LOUISIANA: Towns Where Entire Families Live On $500 Weekly

[@RhondaBaker-q5j]

When you were in Homer , La snd heard the siren it was fire department letting the volunteers know there was a fire. I was born here and moved back from Texas five years ago . I work with Main Street rebuilding our town . You walked in front of our museum that was an old hotel . Michaels Men’s Store is 80 year old family business. Main Street rest has beautiful homes and we have a large employment at our hospital. Lake Clairborne is 19 miles out of town and tons of people live there . World class fishing and beautiful state park . Port Au Prince is there with wonderful catfish and steaks . We have a lot to offer do come back sometime. We watch all of your videos Rhonda and David Baker

[@latonyagreen-warner7402]

My people are from Summerfield. I really loved my childhood summers there

[@ChantalLeblanc-c6n]

Thanks for filling us in. I was curious.

[@jeffgo8658]

Thank you for the info as it was very unusual siren. . Greetings from South East Asia.

[@-OICU812-]

On such a pretty day, it was a wonder that the tornado alarm didn't go off as well. Yep, I live here to. 😜

[@heatherstephens9295]

Greetings from New Zealand 🇳🇿🇳🇿 We live in a small town & have a Volunteer Fire Service - our siren sounds quite different to yours. It sure gets the boys running day & night 😂😂

[@JonathanDeaux]

Tip for you when touring old towns in Louisiana. When you are looking at stone finished buildings, (courthouses, town halls, churchs) look at the corners of the buildings for cornerstones, many times they will have inscriptions or plaques with historical information.

[@bonniehall578]

Means was wealth at one time Probably cotton farming.

[@hettiecarries6450]

Campti is a really poor town on highway 71,across the river from Natchitoches. That river makes the difference between Campti and Natchitoches.

[@mistyblu91]

The house at 7 min 22 sec into the video was the home I grew up in. 5500 sqft 2 story white stucco built in the early 1900s. We moved out in the early 2010s and still owned the home with lots of our childhood things inside. A few years ago someone broke into the house with a mental illness and started a fire. The house was so old it did not take long for it to burn down. We are left with only pictures and our memories. Haynesville is a dying town and it makes me sad to see it.

[@CrucialRed]

go restore it

[@RubyRails-rk4vi]

So sad to hear. That's the pain forever. Why you moved to different place?

[@Dman216]

@@RubyRails-rk4vi the place is a mess if you havent noticed

[@allyelena5591]

​@@CrucialRed we couldn't. 2 million to restore before the vol fire dept burned it down.

[@latonyagreen-warner7402]

My people are from Summerfield. Beautiful hunting country. I would love to retire there

[@gdm415]

I showed my 90 year old aunt this video. She grew up in Bernice and spent alot of time in Homer. We really enjoyed a trip down memory lane especially for her. She left Bernice as a teen and spent over 20years in the airforce. Seeing your videos put a smile of her face. You got a new subscriber.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

@@gdm415 Wow, that is amazing. 😀👍

[@tanyawashington6338]

Bernice LA my son’s father’s family is from here. 🙏🏾✨❤️ sending love to Bernice and Monroe LA

[@gdm415]

​@tanyawashington6338 spent alot of summers vistitng there from the 80s and onward. My mother is from there. Last name Ivory.

[@jamiemcgill67]

Where does she live now?

[@gdm415]

@jamiemcgill67 she lives in Colorado now. But always comes back to bernice every year. She still has her childhood home there ;)

[@Duty2rebel1976]

As a Bernician, thank you for sharing our small town. We don’t have much, but we love each other deeply.

[@Poppi-G]

Greetings from Spearsville

[@jasonsliger5430]

I live about 2 hrs east of there in Northeastern Louisiana. If you have a job making $500.00 per week, you’re doing well!

[@900stx7]

There's lots of people who would love to have $500 a week.

[@robertdailey5112]

I agree with you making 500 a week your not poor for sure

[@1962JULY]

If this is true, I'm retiring there from the Greater Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area!!!

[@margaretwilliams7155]

I came here to say 500 a week is a lot for some. I live in Louisiana. Families of 5 may live off $900 a month. A portion of the 7 million unemployed men live with a head of household woman. His mother, sister, or girlfriend(s).

[@margaretwilliams7155]

If these small towns had more opportunities, the SSI rate would go down. Along with crime. Eliminate poverty. Eliminate crime.

[@eye8252]

Fascinating video with no bad music but natural sounds. great

[@60sbabydoll777]

I’m officially obsessed with these small town USA videos!! They remind me of the American movies and tv shows I watch, like Stranger Things and True Detective lol. Watching from Zambia 🇿🇲 thanks for filming these!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Awesome!

[@danyellruhman1511]

Bit of info: In Haynesville the Piggly Wiggly moved locations across town. It is now a Spring Market/Brookshires. The abandoned church shown in the first part of the video burned several years ago. First Baptist Church was at the other end of Main is over 100 years old. It is beautiful. That is where the sound of the bells came from. Our great football stadium in the park was built in the 40's and the football team (The Golden Tornado) are 17 time State Champs. Haynesville native Doug Evans played for the Green Bay Packers and in the Superbowl. As I was reminded of by another commenter. There is a beautiful 18 hole golf course near that stadium and a nice park. The horn sound in Homer is an alarm for volunteer fire department/1st responders. Haynesville has the same system. Both have top notch fire departments & first responders. Not a lot left in Claiborne Parish but there are good people with a lot of heart. Haynesville is the home of celebrated fashion designer Geoffrey Beene and musical genius Jens Nygard who started the Jupiter Symphony in New York City. I live in Jens Nygard's childhood home. ( Moving documentary/movie about him online.) Thanks for stopping by. Should have stopped in Jimmy's for a shrimp & fish plate and talked to some locals. They would have welcomed you. Safe travels.

