I Went To The Worst Place To Live In Texas

[@NickJohnson]

Here's my entire Texas Road Trip Playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLq-_cmf3H6yo9g5TSfY7ySf5apN2Qc8SZ&si=AIBSOWt3jYYPpeVJ

[@fdj130]

Greetings, Nick. Can you do, or have , a take on New Bedford, Mass.?

[@scottykingdavid]

Teezo touchdown.. Beaumont TX

[@rogerburn5132]

Nick Brilliant Video as. always Good information so. We don't have to travel all the way to Texas to see it 👍👍👍👍

[@knerduno5942]

You mention the water. The water comes from the Neches River, several miles north up stream. The Entertainment District is open during the evenings/weekends. You also did not really show the nicer parts of the city.

[@buckshot6481]

Nick the churches were shut down by the WuHan 19. It shut our church and now we're barely open, more than 50% never returned.

[@ropace37]

I grew up around this area and the main problem in cities like this is jobs. You have 3 choices. 1. Know someone that can get you in the refinery or government work for decent money. 2. Work at Walmart and live out your miserable existence. 3. Leave as soon as the opportunity presents itself. Small, successful, businesses are almost extinct. And “franchise” jobs don’t pay nearly enough, or crime is so bad they won’t open stores there. This hits towns like this and smaller extremely hard and without multiple industries it’s either the big city or suburban life for most people nowadays.

[@knerduno5942]

A lot of my family lives there. My sister's husband makes very good money in petrochemical industry, but the jobs are not in Beaumont so he spends a lot of time not at home. My daughter's husband and a son of my sister both work in construction and make good money. The Nichols Brothers (who used to own Gibson's on 11th Street) went into home construction . They said the main people with building homes is nobody wants to work.

[@Bhq870]

@@knerduno5942nobody wants to work? Or they won’t pay enough? People have to eat somehow

[@knerduno5942]

Because large companies like Walmart is now paying start at $15, other companies are forced to pay more. So yes, lazy people don't want to work. @@Bhq870

[@johnh8705]

Beaumont was great when I was there. I moved to Houston when the fun ended. Thankfully, my company took a majority of us to the new plant in Houston. Beaumont is boring... no more Jefferson vs Lincoln drama, Beaumont Central vs Vidor... the good ol' days 😂

[@admiralradish]

Perfect summary of Beaumont.

[@WisdomofHal]

Not only have I realized an erosion of U.S. cities, but there seems to be a parallel between the quality of people as well.

[@615levi]

Yess

[@firesideshats]

Man how can you not notice it's been happening since the 80s western world wide. Man dead set get your head out of the fcking sand this is half the issue you sort of people just live in ignorance

[@georgecoons6872]

people have to stop voting for these 3rd world minded liberals. look what they did to detroit. 5o% of there fire police ems has been cut. every liberal city is doing the god dam same.

[@LeviBroflovski]

YES!

[@Valmontst]

Absolutely correct!

[@ccrbonline1752]

Never underestimate the impact illegal immigration has had on Texas. Been here my whole life and have seen it first hand. The job market, the cost of housing, the educational system, the quality of our healthcare, the job market; it affects everything, and not for the better.

[@patjones5723]

I couldn't agree more 💯 😢

[@matthiassventoest6800]

sometimes we (as Americans) will use up a place, and just leave it for dead..., and think nothing of the ppl or environment left behind.

[@GX-105D]

that's why we need a 5 year rule, either do something with an unoccupied space or demolish it, it's why the north is so poor, half their buildings are empty that's been rotting for 50 years, bet if those buildings were gone, there would be thriving cities in the north

[@Korruptionen]

I moved here in 2012 from a dying midwest town. Have come to realize I just traded one dying city for another. It sucks because Beaumont has (or has had) potential, but it's my opinion it's currently this way for a reason. There's lots of old oil money here that silently controls what is or isn't going on, IMO. My favorite part of your video is showing how dead downtown is, and you're being 100% accurate on this point. It's my belief a few families hold the majority of the real estate there and want to keep it frozen in this sad condition.

[@patrickjmahoney5703]

100% WRONG.

[@clayton97330]

​@patrickjmahoney5703 which part is wrong?

[@patrickjmahoney5703]

@clayton97330 All of it. You're obviously new. I was born in Beaumont, and all of my family grew up there. I spent a LOT of time there growing up. The supposition that "old oil money" has an interest in keeping Beaumont "status quo" is ridiculous; it is a refinery town. And the idea that "a few old money families own the bulk of the real estate" is probably wrong, as well. My family was one of those families, as were many other Sicilian families. They moved out because of mismanagement and incompetence by Democrat city leaders for 3 generations. The "oil money" and "the families " started moving away 30 years ago because the city leadership let the rot fester until NOBODY was left. It's not a grand conspiracy, new guy.

[@clayton97330]

@patrickjmahoney5703 You can use jcad to look up who owns the property downtown and how much they're paying in property taxes. You may have to go to the state database to see who controls the LLCs if you don't already know. I don't think you'll be surprised who owns lots of it. The rest of what you said I, for the most part, agree with.

