MISSISSIPPI DELTA: The POOREST Towns In The U.S.A. - Life Far From The Interstate

[@TheTallMan50]

I was born in Shelby Ms. I don't live anywhere near there now. I remember in the 70s waking up to the sound of crop dusters buzzing loudly over the house on Saturday mornings drowning out the cartoons on tv. It was exciting and terrifying at the same time. I remember the mosquitoes were terrible in the summer. Grandma used to spray DDT in a pump can to get rid of them. That stuff was outlawed in 1972 but years after that you could still buy it in the Delta. Some nights we could hear the stray cats fighting underneath the house. It was so funny we would fall on the floor laughing. We lived in a large old shotgun type house but the cabinets, refrigerator and deep freezer were always stuffed with food. The soil was so rich and fertile the grown ups had a whole field of their own crops planted out back of the house. Corn, greens, peas, squash, watermelon, more food. They fished a lot too. They used to bring home catfish and buffalo fish. I used get a kick out of watching them scale and clean them. Make sure you got your sunday shoes for church. Lots of singing and preaching. It must have worked because we were NEVER hungry, cold in the winter or without clothes. I haven't seen those old towns in years. Thanks for the drive down memory lane.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you for sharing your amazing memories and experiences. :)

[@TheTallMan50]

@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip My pleasure

[@dfbrennan1955]

Thank you for sharing your life in the Delta. I have spent a fair amount of time there and could never get my head around the place, As a yankee, folks seem to be sooooo polite and well mannered yet such a hateful history???? I too spent some of my youth there (I'm a geezer) Port Gibson Ms while it was 50 plus years ago I will never forget the weird anti Roman Catholic (we were Catholic) sentiments that we experienced??? I was a happy adolescent leaving in 1968 and returning to Boston Mass.That said I like Mississippi and have returned to the Delta many times. Go figure?? Thanks again for a great post!

[@rchurch2769]

Did you have or get air conditioning? I live in the eastern mid west but i am old enough to remember a time when we didnt have air, sleeping could be miserable even with a fan. I have worked in many southern towns, the heat and humidity can be overwhelming at times. I try to imagine every day life before air conditioning in a place like this.

[@TheTallMan50]

@@rchurch2769 No but it wasn't a problem. We had box fans that were nailed into some of the windows. By doing this you made the most of cooling cross-breezes from outside being pulled in through the back of the fan and being blown into the house as even cooler air especially at night.

[@billyshears9918]

Thanks for showing, a sort of hidden side, of your country. Even if the small towns are poor, it's amazing to see how well kept the public grass areas are. And almost no trash on the ground. I've driven in more fancy places which have much more trash and garbage in the streets.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you, Billy. Yeah, I find these places to be the most interesting in the US.

[@JAM661]

There is no trash because hardly lives there.

[@charleshoang566]

Because there are not many homeless here compare to other fancy, wealthy, tourist cities like San Diego California where I live now.

[@loganhollingsworth5477]

This dude is literally stolling through town squares etc... on Sundays lol... when no one is around

[@CaptainChapin]

They may be starving and have no health care, but at least the floors are clean. 💀💀💀💀

[@saradale6704]

I am 80 years old and have lived in and around Greenwood, MS, my entire life. We had an unbelievable bustling town during my youth and well into my thirties. Then a decline began. However, in the last 15 to 20 years, Greenwood is once again doing quite well and attracts visitors from far and wide. I can't imagine what day of the week or what time of day that you went through downtown but normally cars line the streets and retail stores and our many fine eating establishments are quite busy. We have one of the top ten boutique hotels in the world along with its grand spa and cooking school.. Sorry that you missed out on all that. You must come again and see all that Greenwood has to offer.

[@djwestbrook36]

Glad to hear it’s coming back. A lot of these towns have good bones and great foundations . Their built well and many people would love their style.

[@terry3617]

He probably went thru on a Sunday morning when everyone is at church and businesses closed. He did the same thing in my hometown of Paris, Texas. But Psrid is going down badly. I move out in 1986.

[@dianagordon8012]

This has to be a Sunday morning

[@quincywallace5283]

BLESSINGS

[@loganhollingsworth5477]

This definitely on a Sunday..... I came from batesville ms to buy a leg press machine off of Facebook and it was pretty busy.... not just packed but a decent amount of vehicles on the square.

[@b.-charlotteschneider-pohl9154]

Thank you for showing me your country. I am German. On one side it brakes my heart 2 see this situation on the other side respect for holding up the flag and with this flag the All American Dream. God bless you

[@boomerang379]

The decline of the Delta began with mechanized farming in the 50’s. The further decline came after our manufacturing was shipped overseas.

[@renataylor5550]

SO TRUE, SO TRUE.

[@casioak1683]

But then again, do the Americans want to be paid cheaply? Because cost of labors = expensive products.

[@ShystySpokes]

What strikes me as odd is that it’s a beautiful day and don’t see a single person outside walking around anywhere.

[@michellewei7349]

EXACTLY. Same thing happened in my small home town of Port Dover, Ontario, Canada. We had a Canning Factory back in the 50s and 60s or so... a kind of saw mill, a BOOMING freshwater fishing tugboat fleet Known as the largest freshwater fishing fleet in the world. . We also had a 100+ year flower industry called Iveys. The Canning Factory was gone in the late 60s, the saw mill and Iveys packed up in the late 80s, and the fishing fleet is so downhill its sad! Now.. they focus on retirement communities and the "lakefront property". I have family that lives there. It's ridiculously expensive now! Like a kind of "gentrification". Someone in Each province in Canada should do something like this.

[@seansmith445]

@@casioak1683 Sending manufacturing overseas was never for the benefit of the American people.

[@jamesangelo8432]

Im from Mississippi. All these towns use to be booming until all the mills an factories etc shipped overseas and to Mexico. The free trade act killed small towns

[@JAM661]

Well you can thank business for that. Unfortunately freedom means people can get there product made were they want.

[@monie1527]

Thank CORPORATE GREED for that!

[@teresaprete4639]

Republican business moved to use cheap labor,that’s what killed the factories ; they didn’t want to pay a living wage and still don’t; look at the federal minimum wage.

[@chasealford6038]

That's what my grandfather tells me.

[@ssjrose9641]

@The Richest Man In Babylon lol greedy bussinees are controlled by Bill clinton?

[@johnison76]

Love the back roads! Thanks for making and posting the video.

[@jimmywingo6243]

Leland, Shaw, Cleveland, Merigold, Mound Bayou, Shelby, etc, all had Highway 61 running right through downtown as the main street. They also had train tracks usually right beside Hwy 61 with passenger service until the mid 1960s. So it was possible to take the train to Memphis or New Orleans. The trains were the main method of transportation before the highways were built and paved. Delta roads in winter and spring could have mud up to the belly of a horse. Mound Bayou was founded as an independent black community in 1887 by former slaves led by Isaiah Montgomery, whose house you passed.

[@Imissyoulou]

It is a long story but Isaiah, was the son of Ben Montgomery, that ran the plantations for Jefferson Davis oldest brother, Joseph. That was a tricky family.