[@danyellruhman1511]

@@CurlyLocksRock Hi! It is also my hometown. I moved away to Houston for years but came back home.

[@greenmother1960]

Piggly Wiggly relocated into the building vacated by Fred's. They did not build anything. The church and my burned house were set afire about the same time by a homeless person trying to keep warm in the dead of winter, NOT an arsonist. Noted that you forgot Haynesville residents who played in the NFL, namely Doug Evans who won Super Bowl 31 with the Green Bay Packers. How could you forget that, Danyell Ruhman 1511? Oh, never mind, I know......

[@danyellruhman1511]

@greenmother1960 My point was we didn't lose the grocery store. They did a remodel after relocation. I didn't think of the great ball players this morning. I don't watch much professional football nor do I usually get a chance to enjoy the Superbowl games. I do remember Douglas Evans. I do enjoy college games when able to watch and we also currently have players on college teams. A whole list of them actually. I do love our Golden Tornado as I am an alumi of the class of 1993. Charge it to my head, not my heart.

[@danyellruhman1511]

I had no idea the person that had lit the fire was homeless but it was burned down. You missed the point obviously. I love my hometown and tried listing some things. I didn't catch it all. I am sorry about your burned house as well as the church!

[@greenmother1960]

@@danyellruhman1511 i haven't missed anything. arson denotes intent, and that homeless man did not intend to burn down any structure he'd been sleeping in. it was video taken by a trail cam at my burned house he'd been sleeping in that got him arrested. Tell me, would you purposely and with intent burn down the house YOU sleep in? Then why would he?

[@SusanBarrett-so6ty]

My parents are from Haynesville and my grandparents lived there until the last one died in 2004. I went to Haynesville last week with my mother and neither of us had been there in 20 years. We went by my mom's old house and my dad's old house. I didn't think the town looked that bad. It's always been tiny. It once had a lot of oil money but that was 100 years ago. My grandparents are all from south Arkansas and north Louisiana and managed to make a living and raise a family there. I very much enjoyed your video and giving me a glimpse of a town I remember fondly and then actually had a reason to make it over there from where I live now in Texas.

[@johnwalbridge2430]

I'm a 67 yo man living from one temporary situation to the next on $300 a week social security. You should expose this largest growing demographic, homeless seniors in Michigan and all over America.

[@Daniel-xp8ct]

Your situation is sad, you live in a country that does not guarantee the minimum of dignity to its citizens. From the outside, the US looks like hell on Earth. You have been lied to with nationalist propaganda since childhood, making you feel proud of the flag and everything else. See what he received in return at the end of his life.

[@lorrie5881]

I wish I got 300/ week.. get 725.00/ month and I still have to work to make ends meet

[@mrsblue3011]

Oh brother you are not the only one trying to live off 300 a week. I usually run out of money after three weeks. I need to get rid of the internet and my cell phone. Also I must get on food stamps. I will make it. My rent is 400. I don’t know why I’m telling you this. We will make bye and bye. Thank you Jesus.

[@LEVELGAZANOW]

Well, it’s good thing the Government imposed a Social Security tax so you would have something to live on. Imagine if your irresponsibility to plan for retirement was met without Social Security

[@AnnetteSchexnayder]

@@LEVELGAZANOWdo you realize Louisiana is the highest paid taxes in the country and the minimum wage is still $7.25 an hour. If an individual stayed in Louisiana it was because they had no way out. Politicians in this state are some of the top paid politicians with retirement and healthcare! Maybe a foreign country will have a land grab and build businesses there to bring life back into those communities!

[@roneagle8038]

That was a volunteer fire alarm in Homer! Unusual, but effective!

[@mikefreeman9251]

We have one of those in my town in utah, once had my family from out of town freaked out that it was a nuclear war alarm

[@CubCreekRed]

Thanks for that! I was curious. 😊

[@WombleUK]

Thanks for clarifying, I was hoping someone would explain what it was.

[@freedomisthechoicesyoumake8594]

It’s HOUMA 😂😂😂 not HOMER

[@roneagle8038]

@@freedomisthechoicesyoumake8594 HOMER is the Parish Seat for Claiborne Parish. Try Harder, or maybe just pay attention! HOMER LOUISIANA is the town he was talking about with the weird fire alarm. HOUMA is a city in TERREBONNE Parish. I don't know if they have a weird fire alarm.

[@teresastrahan6556]

Unfortunately there are many families wishing they had $500 a week to live on. The economy of now and the past have thrown so many people into hard struggles. Small towns in Louisiana are still the most friendly and helpful to help out each other the best they can, which makes these towns special.

[@seanpetaia]

Stop voting Democrat, that what they wanted for US STRUGGLE.

[@GeeB-bi8id]

Yeah but poor !

[@rodneybryant6543]

@@GeeB-bi8id A lot of folks are poor, but if u aren't living below legal poverty unless it's a large family.

[@GMY716]

And with the dems it will be worse

[@Mike-cq5ex]

Exactly!

