RURAL TEXAS: Almost Empty Towns With High Poverty and Near Worthless Homes

[@TheLeamonLane]

It’s such a sad social commentary that videos like this get so many views on KZbin. We all feel the same way as you do. What a shame, so much potential is lost, seemingly forever with these places rotting away. Keep up the good work!

[@danratsnapnames]

there is a real reason this happens in texas. you see, when someone becomes elderly with property, and go into a care facility in texas, the kids cannot sell the property or else the mass majority of the sale goes to the care facility. so the property sits for years on end until the owner dies, then the property gets sold or reclaimed by unpaid taxes by the county.. then once in the counties hands, nobody buys it because the cost to restore the property is well beyond its worth. then coupled with the fact that your hours away from any real work to speak of, nobody buys it because they can never afford the loan on the place.. we see this happen all the time throughout rural texas.

[@daleevans3250]

In rural America you will find that the local school board and or county owned most of the property within their township because the previous owners have died or abandoned the property. Everything depends on personal income and being able to afford the necessary repairs on the house. Once you are out of work for whatever the reason you will find your choices very limited. You can die in the house or leave town and move in with your kids.

[@danratsnapnames]

@@daleevans3250 i disagree. you'll actually find that most rural amarica is owned by the banks in one form or another.. counties do get allot of property from abandonment or tax burdens.. but the mass majority is owned by the banks.

[@stevdaughtr6098]

@@danratsnapnames agreed

[@tybarker5038]

Just no incentive to buy these old dumpy properties far away from anything. No work, no nature, no beaches, nowhere cool to hang out. Just… nothing. It would drive any young person crazy living out here. I come from a growing suburb of Houston and even that doesn’t entice me. Texas as a whole is very boring and the jobs aren’t fun, have lots of prerequisites and don’t pay too well compared to other states.

[@trishayamada807]

@@tybarker5038my best friends moved to Texas because they thought they’d do better than Wisconsin; they didn’t, so they moved to Arizona and now are worse off than being in Texas. They want to move back to Wisconsin but now cant afford to. There’s no perfect place and the grass always seems greener….but sometimes greener, isn’t better or more affordable.

[@beautiful80sladies22]

My Mom is a country girl. She went to school in a two room school house in the Texas Panhandle. She is an 81 year old widow. I am glad I got to see those places as a kid. I am also glad our 30 year old daughter got to see it about 4 times. This is a part of Americana that most have never seen or would believe how productive these places once were. Good people, simple, God fearing. Many of these places were once in "dry" counties. Meaning no alcohol sales, mainly in the Bible belt. "Wet" counties were the ones where the big cities are, the border, and where you had significant German and Czech heritage. Hard working people. Very peaceful lifestyle without the craziness of the rat race most of us live now. Going to "town" was a big deal. Especially getting a burger where almost always they'd half wrap it with fries and a cherry coke. My Grandadd's pickup didn't have air freshener. It smelled of chewing tobacco and juicy fruit gum. My Grandmother, a farmer's wife, was not the most affectionate person but sure put love into her cooking. I could keep going but hope a little light was shed Texas small town country living. I am retirement eligible now and sometimes ponder living in the mountains of New Mexico or small town Texas. Oh well, time to go, y'all be safe, and thank you for your video sir ✝️

[@Moonlight_Tide]

The "God-fearin" nonsense is great reason to stay the hell away

[@johnhix484]

@@Moonlight_TideAmen!

[@eddievangundy4510]

​@@Moonlight_TideBaloney.

[@francesvaden-haynes3607]

Wonderful story

[@beautiful80sladies22]

@@francesvaden-haynes3607 🙏

[@daleevans3250]

The Interstate highway system is one of the main reasons small town America is dying. There was once a time when travelers would stop and shop or eat as they traveled through those small towns. The main thing that destroyed all of the rural small towns is the lack of work for the young people once they finished school. Untill the mid 50's there was work on the farms but farm tractors put an end to that. One farm tractor could do the work of many men who used to go to town every Saturday with their families to do their shopping. I remember that many communities would close down their schools during harvest to get enough hands to bring the crops in. Rural America has always depended on farming to exist. Once that died, the towns died with it.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

You're right.

[@steffenritter7497]

I grew up in Chicago, but we had relatives in NW Arkansas. Our trips to that State ... way back in the 50's ... would take about three days, traveling on Rote 66 through Missouri (which was a two-lane highway). But even at a very young age, I noticed the houses were very different from what I was used to, and some had a run-down appearance. My grandparents raised cattle and crops, mostly corn. But the houses that have been built in that area are not farms, anymore.

[@edwinsalau150]

Stationed in Beaufort, South Carolina, while route 95 was being constructed, and I saw it firsthand! Smaller towns, and small businesses were bypassed. Sometimes they are 100 yards from the highway separated by a shoulder, drainage, ditch, and fence. Garages, convenient, stores, motels, and population all gone! Tragic! Toms, River New Jersey was the county seat when I joined the Marine Corps in 1959. It had a thriving downtown, everyone from the city moved down! No more downtown! My family lost our fish store! Urban renewal, they called it! No more poultry farms, and the only dairy farm fell victim to politicians! A little two classroom school house was demolished! It should have been preserved for the city people to comprehend what went before! The Garden State Parkway brought them all south!

[@karlosss20]

I can not understand how highway system can cause depopulation of small towns in one country (like US) and can create developing of small towns in other countries (like in Europe) . In Europe as better highway system is, as more people live in small towns.

[@rt3box6tx74]

Farming died due to gov't interference in the ag economy. Post WW2 our gov't set a goal of building a large middle class. To help the American consumer be able to afford convenience items gov't guaranteed low food prices which indirectly subsidized all consumer goods by paying farmers to grow certain crops. Those crops were directly related to the gov't recommended grain based diet that has led to a diabetes epidemic. Through the yrs frugal blue collar farm families who stayed behind struggling on the farm gradually closed the income gap between themselves and their white collar, city cousins who took less laborious positions in industry after WW2. A couple of generations of men whose forebears were unable to remain in agriculture had convinced themselves their lives away from farming were better. Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet was an Edward Bernays' inspired propaganda campaign to keep them in suburbia. A little golf didn't hurt. During the transition period as US agricultural export companies transformed from scrappy local and regional competitors to international product monopolies, agricultural commodity prices became big news on and off the farm because white collar workers retirement funds publicized investments in ag related stocks. Suddenly at Thanksgiving when country cousins hosted their white collar cousins, they were awfully interested in what us hicks were doing, including what we were driving, they were suddenly enthusiastic to make a 40 mile round trip drive to look at our bare farm fields - and the farm equipment we had sitting around. By the next holiday they knew the price of every piece of our equipment along with its horsepower, etc. Every holiday devolved into an interrogation related to our yields, how many acres of each crop we raised, etc. It was a stealth way of asking the amount of our gross income, using tactics they assumed we were too unsophisticated to grasp or too well mannered to rebuff. We would have never considered being so rude to inquire of their net worth. During the late 1980s and 90s there was some confusion and a little resentment that our city cousins had lost their opportunity to farm. It was clear they didn't understand what a rigorous, stressful choice it is. Going to visit Grandpa on the farm during childhood leaves a drastically different impression than going when you're a strapping teen able to do real work, or a grown azz man making mind bending decisions daily. That's the timeframe when the grumbling about farm subsidies began. Every conservative voter in the USA was anti food stamps, and held deep convictions that agricultural producers should submit to the risk of a supply/ demand economic model. The idea gained steam and eventually phase outs for subsidies and deficiency payments were gradually passed through congress during a sustained agricultural economic upswing that led most farmers to believe global prices would float on supply, demand principle after almost half a century of heavy market control. Most consumers couldn't see the big picture being painted either. That's the period when "vertical" (top down) integration of ag biz began. A few American companies who'd gone multinational (due to tax law) began investing in ag related assets in the US. Cargill, Archer Daniel's Midland and Conagra cornered grains, bio fuels and meat protein from hoof to meat counter, in addition to the grain proteins they already controlled. These multinational corps then lobbied for transport subsidies to send US grain they bought from the American farmer around the world. Wouldn't transport be an ordinary expense for us serfs? Then it came out that Gates, Buffett, Turner et al were investing in South America, attempting to jump start an Industrial Revolution to compete with American farmers. Al Gore gave a big speech, the theme was USA could be a utopian green, service economy while polluting agriculture would be offshored to 3rd world nations with dirt cheap labor. By chance, is the current southern border invasion blowback from that venture capital plot to cut us off from our food? Did the serfs of South America rebel? I predict they'll avoid farmwork to work as carpenters, landscapers, etc. Out here in the rural backwaters where we're serious crop producers there are few holidays, and the work doesn't stop until the job is completed... and if you give us trouble we'll invent a machine to replace yur azz.

[@4eyes2sea]

No kids playing, no adults partying, no teens shopping... no people, period. What's becoming of rural America? Thanks for your hard work, btw. 💯🙂

[@skyhawk4426]

I guess because I haven't came to this town, yet. 😀

[@EmSeeMAC]

People migrate to work. It’s nothing new

[@4eyes2sea]

@@skyhawk4426 lol 😆

[@mikibihon8826]

Just happened upon Gov Abbott’s governance.

