I Went Deep Into Cajun Country To Visit The Most Dangerous Small City In America

[@eLegend_24]

As a black American, the only thing that I want to see destroyed or removed are the people who try to destroy or remove our history. We can never know where we're going if we don't know where we've been. 🇺🇲

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

I agree. That said, I'm surprised when I see them, because they are being torn down so much. That was the reason for my comment.

[@eLegend_24]

@JoeandNicsRoadTrip Oh, trust me, I understand your reasoning. There's an ongoing agenda to destroy our history but that would be a whole different video on a whole different channel. All that aside, you two do excellent work, and we enjoy your videos very much. Keep up the excellent work. Stay safe and Happy Thanksgivin 🙏

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

@@eLegend_24 Thank you! You as well. 👍

[@robertradmacher3823]

Some black folk lived better lives under slavery than nowadays in "freedom".

[@Telephony954]

Amen, least we forget.

[@t.c5494]

America is beautiful we need to go back home to our small towns and build them back up again . Go back home and fight for your small town and build each other up and be happy❤.

[@beachbum1523]

It's too late. Crapitalism has destroyed what Democratic Socialism and free enterprise built.

[@yvonneplant9434]

I'm from a big city. The same one my grandparents moved to over a century ago. I've been to small cities/ towns. It became clear almost instantly why so many of them died.

[@GeorgeKennedy-u4r]

First thing to do is kick out the would-be politicians and install townspeople who care about their way of life and live it as such.

[@markpreston6930]

Most small towns are corrupt.

[@juleswilliams1960]

Thanks Joe, for touring the areas that I know very well. 🙂 As someone who was born and raised in south Louisiana and worked in EMS, sadly it is true that Opelousas has a high crime rate. However, there are beautiful sites to see as well as history to see and learn about. I always love your videos Joe, and congrats on the 500k subscribers! Well deserved! 👏👏👏👏

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you, Jules!!

[@PamelaEHunter]

Joe, there’s just not another you in narrating travel stories. I love America’s small towns. Whether thriving or dying, they each have their day in the sun. I love the cats.I love your comments on houses, high brow or not, the roof lines, porches, the junk. Blessings to you.❤

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you for the kind words, Pamela! 😀

[@leemeyer748]

We have traveled in the southern states and most people friendly and kind!

[@clautildadaniel9744]

Congrats 500 ! Please be careful ❤❤❤

[@Earthdweller1958]

I can't believe you missed that cat sitting on the memorial. 😂

[@timothygriffin1062]

Congrats on making 500K subs !! Great videos.

[@1961burl]

Ditto!

[@timothygriffin1062]

@1961burl Xerox = Ditto these days..ha ha!

[@TaterTots380]

Abdalla’s of Opelousas - In 1895, George Abdalla (1865-1951), with his wife Jasmine (1884-1976), left New Orleans and moved to St. Landry Parish. It was in Washington that he started his business as a “cart peddler”, traveling around the area selling clothing and other merchandise. It wasn’t long before he moved to Opelousas, where the railroad made the town a more desirable place to do business.

[@EricT3769]

The family actually came from Lebanon.

[@catlover614]

Another great video, very interesting as always! Congratulations to you both on 500k subscribers! Thank you for all the awesome videos, Joe and Nic!😊💖

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you, CL!!

[@BillMorse-jr2ou]

thank you, Joe, for showing us Opelousas…. there’s potential… but the single parent homes, no fathers, are a curse…. yep, dads are important…. have the child, raise that child.

[@harmgregory4560]

But give women choice, if you REALLY want lower crime. CHOICE is health care!

[@paulbrungardt9823]

@@harmgregory4560 CHOICE is not killing your pre born baby. Infanticide is just evil.

[@vuho2075]

​@@paulbrungardt9823Hard to kill something that isn't alive.