[@rangers7259]

As a Brit, your videos on small town rural USA are absolutely fascinating… my favourite KZbin channel…👏👏👍🇺🇸🇬🇧

[@asrr62]

Well as an American, I can't tell the difference between anywhere. it all looks like run down small towns to me.

[@terrancepack3211]

@@asrr62does this not concern you? As an American, these videos are not only interesting but deeply alarming. To me, they signal the systemic dismantling of American life.

[@earlwheelock7844]

Thats America changing as it constantly has for over 200yrs, BUT I agree with you, its changing but not in a good way, ( wonder what we will look like in another 100yrs)!!! 🤒😷😭😭

[@terrancepack3211]

@@earlwheelock7844 in this world, change is constant. But the problems seem to stay the same, and only evolve slightly with time. We are dealing with an oppressive government, exactly what our founding fathers sought to prevent against with the constitution, which has been trampled. I hope the we as a country can get back to the fundamental ideas that made this country so great for so long.

[@KaykayWright-x2l]

Actually it's not first off Piggly Wiggly didn't close down we got a new store build second of all he only showed the abandoned houses and buildings trying to down grade our town for likes but if you gone make a documentary about a town or city why not include everything from the good to the bad .

[@marcusemoore4306]

This is every city and most families in Louisiana

[@rondo2hunna133]

Facts Louisiana sucks tbh

[@AKiddGDeux]

Coming from a New Orleanian you are not wrong

[@YaYaPaBla]

@@rondo2hunna133Louisiana doesn’t suck. The greedy governments suck!

[@rondo2hunna133]

@ can’t argue that 💯the gov is the main problem to everybody so your right

[@lilduke1202]

@@rondo2hunna133never roun Louisiana foe life 💯💯⚜️⚜️🫡

[@lillypad9960]

I love your videos. I've often wondered what small town life would be like in the South. Now I know and have decided I am happy where I am. Thank you. I'll just continue to watch from home. Blessings from Michigan.

[@jamiemcgill67]

No there are towns that went bust in the south decades ago and there are towns that are in great economic shape. Just like most regions- the haves and the have nots.

[@jonathanzytkoskee9740]

This isn’t a representation of the entire south…can’t believe that has to be said

[@cecoya]

Thank you for sharing these small towns with us. You talk about the $$$ they bring into the household being so little but you do realize that the Federal minimum wage is only $7.25 an hour, and $2.13 an hour for people that make tips. It is amazing that they survive in this world on that, but they have learned to and still make a living. They are probably happier there in their small town as well. Have a great day and safe travels

[@Daniel-xp8ct]

The average Chinese lives with much more dignity and affluence than the average American today. Do you agree?

[@jamiemcgill67]

Yes I’ve agonized over this for years. I went to school here but I love big cities. Cost of living is extremely low in these tiny towns that haven’t had good economies in decades. Big cities, you make a lot more money, but you have to pay $1200, $1400, $1600/month for a 1-bedroom apartment, or more. If you buy a house in the big city or a condominium, you have property taxes, MUD taxes, and upkeep costs that the board members make you pay as they have decided to replace the roof etc. It all depends on what is best in your personal situation. I’ve tried big cities, now I’m trying to live in the country and commute to a small town.

[@titusllewelyn]

I am a Haynes. I do have ties to the Haynes' from Haynesville. One of the founders is my great uncle. I am told that there were actually three Haynes families that came at different times and were not known to be related. The story goes that two Haynes brothers signed up for a homestead in what is known as the Louisiana Purchase which much of was the Missouri Territory. The families left Georgia and came west on a wagon train. One brother came to what is now known as Haynesville. The second brother (Henry Haynes) continued on to the area of Patmos Arkansas. Henry is my grandfather. Haynesville was actually formed and located about two miles south of present day Haynesville. When the railroad came through they moved the town north to the present location. They left behind the cemetery which is still there today. Homer was pretty much destroyed when a Wal-Mart was built there and then closed down and a Super Wal-Mart was built in Minden Louisiana. It would be interesting to know how far a person would have to go to get a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread in any of these towns. Anyway, another great video. Thank you.

[@ruxrox]

Amazing story! Tits!

[@RobOlgatree]

@Titus - Admiration for keeping up on family history. Love stories like this. Thanks.

[@danyellruhman1511]

@titusllewelyn Not hard to get groceries. There is a brand new Spring Market/Brookshires in Haynesville & a Dollar General. Piggly Wiggly actually closed the old building and built a new one on the North end of town. That end of town looks nice & new, so it wasn't featured. This just showcased the abandoned or burned out buildings for the most part.

[@danyellruhman1511]

@@carrielewis6952 Dollar General as well. Easy to get what is needed.

[@titusllewelyn]

@@danyellruhman1511 - That sounds great. I live in Arizona now and have not been there since 2020 before the pandemic. Small towna in Louisiana (and the United States) have suffered for years. Much of this was the result of consolidating schools. We alway shopped at Brookshires when possible. Thanks for th information.

[@winstonsmith478]

That 50 cent gas price makes the closing date of that gas station about 1974. That weird horn followed by sirens might have been to call in a volunteer fire department.

[@beckahpriebe-mr2is]

Love seeing all the old cabooses in these small towns. So much history in all these towns!

[@clautildadaniel9744]

Love travelling with you and nic thanks for taking me along❤❤❤

[@wastedorbital-l-8680]

as a fellow louisiana resident i appreciate your videos about the small rural towns here in louisiana, you should do a video on springhill louisiana

[@ebonyqueen52]

Springhill resident here, would love to see you do one here.