[@YeshuaKingMessiah]

The kids n teens r working and relaxing with their adults No shopping for entertainment, no partying with mind altering substances, these ppl are putting food on the table n in pantry, wood on the pile etc

[@Iceveign]

One of the biggest problems in a lot of west Texas towns is the fact that water has become even more scarce. The Texas summers are brutal especially in the western part of the state.

[@rt3box6tx74]

I'm 70 mi SW of Amarillo, where a tiny town's growth has been stymied by water availability issues. They have wells as far as 6 miles south of town. Most new residences are being built outside the town limits where they can drill their own wells. If you're going to have to ration water anyway might as well be in control of your own fate.

[@maddhatter3564]

and yet Midland/Odessa has doubled in population in the last decade.

[@williammorrill946]

@@maddhatter3564 That's because it's the center of the "Oil Patch".

[@maddhatter3564]

@@williammorrill946 DUH

[@MidgetMalone]

And the gulf coast with heat and 90% humidity with no clouds in the sky.

[@rotaman8555]

I grew up in another small town very near where you filmed. We used to play against Moran in basketball. My town has decreased in population since I was in high school, but thankfully has faired better than Moran because it sits on two well-traveled cross roads. I no longer live in Texas, but I do visit my parents often and always enjoy going home. It hurts to see the once-thriving communities die out, but such is the nature of change. Growing up in rural Texas was a good life, and I am thankful for my small town upbringing.

[@helenwilks4304]

Me too. It was a wonderful time to grow up in Texas. Kids could run and play hide and seek all over the block and no one bothered the kids. All the neighbors looked out for us. It was a slower pace.

[@patrickrheaume6984]

The "Nature" of change comes not from Nature but comes from the Gov't, planned and corrupt, keep the people down, big business, small time farmers busted, even big Ag farmers are being hit now. If you once had a thriving town, then why is it not thriving now, don;t just state that's the way it is", look at the source, follow the money.

[@kickingitwithgigi4065]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@TechieTard]

I grew up in a small town in California that when young, looked a lot like these towns, you woulda thought it was a Texan town. The place has now become over crowded and a cesspool of crime in certain areas. Gawd do I miss it the way it was and great memories of actually playing outside with the other kids.

[@leahflower9924]

​@@TechieTardcesspool of crime in California...shocking!

[@robertbush8327]

I'm 57 and just started traveling again due to my new career in the oil field in Texas and Oklahoma. I haven't traveled much since the 70s and early 80s with my parents when I was younger. I can't believe how bad our small towns are dying and the condition of our infrastructure has gone down. Thanks for your great videos.

[@teshuvahemmet3036]

​@@TOCC50 thay are human just like you

[@TOCC50]

@@teshuvahemmet3036 DMTBKA

[@teshuvahemmet3036]

@@TOCC50 what does that mean?

[@swiftusmaximus5651]

they cant fill em with Wets?

[@misterd6879]

@@TOCC50 Zero you is paradise for the human race

[@popeman99]

My grandparents had a farm just southwest of Lueders until 1972. It was just 160 acres, but they could make a living with programs like the soil bank and price supports. They grew wheat, cotton, feed corn, maize and had chickens, pigs, and cows. There was no irrigation, just had to hope for right amount of rain. I visited there frequently as a child in the 50s and 60s and the town had a grocery store, oil refinery, quarry, post office, gas station, five and dime, hardware store, blacksmith shop, barber shop, hair and nail salon, and a city hall. The kids all moved away in the 60s and 70s, they went to cities where they could get better jobs. My grandfather's farm was bought by a fellow who needed at least a thousand acres to make things work, the price support and soil bank programs had ended. You could see the town was dying as far back as the 1960s. There is a WalMart in a larger nearby town, everybody shops there. The town was also dry, had to go to another county to buy alcohol.

[@TechieTard]

You will hear every other knuckle head give 1 or another excuse as to why these small towns are dying. In the end, it's one thing nearly every single time. The kids go off to bigger cities to make more money. That in essence is all it is. It's happening in a lot of countries south of the USA as well and for the same thing. The problem with a country holding a fiat reserve currency is the inflation it causes around the world. It puts people in a position where they HAVE to look else where for the generation of more money.

[@elliebellie7816]

There was probably also a train routinely making a stop to pick up and transport all that wheat, cotton, feed corn, maize, etc. to the larger cities.

[@stevenrogers9123]

​@@TechieTard You are right. I grew up in Texas closer to Lubbock. There just weren't really any jobs when I graduated in the 90's. Everybody moved off to other areas for work, and affordable housing.

[@ladellg267]

Walmart killed small mom and pop shops everywhere but especially in small towns.

[@lakebay972]

@@ladellg267 and then Amazon is killing Walmart slowly but surely

[@gregcarroll4053]

As a cross Country truck driver who has dealt with congested cities and congested roads,I would be happier here than in a mansion in L.A.m

[@rickerhart907]

As a retired driver who did most of my driving in LA Phoenix San Francisco Seattle I now live in one of these backwaters and love it. These kinds of places only upset the city people there's like to go shopping and out to eat for entertainment

[@Poopster4U]

I would love to live like this but would need high speed internet.

[@el-Cu9432]

​@@Poopster4UDoubt you would find that there.

[@enricoindiogine868]

@@el-Cu9432 StarLink by SpaceX

[@javiespinoza6460]

@@haymaker710 I would. Saludos from Edinburg Texas The Valley 956

[@dr.lazarus912]

You know it's bad when Dollar General won't even setup shop.

[@unrulyjulie4382]

Really! 🤣

[@bthomson]

As much as we joke about DG I'm sure they are a godsend to these places! Baby diapers, milk, food! Otherwise 30 mile drives!

[@botanicalwarehouse4730]

Very true lof the small towns all they have is valero an dollar G and a walmart 40 mins away lol

[@sharkinstx]

@@dr.lazarus912 Stamford is 15 miles away, and with such a small population, even a DG doesn’t make sense in Lueders. I read the article on Lueders on TSHA Online, and it looks like the town never had many more than 700 people, even early in its existence. The town is named for Frederick Lueders, a soldier in the Texas Revolution. I don’t see any record for him on Find-A-Grave.

[@josvah]

@@bthomsonthey are either a godsend if the local economy has fully collapsed or a curse that destroys local economies.

[@toddw14]

The funny thing is the town looks surprisingly well maintained despite low population & high poverty rate. The roads look well kept, the grass is cut, there's no graffiti on the abandoned buildings and there's not mounds of trash everywhere.

[@hwirtwirt4500]

You must have watched a different video.

[@eddievangundy4510]

​@@hwirtwirt4500he's right, he's talking about the first town.

[@Unknown-fu]

prob has something to do with what he said at 5:16

[@tomneff7030]

Grass is cut? I've yet to see a blade of green grass.

[@toddw14]

@@tomneff7030 There's grass all around it opens up with grass on the side of the road. 🤷🏻‍♂

[@danoc51]

Leuders looks like a tornado town so I looked it up. It is rated "High Risk" for tornadoes and has suffered 158 of them since 1950. The last town has over 80% poverty, just a handful of people, and the only commercial establishment is a liquor store. There's a lesson there somewhere.

[@ultimatevixn]

I was wondering if this is apart of Tornado alley

[@jrkorman]

Apparently you didn't read the rest of that incredibly BOGUS information! "According to records, the largest tornado in the Lueders area was an F4 in 1962 that caused 1 injuries and 0 deaths. *Tornado risk is calculated from the destruction path that has occured within 30 miles of the location." I'm a retired USAF Weather guy retired and now live about 40 miles from Lueders. There really aren't that many tornadoes and there is so much open farm land that when there are, they don't hit much. Many are missing a big point about these small towns. The real reason they are dying is CARS! Cars make it possible for business to cluster in bigger towns. The railroads made those small towns possible back in the day and cars made those same towns unnecessary. We're in one of those small towns, and the BIG REASON! Most of us are retired folks wanting to get away from the cities!!

[@jaycahow4667]

@@jrkorman Historically towns were much closer together before cars or railroads and travel was by horse. I cannot think of a reason in today's world that all these small towns need to exist anymore so close together and many are just going to fade away. People can still live in rural America but many will not leave in a town.

[@DRAGONSLAYER1220]

"Looks like a tornado town" What the hell does that mean?

[@JGldmn333]

158 tornados in Leaders since 1950? The whole Lubbock area 100 miles across hasn't seen that many tornados in 100 years! West Texas yarns are as big as the state sometimes! 😂😊😂 And what is a "tornado town"? You are hilarious.

[@maryroberts5213]

Hands down, this is the saddest video I have seen. I wish there were statistics on the percentage of people who are actually content and happy or have they just resigned themselves to settle for what they have. Thanks for sharing LS.

[@ey67]

Yep its gone. Not much choice.

[@rcreviews9894]

Honestly I would love to live in one of these towns, no people, no drama, I would buy the whole town and bull doze every abandoned house and have acres and acres of land! I would be the only house in the town and would party downtown!

[@cjcraw3477]

I'm from small town Texas. Folks are very happy in their small towns, just FYI. They drive to the next towns over for groceries and generally live peaceful lives at a calm pace.