[@paulbrungardt9823]

@@vuho2075 Factually incorrect -- From where did you earn your medical degree ? My degree was from USC School of Medicine and residency in ophthalmology at UCLA. A normal is measurable sonographically from around 6 weeks and the normal range varies during gestation, increasing to around 170 bpm at 10 weeks.

[@vuho2075]

@@paulbrungardt9823 Bad news, Paul. I'm Marshall School of Business (Class of 95). As a fellow Trojan, I'll leave the discussion of you and your clump of cells alone. Fight On..

[@jeremywhitehorn1228]

Home in Missoula, Home in Truckee, Home in Opelousas, Ain’t no home for me. Home in old Medora, Home in Wounded Knee, Home in Ogallala, Home I’ll never be.

[@radio645]

I grew up in Missoula, I used to tell people it was a good place to be from.

[@jamesgoforth5644]

I lived in three of those Truckee, Missoula and good old Medora North Dakota. Let me guess you are in the hospitality biz

[@wb9293]

Thanks for another cool video. Happy Thanksgiving, Joe and Nicole!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Same to you!

[@adamchupa5884]

It's actually quite a nice town every time go there I had good time they also have evagiline downs thourbreed house racen track and casinos there also have some of best fried chicken I have ever had and also have awesome historic villages there too

[@redrebels24]

The Courthouse is awesome!!

[@redrebels24]

So is Also the confederate memorial

[@TravelwithaWiseguy]

Congrats on 500k! Incredible achievement!!!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thanks, man!!!

[@nancysimpson4246]

Like always I enjoy your videos. I always learned something from them that I can take with me. Thank you.😊

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you, Nancy!!

[@perillouss3506]

in 1972 when i was 8 , my father was doing title research at the courthouse in Opelousas and being adventurous, me and my brother would roam about town for the whole day. It was a really nice town with friendly people. This was before I-10 was completed and most traffic went thorough Opelousas on US 190 going to Texas. I-10 killed Opelousas and made Lafayette into a boom town.. My mother grew up in Whiteville and went to that grade school, then attended high school in Washington LA, just north of Opelousas. The Palace Cafe on the corner by the courthouse was always the the place that my parents brought us 4 kids to eat when we were there. It was the best fried chicken i ever had.

[@yelapa999]

To me, the Opelousas Power Plant feels like a backdrop to a Jim Jarmusch scene. That is damned cool! This videography is equal to any of your best stuff so far.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thanks! I loved that building.

[@ummfulann]

It’s nice to see there’s other people who are fascinated with old country towns in the south. I grew up in Montclair NJ but had the luxury to travel a lot as a child and then moved to Atlanta in my teens. Although I hated the south It opened up the door for me to see how other people lived. I have a huge appreciation for almost abandoned towns because this once was someone’s home full of memories it tells a story! Louisiana is a great place to see stuff you’ve never seen if your from the north. At least in my experience from the infrastructure to agriculture

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

I agree!

[@williamfrench2481]

I am from Rapides Parish just North of St Landry. Back in 1970 “Potch” Didier ran for re election for sheriff while doing time in his own jail cell, and won.

[@Ruben-xh5vs]

Wait a minute that kind of sounds like familiar.😂

[@nanshe3x]

Ohhhh so he was the one who set the precedent?

[@PamelaEHunter]

Amazing stuff, that.

[@janalberts6093]

Something like Trump.

[@ghtaboma]

Those stats look very deterring! You’re very brave walking and driving around this town! Be careful.

[@johnfontenot7861]

Lol its not that bad, just stay out of the bad areas.

[@PilgrimPiper]

LOL

[@kerrynight3271]

I wonder how many kids raised and "educated" in that town actually make it out for a somewhat successful life. The odds are sure stacked against them.

[@bayoulafourche]

Quite a few of us.

[@cjr4497]

If we told you why so much of LA is the way it is, we would be banned from social media and fired from our jobs. It is one of those things you are not allowed to openly talk about.

[@bayoulafourche]

@@cjr4497 really, do tell. I've never felt that way.