[@willc6675]

Hi I’m from Beaumont. From birth to 19. Left for Houston for college and didn’t move back. I’ll say Beaumont is bad if you’re looking for the street life. If you keep your nose clean you can live on any part of town and no one will bother you. Edit wish I could have talked to you about the city from a different prospective

[@MichaelG-n5y]

Say your point exactly but I doubt you could of made this guy anything different he is a bad journalist that title don’t even fit him he’s full of lies listen I’m Native American Indian where this guy failed to point out was that we were forced on this land the whole land belonged to our people yet the government lied connived schemed to get our land he didn’t say that part

[@junior-hk2jt]

That's sad the amount of potentially nice homes that are just there rotting

[@knerduno5942]

Those rotting homes are in an area which is now considered the black area of town. People who have the money have no interest in development in an area riff with crime, homelessness, shootouts, drugs, etc. There are plenty of areas which are very nice with low crime.

[@chuckschillingvideos]

Correction: very, very, very few people working in the petrochemical plants live anywhere near the plants or in any of the bad areas you showed in Jefferson County. They live in the suburbs, on the west end of Beaumont, in Lumberton, in Nederland, in Groves, in Bridge City and other parts of Orange County, etc.

[@dmetriglover3628]

Your right most of them commute to work 30+ miles away or more

[@johnd4348]

I grew up in Nederland. Home of the Bulldogs.

[@chuckschillingvideos]

@@johnd4348 Howdy neighbor! I used to live in Nederland off Avenue H.

[@johnd4348]

@@chuckschillingvideos I grew up at corner of Detroit and 15th stright down the street from police station. , then moved to Ned Ave, were the dollar general store is now. I sold the house and they built the DG store. Nice to hear from you. I live in Kingsport TN now.

[@chuckschillingvideos]

@@johnd4348 Likewise. Lots of people are moving to Tennessee now. Great to hear from you too!

[@PatricenotPatrick]

As a Texan, I clicked on this video so quick to see what Nick would choose and DAMN HE RIGHT LMAO.

[@mikedavis2969]

LOL

[@axleroy]

Yup 👍

[@Tzimisce00]

he lietally skipped half the city to make it look like a pure shit hole, you coudl do an honest report of the poverty of the city and it would not look as ba d as this disingenuous piece of shit made it.

[@RubenB658]

The hurricanes have taken a toll on Beaumont.

[@scootermcgee8064]

The demographic change has taken a toll on Beaumont.

[@keithwhite5823]

My family has lived in Beaumont for over 100 years. This video only shows the worst of the worst (as far as I got into it) but dismisses the vibrant west end, newly invigorated downtown, the fact that it's part of the area that is the largest producer of petro chemicals in the world, the fourth largest river port in the U.S.,ect...

[@NickJohnson]

I think you should have continued watching then

[@gfriesz]

I've lived in Nederand all my 56 years of my life other than 7 years elsewhere. This gentleman did a community service by showing what a s**thole we live in to the outside world.

[@shystiemartin9352]

Smh you need to be stopped sir for this madness and only showing the negative..

[@MikeCarte]

Beaumont is not a good place to live. Downtown is dead. They have one new restaurant. I wouldn’t call that reinvigorated. Having the largest production of petrochemicals isn’t a good thing. A large portion of the community in Beaumont is wannabe thugs and I don’t feel safe in 90% of the city.

[@krischambers9021]

@@taurusbaddieThe violent crime in Beaumont as of 2018 was 1,063 per 100,000 people😮 that's really bad. Median income is $54,000. The average home is 103,000. I'm unsure why crime is so bad, considering the income, although the home value is low. However, the white population is only 30% black, 47.3%, and 19% Hispanic.

[@johnd4348]

The good thing about the area is the housing is very affordable. You can buy a house for under 150 K. . A nice home, not the kind shown in the first of the video. My first home was in Nederland bought in 1990 for 25 K. I sold it for 64 K after some fixing up.Unemployment back then was around 15 percent. I had a good job in a machine shop making 14 dollars an hour. But those businesses all closed when NAFTA was enacted and all the jobs went to Mexico.

[@flyhargie]

I grew up in Orange, left, and returned when I was 30 and I was shocked at the depression surrounding the area. Another major factor is the area has been hit by at least five major hurricanes in less than 20 years. A lot of small businesses have had to shut there doors due to natural disasters. I lived in Southern California where there is always something to do. There's just not a lot going on. Around here, you've got to drive towards Houston or Louisiana to find entertainment. By the way, we are considered Southeast Texas, on the border of Southwest Louisiana.

[@jajajajajajajajaja867]

Funny you say south east Texas . I've always heard it called deep east Texas.

[@MsP_Tx]

@@jajajajajajajajaja867 Deep East Texas is around Jasper & Toledo Bend Reservoir. Beaumont, Port Arthur & Orange has always been called Southeast Texas.

[@vladav313]

Very intersting to read, thanks for sharing.

[@gfriesz]

I could have written your post as well. I was born in Nederland 56 years ago, and lived in the Central Valley of California for 7 years. As you mention, there was always something to do, the people were infinitely kinder and more intelligent as a whole. If I did not have 7 grandchildren in Texas, my wife and I would move back to California tomorrow. As it is, we try to go to LA and the Central Valley once or twice a year to get the stench of SETX off of us.

[@jajajajajajajajaja867]

@@gfriesz I would have to disagree completely about people in CA being kinder in general.

[@costernocht]

I was a Red Cross volunteer in the area immediately after Hurricane Rita in 2005, and saw a lot of Baytown, Port Arthur, and vicinity. Though I never actually visited Beaumont, I met a lot of people from there (and Nederland, Vidor, etc.), and they were some of the finest people I've ever known -- far better company than the hipsters and whiners I then lived among in San Francisco.

[@Albert-the-Astro]

I’m from Baytown-Highlands very blue collar. I’m not ashamed to say. Peace.