[@terrellhinton2449]

Been to Mound Bayou rich history in that town live 45-50 minutes away from that town

[@gwendolyngreyer3284]

And I’m so proud to be born in Mound Bayou and I was raised in Shelby, all the towns off of 61 was everything, we moved to Chicago when I was 13 and I was devastated but best believe I visit every Memorial to see my family and my people in Shelby!!

[@terrellhinton2449]

@@gwendolyngreyer3284 I got people in Mound Bayou and Shelby I'm from Marks Mississippi minutes from Bayou and Shelby

[@terrellhinton2449]

@@gwendolyngreyer3284 It's rich history in Mound Bayou

[@backcountrybushcraft]

It’s insane how different the delta is from east Mississippi. From almost a ghost town like Merigold, to where I stay and one of the fastest growing cities in the US, Tupelo. Thanks for the video!! I plan on documenting this side here soon so I hope you can watch 🤙🏽

[@clintcoop5717]

I've never met anyone that wanted to move to Mississippi or Tupelo....

[@ronaldlagulos1387]

Like a ghost town too, o don't see people walking around the sidewalk.

[@chasealford6038]

I was born in the Greenwood Leflore Hospital and currently still live there (around the carrolton/blackhawk area). Just graduated from Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi, with a BS in pre-medical biology this May. My great uncle Robert is actually the boy that found Emmett Till in the 50s. Greenwood is not as bad as people make it out to be, just very quiet and boring. It's definitely not town it once was, dark past included. I have many memories there, from getting my red belt at the unified taekwondo studio (1:26), going to Bible study on Wednesday nights at North Greenwood Baptist, to eating dinner with both sets of grandparents at the Crystal Grill (2:53). On a Sunday and Saturday afternoon, the area that you're driving through is (relatively) bustling-I'm surprised that the Crystal especially seemed so dead, but the posted date July 6th was a Wednesday. Everyone was either in Church or out drinking and fishing 😂 Edit: Normally those streets are bumper to bumper, and every parking spot is filled from farmers and businessmen visiting Staplcottn, the Crystal for food, churches for praise and worship, or visiting the city courthouse. You really managed to catch Greenwood at the weirdest time.

[@creoleladee]

Your great uncle found Emmett Till after he was murdered?

[@chasealford6038]

@@creoleladee Yep.

[@jamescoleakaericunderwood2503]

@@chasealford6038 Wow... thanks for sharing...✌️ Eric Underwood Class of 81 Downey High school CA ✌️

[@lelemurray5320]

Wow can't believe your uncle found Emmett Till! That's awesome 🥹❤️

[@HeatherB81]

Wow, thank you for sharing! When I started watching this, I instantly wondered if it was the town that Emmett Till was murdered in, because it has the same look. Is Greenwood near Money? It looks like it would have been a bustling little community during the 50s and 60s. Would love to hear more about its history. Why is it a ghost town now? So interesting how this happens. What would it take to bring it back to life? Where do the residents go to shop? Crazy.

[@drewo6388]

Great video, Spoda! When I drove around the Delta region, I couldn't help but play the Delta Blues in the car while driving. It just made me feel like I was back in a simpler, more slow-paced time. I love that you guys are now taking "deeper dives" into each state/region. I'll be following along!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you for that, Drew. This is the part of our travels that I've been looking forward to. I love these out of the way places few people see. That's pretty much what the channel will be from now on. :)

[@shrinkorama6331]

How many Black people were killed there? Haunting…

[@m.t.burton8111]

Absolutely!

[@Slothbr0]

It don’t show Mississippi cops. Which are terrible

[@prodjoshkta]

@@Slothbr0 most of these small towns in the delta and stuff are damn near lawless land today. I know what you mean completely but these areas don’t deal with it as much.

[@deewatson3689]

Even though it looks empty. I must say at least there is very little trash laying around. They must have pride in their community.

[@ckzf1842]

Totally agree ! Ιn the UK where I live - “ dying” towns - are full of trash , fields and yards are overgrown with weeds, rusting junk everywhere. Yet here - in these dying, depopulated US small towns , the lawns are flat and mown , and there is very little litter and graffiti . Lots of buildings boarded up , yes , but they are quite neat and tidy , not squalid, totally vandalised and covered in filth or graffiti ( like in the UK ) . Maybe , the bigger , more urban , “dying” US towns are more like their English equivalents, in this regard ?

[@magnuswettermark8293]

Agree. Emty but very very clean. Looks great compared to other places.

[@12current]

I was born and raised I'm the Mississippi Delta. There is extreme poverty in this agricultural fertile land. Most of the farms are owned by a few families. Pre- Antebellum culture is covertly maintained. (You are the person allowed to play in a game of Parker Brothers Monopoly. The game was started a few hours ago. You are allowed to roll the dice and navigate the board. The same rules that apply to you also apply to everyone else....Every property deed, Rail Road and Utility is already owned). Due to lawful segregation, black codes, Jim Crow, sharecropping, and yes, the lack of true education; along with many other unfair policies and tactics helped to created this environment...it was born out of Artificial Scarcity ..it has always been the Have and the Have Nots. With U.S. 61 as the artery...its basically the same community from Tunica to Vicksburg.

[@May-iq5ob]

THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THIS PLACE.

[@clintcoop5717]

It's like that everywhere my friend the World over 💯

[@May-iq5ob]

@Clint Coop DIDN'T REQUEST ANY NOTICES FROM YOU! RECEIVED YOUR COMMENT IN MY NOTIFICATIONS. WHY? HOW DID THAT GLITCH HAPPEN!!?? REPORTED IT.

[@angie4now438]

@@May-iq5ob What?? 🤦‍♀️

[@renatosilva1253]

.Thank you for sharing your story

[@terryw6747]

I grew up in the Delta in the 70's and 80's. Early on it was thriving. I can tell you what happened to those areas; Racism and Hate. No one wants to live in an environment of constant underling hate and racism. Its not good for anyone. Hate begets hate and it usually manifest itself within families. I'm black and my father worked with klansmen. He had no issues that I recall. The families of these klansmen weren't happy and a large percentage of the children moved away as soon as they could. Therefore, abandoning the work of their fathers. Much hard work came to naught leaving abandon cities. Also, no company wants to move a thriving business to these regions. Farming is still huge there because the land is extremely fertile. I would say most jobs are service type employment. Living off less than a thousand dollars a month is a real thing still. After college I joined the Air Force and only returned to visit my mother. I still have family there and the people are very respectful mostly. The people don't consider themselves poor and most are proud. They love their guns, sports, family and God. There are no mass shootings that I know of.

[@1233-h1]

I agree and appreciate your post but there have been lots of mass shootings in Mississippi-even in Greenwood where this video begins. Wikipedia lists four of the most sensational ones-pearl high school, Jackson fire department, lockheed martin, Lincoln county Ms massacre. Many others listed on other databases. You are right though that the hatred in that,state and the way of life causes many to leave and it stays depressed in many ways because hatred as a way of life does not allow growth. The soil may be fertile but if hearts and minds are rotted or barren it doesn't matter if fruits and vegetables grow lush when planted but hearts and minds stagnate with guns, racism, segregation and a so called "love" of God that's false and hypocritical.