[@wastedorbital-l-8680]

@@ebonyqueen52 i'm from springhill too 😌 refreshing to see it

[@Madskillsuniversity]

I LOVE it! Joe & Nic - Season 2. 🙂 Happy Travels and I am all in. Peace

[@LaRangerDave]

I'm from Homer originally. All of those towns are dying a slow death. No jobs, no opportunities, and no hope. My generation (most of us) left in the late 80's due to the above reasons. Folks still living there are simply trying to scratch out a life for themselves. The disparity between the have's and have not's has grown incrementally over the years. I rode through there in Mid-October 2024 and the difference is palpable. Sad commentary, but still true!

[@therubyroom2309]

Dave, my family is from Homer. Did you know any Wheatons?

[@KungFuFighter-h3k]

Always good to have a cat sighting! Thanks for the video.

[@YaYaPaBla]

Is so sad seeing so many Louisiana towns that have declined.

[@SheaMarshall-z1l]

I grew up in the country outside of Haynesville toward Summerfield. I have many relatives that live in the Holly Ridge community. Haynesville originally was an oil boom town. When my parents were younger, there was a glove factory (70s) but in my generation, most of us have ro leave the area for work as induatry is very limited. Its kindnof old money that is running out and those in poverty who can' t leave and dont have a lot of choices. Most jobs revolve around logging and oil field work. I would love ro go back as it's my home, but the work situation is bad.

[@TheShoutingGrasshopper]

Ah, Piggly Wiggly! I remember my grandfather took me to one somewhere in LA in the early 60s. I thought it was the greatest name for a store ever.

[@Reese8531]

Up here in southern Illinois it’s no piggly wigglys!! In fact my first time hearing about them was in these videos

[@q.doneit]

Good to catch up on some of these towns I passed through when I was over the road. Bernice was on the way from El Dorado, AR to the interstate. I'm not sure where I went from there but likely to Shreveport. I miss El Dorado. There was an Asian lady who ran a gas station right outside the town near a chemical plant. She was happy to see me since I cleared out all the food she sold.

[@alisawooten]

Thanks Joe and Nic, Happy travels 😀

[@blondescorpion8940]

I have lived off of this amount and have been thankful!!!! I live in rural South Carolina. Similar situations.

[@deedahinkent]

Wonderful channel , an amazing and fascinating insight into rural American life . I have learned so much thanks and keep up the good work ❤ from England

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you!

[@Lurgansahib]

Hi Joe & Nic, I watch all your vlogs, just love them. Best wishes from Wellington, New Zealand.

[@TurpInTexas]

I'm from Mississippi and been all over it. If you are looking for really different, down in the bottom south west has a lot of interesting stuff. I recall going to Woodville back in the 1980's, I thought I had time warped into 1940. The buildings, the people, the businesses. I honestly was freaked out because everything was so well maintained, never been to a place like it that so unsettled me to my core. Never went back at that first visit. Another is Grand Gulf, or what is left of it, the Mississippi river changed course and chewed into the town so only about half of the original town is still there. Port Gibson is not far away, and the backroads are narrow with hanging moss in the trees, its creepys, and the iconic former plantation mansion of Windsor Ruins, that burned down all all that is left is boggling how big a house was once there. And then there is Wesson, just north of Brookhaven, which is where Wesson oil got its start, apparently was one of the first towns with electricity. They thought it was going to grow bigger than Jackson due to the factory there, until it burned down decades ago, if you make it by there, there is an old school building on the east side that the locals have turned into a dance school. Its kind of surreal to see it considering everything around there. Happy Journeys!

[@callspreadzero854]

I went to LSU and had a roommate with family from Woodville. Come to find out, his grandfather was a doctor from there that paid to keep the town up, at least the “downtown” square. I went there in 2010’s and was amazed.

[@mariesheppard3750]

Was it 12 noon for the sounds, some towns ring church bells at noon , thanks for nice video

[@bayoumanbryan]

yeah thats what i thought. instead of the church bell ringing at 12 times at 12 it seems they now have that weird buzzing sound.

[@jamesmyers9285]

Haynesville and Homer have some nice, well-taken-care-of cars considering the annual income levels.

[@kitrina63]

I loved this video! It takes me back to when l first found your channel and started watching you and Nic. These small town videos are the absolute best! I'm so glad you're going to keep showing us the little less known places in the U.S. You are the BEST in the business! I would really love to meet you guys when you come back through Alabama . Stay safe in your travels 😊💞

[@BackHomeAgain]

I live between Homer and Haynesville in the unincorporated farming communities. Our address is Haynesville but the school district was Homer when I was growing up. The Homer National Bank was bought out in the early 1990s by a larger bank, who sold it again, and eventually closed it. The building is an absolutely beautiful historic piece of real-estate. The "pretty nice shop" you looked at in Homer with the picture of the court house is actually our museum. It is pretty impressive. Too bad you didn't go in, it was originally built as a hotel when our town was young. As others have commented, the siren was for the fire department. Many of the dilapidated houses were damaged by a storm that came through several years ago. The home owners of some of those houses are elderly and were/are in a nursing home at the time. A few of the other home owners didn't have insurance and couldn't repair the damage.

[@AprilShowers77]

My mom is from Haynesville. I spent every summer there as a child, so it's like a second home to me. I have great memories with family and best friends I made over the summers there. ❤❤❤ 😢 I remember walking to town, Freds, Piggly Wiggly, Chick-a-Dilly, and more. My aunt was a teacher at the high school in town. I remember visiting her classroom during the summer. Forever my 2nd home.