[@joewerner7060]

​@@cjr4497Louisiana is amazing. You can always move ??

[@tenossos]

I'm always surprised to see very few or no other people visible in most of the towns he visits.

[@ianstuart5660]

Yes, very conspicuous!

[@sridhard669]

Very early morning he covered those cities.

[@Eric777-71]

Joe and Nicole, I watch a lot of your videos, thank you 👍

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Excellent, thank you Eric!!

[@keithhyttinen8275]

Love your videos. I listen to them at work in my ear buds. Very relaxing.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Awesome!!

[@MilyaushaErmakov-f8x]

Honestly, this content made my day!

[@brodyquinn7242]

I recently moved to Opelousas, I can’t say enough good stuff about this small little humble city. Everyone seems to be welcoming. I believe we will be surprised during the next census. Several new businesses are taking off here and people are slowly moving up I49 from Lafayette.

[@robertlawrence492]

I'm with you, Joe. I love those old signs, and that Rexall sign was nice.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Right!? I want one. :)

[@nadiaborzacchini1987]

I l9ve lousiana i actually want go go there and take p A picture with that 300 year old tree beauiful thanks for sharing be safe

[@jamiepike6909]

It looks pretty well kept in the city centre.

[@winstonsmith478]

It was a long lived in various forms department store: "Opelousas Abdalla’s closed on February 20, 1985 and after extensive interior remodeling, was reopened by the new owners on March 30th. Viviano ran the business for a short time, with a grand opening in August of that year. But the business did not survive and eventually it was permanently closed on September 27, 1986. According to newspaper accounts, Viviano stated the store was closed for a number of reasons including lack of local support, plus a lawsuit filed by some members of the Abdalla family, claiming Viviano had no right to use the Abdalla name, made it difficult to do business. Since that time the old Abdalla’s building has remained vacant on Main Street in downtown Opelousas. George, Jasmine and the entire Abdalla family did so much not just for Opelousas, but for all of Acadiana. When their stores closed, the commercial district in downtown Opelousas, and other area towns, was forever changed."

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Amazing!

[@duncanfrere2656]

Viviano is one of the major villians behind the death of Opelousas, sitting on all that downtown property and just letting it rot. Louis Viviano is gone, and yet those properties still sit there, falling into the ground.

[@RosannJasso-ku1vx]

I love that you show real America!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thanks!!

[@klwthe3rd]

Your breakdowns of the statistics on this channel are very impressive. I would have though that Louisiana was one of the worst states since they have both Monroe and Alexandria in the top 10 for violent crime BUT when you wiped out the chart showing it as # 4 i was honestly surprised. I learn so much from this channel about different areas because of the quality information you put out, that i personally thank you for all your efforts.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you for the kind words.

[@remover454]

Congrats 500 ! Please be careful - 🤔 Congratulations Joe & Nik

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you!!!!

[@deedahinkent]

Another great informative video Joe , I'm well and truly hooked ! kind regards from" across the pond"

[@gatorgogo2742]

Another fading beauty. Thanks for the tour. I liked the historical elements. If you come through Alabama, check out Bayou La Batre. Follow the Shell Belt Road for some interesting sights. lol I love touring with ya'll. Happy cajun eating!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

We went to Lake Charles after this. Had some amazing cajun food there! Lake Charles is a beautiful city.

[@bextar6365]

The break down of the city is telling !

[@garth8979]

Are you suggesting there is a correlation between the demographics and crime stats? 😂

[@EddieED711]

Yes it is telling, but you can't see that it's Judah! Yea, your friends in the land now are of the same tree as you, Japheth.

[@SteveAustin-jp3ev]

Damn straight holmes

[@bextar6365]

@@garth8979 ABSOLUTELY in every city and state shown !!!

[@damonmelendez856]

@@garth8979it’s just a coincidence!

[@baconwahoo7538]

I'm surprised you missed the cat there on the confederate statue 😂

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

At least I got one!