[@thelikebutton2464]

Yep, I'm from Vidor. Beaumont is rough... violent and all. The surrounding towns are where the life of the area comes from.

[@RobertJohnson-lc5bj]

….but in Vidor, they tell you if you piss them off- your lucky your …….

[@RobertJohnson-lc5bj]

You’re

[@ody818]

@@thelikebutton2464how is Kirbyville? Was thinking of buying a home there but seeing this video is turning me off

[@Honeycomblife]

Unpopular opinion i like Beaumont... If they didnt have the pollution i would buy a cheap house or live downtown i like being away from crowded places ..downtown Baltimore & Oakland are way worse i would never even consider those places

[@IngramBellamy]

You can get a great Waterview in baltimore for a reasonable price

[@el_deplorablede_tejas1394]

Yup, everywhere crime is high along with increased living cost. But if you ask me, small forgotten towns and cities will come back by those wanting out of Over Populated, Restricted and over regulated areas.

[@matthewsmith2362]

I hope so but I fear the government is on a most certain path of taxing us per mile we drive. That’s gonna keep a lota small town small. What they want is us all in these big 15 min cities. Look into it if you have some free time. World economic form is planning our future right in front of our eyes. We must resist

[@deeferguson9272]

Those homes at the beginning have some really nice architecture. I wish America had more homes like those; not too big, and very nice to look at. The yellow one in the middle looks well taken care of.

[@kyleRS87]

I was thinking that too, those are awesome houses

[@lesliehorwinkle]

@@kyleRS87 those houses have survived too. Unfortunately they are in areas that just never gentrified so no one has ever put money in them. Even paint can go a long way for a neighborhood. Paint and roofs. Gotta keep them up in the south.

[@kyleRS87]

@@lesliehorwinkle I’d love to buy one but I’m in WI so that makes it a little harder but the gears in my head are telling me it’d be awesome lol

[@firstlast-pq1tx]

Southeast texas cities have great homes and architecture, even in the most boring places the homes look old and beautiful

[@deeferguson9272]

@@firstlast-pq1tx I love it !!!! Nice architecture is good for the soul

[@leedensmore5970]

Although I mostly did my exploring and driving around solo, in the 70's, 80's and early 90's, on the east side of the Appalachian mountains to the Atlantic Coast. I ended up back in New Jersey and settled down in Atlantic City working in the casinos. I saw a lot of poor areas up and down the coast. But because of the mass migration towards the south,bringing with them money, areas and cities improved. But since the creation of the Internet and smart phones and KZbin explorers showing how things have changed both good and bad I definitely believe large areas of the United States has been on a long , steady decline of economy and life conditions. Makes me super sad and disappointed and frustrated. Our country is definitely not the best place to live anymore. I'm 70 and a half. I've seen a lot. Really is quite evident that the richest country is not invested in improving the quality of life of its citizens.

[@Shadowsdreamatnight]

Our government is too busy sending billions to Ukraine. Biggest money laundering scam ever

[@ericgoldberg1079]

OMG… I received a promotion while living in Miami and was assigned to Beaumont, Texas, I was like where TF is Beaumont? 😮 the job opportunity was amazing, but living in Beaumont was horrible! There’s a constant smell in the air, it’s from the oil and chemical refineries that are EVERYWHERE! As a single person it was a nightmare! Imagine, going from Miami to Beaumont 😮

[@Beefy6]

Good video. A lot of truth in here. Ive lived here 5 years now and moved here as a Chemical Engineer. The property is cheap and the money is good for engineers. Since I've been here though I've seen a big influx of people outside of Texas move here for a lower cost of living and I've seen several new businesses opening up. I do truly believe Beaumont is on the up and up and is currently in a revitalization period. It may take 20 years but it is happening...

[@kimberlylewis9667]

I agree. Lots of people are getting tired of the overpopulation and hustle and bustle of the bigger cities and looking for smaller places to live. I’m from Beaumont and believe it will look a lot different in 20 years, at least I hope. It has potential, need the right leaders.

[@ITzpaulmiddleton]

I have lived in Beaumont well born and raised here for 28 years from living in the south end to the north end. One thing I can tell you from working a 24hr on call job is Nowhere is safe at night around here it is a completely different vibe

[@grny28]

One things that sticks out in Beaumont is even though areas are ram shackled it's not covered in litter everywhere.

[@patjones5723]

I noticed that too 😊

[@dennisconrad6124]

It’s not the towns that died, the people have died! Im not talking about literally dead, their soul is dead. I moved to a vibrant town in Northern Maine 5 years ago, hoping to find a town that was alive! It appeared alive, so I bought land and moved there. Worst mistake I’ve ever made in all my late 60’s life. The people are dead! Their soul is dead! The town is doing just fine, but the people are soulless. So I came to Mexico for the winter. I’m deep in Mexico, in a small town of 4000. I’ve been here about a month. The more I watch these people, the more depressed I get with the US. These people are ALIVE! You don’t see people text messaging on their phones, their TALKING on their phones!

[@Tzimisce00]

Dude literally filmed only a third of the city to avoid anything thats nice, he is a liar.

[@Mike-108_v_]

On Jan. 10, 1901, the city of Beaumont solidified its place in history when the Lucas Gusher at Spindletop erupted, kicking off the Texas oil boom. The gusher blew over 150 feet high for nine days at an estimated rate of 80,000 to 100,000 barrels of oil per day. This breakthrough brought the city into the petroleum age by making mass oil production for fuel possible, and the U.S. as the world’s leading producer. TODAY (2021 statistic) -The Beaumont refinery processes 366,000 barrels of crude oil per day and produces 2.8 billion gallons of gasoline annually.Sep 27, 2021 Exxon/Mobil website. I guess 2.8 billion gallons of gas is just a drop in the bucket... AND/OR ...the local government is not using $$ to better the town....something doesn't add up here. This also reminds me of the video you did on West Virginia... because the Coal industry closed....however...Beaumont seems to be open.

