TEXAS: Forgotten Small Towns On The Hidden Backroads

[@klawiehr]

I have a story about Wortham: I went there in 2019 to visit the grave of the bluesman Blind Lemon Jefferson. When my girlfriend at the time and I got to the town square, it was empty except for a few people standing around some folding tables. On these tables were loads of fresh produce. The pastor and some other helpers were giving it away. We talked with them a while, told them why we wanted to visit and took our fill. Really kind people.

[@randytyson7262]

The small towns and back roads are where the heart of Texas truly beats.

[@jameslee785]

Having watched every single video in this channel, I would like to thank Joe and Nic for all the efforts they have made. I also have to say that the exact same circumstance is with China where small towns and villages are almost empty with only aged people left while big cities are packed with people struggling making ends meet paying rent and mortgage, although the powerful central government have made every efforts to improve infrastructures and facilities in rural areas. I was born and raised in a city in central China with a current population of 12 million people and have lived here for forty years, however I've started to wonder if it is of rightious to keep things the same way of what they have been for the last three decades and I doubt if this image of prosperity and convenience in front of us is leading us to a sustainable future.

[@tamaradely7250]

Thanks again for the ride along, the house in Hubbard is listed @ 245,000. 3 bed 2 bath 2,230 sqft,way over priced imo. Keep the videos coming.

[@TinkerTailor4303]

Agree on the overprice.

[@doug132639]

Sure is overpriced . Its different but it will stay different with that asking price ..😅 another great video Joey .that looks a different camera .but honestly didn't notice anything much better but I wasn't really looking .. one thing for you do you get any percentage of ads for overseas . I noticed your videos have more ads on them ..here in Netherlands .don't want you losing money my friends .I like these videos too much . Stay healthy and safe 🙏☘️💚

[@steveleslie2170]

It's been on market 94 days...very late 60s early 70's interior...semi cool look.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Doug, the overseas ads actually make more money. You shouldn't see more ads - I set them to be 5 to 8 minutes apart (KZbin wants to set them 3 minutes apart!). I'll look into it. However, I might not be able to set the ad spots in countries outside the US.

[@davidhayter8516]

That’s a lotta stuff…and cat sightings acquired and dog encounters and just when you thought, ‘Could it get any better’ Whammo…a chook. Wow…this trip has it all.😂

[@KungFuFighter-h3k]

We have 4 , yes 4 cat sightings and a bonus rooster sighting! A cowboy church, add to bucket list, and bar paying homage to Willie. Mercy me can life get any better? Thanks Joe and Nicole, much love as always.

[@edwardpincus]

Thank you for continuing to present us with fascinating glimpses into parts of the USA we would never have seen otherwise. Your videos remain informative and educational and visually delightful. As we all pretty much live in largish cities anymore, to see where and how folks used to live in these formerly charming rural settings is invaluable. It was a kinder, slower, gentler country back then. Cheers …

[@lisamoncrieff5512]

Hey guys, your house girl here lol. The house in Hubbard on 7th Street has 3 bdrms, 2 baths, 2,230 sq ft. Asking price is $245,000 and built in 1974. It says it has new interior but if it does, it still looks very '70's to me - dark paneling and dark kitchen cabinets etc. and the bathroom def looks like the 70's. However, looks very clean and well kept. Has a 2 car garage as well but no real photos of a back yard. Another great video guys - thx!! xoxo

[@Johnnywhamo]

I looked it up as well. The entire house doesn't look like it's been touched since 1978.

[@roberthomiak5003]

Thank you, Joe. Very educational experience right without leaving the comfort of our home.

[@TOCC50]

ZZZ

[@MrMilwaukee]

Back on the road! Thanks for taking us along Joe!

[@GringoLokoMusic]

Graduated high school in Wortham, Texas. Great city, great people, great memories. Go Bulldogs!

[@andandovou23]

So yes, looking at these places in the interior or rural areas, it made me want to live there in this country. I was born and raised here in Brazil but I stay here imagining living in these cozy places.

[@bonson9156]

they're nice as long as you can travel and have a strong social network.