[@antihaters6504]

@@1233-h1👍 ☹️😌

[@odiecap62]

Hate is nothing but destruction! Humanity should exist no matter the color, religion, or education. Imagine, it only takes a few people, who would be willing to start working together towards rebuilding values, morals, pride, trust, blindness to color, compassion, connection. The end result is hard work in all stages in connection to building a family… a community! Imagine!

[@Iwishuwould-uq5gl]

I tell people all the time a lot of Whyte kids didn’t want to be raised in bigotry and hate and disconnect from their families and marry outside their race so their kin can stay away. That’s deep. And when the Bible say don’t mix the seed it was because if you read carefully they are the curse seed not blacks. Yep

[@gpep40]

My thoughts were exactly what you posted. The hatred and racism killed those towns. Hatdrives away life because it is negative and destructive at it's core. You reap what you sow. I guess the expectation was that their kids and families would remain, but the opposite happened. Sad to see, but I can clearly understand why that area is desolate!!!

[@SueAnnaJoe]

Thanks for showing my hometown first :) It was fun in the early 80s before Walmart came to town and hurt local businesses. I remember many wonderful downtown stores that are long gone. Even though many buildings are in bad shape, they still have charm and history. The city has been trying to revitalize itself through the efforts of good and talented people.

[@goldenrules5697]

Big bussinis do monopoly..

[@jameskarakkal9722]

Very nice place

[@calixfyzx6765]

I'm from the Philippines, why most of the establishments are abandoned? do these towns always suffer from floods, hurricanes or something?? I'm just curious...

[@danielm17]

@@calixfyzx6765 big cities and urban areas have more high skilled jobs.

[@calixfyzx6765]

@@danielm17 you know what?? the average salary of the people in the poor town like in Mississippi are 10x higher than the minimum wage of the people here in the Philippines, that's why most of the Filipino dream of having a job in the U.S.A , unfortunately that dream will stay only as a dream far from reality,like me , I also dream of having a chance to go to the US,have a job and have a good life, but now I accepted the fact that I cannot go there because I'm not qualified to migrate, most of the people who are hired in the US from the Philippines are from medical field.

[@djpeterson4860]

I love that you're doing this. So many Americans are unaware of how people live in our own country. May I suggest a tour through Waterproof Louisiana. It's close to where you did this video.

[@donttreadhere]

l remember Waterproof

[@markr8796]

Great video, Spoda! Well narrated and just the right pace. I’ve never been in Mississippi and based on what I’ve read and learned about the poverty in the Delta, I had an impression that it would be rundown. The reality is far worse. There is nothing left in each of the downtowns here. It’s incredibly sad to see this.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you for the kind words, Mark! 😀

[@lgoldman]

Downtown Greenwood isn’t quite as bleak as it might appear here. There are some nice shops and restaurants, including a very nice bookstore and the adjoining Alluvian Hotel. And the Crystal Grill restaurant is one of the best in the state.

[@nancystone8303]

If the government hadn't stepped in maybe we'd be in better shape.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

@@jKLa Your comment is false. I don't EVER film on Sundays. It's my one day off a week. This video was filmed on a Tuesday late morning.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

@@jKLa Again, this was NOT filmed on a Sunday. It was filmed on a Tuesday.

[@barokfin]

Just subscribed. I really like how you show places just as they really are. I also like your well-paced narration. You know when to let the scenery do the talking and when to add a judicious comment. Kudos.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Wow, thank you for that, barokfin. You made my day! :)

[@SNicole82]

This is really giving me the “Old South” vibes and not in a good way. I can literally feel what these places experienced during those times. I’m from Texas, so it’s not new to me, but it just feels off. Thank you for documenting.

[@stevennewman8276]

He shows the negative stuff. I was born & raised in the delta in Greenville,MS. Been in Vicksburg almost 20 yrs,both rite on the river. Theres plenty of positives too that arent shown. Its not slaves,plantations & shotgun houses. It was at 1 time. And the blues was born...

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

@@stevennewman8276 What's sad is that you think this is the "negative stuff". For me, there's a stark beauty in these places, places that are far more interesting than modern suburbia. That is why I video them, and definitely not because I think it's negative.

[@stevennewman8276]

@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip yea but when u were in Vburg,u went rite by the old Vburg hotel. The next street is Washington where all the nice shops,some restraunts,art gallerys,etc...& u hit STOP on camera & picked rite up in the ghetto. We have rich,middle class & poor like everywhere else in America

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

@@stevennewman8276 Again, you call it ghetto. I don’t. These are the places I find interesting, and there’s a certain beauty to them. You’re the one with the negative connotations.

[@stevennewman8276]

@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip ur title is Poorest In MS...not mine. Im sure poor folks wanna have that spotlight on em...

[@saraashcroch3551]

Really nice coverage of the Mississippi Delta. Thank You!

[@hb2019]

If you want an intimate portrait of Greenwood, MS, read "Confederacy of Silence" by Richard Rubin. It's about two Greenwood residents accused of murder in 1994. Greenwood is in the same county as the hamlet of Money, MS, where Emmett Till was kidnapped and brutally murdered in 1955 while visiting relatives from Chicago.

[@kathyannpardi9888]

Sad story of Emmitt Till.

[@eugeniabeamon2903]

Maybe one day you ride though Carthage and okolona Mississippi these are small ones also my parents are from those towns

[@paulapii1761]

Mississippi terrifies me.

[@angieang26]

@@paulapii1761 why is that.

[@MsSassySean]

@@paulapii1761 Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas! Texas is the big one for me...

[@motoringbob7556]

My wife and I did a motorcycle trip through this area several years ago. We were definitely the minority race in most areas but the people there - from young teenagers to the senior citizens - were as nice to us as anyone we have every meet. I gained a whole new appreciation for the people of that area.

[@architecture.w]

Whites are less than 10% of the global population.

[@Isayitwithmychest]

They remember how to treat white people, the 50's was not that long ago

[@MsSassySean]

As long as you're not moving there to be their neighbors...cos your son might befriend their daughter. Any one can "be nice" to a passer-by. Don't get it twisted

[@alk3078]

@@MsSassySean Life is a lot better when you aren't so negative.

[@dunstancole8428]

@@MsSassySean 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@RichJCW]

It's really strange to watch you drive through all of these ghost towns from a UK perspective. Abandoned places are a phenomenon that we just don't have here. I'm not saying that there aren't really run down areas here, it's just that they are mostly in cities. Land is at such a premium in the UK that if an area was abandoned, it would immediately be redeveloped.

[@jhwk1970]

I have motorcycled through the delta a few times and it’s both disquieting and fascinating to me. I was told machinery took all the agriculture work, then all the mills that made fabric were out sourced to everyplace on the globe but Mississippi. There aren’t any grocery stores so food is bought at the local gas station/convenience store. Obesity is rampant. Schools are terrible. Medical care…what medical care? There are numerous tiny churches because they are tax exempt. People run their lives through those churches. The people I conversed with were absolutely as nice as they could be. I’d like to go back.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Fascinating observation, Don. And you're totally right on all counts. And I agree, it's a really fascinating - and unnerving - place that's unlike anywhere else in the US.