[@knerduno5942]

The city has been improving the condition of it overall, but there is only so much they can do to bring businesses into the area.A lot of people actually live outside of Beaumont, and commute to work there.

[@theabileneranchertar7882]

Oil companies own the mineral rights, the city doesn't.

[@gfriesz]

Yes - and our area has one of the highest cancer rates in the country due to the s**t those refineries spew into the air nonstop. You will excuse me if I don't share your enthusiasm for how the petrochemical industry treats SETXans as collateral damage.

[@cliftonbowers6376]

Not recieving because they most likely gave the corporate a tax brake

[@nitrousninja882]

I like that Beaumont, Texas place. It looks like the kind of town where a young man could really learn to play Texas style blues the right way. Stevie Ray Vaughan learned to play guitar living in towns that looked just like Beaumont.

[@tylerpals6009]

Johnny Winter, ZZtop and Janis Joplin straight from the Beaumont area!

[@JWayne-ej4jy]

Wasn't Stevie r Vaughn from oak Cliff. ? Dallas. Oh right

[@dknight5249]

I grew up right down the road in Port Arthur. They don’t hire locals to work in the refineries. They bring in guys from Iowa or Ohio and pay them top dollar. The most successful businesses in the area are RV parks because they house all the out of town workers. They won’t hire local or invest local. I think it’s all a ploy to get the locals out. Eventually Houston will expand that way and the real estate will be prime.

[@hook4116]

That’s bullshit. Everyone who lives there has worked in the refineries. People from other states definitely work there too because there’s plenty of work.

[@dknight5249]

If your not from the Golden Triangle you don’t what the hell your talking about. It’s been that way in the past and it’s still that way.

[@avall81]

Most of the guys that work in this area are from the Valley, Corpus, Houston or Louisiana. Not much from up North lol

[@julieboolie1946]

I'd love to have her as my neighbor! I bet she has so many stories! Yes we love our AC in Texas! Its on 350 days a year usually!🤣

[@laikanbarth]

I would love to have her as my neighbor too.

[@kmc1steelers998]

Shirley seems 💖 like a beautiful soul. My son's best friend and family moved outside of Houston Texas in an area called Spring Texas. They seem to really like it. The thing is , you move to these small quaint areas there is NO WORK. Your still stuck going to these big metro areas to make the bucks. I work from home and work for an entire different state, that has become really popular since the COVID pandemic. The gentleman is right though, after Hurricane Katrina, many cities got bad the more people came there, this also happened with Jackson Mississippi and Arkansas, Alabama Florida, and most definitely Texas, and many other states.

[@cslloyd1]

A good friend in college was from Beaumont. He told me “Beaumont is a great place to be FROM.” That was in the early 1980s.

[@christinasapp9726]

Never realized Beaumont was this bad. Anything east of Houston seems pretty bad.

[@TheShaund]

Very true all my friends go west where It's a lot nicer and less crime

[@rfink222]

My father worked in the Beaumont shipyards back in its heyday, he was a teenager.

[@litaheffley6990]

Thats right ✅️ 👏 speaking 🔊 truth loud and clear love your videos

[@loveme9703]

Nick, I hate that you only showed the bad neighborhoods! There is way more too see than you showed! Plus there are some amazing food places!

[@NickJohnson]

I showed good too

[@Texas3589]

Should of went down Thomas road or some of the west

[@denalerieduriso9923]

​@NickJohnson no, you didn't tip the iceberg of BETTER neighborhoods in our city.🙄

[@anamarquez6366]

@@NickJohnson you showed a couple of houses and that's it, what about the Julie Rogers Theatre, the hiking parks, all of the West End. Big Thicket, etc. And you interviewed the worst people. You asked about where the leadership was, did you care to look for them?

[@minigirl6839]

​@@NickJohnsonLIAR.

[@cashmininger2503]

Drove there from Houston to play baseball against their local team. Two cars got broken into in the parking lot during the game. Never went back.

[@polopolo8105]

Houston is worst,they will rob you in the day time.Houston is one of the worst cities to live now

[@johnnymccollum8698]

This video is nothing but a biased hit piece against the Beaumont area. I live in Vidor and this video makes out like our whole area is just one big abandoned dump and it isn’t. He totally neglected to even show any of the middle class or wealthy areas in Beaumont or Vidor, sticking to the oldest and poorest neighborhoods only. In Beaumont, downtown used to consist of many prominent department stores that moved to Parkdale Mall in the northwest side of town when it was built in the 80s. Now the main shopping and entertainment area is centered around the mall and surrounding area. There are also many middle and upper class neighborhoods on the northwest side of town. Again, he did Vidor much the same way. Vidor is basically a bedroom community for the surrounding Beaumont and Port Arthur area with several middle class neighborhoods to the north, south and east of downtown.

[@Redridge07]

I agree, if this dude was an honest broker, this same video could be made in just about every city/area over 100,000 in the US.

[@christianbrother4724]

My parents moved to Beaumont in 1956, I was born in Port Arthur. They left in 68 for Austin. Believe it or not, Beaumont was once one of the fastest growing cities in the country.