[@sealyoness]

The nearest towns near my grandparent's farm are like that. Farmers go to pick up some little item at the family grocery/convenient or parts store, have dinner at the one of (2) two diners... If they want fancy, they drive a little farther. They aren't interested in traffic lights, nor are they necessary. Makes me a little homesick.

[@thewarriorcotp4509]

I bet and the crime is low that’s awesome

[@rickerhart907]

Exactly. This is only shocking to City people

[@pauljohnston2008]

People are commenting on this as if it's sad and dismal. I think these places are beautiful! Peaceful and happy

[@timothys3119]

@@pauljohnston2008 there’s nothing beautiful about crumbled homes and junk laying all over the place throughout a town. If people kept their properties clean then it would be different.

[@durranisamerica1724]

I really enjoyed your words when you said that More people are in cemetery as compared to Town.

[@avengemybreath3084]

Of course they are?

[@BigBadJohn]

I'm from a dying part of Texas like that. I left and went to where I could make a living and my cousins didn't. I have done decent considering, while they haven't (even after they received more education than I did) It seems like they were pulled down by the decay of the area they grew up in. It really is sad to see the only home you know die, many people leave but not everyone can do that. There was absolutely nothing fun to do as a kid except get in trouble. Those homes are probably not abandoned, I lived in worse.

[@svtinker]

I lived in inner city Houston. Gentrification has made my old neighborhood unrecognizable. My house gone and everyone that ever lived there. The house my parents paid $25,000 for in ’69 sold for $3.6 million in 2020. I wish I hadn’t seen it ten years ago.

[@Lyn-in-Herts]

I live in England and have just found these videos. I'm binge watching them all and find them fascinating. This one is the saddest I've watched. All those once thriving communities abandoned.

[@paradoxstudios6639]

They were once settled by English-Irish-Scots, lots of Germans, Comanche and later Mexicanos, they all look like towns in that part of the nation, nothing out there but oil, cattle and tornadoes, but I think today besides how bad they look at least they're probably peaceful and quiet.

[@sandravega6645]

​​@@paradoxstudios6639, you mean the Mexicans and Indigenous (mixed with Spanish or not) were living in Texas long before the Germans and Irish came over in the 1800's. Many people don't recognize or realize that Texas among many other now USA states was once Mexico. And before it was Mexico, it was territory claimed by Spain as much of the Americas and Caribbean later fell to the Spanish empire. 🙂

[@billwilson-es5yn]

These small abandoned towns are a common sight in most states. Most were affected by a collapse of the local economy causing the residents to leave with few remaining behind.

[@oldtop4682]

A thing to consider is the actual size of the US in comparison. Many of these towns were likely "whistle stops" for railroads, and had little else to offer other than agriculture. The UK is much more condensed, so towns that lost their main incomes had a somewhat easier time of adapting. The collapse of coal in Wales may be a good analogy here, as many towns struggled to find a new industry. They adapted, but some of that is due to population v land space. In the US, we have far more land that affects this. Small towns, either thrive or are dying a slow death - and have been for a while now. Many were factory towns, and once the local plant closed, there was little mobility for the folks remaining. The young moved away, and the town slowly dies.

[@johnbobson1557]

@@oldtop4682 This is true all over England. The High Streets have collapsed and the video of Texas towns could be my home town of Yeovil. True, the scale is less but I must be the last English speaker here (exaggeration I know, but you get the point.) as we have seasonal workers and cheap labour on farms who are peripatetic. It was a glove manufacturing centre but that's all gone to China. We have a helicopter company (Italian) but eventually that will move. The future for the young is grim.

[@Wildvideonyc]

These towns have been dyin' since the end of WWII. "The Last Picture Show" was filmed in 1972 and tells a story about a dying Texas town in the 1950s.

[@willbass2869]

Cybill....super hottie. 🥰🤩🥰🤩

[@Wildvideonyc]

@@willbass2869 Indeed. Scortching. And all in the service of a great film too.

[@MA-iv7ol]

I'm going to look this town up, I'm in North Texas, land prices around here are insane. It would be awesome to turn one of those old buildings into a home.

[@denver0102]

I already looked it up…nothing about this area is worth buying a property. It’s just not one of those places you can drop cash and expect a decent quality of life. Forsaken land.

[@MA-iv7ol]

Figures, I want to get out of the suburbs so bad I've been looking everywhere. Facts are It's not going to be cheap unfortunately.@@denver0102

[@authorcharlieboring]

This is the area of Texas on which my book, Michael's Eyes was based. Life there in the 1950s was primarily based upon the oil industry and farming and ranching. As more acreage was required to produce enough money to make a living and the oil played out, people moved on.

[@abegott6813]

The last 13 years I lived in a town of less than 350. It was very peaceful.

[@sthrnfrog60]

I will retire in a few years and would love nothing more than to go live in a town just like this.

[@ronaldkonkoma4356]

Bring your IROC Camaro

[@rickiesteward883]

Informational. I was stationed at an Air Force base in Abilene from 68 to 71 and traveled all around that part of the country. It sure looks different now, very depressing. But, thanks for the trip down memory lane. Enlightening and depressing at the same time. Your videos are great.

[@leonard5606]

So you were at Dyess huh? I stopped in a few times we were stationed up in Wichita Falls at Sheppard from 94-09. Before I retired we had a combat control team at Dyess and our headquarters was located in Washington state (McChord AFB). There are a few of those depressing towns all around TX.... cheers :)

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you, Rickie!

[@jimjustice581]

Thanks for your service.

[@rickiesteward883]

@@leonard5606 I was an instructor at Sheppard, in transportation from 77 to 79. Really enjoyed my time there. Got degrees from Vernon Regional JC and from Wayland Baptist which really helped me out. By the way, thanks for your service.

[@Dave-ty2qp]

Dyess AFB was my last assignment before retirement back in 1987. I sure loved that place and especially the folks of that area. I still have friends there that I go to visit every year or so. I lived on a property just outside the ghost town of Stith. Left there in 1990.

[@jimjustice581]

It was interesting in Burkett that you pointed out where a house had burned down, and then took a left on Ash Street. I can’t help but have this thought when I see a collapsed or abandoned house: when that house was first built, it was the pride of its owner. Children were probably brought home from the hospital to it. When they grew, they spent Christmases and birthdays there, and ran and played in its yard. Then the children probably went off to war, and came home not wanting anything to do with their previous lives. When the parents passed away, the once proud house was left abandoned, and reclaimed by the very Earth that gave it life. Love your videos. As always, thanks for taking us along.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

You're totally right, Jim.

[@mango8918]

I believe you hit the nail right on the head.

[@MrThidj901]

or its just a pure commercially sold lot that was only there to sell at 200% mark-up on construction price.

[@Thisoldmancamerollinghome]

Keep an eye on Wichita Falls tx. If we don’t get water to fill the lakes, it soon will look like the houses on your video. Some parts of town already looks like this.

[@TomTom-ku6qi]

I grew up about 50 miles from Lueders, TX in Knox City, TX. Played basketball and ran track against guys from Lueders Avoca( Consolidated School District). Never played against them in Football, as they were 6-man football. I am a 71 yr old Veteran and my home town is about half the population from the 1960’s. Knox City has ample oil production to keep it’s economy going. I’ve traveled that Tx highway 6 (the Korean War Memorial Highway) many times. Thank you for that little trip back around my old stomping grounds!

[@jrkorman]

We retired right down the road in Rule.

[@seandefreitas6673]

I lived in the outback part of Australia for years around Bourke & Cunnumalla & I can tell you these areas of Australia are very similar both in the landscape & state of the townships to what you're showing there in Texas.

[@jenniferharrison8915]

Yes, inner New South Wales has the same geography as Texas but our towns are not left to die, we still care! The only reason an Australian town would struggle is rising goods transport cost and the closing of coal mines but we will survive overall!

[@kd5you1]

I always wondered why there were no large cities in the interior of Australia, but now it makes sense.

[@youtopia2000]

@@jenniferharrison8915 All the care in the world won't pay your bills. It's all about economy.

[@gordonmorrow]

Nice job with your video tours of dying towns. I really enjoy them. I live in prosperous Seattle which is becoming too expensive for all but the richest people. Even a rare, run down decrepit home in my neighborhood would sell for many times the median home price in Moran or Burkett; the land it’s built on is worth several hundred’s of thousands of dollars. Thanks for your work!

[@toddmoore139]

I love this stuff. Thanks for sharing your adventures with us.

[@headpump]

As an OTR truck driver I drove through a lot of 'empty' towns in Texas. The young move to larger cities for work to survive. It's what it is..

[@MickeyMishra]

Now that Men are no longer getting married? Its going to get EVEN worse. There is no reason to raise a family in the USA anymore. So down the hole it all goes.

[@Bennysol]

@@MickeyMishra all by design destroy America. The old time oligarchy has take over and will make the middle class go extinct. 1%er kings ruling over 99% peasants is the new normal for America

[@Bennysol]

In the long run America would have been better off under the kings and queens of England. Now they are going to take their revenge and make America far worse than it ever would have been under king george

[@johncalvo1743]

@MickeyMishra Why WOULD we get married?