[@Nooooahhh]

It’s definitely weird. You’ll see more ghost towns in the next few decades with the decline in population. It’ll look crazy when we’re older. I mean, think about it. Nigeria will have a higher population than china.

[@mzdorothyjm]

They not ghost towns 🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️

[@Nooooahhh]

@@jKLa very true, but in time it will only get worse. No they are not ghost towns but they have lost all of they’re former glory and upstanding.

[@davechristian7543]

As a sydney sider iv got to see n learn so so much about your great country America my friend so thank you so much n you stay safe on your travels my friend, cheers.

[@MathVdb]

Great video! Its as if one can picture how it must have been in the 50's, 60's in those rural towns. I've been roadtripping trough 'country Australia'. Many rural towns overhere look very similar! G'day America! God bless!

[@jrodgers1578]

My mother was born here. God lead her back home before she passed away. Greenwood will always have a place in my heart

[@stephenmoerlein8470]

Very eerie seeing downtown areas completely devoid of activity. Thanks for sharing this visit to an area of the country I will probably never see in real life.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you for watching, Stephen! :)

[@rchurch2769]

Surely there is a Wal-Mart somewhere. I'm betting it would be bustling.

[@osoal-shabazz3804]

@@rchurch2769 down there its all about the Dollar General,every town has like 3 of em

[@kevinmoncada5120]

@@rchurch2769 Cleveland is the closest Walmart to Shaw, Shelby, Mound Bayou, Merigold. About a 15 minute drive so not bad. Gas Stations I feel like are the main stores around here

[@kevinmoncada5120]

@@osoal-shabazz3804 Thats not true. They have one dollar general a piece.

[@lgoldman]

I’v never seen downtown Greenwood that empty, and I’ve lived here over 40 years. What you showed was definitely not typical, unless you were there at the crack of dawn.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

I was there about 10:30am on Tuesday, July 5.

[@lgoldman]

@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip I wish it was always that easy to park there!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

It might have been dead because people were recovering from the 4th.

[@samanthacable5966]

I worked in downtown Greenwood for 10 years ending in 2019 and this video is an anomaly! No one at The MS gift company? The banks? Or anywhere on Howard St? There's a reason they had just built two new parking lots between Howard and Main just before I quit working there.

[@kitasamsung]

Hard to believe this area of Greenwood was so vacant...I work and live in Leflore County.

[@seungwaemmanuel134]

This us no poverty. As an African living in Nigeria, I have seen poor communities but this is no poverty compared to what I have seen. You drove on a very motorable road and all the communities have electricity supply and well planned layouts so this is no poverty

[@biblemademedoit]

This is one of the poorest states in our country. When I lived in this region from 1999-2002, there were still communities with families living in poorly built small houses and trailers with no connected plumbing or sewer lines. The towns had decided not to build the systems. People could pay for a permit to connect but they were usually too poor to pay for a new serve line.

[@hughriger6177]

Thank you!!!

[@cnjt159th]

I can pull up places in Nigeria that look better than the worst of Mississippi. Hell when I visited Ghana it was better then where I lived in Alabama

[@sabrinaseacrist5308]

I was going to also comment I do not see where poverty is prevalent here. It just looks like maybe he was driving though on a sunday when everyone was in church.

[@alk3078]

We go to Gulf shores every winter. Love taking the back roads through Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama exploring. The people are friendly and welcoming.

[@tinasears610]

Another great video. So sad to see so many boarded up buildings. Would love to see a video on Tupelo someday. We lived there in the late 80's. Thoroughly enjoy all of your videos.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Tina, your wish is my command. Our Tupelo video will be up tomorrow morning. Spoiler alert - the city is awesome!

[@clb8744]

The downtown is the heart of the city, when it’s run down, it tells the story of how the city is kept. I remember Greenwood MS and Greenville MS from the 1980’s as a beautiful thriving city, this is sad.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Totally agree.

[@loreanjenkins3777]

You're so right. Boeing Corporation had a small operation in Greenville, MS.

[@ShawnTuber_home]

I enjoyed watching. Thanks for sharing 👍

[@Good-Win2015]

Looks much better than 80% of the rest populated areas on Earth

[@kroon1930]

Ok. I am from the Netherlands and at the moment I am binge watching these "drive through" video's. I am absolutely, completely amazed. In all ways imaginable. The difference between what I've seen so far, and my own, densely populated an overly cultivated/planned out country, couldn't be bigger. Literally every square centimetre here is planned and in use. city, village or countryside. Old, abandoned towns/buildings/cars that have been left to their devices for decades are non-existent here. I am absolutely loving the way I get to see things that I probably won't ever see in real life. That absolute "middle of nowhere" feeling is completely foreign to me. In my experience, living a 20 minute drive from a highway already feels like that.... 😆. I mean. The driving time it takes to show us just a portion of a US State, is (I estimate) about the same it takes one to drive from one end of the Netherlands to the other... 🤣.... Talking about differences....😉

[@casioak1683]

Netherlands is just a small country, you won't find something like this often. But USA is really huuuuuge. Not surprising to see abandoned towns since urbanisation.

[@kroon1930]

@@casioak1683 huuuuuuuge is exatly the correct spelling😆. I've only seen about 7 of those video's and already the "huge-ness" is going waaay beyond my comprehension...😆

[@seansmith445]

@@casioak1683 The Netherlands is small but extremely productive. The way farmers there are being forced to sell their farms is really worrying for food production and those who consume it.

[@overyonderways]

I am from middle of nowhere Mississippi. I still living in the magnolia state of hospitality. We had one restaurant one grocery store no fast food places. I ate off the land as many still do. I had to leave because I need an income. My father is willing me all of his land and houses that is how he makes his living is a landlord. Which he rents out house in reasonable condition for 350 per month that is insanely cheap. Part of me wants the nature back and rent a place and live on the land maybe in 10 years. But if you come I will show you Mississippi the rarely seen rural area. Anyways have a good day

[@kroon1930]

@@overyonderways Thank you. Another differene😆. We are one of the largest exporters of food. But only a handfill of Dutch still have like a vegetable garden. But then again, in a 5 minute bike ride there's 4 grocery stores. With every day fresh vegtables and fruit. And countless restaurants. And 1 Mcdonalds. Your offer is very nice😊. But I hate to say there's other places higher on my bucketlist😆. First up; Northern lights. Next up, roadtrip through EU in my oldtimer Volvo😊. Your dad is very nice to rent for such low price. Housing is expensive here as well...

[@LeLe-hd3kf]

I grew up in Greenville, around the 80s/90s, poor financially but rich in family, friends, food, and culture

[@terrellhinton2449]

I have family in Greenville MS the Hinton Jackson Allen Franklin and Kirk Family

[@Trollzrfunni]

Love for Leland ms ❤️

[@Prince_Arcturus]

We are going to Greenville later this year to stay at the Hotel 27 and dine at Does Eat Place.