[@jeffweyler6283]

I live in Beaumont and the places you went to are the areas that the old money abandoned. Due to issues with the city council and taxes the downtown has been left behind. The nice neighborhoods are on the west end of town. The people with money have all moved out of the city into the local town surrounding Beaumont. There is huge money in Southeast Texas, we have the largest Oil refineries in the world here. It is a dangerous dirty place, people sacrifice there health to work in these plants in order to keep the country and the rest of the world functioning. If it were not for the oil refineries in Southeast Texas the world would probably come to a complete stop.

[@alexanderross7607]

no they wouldnt lol

[@darrellking7831]

Don't underestimate the importance of the region when it comes to oil. Look how gas prices sky rocket whenever hurricanes hit.

[@ann8765]

Millions of people running towards poverty thinking America is rainbows and unicorns.

[@cja10290]

Wish you would've shown more of the good side of Beaumont. There's actually still quite a bit of money there. Some great nature attractions as well.

[@UrsaMaatRa]

Exactly!! All he did was drive to the poor areas and film the poverty to talk about.. He didn't go anywhere near the Westside of Beaumont or the mall area..

[@danielalston1054]

Exactly! Not once was he on the west end. Just showed the worst parts and made it seem like all of Beaumont.

[@nonameface4886]

Yup he could’ve shown the areas around Major drive as well as the new subdivisions being built

[@melissathompson9442]

Exactly 💯. He did not show the entire city. I know our crime and drug statistics are high, but he didn't point out all the good things about the city. And he stayed away from the West end!

[@johnnymccollum8698]

He doesn’t care about showing the newer side of town. It’s not sensational enough, he gets more viewers and KZbin revenue by doing one sided hit pieces.

[@jvincent2870]

Heck there’s tons of neighborhoods just like this on the east side of Houston and probably more along the way to Beaumont.

[@l.ls.8890]

Its been over 33 years since I last travelled through Beaumont, TX. I had a few friends who lived there and Port Arthur. It did not look anything like this back then.

[@steveharris9861]

Last visited here on 1982. Wow, what happened? 😮

[@denacakes]

It still doesn't look like this now. West end Beaumont is thriving and that's why there's empty houses in older run down neighborhoods. They've MOVED out. Some people took insurance money after the last hurricane and moved. But population hasn't dwindled.

[@1995RangeRover]

This country is rotting from within. Great vid bro!

[@thomasbarchen]

It's cus the lizard folks are in charge

[@katyroseable]

Karma

[@aww7056]

Corruption is a major factor . Privatisation doesnt help either, it makes ppl. Greedy and selfish .

[@youtopia2000]

@@katyroseable Economic Anthropology- sooner or later, the bureaucracy of every great civilization grows too large and collapses upon itself. It's been happening for centuries. Persian Empire, Roman Empire, Mongol Empire, etc.

[@chucko12]

Grew up with extended family living in Beaumont. Lived there some in childhood and adulthood. In the 70s it was i bit of a vibe. The 80s oil bust rotted it. The hurricanes over the years with resulting repair and new roofs has the good end of town looking sharp now. Socially as an adult i found living in Beaumont very isolating and lonely. People there tend to move within family and social class based interpersonal groups. Very very difficult to make friends there beyond situational work/school based casual acquaintances whom one does not see outside the work/school paradigm. Relative Beaumont adjectives: boring lonely, stifling. Unfulffiling. Backward.

[@knerduno5942]

I also grew up in Beaumont. However, a few years ago I lived in Silsbee for about three years. What a major difference. A friendly quiet town. I will probably go back there when I retire.

[@MrGreentrek]

Beaumont, Texas can be proud of knowing that country star singer George Jones sang in the dives of Beaumont in his early teens. In 1942 the Jones family moved to a government subsidized housing project on the port town of Beaumont, where George's father found work as a shipyard pipe fitter. Jones finished the seventh grade and then left school behind. In Beaumont he became aware of a new sort of country music. The new music known as honky tonk celebrated the wild side of life and lamented its wages. He first played for money at a penny arcade on Pearl Street and soon became a regular busker on the streets of Beaumont. The Big Bopper worked at KTRM in Beaumont, Texas and at one time set a record for continuous broadcasting, lasting for over 122 hours from Beaumont's Jefferson Theater. Mark Chesnutt is from Beaumont. After surviving a heart attack in 1962, Moon Mullican kept performing in and around his home in Beaumont, Texas. Janis Joplin attended Lamar State College of Technology in Beaumont. Beaumont's music scene in the 1950's and 1960's became a vibrant part of its culture producing renowned artists such as Barbara Lynn, Billie Jo Spears, Johnny Winter, Tracy Byrd and Clay Walker. Oh if the streets, schools, houses and work places could talk and tell us stories.

[@gfriesz]

Here we go again - that is what is wrong with our area: folks like you want to gloss over how bad it is today and let us know about its "golden years". Port Arthur people do it too - they bring up the Pleasure Island Pier that has been gone for 6 decades, and how Elvis played there while they have a ghost town downtown that is literally rotting in front of us. It really doesn't matter that George Jones, the Big Bopper, ZZ Top, and others came from here...tell me how often they came back to visit? We can't even get grade D acts to come here to Ford Park.

[@leelee7998]

The best is yet to come things change when you change when peaple see you clean up they desire to also

[@christianbryant5617]

@@gfrieszNelly literally just played at Mardi Gras Beaumont. Hillary Clinton was just here during the past election. I see you in the comments, repeating how awful and irrelevant Beaumont is. The only things so awful about Beaumont is the crime- which is the same as New Orleans, Houston, and everywhere else for that matter. You act like the entire city is dead because of the old and crime ridden hoods.. it’s not. Over 200,000+ people in a metro area who commute to work, university, school does not equal dead.