[@MickeyMishra]

@@johncalvo1743 It use to be the greatest thing in the world seeing your Family grow. The festivities the holidays, all of it. Christmas and Halloween were a BLAST! Then all the small things. Just like in a Blink-182 song. Its those small things that you always look back fondly on. Today, I took my 16 year old son to get Ice cream. Best part of it was right after I ordered the Uber to the Hotel to get an italian soda, His Ice- cream cone exploded all over his hand and table from the bottom. Had to quckly wipe the table and then wrap his hand in paper towels so we could get into the Uberwithout making a mess till we got the Hotel so he could wash up. Cab driver and me were cracking jokes about it all the way home. Telling him to "Keep it wrap up". 😆 He even opened the door for my son so he could get out. Man, what great service this UBER driver gave us. Then it was into Kennedy school. We laughed the whole time along with the Barista and gift shop staff about the ice cream incident. And how it JUST happened THE SECOND I ordered the UBER and we had to rush as we had less than 2 min before it got there. It's these moments that make it all worth it. But was it worth what I went through to get here? 😵‍💫😪😪*HELL #$@#$@!# NO* !!!!!! 😵😵😵😵 Out of the 5 children I raised, only 1 of them I see more then a few times a year. In fact the other one I saw once every 6 years. The other 3? I'm fine with never seeing again. Its just how it is. Stuff like that makes the whole idea of getting hitched a wrong one.

[@milesbright1126]

I normally watch the history channel on tv but your work seems more up front and personable to me. Keep up the great work.

[@curtvaughan2836]

This looks like the dust bowl in the early 1930's. Depressing. I'm a native Texan, 71 years old. Born in Ft. Worth, been in Austin the last 50 years. I remember visiting small towns with my parents when traveling as a kid. The towns were small, but had vibrant main streets and nice, but small, residential areas. They usually had a small grocery store, some sort of fast food place (Dairy Queens were typical), and a gas station or two. Wow, this is an eye opener.

[@Themrine2013]

when you have foreigners buying up the valuable land that people worked at and then shutting it down you get towns like this

[@joycelebaron2582]

You must have seen 'SOME" changes in Austin over the years. I lived in Houston in the early 1980's and everybody I knew wanted to move to Austin. It was easy back then to drive through Austin and go up to the lake further west. Well, I guess many DID move to Austin because I don't think I'd recognize it today.

[@curtvaughan2836]

@@joycelebaron2582 Let's put it this way, Austin hasn't been "home to the Armadillo" since the early 80's. Downtown, the live music culture was fairly healthy until the mid-90's, when the tech boom started and out-of-state techies began to arrive in mass numbers. Construction, especially in downtown central Austin and the Mueller subdivision, fired up to support the influx of new well heeled techies looking for convenient places to live. New high rise, luxury condos replaced what used to be the quaint Warehouse district, Sixth Street area leases skyrocketed, pricing out the live music venues. Housing costs rose astronomically throughout the city, forcing long time residents (such as myself, now in Pflugerville) to move. In my opinion, the most drastic changes occurred between roughly 1995-2010. The old Austin skyline, so stable from the early 60's until the early 90's, is no more. Even the capitol building is largely invisible from a distance. I was an Austin resident from 1973 until 2020, so have seen all this transpire personally.

[@joycelebaron2582]

@@curtvaughan2836 Thank you so much for all the info on Austin through the years from "on the ground' so to speak.And come to think of it, you never "DO" see the capitol building in the videos I've seen lately. Thanks again for the perspective.

[@chrisrichard2526]

@@joycelebaron2582 And lets not forget the whacko city government and what they have done to Austin. Defund the police is a great idea right ? Austin is as bad as LA

[@Yawndave]

This reminds me very much of last year when I drove from Waco to Sonora and Ft. Stockton...went through several towns that looked like this. I stopped at a couple of "stores" to get a snack and found the shelves virtually empty--kind of creepy. Nice to see someone on the swing though, at least one person is having fun.

[@williebeamish5879]

They look dreadfully boring. Must be a hike for decent groceries.

[@bradwalker5970]

I grew up in Burkett, Texas. The 2 houses (side by side) is where I lived as a teenager back in 1974-77. Very sad to see the town all run down. My Dad Preached at the Church of Christ there and was a hometown boy (born in 1926). I left to go to college and never looked back. My Dad is buried in the Burkett Cemetery (1996). My mother left there soon after that and still lives in Abilene. Many fond memories from that community....but now everyone is long gone.... Very Sad...

[@wadewatson2751]

I was born and raised in Abilene. My dad went to Burkett high school and graduated from there in 53'. The old family place is about six miles from Burkett and Cross Plains. I have quite a few relatives in that Burkett Cemetery. Spent a lot of time around there in my younger days, since they farmed and ranched.

[@kevinmcdonald6446]

Lived in west and central Texas most of my life. About every other town (every 15 miles or so) is going away as you go down the road. I think part of the reason is that wagons and old cars dictated that necessities be a little closer than they need to be now.

[@tech9803]

The mechanization of farming meant far fewer people are needed on the land, and fewer town services. Combine with almost everyone having a vehicle now to drive to larger towns for services and shopping and the tiny towns shrivel up and die.

[@JohnSmith-cn4cw]

I live in Central Texas, and towns are going away, but its because its the fastest growing region in the US. Everything between Llano and Taylor is being turned into a subdivision of Austin.

[@DIVISIONINCISION]

@@JohnSmith-cn4cw I also live in Central Texas. Nobody wants to live in Llano or Brownwood. Those places are still small towns. People are leaving Austin due to housing costs, crime, overcrowding and moving north to Cedar Park/Leander/Liberty Hill/Killeen/Temple.

[@imtonedeaf1]

Now there building in tornado Trac areas around Jarrell let's see how that works out

[@bigjohnson7415]

​@@DIVISIONINCISIONI have a relative from Brownwood. Have visited a few times, once a few months ago. Seems to be doing well, I looked online and property values are a lot higher than I thought they'd be. But they have industry there, with a 3M and Kohler Plants.

[@knerduno5942]

He should visit Fred, Texas where the Entering and Leaving sign is on the same pole.

[@bthomson]

How cute! 😂😍

[@indianaslim4971]

It's also where they have houses so small the front and back door is on the same set of hinges!

[@avalonjustin]

@@bthomson You don't know whether you're coming or going!😆

[@traumajock]

Folks I know just call it Spred. Spurger + Fred.

[@jerialice]

Hahaha love it…

[@billnict1]

My wife's family lives all around Lueders and so we are there a few times each year. I can tell you that the little store you drove past at 9:30 and I can tell you that they do in fact sell gasoline, always try to tank up when we are there. It is where a lot of the locals, farmers, quarrymen, etc. gather to talk about current events or whatever. That little store has saved us a 40 minute round trip drive to Walmart in Stamford for various items many times over the years...

[@dough9512]

Give that store all the business you can to help them stay in business! My parents used to live north of Fink, Texas (north of Pottsboro) and there was only one general store there that sold everything, and the local elementary school. Stopped there once to get me a local map and stamped on the front was "SHOP DOWNTOWN FINK"! I thought - that's Texas for ya!

[@winstonsmith478]

From Lueders, the nearest Walmart SuperCenter is 17.2 mi., about 20 mins away in Stamford, TX. From Moran, 27.0 mi., about 31 mins away in Breckenridge. From Putnam, 24.5 mi., about 22 mins away in Eastland. From Burkett, 36.4 mi., about 42 mins away in Brownwood.

[@jasondaveries9716]

This really reminds me of Monango, ND. My great grandpa grew up there in the 1920s and 30s. Back then it had over 300 people. We went back there in 2021 to lay him to rest and there were only a few dozen people living there. I got to see the house where he grew up (and which his father built with his own hands). It hadnt been lived in since my great aunt died over 15 years ago. For some reason my older family members didn't take out the furniture and possessions. I guess they thought that at some point the house would be sold and then they would clear it out? But now it's overgrown and probably not safe to poke around in. Despite the decay I thought that Monango was a very peaceful place and we spent a nice afternoon there. There was even someone trying to repair the crumbling church at the center of town. Also there was a dog roaming the town (presumably its owner let's it wander). At first we were afraid it would attack us, but it was actually very friendly and followed us around town exploring with us.

[@MickeyMishra]

Probably happy to see people.

[@imnitguy]

It may have been that the family members weren't interested in the stuff so much as paying their respects.

[@yvonnegonzalez5616]

Great2C,that ur still truckn rite along.Thanx4all the CoolTourz2.

[@jamesmurphy1389]

As a European I find these melancholy videos fascinating. They document a socio-urban collapse that would be unthinkable in our continent. I think the sheer size of America has a great deal to do with it. Small American townships seem very quickly to become isolated by a change in economic or social conditions, whereas in European countries no village is ever very far from an important town or city to which it can refer for help. For sure, we have small villages which do decline slowly, but nothing as dramatic as in these videos. The nearest European equivalent I've come across would be in Italy (where I lived for a few years), but there the abandonment of villages is usually always caused by natural disasters, earthquakes, etc - not economic vicissitudes. demographics obviously play a large part too: for its size America is massively under-populated compared to Europe. Here in the tiny island of Britain (which I think fits five times into Texas alone!) we have a population of 60 million. Anyway, just a few thoughts provoked by your extraordinary videos, for which many thanks.