[@jonblyth9317]

Hello Joe and Nic. I usually don't read a lot of comments but suspected you might have received a few about the missed cat. I did notice a few comments about showing more nice places. That's why I enjoy your vids so much. You go to places most people wouldn't venture to as well as those they would. As you've said you want to leave people with the feeling that they've been there, wherever you go. Keep up the great content. I watch and enjoy them all. Happy holidays.

[@Steve7318]

Hard to believe I lived in this town 20 yrs ago. I left in 2006. The outlying areas outside of this City which are the country areas around Lafayette have a lot of culture and good food.

[@JAMESPATTERSON-mk9sr]

At 4:34 Abdalla's was some type of regional department store . Happy Trails to Joe & Nic .

[@Gabbermans57]

500K you must be doing something good!! Congratulations 🎉🇳🇱

[@jamesschieber8470]

Joe love y’all’s videos! Don’t go down the orphan train rabbit hole! You won’t believe it! Have a great day 💯

[@richardspeakes2883]

Don’t over extend your credit card ok ✅

[@NathalieNadeau-u7o]

🎉Congrats to both of you on reaching 500 000 subs,well deserved 😊Blessings during your 🧳 travels!!

[@zoidmo3388]

1000% in agreement. Joe & Nicole have actually been a virtual Blessing for me. They have no idea the impact they've made in my viewing enjoyment these couple of yrs. God Bless & protect them..

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you, Nathalie!!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you, zoid!!

[@lillypad9960]

Nice video. Thanks. Blessings from Michigan.

[@RichardCahaninIII]

I was born there in 1946 . My grandparents lived on Market street. We moved when I was 6 years old but we always came back to visit over the holidays and I spent many summer vacations there. It was s always a save place back then. We would walk to town to see a movie. Most of my relatives there spoke French as did most residents black or white. Everyone one seem to get along fine in those times. When the I-10 interstate was routed thru Lafayette that began the decline of Opelousas . It’s very sad to see what has happened to my hometown1

[@deweygill1973]

Traditional cajun and zydeco could also contain a fiddle. There is at least one song named after the city. Opelousas Town, Opelousas Sostan and Opelousas Waltz are three I know of. Cajun band leader Rufus Jagneaux is from there. I drove through Louisiana early last year, and was surprised by the amount of decaying towns. Spent the night in Monroe, historic and partly preserved, but a lot of abandoned decaying structures.

[@Flapful]

I find it so interesting to see the history of those small towns. Greetings from The Netherlands!

[@rondolan6457]

I live on the west coast i took a drive to Monroe Louisiana to visit a friend of mine it sure is different part.of the county. Come to find out Monroe is the highest crime city in Louisiana..

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Highest crime in the US!

[@junkersish]

used to be cajun country, now its something entirely different

[@BGNOLA]

yeah i was going to say it must be majority black now

[@Howelton2020]

What is it now, do tell?

[@mollythedog7490]

@@Howelton2020 Majority non-productive.

[@ritakarlsson]

Thanks for your share, so intresstingto see, I go there in march and you show mutch intressting place,. We come from Sweden, been in South before, soo nice.

[@ammapuramsrinivasrao2249]

Entered the small city of dragon. Adventurous. Hope you are very cautious.

[@JPFalcononor]

Every time I see a Rexall sign, I always think of the Phil Harris and Alice Faye radio show. "Good Health to all from Rexall."

[@patriciaguenzler9150]

Thank you for sharing this with us awesome content 👍

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you, Patricia!

[@dougmoore5252]

He also goes through dangerous place in the morning. Safer then.

[@NTZClaw]

@@dougmoore5252 the most dangerous things in these communities are the government officials.

[@dylannicholson9739]

yea right. he def didnt go to the dangerous parts of opelousas. just the old run down parts.

[@karenbomar5074]

Love your videos! You go to some interesting places!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you, Karen!

[@hadlee189]

Joe & Nic have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you, and you as well!!!