[@carmenmonoxide7459]

Despite its problems, Beaumont seems to have a grasp on city services and basic infrastructure. The few chem companies that survived is keeping the city afloat providing employment. There's always going to be the question about the quality of life concerning the people living there. "Shirley: Beaumont lifer" tag was LOL and she is a treasure. Cope over hope could be the motto for many US cities barely functioning.

[@NickJohnson]

I ❤️ Shirley

[@knerduno5942]

Those petrochemical companies do not employee as many people anymore as they used to due to automation.

[@jajajajajajajajaja867]

​@@knerduno5942Pretty sure it's not just the petrochemical companies.

[@gfriesz]

In regard to basic infrastructure: just ask any Beaumont resident about the quality of their drinking water.

[@MrBonus46]

Should check out Port Arthur,TX , 20 minutes south.

[@peterpierce9233]

Yea. My late Wife and I ALMOST moved there in 2008. She was a Court Reporter. Texas Needed Court Reporters there due to a shortage. Sad and Glad we decided to stay in Jonesboro Arkansas

[@neilm9630]

First time anybody ever said those last eight words.

[@sammyday3341]

I stayed in Beaumont for half a year while on a construction project. You can see how parts of it used to be pretty and prosperous. The abandoned office buildings and tall hotels downtown must have been beautiful in their day.

[@stillnotwoke]

​@@Ben_Dover_Say10 Yep, they sure brought their "gentrification" with 'em...there went the neighborhood.

[@MatCendana]

Greetings from Shah Alam, Malaysia. Ever since a video from this channel popped up on the list at the side, I've watched several already since a week ago. I must say that this channel provides the best "real life" videos of US cities. Quite unlike the street scenes that I've been seeing in movies and TV series over the decades. "Gritty"... yes, that's one of the most accurate descriptions. I like seeing and listening to those real people like Shirley too. Good job! May your channel prosper.

[@matthewsmith2362]

How is Malaysia? What’s the main language? How’s the economy

[@IrisStanfield]

Unfortunately, the scenes this KZbinr filmed and the wonderful things of Beaumont he failed to video could fill a museum. I think his story was tilted to show nothing of the best of Beaumont and its businesses which have moved to the better areas of Beaumont. I grew up there near the Magnolia refinery! I wouldn’t change that portion of my life for anything. Many wonderful people still live there. God bless Shirley🥰. She is dealing with the drug culture as are most cities in the USA. I now live in San Francisco, and we are dealing with a drug culture here too. Don’t let this KZbinr’s story worry you Beaumonter’s. You will rise from this as you always have. Stand tall and proud🎉

[@Silvangreen]

Here’s how I read the tea leaves the video provides. Because of the nature of the oil biz, Beaumont has a long history of separate social and economic circles that do not mix. The people with money do not invest in any sort of civic life, nightlife or entertainment. Richer kids go to private school and their families socialize privately at their home and private clubs. No one from the upper class is going to speak publicly - it’s simply not done - because they might have to defend the decision to keep isolated and not support a healthy civic life.

[@valfletcher9285]

The American way, apparently. Maybe the way of the entire world throughout history? But there was more philanthrophy in the past and the shape of smll town and many American cities is sad!!!

[@LukeWarmwater-yb5lx]

Sad, But a very good Video Nick, i was a teenager during the seventies, i sure miss those days, we didn't know how good we had it,

[@sporktape]

Maaaan you finally covered my home area. That and Orange, TX is so bad.

[@sporktape]

@@mmmd3429 facts. It's like when I get to Baytown there's just this nastiness in the atmosphere. I can't put my finger on it.

[@sporktape]

@@mmmd3429 family still lives there unfortunately

[@johnwilliamson2393]

​@@sporktapeI've worked a lot of hours in Baytown plants for 3.5 years. I love all the places to get Mexican food, but other than that, if I never went back, I'd be ok with that!

[@RobFromRI]

I spent a month in Beaumont one night...

[@MrGreentrek]

I'd say for Texas, Beaumont has one thing going for it though by watching your video. Look at those trees, some stately and large, and grass and larger lot sizes. Though the houses are in bad shape they have character and are not cookie cutter houses. They have stories to tell of the families that grew up and worked there. Then I look at these new developments (example Cypress, Texas) and the houses are crammed together like sardines in a can and are oversized for today's people that don't want kids and are nauseating in one way. Nice job on your coverage and video footage! Some town has to pay the price for America's overuse of electricity and fuel like the oil refineries here or the coal mines in West Virginia.

[@truthbtold2349]

These days, you'll find Port Arthur is in worse condition than Beaumont😞

[@Tzimisce00]

dude literally filmed in the poorest of areas mostly on the outskirts of the main city, ignoring the 70% of it that looks nice.

[@963ag]

Check out downtown El Paso, it makes Beaumont look like downtown Dubai.

[@TheShaund]

I grew up in this part of texas and this reminds me of my childhood

[@itslateandimfat]

I was born in Beaumont. All of the money is on the west side of town. Beaumont's downtown was dead when I was still a kid. We had raves and art shows down there.

[@Elizabetty333]

I love to watch your videos. Thank you so much for showing us what’s happening around our country. I’m in Denver, CO, and it’s turning into a huge liberal dump. Worked my whole life as a teacher to buy a home in a city that is being overtaken by fentanyl zombies and criminals. It’s so sad.