[@d36williams]

these specific areas were devestated by changes in the cotton industry

[@xlerb2286]

Expanding on what d36williams said, all across the central US many of these declining small towns are due to long term changes in agriculture. In my part of the country (a fair jog north of TX) we also have many small towns that are just about abandoned. Farms don't need hired hands like they used to and then there was the double whammy of the depression and then WW2 saw people from small towns move to the coasts to work in the war plants. And almost nobody moved back when times were better. So it's been a long slow decline ever since. Towns that have some industry or are far enough away from other towns that they can draw on a larger area for support are doing ok, even thriving. But there's just no industry here to support a larger population like we had in decades past.

[@Pukemnukem]

Never been to the interior of Spain huh?

[@rt3box6tx74]

Where have you been in Eorope? I watch some KZbin channels that explore downtown parts of many French towns and villages that are devoid of human activity during the daytime. They're usually there to share some minor point of interest from WW2 with their audience, and usually have difficulty finding a place to get a drink or a snack after an extensive walking tour.

[@willbass2869]

You want to see desolate? Large towns (even small cities) in Russian Far East and up north along Ob River. Tens of thousands of people in single industry Soviet towns/cities absolutely abandoned by Moscow in early 90s. The educated and skilled left. Hospitals simply abandoned because doctors and nurses just left. Thermal electric power plants shutdown more often than operating Water/sewer system just STOPPED.

[@HaveKayaksWillTravel]

Cool. I love TEXAS. New Texas towns to explore. Thanks for the tour.

[@jlucasound]

Hi Joe and Family!! Great videos!!

[@cristobalvillalpando7451]

I grew up in alot of this small towns, we were migrants ,so we moved alot. It brings back memories , great memories .Thank you

[@gregstallings4209]

Wonderful mesquite trees in all these towns. Mesquite wood burns slow. Create problems for water lines as roots can grow 50 feet or more underground to seek out water in dry westt Texas. Most of others I observed were post oak. The mesquite tree branches divide up near the ground.

[@chrispurse3931]

Post oak is my wood of choice for smoking brisket.

[@hwirtwirt4500]

Is it normal for most of the trees to have no leaves on them? Coming from up north they look dead to me but I'm sure they are not.

[@DinhDover]

Love your videos! Grateful you’re doing this. I drive for work and see these name from the main highway and wonder about their back stories. Thanks to you, I now have a glimpse into those small towns, although sad, but very informative.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Awesome!

[@joycelebaron2582]

PS: Sitting here on a Sunday morning reading the comments is so interesting! Sometimes I'd rather do that then read Classic Literature or the latest best seller (or even the Sunday paper which I must get to LOL). You learn more! I love hearing the stories and ideas of people who live in the towns and cities you travel through. Their perspectives are so interesting.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

I agree, Joyce. :)

[@ristinakay]

I agree. Reading the comments and stories is def the best part.

[@chafedbm]

Yes I have always enjoyed the comment sections of websites. Sadly, like these towns, comment sections are a dying breed. This was mainly due to people in the press getting called out for their lies in the comment section almost immediately after they posted something new online. One day the press waged a war against "the racists, misogynists, and liars" that populated the comment sections that were "expensive and time consuming to moderate" and they started disappearing every where.

[@jaleach123]

@@chafedbm Yeah I remember when this happened and like you said it happened quite quickly. They simply weren't interested in seeing anything that doesn't support their narratives. It's also why they didn't see Trump coming.

[@diannasandefur839]

Interesting that you visited Lueders on my mother’s 89th birthday…she was raised in Lueders.

[@bthomson]

Happy Birthday Dianna's mom!🎂🍰💐

[@melissatress7260]

Happy Birthday wishes!!!

[@Guovssohas]

Happy birthday to your mom. God Bless her and all of you!

[@blainedunlap8571]

Hey Nic and Joe- - this is a very clean portrait of some country that I respect. Blaine D., Aubrey/TX

[@suefink7292]

i came across your video and it caught my attention as i live in Texas, but in San Antonio. this is heartbreaking and to see so many abandon homes and buildings. but the heartbreaking thought is this could happen to any of us, especially now. thanks for sharing and drive safely

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you, Sue!

[@daviddecelles8714]

One of the more haunting videos you've done of distant, dying America. Thirty miles (60 miles round trip) just to get gas-that's demoralizing in itself. By the way, on that almost entirely empty and rundown strip of commercial buildings constituting Putnam's center, that one place in which you asked:"is that place opened, do you think?" the answer is resoundingly yes. Had a well maintained sign reading "consignments accepted;" had posted hours of operation; and had usable looking stuff seen through the windows. Maybe one of the few kinds of businesses that might survive in such a town by attracting interstate buyers. There are people who'll drive a long way to visit a quirky consignment shop. A poignant point driving by the Burkett cemetery. The town is far more of a necropolis than a living community. Pleasurable seeing numerous dogs, horses and chickens-and one cat scooting at the edge of a squat stone church of just about the same color. Also, if I had to wager whether all of the churches shown were opened or just some, I'd go out on a limb and say they all were. There was one regarding which you expressed some doubt. Well, it had a ceiling neon light on inside. A great bridge, by the way! How can median home prices be accurately and meaningfully calculated in places with 160, 86 and 30 residents where there likely hasn't been a home sold for years.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

All good questions and answers, David.

[@skyethewylder]

I grew up in Fisher county and I did home health wound care out of Abilene all the way to Rule, Knox City, Lueders, and a ton of tiny places between and beyond. You know, the kind of places they give directions saying, "turn left where the green water tank used to be." I adore that area and we still own the family cotton farm. Maybe with people wanting more of a rural life and being able to work online, there will be an interest in the area again. We most likely will move back to the family farm when we retire. God knows we ain't making money on cotton now or ever, but I ate that dirt as a toddler and hoed many a row of cotton growing up.

[@mosessupposes2571]

It’s a great life. IF you’re straight, White, a certain type of Christian, a Republican, and preferably male. No others need apply.

[@amycrane4335]

I'm from here!!!! My sister, cousin and aunt and uncle still live here! I have many friends here. And my kids' biological father and his side of the family is all over this town. The crime is higher than your stats say bus that's because the cops don't come out here anymore. This town is becoming overrun by seasonal workers from Mexico. Drugs have taken over this town and alcohol is at it's highest as well. It used to be such a peaceful quiet town when I first moved there 12-13ish years ago.

[@tweeze2700]

Door dash? 🤣

[@jum5238]

Yeah, I was wondering whether drugs and crime were rampant in these places.

[@denver0102]

How do you survive in a place like this?? Omg. I would be terrified to walk out my front door.

[@hwirtwirt4500]

When the only businesses left are a liquor store and a church that's not a good sign.

[@stevewilliams1182]

Used to live in Abilene, for about 18 years, and wanted to correct something you said about getting gas from Putnam, Texas. You can go West to Baird, Texas about 12 miles, before getting to Abilene, and get your gas at a Loves travel stop. Loved your video on Abilene.

[@Davidbirdman101]

Hey buddy! Thanks for the information!! I'm packing up and heading to Putnam!!! Sounds like heaven!!!

[@unklejohn8575]

I live in one of these small towns and work side by side with the city on projects. You wont believe how much potential some of these towns have for new life. The most difficult it convincing people who already live in these towns to open business to be more self sustaining. As you’ve pointed out, property is cheap. Besides rattle snakes and hot summers, it’s not a bad place to live, lots of peace and quiet. Oh yeah, that thing at 9:00, it’s an old cotton gin.

[@kerrynight3271]

You have a good attitude. We need more of that.

[@vincentodhiambo1]

How can you link me up to come over there with my family? We are a family of 5

[@billwilson3609]

@@trollolol705 A while back, I read about a couple small dead towns west of DFW being revived as retirement communities with tiny homes and manufactured housing. They were popular with those receiving lower retirement incomes that no longer afford to keep their homes or apartments.

[@billwilson3609]

@@trollolol705 I don't recall where those towns were located but assumed they were near cities with medical centers. I grew up in Chicagoland and was moving to Houston in '77 when I called my friends there when in Arkansas to find they just moved up to Longview. Went there instead to find it was a blue collar town in the middle of a nicer rural region so stayed there. Since then Longview has become a medical center so has been filling up with retirement and assisted living developments. The land has become more expensive due to additional housing developments so expect the small outlying towns to have retirement communities constructed inside/near their city limits since it doesn't take long to reach Longview on highways where one can travel doing 65 to 70 mph.

[@evaeves8569]

I won't be surprised if these towns come alive again. With all that's going on in the big cities people will want for quieter places. And some will have money too. You may be complaining later about people moving there. Would be good though if those there do a little fix up and business instead of just giving up. Maybe create a vacation spot.

[@lechiffrebeats]

Love your vids man. Btw I would really be interested in short sort of "interviews" with people that still live in these towns, like what they do all day and why they havnt moved maybe. drive-by interviews :D

[@kendralangdon7316]

Great idea! Would be really interesting..