[@violetmoonofthenorth]

I’m from the uk and it’s interesting to see small towns around the us and buildings you guys have .. this ghost town seems a lonely place such a shame. Great videos seeing different states, there characteristics and Charm

[@jonathanshivel1302]

We are the brokest state in the country, its not many jobs but most people are alright. I still love my state

[@mattcarr2050]

still cooler then the uk

[@JeannieMitchellMyers]

It is the Globalists, I should say communists, goal, to tear down the middle class and for sure ruin the black neighborhoods so they can get on with their world order, now known as the "Great Reset, it will destroy all, globally. They must not win.

[@donnapevey3164]

This man's videos are NOT a correct representation of the towns in Mississippi. He only shows you the worst and cuts out the parts that don't fit his narrative for likes on his video.

[@darrylgoston490]

It just look that why I'm from India ola MS believe me everything ain't what it seems

[@amaliapedro4568]

I would love to live in that small town where only 300 hundred people live,quiet and peaceful ❤❤🙏

[@cheekydemon6131]

Yes, so calm compared to most other places.

[@chinglembanahakpam]

I have not seen such an unique content on KZbin. Love your content. It’s attracting to viewers like me. Seeing such a lost town of America excites me to core.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you for that. You just made my day. :)

[@courtneytolbert8585]

My maternal family is from the delta. There is so much history that is worth knowing BEFORE you drive through. We still have family there. Extraordinary, smart, hard working people.

[@akingn8858]

How bad is the racism in the delta? I am taking my first trip to Mississippi and wanted to go through the delta.

[@gregorylenton8200]

WOW was like driving thru the Great Depression....Thanks Enjoyed My Coffee Watching

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

You're welcome, Gregory. :)

[@kathymateer]

My mother is buried in Meridian, Mississippi. I lived in foster homes after her death. My father was a Navy man and he was driving the Navy motorcycle when they were both hit by a car on Mother’s Day, 1961.

[@creoleladee]

My condolences for the loss of your parents. There weren't any family members you could have lived with? Where is your father buried?

[@Honeycomblife]

Something about Indianola tingles my spidey senses. Its amazing how old buildings are a journey to the past.

[@TitikEnsia]

Mississippi seperti kota kosong hanya beberapa mobil yang lewat, sungguh menarik diikuti sampai akhir, sangat jauh beda sekali dengan hongkong yang ramai, terima kasih explore

[@lgoldman]

I will mention again…the video here of abandoned downtown Greenwood is not at all typical. It was taken on the morning right after a major holiday (July 4). Not that you’d ever confuse Greenwood with Times Square, but there’s more life here than the video would indicate.

[@mstrenakyles4921]

I was born in the Mississippi Delta. I am from Shaw Mississippi. It sure look like a ghost town but, there are peoples there my brother and sister still lives there and I have cousin there also. I miss being down there.

[@brittlyle3523]

Have some friends from Shaw who I went to FAMU with. The Singleton's

[@deloresking9766]

I'm from Greenville my niece married LaSha woods of Shaw.I think there was 9 boys and 2 girls in that family.I sewed nineteen dresses for that wedding.made fifteen bridesmaids bouquets.Cooked tons of food.

[@OKHandleIt]

@@deloresking9766 Excellent! Good on you, Ms. King. Now that's the Mississippi I grew up in! How about those huge trees along Memorial Drive, in Boyle, between Shaw and Cleveland?

[@zollar98]

The blues singer B.B. King was from Indianola, Mississippi.

[@boogitybear2283]

I love that Highway 61.

[@Fastcash4]

@@boogitybear2283 ain’t no highway 61 in Indianola 82,49, & 448

[@stevennewman8276]

Everybody knows that

[@stevennewman8276]

And Morgan Freemans from Clarksdale & Oprahs from Kosiesko & Jim Hensons from Leland & Archi Mannings from Drew & im from Greenville but in Vicksburg 20 yrs

[@stevennewman8276]

And the Crossroads are by Moorehead Comm College. We called it Turkey.

[@peanuttube605]

I was expecting zombies to start chasing you as you drove through Greenwood. Wow, talk about dead city streets.

[@skinbrow-waxqueen]

My husband is from that area and lived in Shaw, Pace, Mound Bayou, Leland, Belzoni, Cleveland and, Indianola in the 60's. He said his family moved a lot wherever his dad could find work and his mother was a teacher at so many schools and she was his teacher also. I myself was born in a very small town outside of Jackson, MS. We met in Chicago.

[@moorishqueenbey2102]

The towns you mentioned are my neck of the woods. Matter of fact majority of my family is still in that area, headed to Shaw this weekend. Our family motto is: Up from the dust!

[@donttreadhere]

@@moorishqueenbey2102 Love that!

[@SundayCookingRemix]

I live in Utica lol

[@skinbrow-waxqueen]

@@SundayCookingRemix I went to school in Utica at Hinds AHS but I never get adjusted so I went back to Chicago.

[@CG-go6jw]

My daughters and I took a a road trip four months ago, and I'm still puzzled by some of the smaller towns we traveled through when visiting family in Mississippi. We traveled from Franklin, Tennessee to Kosciusko, Mississippi. It was our VERY FIRST time EVER seeing cotton fields, it was definitely a, "oh wow" moment....but anywho...when we arrived to our destination in Mississippi I explained to my family how I've never seen "country town backroads" a day in my life. The areas we'd driven through my family was very unfamiliar with, and them being from Mississippi I thought for sure they'd be familiar with these places. It still bothers me right now because I really would love to know the exact places my daughters and I traveled through (I know that sounds crazy, but we were strictly going off GPS). If I remember correctly there was a town (very small) named "Smithville" , and it looked as if time just stopped in that area. I was also amazed at the combination of Family Dollar and Dollar Tree merged as one. I know the route the GPS had taken us led us to the Natchez Trace, and that led us into Kosciusko. I've been looking at so many KZbin videos, as well as googling small towns in Alabama and Mississippi to find these towns. I saw one confederate flag being used as a window curtain in someone's trailer sitting out in the middle of nowhere.

[@acsentu8]

I live in a small Mississippi town named Flora. We have a lot of historic buildings here. I work in a local restaurant and the building is over 100 years old. We have a picture on the wall what it used to be, and that was a drug store with old fashion soda fountain bar, similar to the one in the movie "It's a Wonderful Life". Our local library has many old photos of the past, with noted history of the houses and buildings. We are a small museum all our own!

[@angelmonty3121]

How towns are upgraded here in Africa is different from US.For a town to get status of a city here in Kenya,it will be so much developed and with alot going on there..money circulation,cleaniness and much more..

[@ripeforthepickingbyedm]

America should be ashamed of it's self sending money to so many other countries when it's country has so much need of it's own! Real Talk‼️💯

[@Wolfgangersen]

Especially spending $$$ to Ukraine, we don't even need to be involved with the Russian-Ukrainian war.

[@erinmette307]

I believe it's time to rise up in disarmament of our government how dare they send anymore money to other countries and how dare they bring anymore people from other countries in here our people need the help everyone should be disgusted I believe that most politicians are corrupt and need to be relieved of their jobs which obviously they aren't doing and all of them need to give the taxpayers back their money

[@randallbevansr5200]

Dat reel talk,caus I keeps it 100,no wat im sayin?