[@armandolopez8983]

Wonderfull memories!

[@sharonm.t.2492]

Aw, was it that closed down Piggly Wiggly (or was that one in Bernice?)

[@ЕвгенийЧернышов-ш3ш]

@@AprilShowers77 Well, at least someone likes the countryside!

[@ЕвгенийЧернышов-ш3ш]

@@AprilShowers77 And in America, in rural areas, residents raise livestock: cows, pigs, chickens, HCSE

[@LarryHeagren]

A very nice video. I guess female led towns are more peaceful led ones. It was indeed very green. We haven't had moisture here in the Texas Hill Country for quite a while now so as a result even the weeds shrivel up. Peaceful and Green are good reasons to live in towns like these.

[@LeeCupit]

I'm from Tallulah La. The street view looks a lot like our main town streets . A lot of empty store fronts here as well.

[@bayoumanbryan]

In a bar in Toledo , across from the depot 19:56, are lines to the song Lucile by Kenny Rogers.

[@davidmorris4826]

Four hundred children and the crops in the fields😅😅😅😅 😮.

[@TinkerTailor4303]

​@@davidmorris4826He didn't have four HUNDRED children, he had four HUNGRY children!

[@RobertLund-d7d]

Also as a Brit its quite weird to see towns with so few people. Almost ghost towns We are so over crowded on out little island its very difficult to find any peace and quiet ! I would quite like to live in one of these places.

[@YaYaPaBla]

If only there were plenty of jobs to sustain a decent living here. I don’t live in this town, I was born and raised in Caldwell Parish. I live in LaSalle Parish.

[@jamiemcgill67]

Population has declined since the 80s in this region because when children come of age and go off to university, they move on to big American cities where there’s far more opportunity. It’s a matter of economics.

[@Ttoe280]

Thanks

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you!!

[@tomygun1585]

Wow, these bring back memories. Grew up in that area and spent a lot of time traveling between Bossier and ElDorado as well as oil field service work. But all of that was in the 70s and early 80s and things have definitely changed.

[@kdegraa]

As an Australian who grew up in a rural area i can see similarities and differences. The main difference is in my youth in the 70s and 80s there was a bit of decay in some towns. However since the 90s real estate prices have grown exponentially. As a result if a town was dying sooner or later people see this, compare the prices where it expensive and where it is cheap. People then move there. Back twenty years ago you could buy a house in town near my farm for $70k. Today you need $400k to buy in. I don’t understand why people pay huge amounts of money to buy a house in certain areas of America while in others you can basically walk into a house for nothing. In the laptop generation, working from home, why don’t people who can earn a living with an Internet connection and a laptop buy into these towns and start saving money instead of giving it to landlords or banks?

[@michelledoland9516]

Not alot of jobs want people working from home, Secondly there are not many other businesses there so finding grocery, mechanics, hospitals, emergency services will be non existent. Also sometimes unfortunately in small towns not everyone is welcome

[@kdegraa]

@ this is all true. It’s true many people do not like change and mistrust new arrivals. It is true smaller towns have limited services. However when comparing these small towns with cheap real estate to similar towns in Australia, all those factors are true and even more so with distance from services. Some people in Australia have to drive four or five hours to buy groceries. The big difference is real estate prices. I don’t think anywhere in Australia is as cheap as places in this video. There might be somewhere in Australia that is cheap but it would literally be in a desert basically so far away from anywhere and be uninhabitable. Honestly if I was American, paying $500 a week rent and all the rest, I’d seriously look at moving to one of these towns.

[@justinstafford4943]

Give a better perspective of Louisiana small towns. Typically there’s a white and black culture with little interaction with each other and a history of racism. The white families will send their kids to private school, black families use the public schools. Two very different cultures, wish it wasn’t like this.

[@brianmutcher9585]

@@justinstafford4943in many parts of western Canada it similar situation when it’s aboriginal (natives ) and non aboriginal

[@usmcmos0317]

Glad to see ya back on the road again. LoL Great video Joe. As always love these small town videos. And especially the stats, even though some are a little hard to figure out. Pretty high poverty numbers but some nice houses to. I don’t know what it is but there’s still a quiet beauty to towns like these even though people are leaving. When trucking I have been through Homer but not the rest. Thanks for showing them to me. I would have probably never saw them otherwise. Great job as usual. Safe travels my friend. Keep videoing and I’ll keep watching.

[@HughWells-i4q]

One thing I remember about Homer and Haynesville are the beautiful old neighborhoods.

[@neasespieces8778]

My grandmother was from Haynesville, and my grandfather was from Athens. They left there in the 1940s, but we still own land there. I plan to visit one day. 💚🤎

[@jamiemcgill67]

You would be surprised at how many people would pay you good money for your land.

[@ramanjitsingh3683]

i am watching all your videos, very informative, love it.. Thanks

[@lbreck1114]

Are you continuing on??? I'm so happy to see this new episode after the recap !!!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

@@lbreck1114 Absolutely. Another video of rural Mississippi coming this Saturday morning. 😀👍

[@sonyequator6852]

hi Joe, why not stop and shop something and or take a coffee in local café and make a chat with local, so the numbers statistics u show could verified with actual condition...