[@35mm21]

I think that the interviews would be the most valuable thing. Pictures of old buildings are cool but without any actual accounts about the town its just a snapshot

[@melissatress7260]

@@35mm21 I like the way you put that! 🤗

[@RMRM1234]

Would also be interesting to see how the remaining folks make a living (those who have to work at least) many may be living off Social security, VA Pensions etc)

[@bramlintrent1145]

@@RMRM1234 The ones who work probably drive to a job in another town.

[@Chris_In_Texas]

I just got back from a loop up into MO, IA, NE, OK. Many small little towns with populations of less than 250 people that are just run down and have more cars in the front yard than grass... 👍🤠

[@KS-xs8bl]

I just discovered your channel. So sad what has happened to these once thriving small towns. While I watch your videos, I imagine how nice the downtowns and old homes used to be. How far do kids have to travel to their schools? I'd like that included in your videos if you can research that data. Fascinating yet depressing, for sure. Thank you for sharing your drives with us.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Welcome aboard! :)

[@danoc51]

The land is very pretty, especially when the trees get green.

[@vincentodhiambo1]

Kindly am in Nairobi Kenya, can you people organize for me and my family to move there

[@danoc51]

@@vincentodhiambo1 Will you need a job there?

[@Brenda0312F]

You can look that up for every school if you would like by any address you wish.

[@deborahczepiel7355]

Thank you for all the work you put into your videos, and all the wear and tear that is put on your poor car. It is kind of depressing seeing all the homes and downtowns in such disrepair.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Yes and no. I see a beauty in them as well. :)

[@Yiriyah]

​@Lord Spoda I BET YOU DO!🤨

[@ludo9234]

Thank you so mych for taking the time and trouble showing us these places before they totally disappear. Sad in a way but thats how it is.

[@SpiritBear2032]

I'm strangely drawn to towns like this. I've lived in a few but nothing this far gone. When you live in tiny towns, it does bring more of a sense of community. Everybody knows everybody. I would love to somehow bring a little life back to these towns. Like a cafe... Thanks for sharing ❤

[@TOCC50]

Putnam, Connecticut

[@skyelark5511]

A cafe in a poverty stricken town where the residents are all old women; with an occasional customer passing through town looking for restroom and gasoline on weekdays is bound to throw away a ton of food and not stay in business very long.

[@misterd6879]

I grew up in a small town, there would be nobody to date.

[@oldtop4682]

@@misterd6879 And if you did date on Friday night, EVERYONE in town knew what happened including your mama, and her mama by noon on Saturday! Yeah, small towns have pluses and minuses lol. Still, I plan to move back to a small town in retirement. Knowing everyone can be a plus...but as a young person....

[@henkvandervossen6616]

​@@skyelark5511I guess the only, parttime, shop that can survive there is dry goods, non perishable and a bit of gas on the side.

[@catlover614]

A great video. Your videos are so engaging and interesting, and it's so fascinating to hear the back-stories and statistics about these old towns, but also sad. It's lovely to spot the occasional kitty cat, too !! Thank you so much for sharing these, and for your time and hard work. 😊

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you, CL! :)

[@scaredy-cat]

If I lived in any of these towns, I’d feel no pressure to keep the lawn watered and trimmed 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@gabrochaii726]

It breaks my heart to see these rural communities just disintegrating. I’m from a small Texas town on the OK border and I’m waiting for your arrival there. I know you will find like conditions in a town that once had a population of 12,000 with a thriving commercial center. I would be interested in reading a study of how this all happened. Of course, I have my thoughts about it. Thank you for maintaining the dignity of these places that were/are home to many.

[@wh8085]

Are you close to Lake Texoma ? Just guessing your town , I'm at Tuttle , about 20 miles south of OKC . 8 ) Was guessing Kingston ?

[@ericamiles666]

We know how it happened, it happened by design. Wealthy people who are always trying to explain to us that there's a path forward, something better beyond. I don't want their "beyond" I want simplicity. I want peace. I want this life. 😊

[@billwilson3609]

That area boomed after oil and gas fields were discovered there then started to peter out in the 1930's when the fields were near depletion. Their farming and livestock operations took a major hit during the prolonged drought in the 1950's which made more people leave. Folks still lived there but their kids saw no future in staying the region so left. Now all that's left are their aging parents and the few that have local jobs.

[@yooper2186]

@@ericamiles666 wha wha wha. Bet you always are the victim

[@enclavesoldier1778]

@@yooper2186 never realise you're the victim

[@ozgirl45]

Your videos are eye opening and shocking! I had no idea of the degree of decline of US towns. It’s so sad. As a Canadian, who shares this continent with you, I had no idea…

[@loveydovey802]

There are KZbin videos of abandoned places in Canada. The town with population 85 with a median age of 65, how sad to be old and live alone in this dry, desolate place.

[@ozgirl45]

@loveydovey You are absolutely correct. This sort of decline can happen anywhere and I will certainly look for those videos. I grew up in Australia and I remember driving through the remains of small country towns. But it still shocks me that this can happen in the US.

[@wnxdafriz]

@@ozgirl45 its called work nearby.... the majority of small towns exist in my state still due to most of them being off the interstate, generally speaking hookups are still fine and modern as long as you stay in the pockets of at least 1k due to 1 major broadband provider that has the state contract (essentially they have exclusive contract with the state and provide hookups for all government offices which means they have themselves subsidized by the state to ensure we have broadband in even our most rural towns)

[@carolynnorton9552]

Bad government. America will look like this in the future.

[@janedoe6350]

We have places like this in Europe where local industry closes down an people leave... only people don't leave stuff behind.... like anything! People come and take all the timber to sell as firewood, all the cable gets striped from the buildings and every single bit of metal gets weighed in for scrap. You would never see abandoned vehicles. You can tell this is America.... even the poor leave money on the table.

[@booksteer7057]

Decades ago some guy was proposing that we bulldoze all of these near dead towns, let them return to grassland, and let the bison come back. It sounded crazy, but seeing hundreds of places like this makes me want to reconsider. 🙁

[@andrewward5891]

Nature is slowly reconquering these towns.

[@hwirtwirt4500]

I agree, the state or federal government should establish a program to clear these blighted houses and remover the trash. It's depressing to look at and represents a hazard, the natural beauty of the land would be much better.

[@heightsofsagarmatha]

We should keep the buildings, it's part of America's history

[@booksteer7057]

@@heightsofsagarmatha But only a small fraction of these derelict buildings have historic value. 99% of them are just "buildings from our past".

[@eddievangundy4510]

​@hwirtwirt4500 not much of a hazard. Let nature handle it, no need to generate more government.

[@ryancoody7069]

I love your channel. Have you ever interviewed locals in a public place for a video? If you dont record it you could talk about the interview as you drive. That would be so interesting.

[@nomandad2000]

This question comes up literally every video. Says he just doesn’t have enough time to cover as much as he does if he had to stop and talk to people…I don’t blame him…

[@agentofficerthomasa.porter107]

Interviewing People In Poor & Ghost Towns Can Be Risky To Do. Driving Through Is Enough Risk To Take, On A Wing & A Prayer🙏. The Way Lord Drives Through Would Not Appear To Be Looking Like A Bill Collector Or Tax Collector To Those Living In Their Homes, Right Off The Bat, He Keeps On Traveling Through.

[@rt3box6tx74]

Moran is where my grandpa grew up. He left at 14, in a freight car to Lubbock. He got a job pushing wheelbarrows full of concrete, bricks and mortar building the 1st bank, until he made enough money to buy a horse and saddle. After punching cattle for a big ranch 75 mi NW of Lubbock for 5 yrs he was paid in cattle and started his own outfit leasing grazing pastures from absentee landlords on the eastern fringe of the XIT Ranch during the period it was being sold off by the British corporation that were deeded ten counties in the Panhandle, in exchange for the cash to build the pink granite state capital in Austin. My mom said her dad seldom visited Moran - the women in his family were quite religious and he got tired of hearing all the reasons he was going to hell. Too bad you skipped the cemeteries. Bet there were plenty of Merritts buried in it. I believe there was a little oil boom in the 1930s. He went back to Moran to settle his dad's estate. He'd been successful enough that he was able to buy out all the fighting factions of the family and evict them from the property to sell all of it. I don't believe he ever went back. I wish I had stopped there to look around 30 yrs ago.

[@nononever3592]

That is a fascinating story! I hope you're preserving such stories and photos for you family. 😊

[@TechieTard]

Dude nice story!

[@kd5you1]

I was reading about Moran in Wikipedia, and it said that Moran won recognition as one of the most important sources of fossil fuels in Texas. This was in 1913. During the next 15 years, Moran had an oil and gas boom with population reaching 5000-10000 during the 1920's, but the boom was pretty much over by the 1930's. Its hard to believe that even 1000 people lived there much less 10000. That means that many of the homes that were there have been gone for many decades.