[@naturalblockade3412]

Why do you think that what people in these towns need is money? And money for what? Food? Clothing?

[@naturalblockade3412]

@@kellygeorge8678 the US has been sending aid (not necessarily money) several countries before Biden was born.

[@thetrustysidekick3013]

People from other southern states used to say "If you're going to MS, set your clock back a year, and your calendar 50 years".

[@auraterry3548]

😂😂😂

[@danieljones8909]

I lived in Mize till the 60s then moved to Lambert the heart of the Delta. Lived next door to cotton gin and would run down the street and catch rides on the cotton wagons back to the gin..Oh such wonderful childhood memories..I'm 75 now what I wouldn't give to go back and do it again. Thank You Sir for bringing back Fond Memories..

[@donttreadhere]

My mom grew up in Tensas Parish. She grew up picking cotton. She left as soon as she graduated from HS. We spent every summer w/ our grandparents. One month in Tensas Parish w/ her parents and one month with my Dads In Natchitoches . My grandfather farmed the land his entire life. I have to say that Tensas Parish was not my favorite month of the summer. I saw the movie ET with my cousins at the closest movie theater, Vicksburg Mississippi. All the places you have driven look a lot like what I remember. I remember going to town, Newellton. There was a piggly Wiggly & a pharmacy. I had relatives that lived in town but I could never figure out how they supported themselves. I remember it was very segregated in the 80s. My grandpa's house burnt down in the late 90s. He barely survived. He fell out the window and he drove the lawn mower to my aunt's home in his underwear. My aunt lived in a home that should have been condemned. No toilet. Floor rotted. They were farmers too. Rumor is my uncle really didn't like farming. Interesting fact though, three of my cousins died of cancer in their early 30s. I went back in 2014 after I passed. I buried her ashes next to my grandparents. I was flabbergasted by What I saw. There was a gas station & that was about it. Dirty. I don't remember seeing a single person except the lady at the Cemetery. A Cemetery full of Guins and Smiths. I don't know if we are related to any Smiths. I just remember bc there were so many ! There is no way to support yourself there unless you farm. There is nothing remotely close. It makes me sad. But I have enjoyed driving in these towns. I remember some of the homes looked a lot like some did when I was a kid. Just not so many.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you for the great comment.

[@garthlyon]

Thank for the witness!

[@SundayCookingRemix]

Natchez lol

[@iflick7235]

Some of the harshest drug laws in the Western Hemisphere. A Mississippi man received life without the possibility of parole for possession of an ounce and a half of cannabis. Where are all the people? The penitentiary.

[@joefray3968]

Facts

[@jeremiahthehebrew8744]

Damn,I know he's pissed

[@JamesJones-cx5pk]

He was already a violent fellon.

[@JamesJones-cx5pk]

Blacks vote Democrat. Why won't the Democrats help them?

[@jeremiahthehebrew8744]

@@JamesJones-cx5pk man,take that comment to another video your fake political views was not asked for.

[@edwallace2828]

The Pine Belt in Mississippi has a few of these towns as well. Note there are some prosperous towns, especially near Memphis or along the Gulf Coast. Oxford is really nice. The other big college town, Starksville is ok. I liked Tupelo. Looked like a lot of investment was going on.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Absolutely. We just finished 3 days in Tupelo and that city is beautiful. We drove through Oxford - beautiful also.

[@fionafox420]

I live in Starkville, it’s pretty nice. I also lived in Laurel, which is small, but also a nice place to live.

[@terrellhinton2449]

Oxford is very nice I'm 1 hr away from there

[@michaeldavis7614]

Yep the gulf coast has a lot of visitors every year, that's where I'm from

[@chasealford6038]

Just got through with a paid internship in Oxford @UM, and while it is a beautiful town, I wouldn't wanna raise a family there due to the severe amount of underage drinking and hookup culture. Night life and sports are the main thing going for it. Starkville is a little bit more lax but it still suffers from the same hedonism. They're both better than Jackson though.

[@evelyngatlin7890]

I'm from Indianola it was nice to see my hometown, I still have lots of family Indianola, but my family moved to Chicago when I was 12, I haven't been back there since 2006 hope to go back to visit soon.

[@oldironfarms929]

Years ago when those towns were established there were small farmers with small fields surrounded in huge hardwood forest . There was enough work back then to support the towns . You had the harvest and milling of the timber which was highly valued as well as the agriculture which took a lot more man power back then due to small if any machinery the farmers to work with . As the forest was cleared and sold off . There is very little timber left and land is farmed using large modern equipment . We just do not have the work here to support the community anymore its very sad to see these once thriving towns suffer such hard times.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Yep. I mostly saw huge farms, nothing small, which is sad.

[@CHAINZAWRECORDS]

I love the serenity of this town ♥

[@bthomson]

How lucky are we that you find these towns as interesting as we do! Not everybody's cup of tea!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you, B! Yeah, I'm fascinated by them. They've got a grimy beauty to them that I love seeing.

[@barokfin]

I’m strangely attracted to rundown industrial areas. Nice sandy beaches and clear blue skies? Forget about it. Give me scrapyards, steel mills and abandoned redbrick factories, I’m happy!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

@@barokfin Well, stay tuned! That's mostly what I'm filming from now on. :)

[@cabnfvr2011]

I grew up in Gulfport, MS and went to college at Delta State University in Cleveland, MS. I’m familiar with all the towns in this video. Lol. Definite culture shock when I moved to Cleveland. Only went to DSU because one of my best friends from high school talked me into it.

[@m.t.burton8111]

My grandfather was a Methodist pastor there until he was 92.

[@bballmomma5900]

My daughter (and her husband)played basketball at Delta St and graduated there too. We enjoyed going to watch her play and visiting that area. We had a 4 hour drive to get there and loved taking photos of random buildings,stores, and farms on the way. And the occasional crop duster too :)

[@chasealford6038]

DSU is a beautiful campus with great professors; it's just small/not a party town like Starkville or Oxford.

[@darrelchovanec9150]

My son played baseball at Delta State in Cleveland, MS. We had an eleven hour drive to get there from our home near the Texas coast. I went through this area many times over the 5 years he was in college there but actually Cleveland is a nice little city, and the people were very nice wherever we went in MS. My son still has very fond memories of his time there from fall of 2009 until spring 2014.

[@patmcraig45]

I went to Delta state also

[@magnificent6668]

I did a roadtrip through the delta a few years ago. I was shocked by the poverty in some of those little towns & lack of industry. I went through Greenwood and it wasn't that dead! Then again, Mississippi in July is hot as hell. I don’t imagine there's tons of pedestrians.

[@clintcoop5717]

It is way to hot in the South nobody even wants to go outside 💯

[@davidarmitage289]

Thanks for giving us a tour! Mississippi is on my bucket list of states to visit so this was perfect.

[@manfrommars]

thanks for take your time sharing, it ever like the lovely city in the past.