[@diahistiati3091]

Hi Nick..I am from Indonesia. I am very enjoy with your trip, I like to see The Real USA, especialy with old towns. Thank you very much , I can see your country from Indonesia

[@mike3020]

This is like hundreds of towns throughout the south . Doing what they can to keep keeping on ! God bless the south !

[@abetteryounow6484]

The late fashion designer Geoffrey Beene was born in Claiborne Parish, as well as, Utah Jazz great, Karl Malone!

[@MobsterTiger]

Very cool stage to jam on! Awesome adventure! 😎

[@susanhuffman1343]

😢your missing everything in Homer,there are quite a few new business all around, places to eat, Hair salon, Barber shop,etc

[@ES-mc3cc]

Siren could have been an alert for the local volunteer fire department. I remember those from when I was a kid a long time ago!

[@danyellruhman1511]

That is what it was.

[@MsWindWaveSea]

It's interesting to see how big America is compared to my country, Indonesia. Every house has a spacious land around it, no fence, wide and quiet roads. It must be nice to live there. Here the land is limited and overpopulated.

[@immanuelkamau1614]

Great videos always humble Joe.

[@jimmyday9536]

Watching from Baltimore, MD. These small towns are frozen in time, and quite charming. It is novel to see people driving cars and trucks that are worth more than their house!

[@lakeerie5857]

And the hunting dogs are worth more. We have a winter place few hours south of this. It's the same here. Mind you land tax is way low, but sales tax is 10%. We see expensive houses, but a lot of trailers, dumps and abandoned places. Most of the small towns around here is the same. A lot different than back home. They don't have tornado sirens

[@christiansgrandma6812]

Hun, I've worked as a caregiver for the state for many years. The highest pay was $14 per hour. After Katrina, the facility was closed, and I had to survive off minimal wage. Living within poverty is nothing new in Louisiana. During covid, fast food staff were making more than us. I guess caring for the physically and mentally disabled is the least important.

[@BettyofOOO]

Isn’t that just a reflection of society’s attitude toward the disenfranchised. I know that it doesn’t feel like it, but that is God’s work. I will die on this hill, minimum should be a living wage. The fact that it is not rests squarely on the shoulders of Mitch McConnell and every other obstructionist in the House and Senate.

[@greenmother1960]

Haynesville didn't have to be the way it is now, with no jobs paying enough to lift people out of poverty. In the 70s, several big corporations wanted to locate here, but the town 'fathers' wanted to tell these corporations who could work for them and what positions they could hold, and that those who weren't 'acceptable' would have to be fired. They laughed in their racist faces, left, and told any other company considering locating here to steer clear. They did. And we haven't what we haven't now because of it.

[@gdm415]

I spent every summer visiting family in Bernice during the 80s and 90s. It was a second home to me. Still have family there. Shout out to my cousins the Ivorys and Elliots. Still go back every now and then. Wow 18% Hispanic. That's new

[@Yawndave]

Always enjoy these visits to the main streets and neighborhoods of rural America. The odd sound in Homer sounds a little like the alien ships from War Of The Worlds (Tom Cruise version) 🙂

[@TinkerTailor4303]

It does!😮

[@bosse641]

So much poverty and misery in rural America. ...is it like this in all the nation? Like all the small towns are dying. Very sad to see.

[@baljitsingh-ce5rf]

don't take him seriously.

[@JunkerDriver999]

Its not that bad. Most of these people are homeowners, and debt free. Plus I didn't see any tints, and homeless.

[@xochitlgonzalez2941]

It's not like this in all smal towns, he happens to find the worst ones😅. They seem more like MicroTowns. The title of the video does say Dying Town

[@joebehrdenver]

North-central/NW Louisiana is a particularly depressed part of the state, and the state is poor by US standards. Look at Joe and Nic's videos of small towns in eastern North Dakota and Nebraska. Totally different experience.

[@jjred233]

@@joebehrdenver The state is very poor. Wealth is in the capital city and southern coastal area near the ports. The income range varies greatly. As in the rest of US, cheap global imports have reduce wealth in rural areas. The imports helps the East Coast so I don't see that stopping anytime soon.

[@RobinGerhart]

Sad and beautiful, thank you!

[@DerekGriffin-v3t]

Louisiana native here. Grew up in a small Louisiana town and most of its residents were on some form of government assistance, hence the high rate of single motherhood.

[@kfelix2934]

True dat and a lot of males are in county jail or prison. This is also why ladies are head of the household and also why marriage % are low. The author of the video is not taking any of this into consideration when he is narrating. Funny story, a friend of mine who is also from Louisiana travels to these parts to buy old cars , running or not, and then he takes them back to Houston to fix or restore them and sell them at 30K+ and he buys the cars at 500-800usd.

[@kerrynight3271]

Back in the 50s and 60s when I lived in Louisiana, only a single woman with children could get welfare. In many cases the husband had to move out so the kids could survive. They were forever cutting families off if a man moved in.

[@marthakierstead3415]

Great video as always Joe and Nic 🎉. Getting close to 500k subscribers

[@DeborahMansor]

The sirens are probably calling volunteers for an emergency of some kind. Maybe a medical emergency or maybe a vehicle accident of some kind. We have a similar thing in the small town I live in in New Zealand.

[@alphaalpha5]

Would be nice to see a rolling review of northeast Louisiana towns. This area is amongst the most neglected, but it has its share of charms.