[@simonhenry3815]

Joe - I would be real happy to visit this town. I bet they do a mean crawfish broil

[@juleswilliams1960]

I can honestly say "yes, they do!" I live in the Lafayette area and have gone to Opelousas many many times. Joe isn't joking, crime is high and income is low. But they know how to pass a good time. (Until ppl get too drunk and start fighting.

[@carolynsilvers9999]

My maternal grandmother was Cajon from La. She however, didn’t share much about her heritage

[@Ruben-xh5vs]

I love trains 🚂 and the Mary Jane is a beauty 😍.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

I agree!

[@NativeNYer]

All sorts of loud noise @ the end of the vid which the vid was great btw! New York is like that also used 2 it! Ty Joe and Nicole 4 all that u do and b safe. Hey Nicole 👋

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thanks!!!

[@kevinsealschott1090]

My cousin used to live in Lafayette near there. Evangeline Downs is also near there When the horses are at the starting gate ready to go the announcer says IL son patie instead of and they're off

[@dd1984mm]

That was Herb Holiday!

Ils sont partis!

[@lanebayliss858]

Is the Palace Cafe (?) still open? Saw it in a frame of this video but no mention of it.

[@PilgrimPiper]

Actually "Chicoris" occupies the building now

[@TruckzNTrainz]

Thank you for showing us around. My state didn't take the top 10 for being dangerous

[@bayoumanbryan]

Back in 2002 i lived there part time. there is tons of history there. there is also some fabulous food there. just about anywhere you could get food even at a gas station deli that would put shame to expensive restaurants in north Louisiana. Benny's supermarket had a awesome plate lunch made by some old Cajun ladies. The area also had/has the best boudin in all of Louisiana. Best food in Louisiana that area.

[@CarolFelts-g9b]

You missed the kitty! I saw it first thing on the memorial! Thanks for taking us along on your journey!❤. BTW, love your interview with the Wiseguy who I also follow. 😊. Congrats on reaching 500k.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you, Carol!!

[@cronullapaul]

The neon sign is very cool and would be a great acquisition.

[@ianstuart5660]

Very fascinating! Sending ❤❤ from Canada!

[@ChollaJJ]

I noticed a lack of trash,graffiti and vandalism ….. must be a new sheriff in town ! Poverty yes. Thanks interesting.

[@moonfly70346]

Abdalla’s was a department store that was founded by Lebanese immigrants and grew into a regional chain. The last one closed in 2019

[@SuperChicken666]

I agree with the consensus. How did you miss the cat sitting right there on the Confederate memorial. I'm wondering if you knew you would get a boatload of comments.😮

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

I just didn't see it. :(

[@RobinGerhart]

Very interesting, I have family in Louisiana. Hope to see it someday.

[@jeanniewatson6820]

I have to catch up on your videos. I’ve been busy it looks like you have too! 💜

[@panzalarga]

None of those statistics measuring violent crime mean anything except those for murder. All the others just depend on how police departments classify crimes and how likely crimes are to be reported.

[@morris1737]

Head over to Mobile via Biloxi. Hwy 90 east into Florida. Fairhope is really cool also.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thats the plan. :)

[@tudo8412]

Opelousas is a city not far from where I lived in 84-86 Henderson/Cecilia but never been there. Thanks Joe & Nic Happy Thanksgiving 🦃.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thanks, and you too!

[@EricT3769]

One thing you won’t get to see in Lake Charles is the Capital One tower that was severely damaged by Hurricane Laura in 2020. They finally demolished the building by implosion not long ago. You can see several videos about it on KZbin. Lake Charles does have Cajun food, but I consider most authentic Cajun food to be in the heart of Cajun country. Lake Charles is still in Acadiana, but the Cajun influence is not as strong. Proper names are even pronounced differently even though Lake Charles is only roughly 70 miles from Lafayette.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

I saw that. It looks like the rubbish from the demolition is still being cleared out.