[@karenlarkins5429]

My Dad lived in Tupelo, MS, as a child, and later moved to Michigan. We rarely heard him speak of his hometown, and we never visited Mississippi for as long as he lived. He did mention once or twice how he and one of his cousin used to work with farmers, I guess doing something with the watermelons and cantaloupes? He always loved to eat those, and bought them for the family every summer. I visited Jackson State University to sing with a group I was touring with, in the 80’s. The heat was unbelievable! One of the staff said that the air had to be on all the time, otherwise they’d suffocate!

[@Vlad2319]

Tupelo is arguably thriving. Although crime is pretty high. It's definitely not the same tupelo he grew up with.

[@gentryneal27]

Tupelo Mississippi is a great place. You need to come visit

[@43jdl]

Tupelo is booming due to Elvis' home and casinos.

[@sierraturner1023]

My grandmother was from Mississippi and she never talked about it either! She and my great grandmother also moved to Michigan in the 40’s. Very common migration pattern!

[@CaptainChapin]

He did the smart thing and got tf out

[@redrobin99]

New subscriber here,too. Just found you. Great job! Interesting to see such drastic population changes.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you for watching, Sally. :)

[@markaralvin7919]

Hello Sally

[@kasangasaddler2724]

My mother and grandmother were originally from Greenwood. My mother left for college in Memphis and never returned. My grandma soon followed.

[@Imissyoulou]

Can you blame her?

[@kasangasaddler2724]

@@Imissyoulou I can not. Actually, a few years ago my husband and I were going to go back to Greenwood just to see the place. We were looking for a hotel online. We ended up spending the night just reading the reviews, that were so bad they were hilarious. I’m thankful my mother and grandmother left.

[@phyllisreese6476]

kasanga saddler.. Good for your mother and grandmother...I have friends, who did the same..And never looked / went back..

[@wakeup555]

This channel is much fun with excellent content keep up the good work

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you!!

[@bighomie_rayweezy]

Ole Rosedale, my hometown...... and also the hometown of ex NFL players Tim and Fred Barnett. Thanks for riding through my city ..🙌🏾🙌🏾

[@Onlyasking-b3s]

Forgotten towns are so sad to me. Marshall Oklahoma was a booming little town until the freeway bypassed it and they died down to just a few people who still love it

[@vilstef6988]

In a lot of the small town drivearounds, it's amazing how little traffic or activity there is.

[@jessewebb6183]

I'm from Greenville, and while you didn't go there, I spent a lot of time in Greenwood, Indianola, etc. as my parents ran a plumbing company and took on a lot of work in the Delta. It's such a sad area, stuck 25+ years behind the rest of the country, and is nothing but poor farmers. There used to be so much manufacturing in the Delta until it all moved away overnight. I still love the Delta, and I visit my family still there, but I would never move back.

[@focusedimensionsllc3178]

I’m from Greenville as well…graduated high school (T.L. Weston) in 1990…I graduated Alcorn State in 1995 and moved from Mississippi…I live in STL Metro area but was home for high school reunion a couple weeks ago over Labor Day weekend…it’s definitely a different place from my youth…

[@creoleladee]

@@focusedimensionsllc3178 Curious; What are most of those with whom you graduated high school doing these days?

[@focusedimensionsllc3178]

@@creoleladee ironically, over the course of the last 32 years, there’s on been a small contingent of classmates that actually participate in the reunion activities approximately 20% of a graduating class of 133. Having said that, those that relocated are rather progressive in chosen careers (education, civil service, military, corporate and/or entrepreneurship). For those that remained or moved back, many are leading productive lives in many of those industries as well. Some have inevitably taken the place/role of those neighborhood caricatures that we grew up hoping and vowing never to become (convict, addict, absentee parent, noncommittal relationships, underemployed with low expectations , etc). This is not meant to be classism or elitist persona of one forgetting your roots, but more of an authentic self-reflection of my journey from the Delta still filled with enduring love and motivated memories of my humble beginnings…

[@imagohouse7412]

I'm from Mound Bayou...born and raised. Graduated high school in 1992 and it was already on the decline from its greatness. I can't believe how much it has changed in the last 30 years. My mother still lives there, I was just home a month ago. Thanks for shedding light on these jewels that may not be around in another 30 years. Side note: as soon as you crossed the tracks in Indianola it got real. Another side note, it's Merigold not Marigold.

[@epp.5593]

Thank you for your video. I really enjoy watching them. It gives me the opportunity to see the world.

[@cisium1184]

I'm guessing you were there on a Sunday? Greenwood's no bustling metropolis but it usually has a bit more activity than that. Mississippi is a fascinating place, certainly different from where I grew up, but I have generally found its people to be welcoming and friendly. I lived there for three years and discovered that a lot of the buildings you think are empty are in fact not. That rundown agricultural look is now considered kitschy-cool, and surprisingly often a storefront or warehouse that looks abandoned from the outside actually houses a little restaurant or other small business.

[@jamesbrooks3664]

Omg that place looks depressing! This makes me appreciate where I live even more!

[@JostenDooley]

Exactly I couldn't even imagine wanting to move to a place like this.

[@jackieallen3344]

I’ve been all through the state of Mississippi from Gulfport to Corinth. I would say this is a pretty good representation of Mississippi.

[@offlier]

Laziness kills

[@shunnamaewilliams9989]

@@offlier Alot of people have to drive upwards to an hour to get to work they ain't lazy. Alot of them are not worried about it. They're use to traveling to get what they need. I'm sure they would love to have that extra hour to spend with their families but it ain't accessible to them. Look at the population count People been leaving the Delta for Decades Most Black People from the Midwest can be traced back to the Delta The State of Mississippi dropped the ball on the entire Delta.

[@hoopty.]

@@jackieallen3344 Mississippi is getting it's karma for it's horrible past, and the mindset of the people today. That is what you get.

[@Alex-rl4uy]

I live in southern rural Mississippi. The north part is a lot nicer than down here.

[@1jh963]

Tq this is The best place I seen in usa Please Show more such wonderful town

[@justmyopinion9883]

I notice that there are no homeless encampments, even in the very poor towns. Interesting. Thank you for sharing this video.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

You’re right. I didn’t see that anywhere.

[@kramalerav]

Opposite from California, MS has one of the very lowest costs of living of all 50 States. That’s why you don’t see many homeless vagrants. In other words, it’s a poor state but it’s affordable.

[@justmyopinion9883]

@@kramalerav Thank you. I hadn’t thought of that.