[@LAURA093058]

My grandparents lived/died there. (C.R.Nelson) I loved going to visit them. They rented a home close to downtown Haynesvile while they built their retirement home. (United Gas) I was only 8 yeas old but I remember walking on main street with Granddaddy to get his haircut and we would get ice cream. The church you showed in the beginning was Church of Christ at one time. My family still owns 150 acres up there but all of the family have died or moved away. This video makes me homesick. I will definitely vacay up there this spring. Thank you for this video. BTW $500. week would be living average for this community, not in poverty.

[@centerofleft]

The Piggly Wiggly was abandoned because they built a new Piggly Wiggly in that very same town! A little research paints a different picture!

[@Kayla1694]

right🤦🏽‍♀️

[@greenmother1960]

Piggly Wiggly did not build a new store, they took over the building that once housed Fred's. If you lived here, you'd know that.

[@brucecoleman1509]

I lived there in Haynesville for over 10 years and it's very nice and Quite. People are very friendly and are helpful.

[@samil5601]

500 per week would be pretty luxurious in most parts of the world.

[@TommyTomTompkins]

$500 a day is great most parts of the USA including this Area

[@samil5601]

@TommyTomTompkins A day!? I wish I had that here in London!

[@YaYaPaBla]

That $500 a week doesn’t go far in this economy. The price of everything, the high taxes…that’s what keeps many poor.

[@samil5601]

@YaYaPaBla I'd say it's the low wages that keep people poor. Wages have been lagging below inflation for decades.

[@jeffmead4670]

After watching all of your compilation videos it became clear to me that you probably have one of the most important logs of socioeconomics records in the USA, I can't help but think there must be some office of our government that would buy this data and use it to study and find out who best to help with social services. I also think it would be valuable to National Geographic in the human drift project. Certainly no one else has ever come close to thedata you have sought out and cataloged .

[@PassingThroughProductions]

You realize he gets this info from other sources right? 😂

[@xochitlgonzalez2941]

​@@PassingThroughProductions "sought out and categorized" meaning he looked it up and organized it. Information may exist that doesn't mean it's all in one place and organized. Additionally who knows when the last time there was any updates video/image data collected.

[@jeffmead4670]

@@PassingThroughProductions Yes, I do realize that, however there is no government agency that has both the readily available data that is also represented with both data and film that combines to make a very accurate picture of rural America.

[@RobOlgatree]

It does take a lot of time to research after you've planned an itinerary and then go out and explore it. A little more interesting than a google check. Joe's awesome

[@earlwheelock7844]

@@RobOlgatree a LITTLE more interesting????!!!! I find his vidios ABSOLUTLY FASINATING!!!! ( wonder how many miles they have on that Ford they use??), I am in my 80s and am past my traveling days, sooo I do my " traveling " on a I pad as all my cars are old enough to VOTE, and have over 300,000 miles on them!! 😮😮😨😨🤐🤐🤗🤗🤗👍👍👍💯💯💯🙊🙉🙈!!

[@go.little.rockstars7553]

I live in north east Louisiana. We love to go to small town downtowns and visit shops. There are not very many activities, so it’s a thing many people do. Rent prices are also lower there for people who work in Ruston where rent prices are very high. Real estate cost in Homer is also lower for people working in larger neighboring towns. Also, this town is a close to Bonnie and Clyde Trade Days, which gets a lot of traffic close by.

[@lakeerie5857]

I'm down by Leesville

[@everydaypresent444]

What a treat to find a brand new upload today! I first saw the notification at work today, but I did not want to start watching it there because I would be interrupted. Could not wait to get home tonight to watch, and as usual it did NOT disappoint! The sirens you heard going off: was it a Wednesday at noon? They were probably doing their periodic (probably weekly) testing of the emergency alarms. I live in a small town in Wisconsin, and every Wednesday at noon the civil defense alarms go off. Ours don't sound nearly as annoying as what you were forced to endure in Homer. I was surprised at how many of the homes in these small towns are very nice and well maintained. It makes me think that what is a poverty level in the high-cost-of-living areas is actually very comfortable in these towns.

[@lakeerie5857]

Go to Natchodoches, sits on the Cane River. Oldest town in Louisiana. Check out the Old Hardware on Front St, beautiful architecture, reminds me of The French Quarter. Go in December, Christmas Festival and the Entire river is lit up with lights. Goes until January. Carriage ride through the town at dusk to evening gives you history

[@dewuster8885]

I wonder when these guys are going to head into Appalachia & visit small towns in Southern West Virginia & Eastern Kentucky. Cause I know the towns in those areas would make for some compelling videos.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Got an eastern Kentucky video coming up, featuring the near ghost town of Lynch. It's a really amazing place!

[@dewuster8885]

@@JoeandNicsRoadTripI know it’s gonna be a good one

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

@@dewuster8885 I think it’ll be one of my best ever. This town has incredible history, and is full of beautiful ruins.

[@hazelpresley6320]

You should have done more research..a new Piggly Wiggly/Spring Market was built. Haynesville has some great attributes, architecture and people.

[@tcvideosennistexas]

Interesting video,,,,I notice your using a DJI little cam,,,,I use a DJI action 3 and I love it,,,,super 4K with decent audio, and stable thing is Great! Of course,, if it had some sort of decent zoom it would be the perfect camera, I also use a panasonic lumix fz2500 that has a super 20 zoom lens on it, which is superb for long shots! ( it also has the 'stable' thing,,,but not as good as the DJI and of course bigger and bulkier ) keep up the good work !