[@rt3box6tx74]

@kd5you1 Some of the houses in a declining city will fall into disrepair and be torn down to avoid tax liability, but there's also always been a market for moving houses to a new location in TX. Normally houses "to be moved" must fit size and shape criteria. Distance houses can be moved is quite an important factor, as miles can run up the cost. Crossing major highways and electrical transmission lines matter too. All factors that limit well built, trophy homes from having a 2nd incarnation. In older towns that grew to the point that major artery streets needed to be widened some old 1930s houses were an amazing historical archeological study in home construction. Outer and inner walls were clad with beautiful 1"x12" hard yellow pine boards installed on the diagonal. The houses were so heavy only the smaller ones, or those that could be dissected could be moved any distance. Some sat in home mover parking lots for over a decade. They were unsellable.

[@kd5you1]

@@rt3box6tx74 Yes I remember in my old neighborhood were an old house would be there one day and gone the next... moved overnight by a moving crew. Those particular houses were on cinder blocks I believe or something similar. Our house was fairly newer than those & built in the 1960's on a foundation. Years after we moved away, it was demolished to make room for a new house.

[@JimMammen]

It’s West Texas. Wife from there. Great people. Search land prices for Shakelford county. Also can’t buy the mineral rights either. Didn’t show the windmill farms that typically net land owners about $16,000 per annually. It’s also very near Ableine as are the other towns. Folks moved to town. Might also check prices for leasing land there for hunting. Got to live here to know here. Using urban metrics to assess rural land is as flawed as using farm metrics to judge cities.

[@OkraBlossomOk]

My parents grew up in the area during the 40s-50s. Lueders used to be a hopping town with a movie theater and dance hall. My grandparents lived in Denton Valley. Now that they and my great aunts and uncles are gone, it's too painful to go back. It makes me so sad.

[@wooster85]

I share your pain Sheila. Here in West Central Victoria, Australia I am the very last man standing from both sides of our family going back to 1853. Everybody else has moved on or died of old age. I kept the house and some land around it because I can't bear to let it go and check in on it when I can. The house is large but the silence is deafening and makes me deeply melancholic when I recall all the laughter of family and friends, parties, Sunday dinners, the out of the blue visitors, the phone calls and the never-ending discussions about the business of farming. I deeply understand precisely why its too painful for you. The trick is though never forget them, never turn away from them and always speak with them. They never truly leave us. Stay well.

[@MegaBait1616]

I drive around the country with my son.... Not as much as you and I'm into Stats of each town n city.... What I've noticed is if there's no hospital, doctors, dentists, drug stores, food stores the towns will die off.... People don't go to doctors n don't live long especially men.... This isn't just Texas it's all states.... Gotta have these basic services to keep a town alive.... If ya living in a town and start to see these businesses leaving sell your house and get out before ya can't sell your house.... Again I see this all over our country....... Keep them coming.......Be Well.

[@briansatchell2319]

Well said. No * services* ==== no life

[@denisesmith2745]

I love traveling with my son, too. I’m glad you’re doing the same thing. Safe travels to you and your son

[@MegaBait1616]

@@denisesmith2745 , And safe travels to You and your Son..

[@daviddecelles8714]

Yes, but the people left first (that is, a critical mass of them).

[@denisesmith2745]

@@MegaBait1616 Thank you!! It’s been great meeting you!!

[@spookgriffith2892]

Very good, thanks, my part of the world n my kind of town if I had any desire to live in a town.

[@LTHanlon]

Excellent and fascinating, as usual. I've always wondered whether you've been waved over by locals who ask what you're up to? I ask because many of these places must have so few visitors that an unfamiliar vehicle stands out like a brass band at a funeral.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

I haven't. :)

[@joycelebaron2582]

Yeah that bridge was really cool, Joe - thanks! I think sometimes the Interstate can wreck a town rather than improve it and send business its way. There was no exit in Putnam and the 'big road' divided the town in two it seems. If they had put an exit in Putnam and built a Love's, the town would be hoppin'. PS: That tree was indeed spooky. The volunteers at the fire department must have moved away and the whole block was just left to burn down. And I guess there isn't a wrecking crew for miles.

[@crazydave1145]

You just inspired me to move back to Tx. A town with no stores & no traffic sounds perfect.

[@hwirtwirt4500]

You're inspired by dilapidated houses and junk yard trash scattered all over hells half acre?

[@3rdnote]

I live in Austin Texas and I’m just amazed how many towns are around. And it makes me sad that towns are becoming abandoned..

[@janicefisk9052]

These houses were built when farming and ranching was a way of life, those houses were new and there was a Community of some sort. Young kids leave here for jobs and a better way of life, and the older die off and there you go, the town dies. Cities is where the industry is now, and look at the way industry has changed. Cities are a rat race and most don't know their neighbors. I consider myself lucky, as I have lived both worlds. I find the smaller places more friendly and calming, and you learn about how everything works which will be beneficial if the "shtf" in the future. But the drawback is you can't make a living and you have to drive to shop. However, there is amazon!!

[@eavenlyjenstillman7034]

I would love to see these towns grow again. I would much rather live in a small population town then places like Houston.

[@AlexDeChristian6323]

Go ahead, I'll help you pack.

[@edgarpoe5021]

All major cities are cesspools

[@saurabhswarnakar6829]

@@AlexDeChristian6323 😂

[@TeamBehrens]

Living as an outsider in a small town is tough. Not every small town is like that, but most are. Cities don’t care who your dad or grandfather are as long as you are productive.

[@JBoy340a]

The problem is these town cannot compete with the options for work, entertainment, etc. So how do you keep the kids there when they see all the opportunities in the big city?

[@douglasvamateurradioandmore]

I have often thought about buying up the abandoned properties in these towns and trying to restore the buildings that can be restored or demolish and rebuild in similar style buildings, but modern inside.

[@josfoekens3331]

Hi, Mr Spoda, i also have a request here, could you check the fm dial on your car radio in or around one of these near dead towns if there are any radio stations active. Thanks and compliments on your video's, it's interesting to follow you on your roadtrips. Kind regards from The Netherlans 👍

[@oldrustycars]

I can tell you in rural Illinois where I have family the only radio is right wing and religious. AM or FM. Talking with folks there it's clear that's the only news they believe.

[@darkrebel123]

I grew up in Montana, and on the eastern side of the Rockies, you find abandoned homesteads all over the place. I once found a Sears catalog from the early 1900s in an ancient refrigerator in one of these abandoned homesteads. Rural America has a lot of abandoned and nearly abandoned towns. Shit's crazy

[@i.p.freely3561]

It is sad to see so many small town in Texas in decline. The country does look better when the mesquites have leaves and the grass is green. This video was recorded in the bleak dead of winter.

[@sandrolunkes9331]

Mais um vídeo sensacional, parabéns ótimo trabalho 👏👏✌️🇧🇷

[@45AMT]

I discovered basically a Ghost town right on the interstate last time I traveled through West Texas. Kent TX is basically a Ghost town. The post office closed a few years ago. I don't believe there's anybody left. There was a convenience store gas station open but it closed as well.

[@cowboygeologist7772]

Cool adventure. In the first town, I couldn't find anything for sale. Last one, that is a cool bridge.

[@therealjohndoe3862]

Always interesting to see these places. Most people don't realize how many towns like these exist, especially in interior America. This is what's left...

[@dennishinkle5010]

When you were in Putnam you missed the old school. My mother graduated from there in 1960. In Burkett there is only the old gymnasium left of the school. That river you drove across is named the Pecan Bayou. I live close by both towns.

[@summervibes2147]

The same pecan bayou that runs through Brownwood Texas?

[@dennishinkle5010]

@@summervibes2147 it is the same one it flows into lake Brownwood

[@olebloom1641]

I grew up in Northern WI decades ago. There are entire towns that are completely reclaimed by nature to include the roads. Most are now in state parks but some are just completely abandoned on private property that has been on the unpaid tax rolls for decades. Thousands of acres of abandoned towns forgotten to history. Once iron and old growth tree booms expired during the last hundred years or so people just got up and left. Some homes still have the table set like a person will come home.

[@skyhawk4426]

I like to see these videos. I haven't taken the time lately to see your videos, but I'm going to try and catch up. These videos give me an idea to where I might want to go and lay my head in. I'm getting to the age where I love country. My income is very low at 10.000 a year myself and it would be great if I found the right spot I could be content in. It's sux to be on disability, but the good thing is, I'm not crippled. Praise The Lord. I once lived in Dallas and Sherman TX. It was short lived at the time, it was in the 80's and it was my partying years. 💯😎 I been all over the states, but haven't really stopped long enough to see the view. Watching your videos, it shows me what I missed. I did my views from hitchhiking the highways and interstates, and rested wherever I could. I met a lot of people on my Journey, but hate that I never had a chance to record any. Now with the high costs, it makes it even more difficult to head out and do what you do. I guess if it's meant to be, it will happen. Anyway, keep up the good videos and stay safe. 💪

[@HoustonTom]

I’m from a small Texas town that has thrived and actually tripled in size in the last 40 years. I’m amazed that people remain in some of these dying towns. I know it’s their past and their friends are there but it must be somewhat depressing.