[@robbinperers8526]

Crop rotations from corn, soybeans, cotton, rice to a few catfish ponds is the cash guru. A few own all the farmland and lease it out while everything else is retail. The occasional cantaloupe and watermelon mostly come from walmart inside the front entrance in large boxes for the customers to pick thru. From a neighbor farmers backyard but the money is walmart now. The roadsides still have produce but its mostly tailgaters simply trying to make 20-30 bucks a day. There are some large produce sheds along the way that also offer, gifts, souvenirs, books, clothes but nothing jaw dropping or spectacular. Kermit and sprocket are still in their museum just down the road in Leland...about 10 visitors a week. The museum is built-up on a small waterway next to the highway that you do not want fish out of. It all seems pleasantly peaceful in these video's. It all seems as though that "next house" "that next opportunity" is vastly waiting for you. It is not. The Mississippi Delta, by geographic is the largest poverty stricken area by land mass in The United States. Hell's Kitchen and The Florida Panhandle are just as poverty stricken but "The Delta" is geographically the largest. The great expanse of nothing stretching for hundreds of miles makes it difficult to impossible to keep a gallon of gas much less afford a move. This is the one place where "free-traders" made their millions and still make it and those providing it have to borrow on assistance for gas to go to church. The land is rich (known as "buckshot or gumbo"). Hard as a brick when it is dry and soupy as quick-sand when wet. So, ol' shotgun houses seal up cracks with old car tags and tar paper while they feed NAFTA their corn. You work for the government in some capacity or you bounce your employment for life. It will not be stable. Delta State University is made up of professors from outside the delta. Those that live there now are directly linked to the university. Its still gumbo underneath it all. The die-hards on the gulf coast say to hell with everyone else. The die-hards in The Delta say to hell with everyone else. Mississippi is split in twain. Until the rift is bonded neither looks at the other as "Mississippi." The Delta is cool to visit. Make sure you have gas money. A fixture. The Gulf Coast is cool to visit and all seen in one day and gone the next. Transient. Both look at the other as bloodsuckers on the state economy. Amazing Grace sung by the owners.

[@karo2950]

Hells Kitchen is currently being gentrified as you write. Queens is next and the Bronx will be last. Things do change.

[@clintcoop5717]

Where is hella kitchen???

[@angie4now438]

@@clintcoop5717 New york

[@MatindianGirl06]

It's amazing, all of the towns that you had driven through, they all have nice vehicles....well there was a 225 sitting in the corner of a building. No one was walking or sitting outside.

[@Imissyoulou]

You have got to have a car to get around. There is no public transportation in most of these towns, if any.

[@FloridaGirl-]

No one is sitting outside this time a day! IT’S Hot and humid in the summer big time!

[@latoniaclay943]

I spent some time in Coahoma and Clarksdale MS. My father, Dr. Macskill, lived in Mound Bayou and work in the free clinic there. It's so sad to see how these towns has become empty and ghostly.

[@carolkokx9638]

So sad

[@miguelsoriano6885]

I like your video thanks for sharing

[@UweJMeyer]

Good afternoon from Germany, your pictures explain a lot what is the situation in the USA today. Great vlog.

[@michaeldavis7614]

Love the downtown area! I want to take a trip up that way soon.

[@sincerely9187]

I grew up accross the bridge in helena. As a kid, I remember visiting this town with my grandparents. My grandfather sister lived there. I have to say that it's reputation preceded it so it was like going to a furneral anytime we crossed that Mississippi bridge

[@henrydaniels6807]

Ur talking about Greenville ms not greenwood !!

[@dfrasu]

I loved the backwards N on the Chinese Food sign. Everything’s nice fairly neat and abandoned. I’m sure life is challenging there.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

I loved that too. I drove around specifically to film it! :)

[@dfrasu]

@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip I knew you did! If you ever wanna be bored to death come visit me in green valley Arizona. Thanks for the vids you guys and sharing part of your life. I travel a lot but I’m old now. I can still do it but I don’t freaking want to. What’s next Europe?

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Europe eventually, but there's a lot to see here still in the US. In a few weeks we'll be heading to places like Cumberland, MD, Morgantown WV and then up into upstate New York. Lots of fascinating smaller cities up there!

[@boivilla7458]

I live in Toronto Canada....I've never been in Mississippi Delta ...YET.!...someday I will visit that beautiful place....it seems like the place you are showing here is just quiet....it don't shows they are poor....beautiful houses....clean and peaceful....compared to other American cities....I have families in Irvine California.... Friends I Florida....relatives in Georgia...and San Francisco....thank you for this video trip...really enjoyed and appreciated.... Your new subscriber from Canada.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

It really grows on you as you're there. I've become a big fan of the place! Plus I love blues music, and it's the best place to hear it.

[@arupbarman7845]

Very nice and very culm beautiful old citys

[@RBS.2]

We are from Brasil 🇧🇷 Estamos te acompanhando. Sucesso pra ti.

[@gggibson8388]

Not just the Delta..the whole country has towns like this..it began in the early 90s when manufacturing began its exodus..and went overseas.

[@shardunc5187]

You must show folks footage of gulf coast Biloxi, etc. you'll have ppl. thinking all of Mississippi looks like that we have some beautiful towns.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

I just did a video of Tupelo, a really beautiful small city. Will be heading to Gulf Port and Biloxi this fall.

[@michaeldavis7614]

Yep gulf coast is pretty at nite riding down the strip, the road in Biloxi to Gulfport.

[@rhiophiri6857]

thank you for showing such naturally beautiful places in the USA

[@stephensepan291]

I enjoy your travels very much . THANK YOU.

[@terrellhinton2449]

I'm from Marks Mississippi near Clarksdale MS I love the Delta my family roots came from the Delta.

[@m.t.burton8111]

My family's from Clarksdale. The Burtons.

[@terrellhinton2449]

@@m.t.burton8111 My family in Clarksdale is the Hinton family

[@m.t.burton8111]

My uncle was the judge there until recently, Judge J. Burton. Wow, he knows your family.

[@terrellhinton2449]

@@m.t.burton8111 Judge that's great I'm finna ask my Cousin Debbie Hinton the Burton family

[@leanhankins7749]

I am from Marks Mississippi quitman county in the house 🏠

[@mar0364]

Did a little research. Read's like a lot of other small towns. That people lived happily in long ago. Time passed the place by. Agriculture, industry and chemical production were some of it's major industry. It all dried and went away. Indian removal act, Civil War, Slavery, town flattened by Union troops and rebuilt. We don't have a lot of places in America where still water run deep but the South is the exception.

[@bettyhudson979]

Long ago white people lived happily but not the black citizens. Living under fear and oppression isn’t living happily.

[@daisyterry9508]

You know what the sad thing is, these people re-elect the same do nothing politicians year after year!!🤔 Why???

[@jamessmith-wm2qe]

Bennie Thompson

[@daisyterry9508]

@@jamessmith-wm2qe 'moscow Mitch'

[@Valmontst]

Exactly!!

[@Nicki-q4m]

Like how Californians always electe dems no matter how much dems ruin the state year after year

[@daisyterry9508]

@@Nicki-q4m How do you explain Jackson Mississippi, that has no clean drinking water?? How about the folks who die every time the the grid fails in Texas?? Red states, last I checked⁉️⁉️ Should we talk about the Bret Favre and the ex-governor of Mississippi, using welfare money to build a gym for Bret favres daughters school!! If memory serves me, I didn't make mention of a political affiliation, you did!!

[@carrollarry4103]

I am from friars point Mississippi left when I was about ten had a great childhood

[@josephineoliver9499]

I've watched this from Australia, thank you for sharing. I've watched a movie where I think the elderly gentleman may have had dementia and he kept talking about his hometown Indianola, apologies if I spelt that wrong..and I just remembered the movie, it was Mississippi Masala with Denzel Washington..and a couple of the other city names sounded familiar to me too. Looking forward to your next video, my Mum and I big fans of Elvis, she's been gone for quite some time now though 😔