[@barbararobinson244]

Nick, you almost have a million subscribers!! Good for you.

[@00060850]

A lot of times those refineries are built in areas where no one is close, the land is cheap and then builders come along and buy the cheap land and build or move cheap houses onto the land, years later people think the refineries built right next to the residentual area because it was poor. I don't know anything about that refinery but I would wager it has been there long before people moved into the area.

[@dionysus1016]

I was waiting on this one as it featured in True Detective; Nick thanks for bringing attention to America's slow but sure decline like a slow-moving glacier; the halcyon days of the 50s are now a distant memory for generations dying out; I grew up here in Australia where America was bigger and better in nearly every way; but sadly. America has lost its soul, and "Your Worst" shows that; now, the people are showing signs of decay. My question is: Is America on the path to rock bottom? If so, how long will it take? Syd. AU.

[@NickJohnson]

🤷🏻‍♂️

[@matthewsmith2362]

Merica fuk yea

[@chadkline4268]

If it wasn't for property tax, it seems like a great place to just grow your own year round and live the nice and easy life with a small savings for misc items. Property tax is what stops people from planting fruit trees and a small garden and living a life of self provisioning. Freedom is always the answer.

[@knerduno5942]

Property taxes are going down in 2024 by a lot as well as school taxes.

[@chadkline4268]

eliminate property taxes. Just leave people alone, let them live in peace for free, offer private property, and see what happens. Cities want industry+money. Not decent communities of free people.

[@DavidDupre-n3e]

I have wounderful Childhood memories of my grandmother,s hometown.

[@ShawnShipstad]

It never seems to stop, no matter where they "Set up shop".

[@michelemcintyre9749]

Beaumont... my birthplace. Was born there 65 years ago, we moved when I was 12. It was a good place back then. It makes me so sad to it this way. I'm only 300 mi away, but have only been back once. It was awful. The refineries have caused devastation to so many... cancer. It def directly affected some of my family, no doubt. Death from cancer at a young age from living there.

[@glendajune9140]

Shirley was definitely a genuine source for this video. The man at the end, was also an honest representation of Beaumont. Two different accurate perspectives, love it. Glad you came out safe,& sound Nick. Looking forward to seeing the next video.💯👍🏾😀👏🏾💜✝️🙏🏾🇺🇸

[@NickJohnson]

Couldn't agree more Glenda!

[@BirdDogey1]

I'm a California transplant living in Boerne, Texas. Lots of us here. Need an In and Out but still a great place to live. You travel hosting is brilliant. Huell Howser would be impressed.

[@AlexMartinez-fo5vy]

I just think to myself that all those abandoned houses an churches used to have a lot of life in them. I live in San Antonio and I've never seen a town like that

[@BirdieB88]

Man, I wanted to check out some earlier ( little earlier) man. I’ve never seen anything like it. Truly heartbreaking.💔I truly do feel for you guys. Wow Nick thanks again for the insight. 😘

[@WhatsOnMyShelf]

Nick, has anyone ever told you that you find the movie sets for apocalypse films in America? These cities took a large effort to build and are now left abandoned.

[@NickJohnson]

Yes I get that a lot

[@tornado4029]

America literally invented apocalypse films

[@phlaelym]

I grew up around Houston, and nearly everyone referred to Beaumont as Boremont. Mainly because it's a boring little town with very little to do. It's sad to see things have not improved.

[@dagamerjulian1685]

Great video, we recently won the Semi-Professional football championship this summer, and we are the Seminoles located in Beaumont! This city deserved it!

[@darrellsadler2848]

How did you feel having the whole Downtown of Beaumont, Texas all to yourself that day?

[@jeffrobodine8579]

What a waste of infrastructure.

[@Honeycomblife]

I wanna buy a historic building and live there lol

[@darrellsadler2848]

You too, Nick.

[@pachebabys2387]

he walked through when everyone was inside at work you saw all the cars there's just not a whole bunch of deadbeats on the side of the road and tourist walking around. strictly business

[@jB-wv4qj]

All the restaurants, shopping, Mall, banking, grocery stores are mostly on the Northside (starting at Eastex fwy)and the West end part of Beaumont. Most of our hotels are off IH 10 coming into Beaumont from Houston.

[@vinniecorleone62]

I can't adequately express how much I enjoy your profiles of these American towns! So informative & just the right touch of empathy in your candid commentary!

[@HioImMario]

I haven't been home in damn near a year, it's nice to see it, (I kinda feel like I don't need to go back now) That blue building on pine st was my childhood barbershop The larger blue building behind that small corner store, that was my daycare my grandma worked there for years.

[@anitasmith-qv4ul]

Every city has bad areas and good. I'm sorry you didn't show the good at all. I love living here.

[@crawford323]

The industry which is there needs to help clean up the city. In the least a mowing or landscape program to keep the grass mowed and the trees trimmed.

[@oldnewbreed]

Dude your style and diction makes it fun. Add you see truth. Good job. Thank you

[@drakedefee5729]

I live in Sulphur Louisiana grew up here my whole life Beaumont is about 30 minutes away from here and it's so so similar to us and Lake Charles this was a great video and it made me realize how similar our towns our.