[@rt3box6tx74]

There are no friends left here. Our big beautiful Baptist and Methodist churches built in the post war economic boom are empty on Sundays. We no longer have pastors. When the roof gets bad our churches will begin the process of decay. I'm in the heart of the two richest agricultural counties in TX. White flight due to consequences of the Reagan Amnesty that overran our small town with people who prefer part time employment as long as there are social programs adequate to help them along when they choose not to work, killed our thriving community. Businessmen who could afford to drive 25 or 50 miles daily moved their young families to bigger towns where the education system wasn't bogged down teaching in dual languages, or teaching English instead of history, geography, Literature, Chemistry, etc. Most entrepreneur businesses owners who moved their families, but kept their businesses ended up selling out to some agricultural conglomerate within 5 yrs. The new owners set about killing off their local competitors with unethical and illegal business practices which result in abandonment by customers. Farm and ranchland owner/operators are the last group to follow the trend that's been underway now for 40 yrs. There are no babies born in our county. The county hospital had to close down the ob ward because of decades of no-pay by customers with bills that were uncollectable. Families from this county travel 140 mile round trip for normal healthcare. It becomes too much for our elderly who eventually move closer to their doctors. Some residents have a home in the original county and another in the city. The most common reason for senior citizens leaving my town of 1500 population is to be nearer to a complete healthcare system, while our county hospital has morphed into a clinic for sore throats and runny noses, cases of ringworm, etc. For emergency situations they do triage, consisting of a decision whether patients travel by ambulance or helicopter to out-of-county centers. Our hospital board bribes idealistic young docs and older docs needing to slow down in the last 5 yrs of their long career to move here by offering to pay off a portion of their medical school debt, or offering a limited work schedule for older docs. None of them come here planning to stay, and none come back. They seldom participate in community activities and be sure to get out before their children pass 3rd grade. There are some excellent docs who pass through, but they move on after their contract is up. With the law of averages, having this revolving door of medical professionals passing through we get some nut cases too. It's been a long time since we've had a real bad one, but most have aspirations of sainthood as a result of providing treatment to the low income community. It takes them about 3 yrs to outgrow that delusion. We get some who are probably excellent docs, but have problems with handling stressful situations. I went in for followup blood test to check iron levels and quickly became the doc's therapist. I spent a 15 min visit listening to him unload about a nursing home patient he expected to perish that day. He went on and on, and evidently didn't give clear orders to the lab regarding my 2 vials of blood. 2 weeks later the lab tech called asking me to return to have more blood drawn. Since she used her language barrier as an excuse to withhold from me what happened to the original 2 vials I declined the invitation. There were about 3 subsequent followup calls I ignored. This is the typical narrative shared by residents using local clinic services. After 2, 3, 4 decades of losing a couple of businesses from the county per year you wind up with the Cloward-Piven effect. A couunty with 2 thriving car dealerships, 15 independent car repair shops, 5 appliance sales and repair shops, 6 grocery stores, 5 lumber yards, 4 pharmacies, 5 dental clinics, 4 dry cleaners, 6 department stores and another 4 dress shops, 6 agricultural equipment sales and repair businesses, 6 Ariel applicators, 6 ag fertilizer companies, 10 gas stations... you get the picture? The Reagan Amnesty was a trial run. We gradually forgot about the confrontations we faced in daily life during that period of "assimilation" aka, adjustment by us. The current invasion's consequences won't play out over 40 yrs. It'll be that Warp Speed thing we heard about.

[@lookylook570]

Too bad - our brilliant politicians have screwed us all by giving away America.

[@gabrochaii726]

@@rt3box6tx74 I don’t think Reagan’s Amnesty is to blame. I think it’s lack of vision for the future and poor planning of the city councils. Too many wanted it to remain the same and closed. Children grew up and because there wasn’t a change in providing a viable job market, they left and the parents, grandparents, and aged died off.

[@karlosss20]

Maybe the problem of those cities is not the highway but the speed limit in the US. In Germany a lot of people drive to work 50-100miles but with average car's speed of 120mph or more they dont need to move to big cities

[@rt3box6tx74]

@Gabrocha II Small rural towns aren't candidates for the type of job creation you advocate. There are all the blue collar jobs anyone could want in this county. There are farm jobs, ranch jobs, truck driving jobs, dairy jobs, cattle feedlot jobs, grain co jobs, lumber yard jobs, bank jobs, convenience store jobs, gas station jobs, car wash jobs, vehicle repair jobs, teaching jobs, restaurant jobs, insurance agency jobs, but almost none of those offer a 40 hour work week and time for golf or lounging by a pool in the evening. That city planning garbage very often leads to jail time for those who push it in the larger towns. Some council member gets greedy, a bribe happens and taxpayers eat the bill. Capitalism can happen without involvement of busybody leaders trying to push unnatural growth. Growth has been grossly oversold as guaranteed community prosperity. Without the tax base to pay for tax abatement that lures industry in, you're shooting yourself in the foot. Our county offered 10 year tax abatement to dairies who were moving in from CA & AZ. Now 80% of their workers are from neighboring counties who don't compensate us for taking jobs meant for locals, and this county's taxpayers are paying higher county taxes because of it. My children were victims of educational deficiencies caused by our rural schools being overrun with non-English-speaking children and parents overwhelmed by culture shock. I paid for about 3 extra semesters of their post high school education to catch up. I helped a few men and their wives with their amnesty paperwork. I don't believe any of them finished and became citizens. It seemed they feared they might not be able to return to their beloved homeland if they became American citizens. They merely allowed me to sweat bullets over their applications to remain in our employ for a year or two. I swore I'd never devote my time and kindness to a n other.

[@lumberjack4944]

Baird is about 14 miles away from Putnam they have gas I really appreciate you showing these towns though so thank you. Sad to see these towns die

[@jamesgraham6122]

I'm finding these discoveries quite compulsive, This last one, alongside the Interstate, is something of an enigma, had someone arranged an intersection close by it must have been a very different story. I find the statistics quite fascinating.. would it be possible, somewhere in each town, to stop the car, point the camera at something and then read them off ? I get the impression that due to distractions of driving...or a cat.. we sometimes overlook one or two..Or maybe you don't have them.. Some years back I rented 130 hours on a small aircraft, starting at Fort Pierce, Fl I flew around America (I'm a Brit).. I would drop down every couple of hours for fuel at some remote rural airport, read the local paper and chat to the people, a great way to see the real America, only a month but a wonderful experience.. you're doing it by road, so many thanks for taking us with you.. :>)

[@davidjose9808]

Great to hear from a Brit about your experiences flying around the US in a small plane. I flew my 1947 Cessna 140 around Texas and landed at small airports for gas and lunch. I was actually surprised that some towns in decline still even had an airport to maintain!

[@jamesgraham6122]

@@davidjose9808 Yes.. I discovered that the local airport was important to the community, not necessarily because they flew, very few did, but it was something of a status symbol. The hospital;ity was sometimes overwhelming.. a wonderful experience..

[@Ann-ix9xv]

Enjoy watching your tours of these desolate small towns. Something brought people to this town, originally. I’m sure the towns you review were bustling at one time. Can you provide what the industry was in which these towns were built?

[@billwilson3609]

They started off as agricultural towns that grew when a RR came thru then grew more after oil and gas was discovered in the area. They died off as the ag sector and oil field petered out.

[@timamyett9679]

We as a culture have become so materialistic, we can imagine being happy and fulfilled, alone on a small rural farm. Most farms today are thousands of acres owned by corporations. In my travels through Texas I have seen the remains of farms, with now abandoned ghost towns and the shells of small businesses that have died. It is all a testament of how culture changes. The single biggest driver being technology. With is goes the family structure that was the foundation of this once great country. As goes the family so goes the nation. The future of this nation will be determined by it family values.

[@pattyeverett2826]

Good video. My aunt lived Wichita, Kansas. The road to her house was gravel, not paved. So at least some big cities have not paved all of their streets.

[@Eibarwoman]

There's even sections of Ann Arbor, Michigan residential areas which are still gravel and occasionally complained about in the newspaper to this day. It's more a product of when said area was developed and then people don't want pay the tax increase to pave or install drains unless it floods but the elderly in said street want it gravel because of property taxes.

[@AntonShchegolev]

It would be great to hear more about the history of those towns. When they were established, what was the driver of the economy, and why they are turning into ghost towns now...

[@haroldbell213]

There's so much history lost in these small towns. I used to live in between the city of Marlin and Rosebud Texas. There's so many empty farm houses just rotting away. If you want work you have to drive to Waco or Temple TX. My relatives are still there. When the parents die most of the kids sell off every thing. We are losing farms and farmers . Not to be replaced. Now we have China buying up these farms that have been in the family for generations. I find it really sad. My best memories are off going to my grandma's a grandpa's farm. They are better than gold

[@jaycahow4667]

@@haroldbell213 China cannot buy what is not for sale, families sell to them it is their choice..........

[@trafyknits9222]

This is such a great idea. Thanks for documenting this. I'm just like you in that these old towns fascinate me and sort of have a poignancy that's hard to describe. There's a great song by Mary Chapin Carpenter called "I Am a Town". It captures a lot of this vibe of a dying town.

[@d.jensen5153]

Yup, some little towns thrive with change. Others die. If your little town happens to be near the big city, like Austin, you're going to thrive. :) Or if your little town has natural beauty like so much of AZ, you're going to thrive. Many of us are looking just for such places. OTOH, if it's just another flat, parched whistle-stop in the middle of nowhere, it's probably just as well that it's reverting to nature. Document it and let it go.