[@EricT3769]

@ Yeah, construction started in 1981. It was finished in 1982 and opened in Oct of 1983. It was 22 stories and demolished this past September. There was a lot of rubble!

[@wandamaddox7824]

That little locomotive's smoke probably makes you high.

[@nancyrauch9492]

Congratulations Joe & Nik for getting to 500K subscribers ! I really enjoy your videos !! I wonder how the people earn their income here ? It would be very interesting to know how many people are living there in 2024 since the census is 2020. I look forward to more of your travel videos. Thanks for taking me along.....😊😊

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thanks, Nancy!

[@Mary-us8jb]

I used to know Opelousas quite well in the 70's. My former mother-in-law lived in T Mamou. She kept guns in every room and a handgun in her truck with a rifle, she had teenaged daughters.

[@Almanacplanting-g6o]

I can see how much effort went into this!

[@rikspector]

Joe, It's would be nice to see the nicer areas sometimes. Cheers, Rik Spector

[@erobinson988]

You missed the cat!!! On the statue lol

[@living-wellon-less5669]

Looks like the perfect place for a hippie collective to take root.

[@lawrencehubbard2985]

Looks like my high school built around the same time.

[@mamasinger49]

Absolutely thrilled for you getting to 500k subscribers!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you!!

[@RobertLund-d7d]

I have watched dozens of these videos and only ever seen about 10 people on foot. Where is everybody ? As a Brit crammed on our little island where you are constantly surrounded with other people it looks very weird.

[@Yawndave]

Another interesting exploration. The Rexall sign is kind of cool, but not all that unique. I've seen quite a few hanging over storefronts in my travels (though the stores themselves may have shuttered long ago) By the way, since you're a neon sign enthusiast, I highly recommend a visit to the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati.

[@Tmlong333]

Hi Joe, Tim from Tacoma here; thanks for another great video! It always shocks me to see Tacoma pop up on the bad list; to me it's just home.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

As I understand it, 90% of the crime in Tacoma happens in one area along South Hosmer Street. The rest of the city is just fine.

[@limarc1985]

Another great video

[@Howelton2020]

Love your videos Joe & Nic. I usually avoid the comments because it's filled with bigots.

[@Howelton2020]

"The Orphan Train Movement was a supervised welfare program that transported children from crowded Eastern cities of the United States to foster homes located largely in rural areas of the Midwest short on farming labor. The orphan trains operated between 1854 and 1929."

[@mollythedog7490]

I agree. People hiding the truth.

[@mci6830]

The US sh17 oles look quite nice . Sun's out and clear blue skies.

[@Westhamsterdam]

It´s amazing. Most KZbinrs recording such videos such as San Francisco, will start recording at sunrise to make things look far worse than they really are on cloudy, rainy days.

[@brendamallard7313]

Seriously that moving Train looks to be my age (74) or even older😏

[@Christina-ge3xr]

I’d love to take that old doctors office and move it up here to Kentucky! Perfect tiny home for me 😊

[@jeremyi1788]

Think it’s best to stop making the comment “I don’t think anyone lives there”. We moved from DFW to the country (hour from services) & what we have learned about the way the rest of us live, can be eye opening, but learning from those same people is priceless & returning to our forgotten ways….

[@David_1977]

It must be a very dangerous city to be in considering this video felt rushed through.

[@roneagle8038]

Well Joe, you missed that cat on the base of that first memorial. But, seeing what dismal prospects you faced in this presentation, we give you a pass! Thanks for all your great video presentations!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you, Ron!

[@BirdDogey1]

Signal Hill, CA has an art deco city hall. It is a mini me version of LA City Hall.

[@SteveAustin-jp3ev]

California is a cess pool

[@BirdDogey1]

@SteveAustin-jp3ev I lived in Dana Point and Laguna Beach. Furthest thing from cesspool.

[@motowngirl5891]

Thanks so much

[@juliogonzales5441]

THANKS JOE AND NIC ❤