[@anderander5662]

I live in Oklahoma and there are empty churches everywhere, I don't know how that relates to the general decline of society but it probably plays a part

[@jenniferthompson2879]

The best way to find out about a town is understanding the history.. If they were or strung out on drugs is probably because the economy in Beaumont die down… No life no hope…Jobs with low pay… Thanks for sharing… I was wondering if I know Shirley?!!!😂

[@vladav313]

Shout out from Hong Kong - man I don't understand how architectcally beautiful towns like this in the richest country in the world can just be empty. Why don't some millenials get together on the internet and make a business plan to MOVE there with a commitment to 5 years in the area. If enough people did that, especially with remote work capabilities - I feel this beatiful little town could very quickly breathe life again. Imagine downtown Beaumont with some cool hipster coffee shops, restaurants, a gym, bars - young families who can work remotely attracted by the quiet living and cheap real estate. It could turn into something very funky.

[@vladav313]

@@amybobamie7366is that right?? Very interesting, can you give me som e examples of towns that are like this?

[@mikhailhunter5277]

Dude Texas is a very big state, it's the 2nd biggest state by land square footage, 2nd to Alaska and it's also the second MOST populated State. This guy is driving around less than1% of the state. It's like a separate country here Texas. I'll get New Mexico, Oklahoma, EVEN Mexico 🇲🇽, in less than the time it takes me to get to Houston, Texas. When you drive in Texas, whether you go to big cities or these small towns, and different counties is like stepping into different cultures

[@vladav313]

@@mikhailhunter5277very interesting, thanks for sharing.

[@jerrymail]

When I see all these closed, abandoned houses, I imagine these people who lived there, perhaps with children playing on the lawns... It's really very sad to see all this decay.

[@Curlyblonde]

Nick, I would like to suggest that you do a tour of Old Route 66, starting at Mile Zero in Chicago and at the end at the Santa Monica Pier where it officially ends. It's an amazing drive and you (and the viewers) will have so much fun with all the iconic sights (so many) and quirky people you see along the way. I enjoy riding along with you on your videos!

[@NickJohnson]

Great idea!💡

[@StratKruzer]

@@NickJohnsonDo it, man!

[@365black2]

she is 100% right my brother lost his supervisor position at mobile to a Mexican immigrant. if you have a job they will say we have to make cutbacks they will offer you to take a lower salary and if you refuse, they replace you with an illegal the warehousing and plant jobs were hit the hardest.

[@Bryan_____]

That’s because they utilize cheap labor for immigrants. They can get away with paying them practically nothing.

[@EnglishVocabularyBooster]

Hi Nick. I am an English learner and your videos suit best for improving listening skills. Really interesting content for me. I love the way you walk through small towns, old buildings, abandoned ones and talk about them. Thanks!

[@thomasbarchen]

Your English is pretty good I must say!

[@hook4116]

Port Arthur used to be vibrant too. You’re definitely interviewing the people who destroyed it

[@damerochelle4014]

I enjoyed riding along with you on this trip. I've been through Beaumont, TX and years ago I heard there was a Frito-Lay chip factory there (once upon a time). I enjoyed your narrative and the camera work was spot on. The way you hold it on a building or a house structure long enough for us to feel the sadness or whatever, it holds our attention. And you even went through Vidor! I was wondering if you would! Yes, I heard that Vidor is a place you don't stop at. It may have been one of the "sunset towns" black people were warned about. I bet Shirley would know! I loved her personality and I enjoyed the other guy too. It is sad that people are starting to talk more about how cities such as Beaumont, Austin and others used to be thriving and now just overrun with crime and lack of commerce. There is always hope.

[@NickJohnson]

Hope indeed ❤️❤️

[@FatLadyKiller]

I was raised in Vidor. My dad and family live there. I love the fact people think it’s a “sunset town.” 😂

[@charlesharper7292]

I live in the backwoods of East Texas. I refuse to live anywhere else!

[@jacksonwilliams4717]

Quit my "refinery" job [Baytown Exxon] in 1980 & left that hellhole for West Texas. Never going back.

[@briandrake9467]

That's what happens when everyone buys from temu and amazon, all small business dies.

[@mesirpez]

Glad to see someone bringing this up. I'll always have a soft spot for nederland and orange county but man is beaumont and port aurthur an absolute nightmare. It amazes me that people are willing to defend such a terrible town.

[@ballkans]

You`re quite a story teller, love listening the way you speak, keep up the good work.

[@johnsouthern6089]

My dad grew up there up until college. My only memory of it was going to see his mom every year until she passed when I was 13. We got in and out and I could tell he had no love for it. A lot of the older buildings didn't have stair style fire escapes, but slide fire escapes. He said they'd climb buildings and slide down the escapes as a kid. But that was in the early 1980s, late 70s. I haven't been back in the area sense I was in middle school.

[@heather957]

I still have permanent mosquito bites from living in Houston. And that was in the 90s! Texas mosquitos are really something else! Hopefully those Beaumont mosquitos weren't too harsh to you!

[@johnkeith2450]

I moved from a very small town West of Beaumont, to the big city of Beaumont in 1978 to attend Lamar University. Came back in 1988 and already the area around Lamar was so different. And not for the better.

[@martinel2450]

You need to revisit Houston. Back roads off of little York in north Houston. In south Houston telephone road. You will see shit a lot worse than Beaumont. Houses worse than the abandoned ones in Beaumont, people in Houston are living in them.

[@NickJohnson]

Oh I did you just wait

[@alexrangel1438]

Those plants will never become robotic especially during shutdown season a lot of work out there just gotta know someone to get you in that’s all. Been doing plant work for 13 years I’ve made a lot of money out in Beaumont. I’m from Houston. Freeport Sweeney Baytown Pasadena don’t have to go to far to get them big bucks.

[@djaboi3030]

all the way from Beaumont with a white rose in my hand...