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thanks! I keep a DJI action cam for back-up. :)

[@barblenzen2198]

Another great video thanks so much be safe God bless

[@Tracer112]

Love your videos, keep up the good work!

[@yourname06]

Watching from Cheyenne Wyoming. Shoutout to Louisiana. 🤘

[@rorschachmanhattan9612]

You provide gems for people who may want to live somewhere where crime and price of living is low as long as there's internet *GEMS*

[@sharoncampeaux1860]

Shout out back to you Cheyenne wyoming from louisiana

[@Poppi-G]

@@sharoncampeaux1860 greetings to beautiful Wyoming from Bernice Louisiana.ive been to Cheyenne.

[@earlwheelock7844]

Thats a fire alarm ( I lived in Brattleboro Vermont) we had a fire alarm exactly like that only about one block from where we lived, SCARY at two AM in the morning!! 😨😨😨😨😨😨

[@merlasemiean5374]

I grew up in this town and left in 1978 for better career opportunities. My observation about this video is that you go into the poorest rundown neighborhoods. I still visit this little town for class reunions and believe me there are neighborhoods that are attractive. My best friend still lives here. She has acreage and a beautiful home with a guest house in the back. I'm not challenging the statistics you provided. The neighborhood that you display here is not typical for all of Opelousas. I always have a very nice time when I go here. And I have never feared for my safety. For my friends that still live there, they are happy with the culture and the music and have never been a victim of crime of any sort.

[@PhilomenaMerritt-e5e]

You always surprise us!

[@318simone]

The sound you heard in Homer was the fire alarm. You were right there by the fire station.

[@RobOlgatree]

Like - Subscrbe. How anyone can watch your channel and hasn't subscribed yet is beyond me. 🤣 lets get Joe the 1/2 million. Almost there. . Keep filming Joe.

[@EvilGoatChicken]

Both Homer and Haynesville use the tornado siren for the fire departments. Both fire departments are volunteers. More of a tradition than anything else.

[@waynehatfield1166]

I would like to say I always enjoy your videos although sometimes I think you show too much of the poverty area. I happen to know about Hayesville and Homer as I live in those communities. There are really some nice parts of the town that would surprise you that you didn’t show. Closer to the lake just east of Homer are😂 beautiful neighborhoods even in Hayesville and Homer there are beautiful neighborhoods that you missed. Sometimes as I said earlier, it appears that you’re one-sided, but I still watch it just the same as far as the horn in Homer, that was the fire horn there was probably a fire, and the fire department was called out to see about it if I knew the date and time I could probably tell you where they went. Two weeks ago I almost think I can pinpoint it to a bad car wreck, but not sure. Keep up your work as I said I enjoy it just the same. Oh, more thing if I had known you were coming, I would have been glad to show you around. You would have been amazed at our communities.

[@djmossssomjd8496]

From around 2012 to 2018 I lived on less than a $100 a week and yes I was working...IN THE UK!! OK I am a bachelor so only had to keep me.

[@SunnyIlha]

The last time that gas station sold gas it was 50 ¢ per gallon!! And it stayed unchanged; it's frozen in Time!!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Absolutely.

[@josebernadinojosesantos339]

Valeu!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you!!

[@marcomcdowell8861]

I know that a lot of these towns are under-reporting incomes or just not declaring🤣Still, if the cost of living is low, you can live pretty well on a small income. Buy what you need, save a little, buy what you want.

[@jonathonruple3297]

Many a reason Homer and Haynesville arent what they used to be is that many of us who are natives of Claiborne Parish have moves away. Lived there until Uncle Sam gave me a floating home you could say then came back til bout 2015 when i eventually moves away mostly due to higher paying work as with many of whom moved away. Dallas,Shreveport,Baton Rouge and many a other places folks moved to. I can remember getting many a haircut in James Dean's barber shop in Homer. Time may keep on ticking but the memories will be forever etched in the minds of those of us who were born and raised in these small towns. GO PELS!!!!

[@trith72]

I have lived in Louisiana all my life. These small towns are dying due to the suppression of the oil industry, especially in North Louisiana. During the 60's and 70's and even into the early 80's they were full of folks, families working the oil fields and other families supporting that industry all being highly successful. With draconian federal laws against drilling our own oil now, many families have just up and left over the years to places they can try and make a living. Blight moves in afterwards, and then it just rots. I've been friends with retired Geologists that live up here for years and they all have told me time and time again there is enough oil in North Louisiana alone to run this country for 40 years, we just aren't allowed by the fed to get to it.

[@steady3459]

Not to mention so many Companies moved over seas to get away from paying Taxes,MO MONEY, MO MONEY, MO MONEY ! HAVES. AND HAVE NOTS . 👹🤡☠️✌️

[@danyellruhman1511]

Bingo!

[@lilli9822]

You will own nothing and you will be happy

[@benfen5188]

Drill baby drill!

[@YaYaPaBla]

@@lilli9822BS

[@paulamartin6679]

Come look at Springhill. We have lost so much population

[@donaldmiller9648]

Sad to see what is happening...grew up in Springhill in 1960s to 1970s and although moved to another area have visited many times to the town. This whole area needs a manufacturing stimulus to get it growing again.

[@SunnyIlha]

I'm curious if you'd go into one of those Piggly Wiggly stores and examine what is sold on the shelves and what the food is.

[@YaYaPaBla]

And the prices and the tax bracket.

[@remover454]

Great job here! Very informative! The good info! Thank you!