enjoyed this video. You’re doing a real folksy journalism here. The fact you mentioned the lack of police is certainly a contributing factor toward people not wanting to be there. A city with a sizable ghetto and homeless population is not desirable. They’re in the same boat as Detroit, Memphis, Gary, New Orleans-historic old cities with dilapidated areas which are cheap and have potential, but the area is too dangerous.

[@angelaarmie5789]

Read somewhere the police force is really under staffed. Should be three times as many officers for a full force.

[@TheKeksadler]

If I remember correctly, there are only 3 patrol officers in St. Joe at any given time. Which is astronomically low.

[@chiefs4life913]

Lived in saint joe for 4 years. Only moved because I moved up the corporate ladder from my job there. Originally moved there because of the job market there. The people that are poor in st. Joe are poor because they choose to do meth instead of working. Triumph, silgan, nestle, altec, and all the factories pay at least $20 a hour, most closer to $25-$30. Rent is cheap, housing is affordable if you want to buy, lot of stuff to do. The south end is the south end, everyone knows about the south end. The city tearing down a lot of condemned buildings, and the city gives funding to people interested in buying the old buildings and restoring them. The railways are still being used just as much as they were before.

[@heatherbridegan9422]

I lived there there for 2 mths in the late 80s when i was young. Ive lived in Missouri since 1982 and still do. I love my state.

[@KATingler]

Many places have the "old original township" usually deserted with old structures. Then there is a brand new section, set off from old town that has every amenity today's person could need. It's called PRESERVING HISTORY.

[@satch_urated]

Greetings from Ireland Nick. Amazing content once again.🙏

[@andymullarx6365]

Maybe Nick should go international and drive around Ireland next.

[@NickJohnson]

Noooo

[@kayingthao5072]

Hey Ireland …this channel is not real journalism…this guys only shows what he wants to, it’s one sided journalism.

[@richardbowers3647]

Whoa!!! And the red building chuckled to the gray road and said, "Where are you going?"