[@nancywood9027]

When I was a kid growing up in Texas 70 plus years ago, I can remember how little rural towns were pretty interesting and sometimes seem to be still rich with colorful characters and friendly people. I really soaked up my Texas heritage back then and loved thd more rural and country life. Too much has changed and I can't say I like it most of the time.

[@franciscodanconia4324]

I grew up in Boerne in the 80s and spent a lot of time in Mexia with my grandparents. I now live smack dab in the middle of DFW. I miss Texas in the 80s and 90s.

[@onrycodger]

That's Wild brother! Glad you do this tho....Always Highly Entertaining. As always, Thumbs up 👍

[@elizabethviv]

I’ve stopped in Hubbard before! We had a flat tire on a Sunday and the tire shop in the corner across Sonic was nice enough to help us out!

[@Steve-ow4jt]

All the towns you toured there in Texas, remind me of many of the small towns in Oklahoma. You get a varied mix of the good, the bad and the ugly. But a lot of the hole in the wall towns here are remnants of a bygone oil boom that are just hanging on. A town like Shamrock that once had over ten thousand people is now doing well to have fifty or sixty. A story of more prosperous times. Enjoyed the video and will be watching for the next. Until then stay safe and God bless. Steve in Oklahoma

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

You're totally right, Steve.

[@jonathanlee5185]

Thanks, Joe. 👍

[@johngibson7001]

Welcpme back to your home state Joe n Nic! the Cancun trip was really cool. lots of neat stuff to see and do! love that you show the food and restaurants in good detail. always look forward to you next offering!

[@Madskillsuniversity]

Being born and raised in Texas, I LOVE Texas! My dad is 95 and is a Naval Vet for over 30 years! My brother, sister and family live there. My brother was also a Marine and ex-Homicide Detective in Texas. I do not live their now, but will be going home soon!!!! ❣❣❣ One way or another! I live BIG and LARGE. I'm was BORN in Texas!!! 🐎 As usual, thanks for the ride, sir!

[@Mariel_Moon]

Thank you so much. It's always interesting to see all this places. 🙂

[@ardielee2701]

I like your video it is cool to see more small towns in TX I live in East TX Longview but I lived in Kilgore Texas for a long time it is a small town but not as small as those towns was. I hope you get to see some of them here in East Tx one day have a good day

[@curtiseggemeyer5681]

I enjoyed the video, Hubbard was interesting, very clean , nice homes much like some of the older homes in Ballinger , Texas where I grew up, I love the big porches around the houses. We all have to remember many many years ago people had no health insurance you paid a doc in cash who may have a small practice at his home etc. No cell phone bills, no cable bills and pehaps a wood fireplace and very little useage of lights . I feel that is how people made it , they had low overhead. Many kept cars for 20 years or more. just put another engine in it. We have worked ourself into a pickle with modernization I feel. especially when it comes to agriuculture.

[@DUMPSTERDIVINGADELAIDE123]

Thanks for the wonderful video, you make the best videos about the USA, I do drive along videos of my city of Adelaide, Take care 😊

[@ennuiblue4295]

Have you ever seen Charliebo313? Just for your consideration 🤔

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

I'm a big fan of Charlie. :)

[@DUMPSTERDIVINGADELAIDE123]

@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip - Yes he watches my videos 😅

[@CindyLang-i9i]

Love the brick streets in Wortham. I remember seeing them in your video of Commerce as well. What a flashback!

[@poowg2657]

A house is only as good as the foundation it sits on and the roof over it. Another great tour, thanks much!

[@rattletrap2007]

Hello Joe, I've watched just about every video you have and I have to say kudos. I'm a Plano Tx fella living in the Philippines. When I get homesick, your video's are just the thing! I know you often try to show city hall, the courthouse and firehouse but wanted to ask if you would also show any Masonic Lodges these small towns have. Please keep posting your videos and I'll keep watching. A homesick Texas Mason.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you. :)

[@craigblakes5499]

Lol you gonna get tired of me, but i got family in Coolidge too lol. Every year the Adkisons hold our family reunion there. My Grandma Gussie was born there in 1932.. i have never been there, but plan on going this year

[@marywalker2896]

Yea been waiting patiently for this. Love u all.

[@jbman413]

Reba's Sister sings or sang for the Cowboy church on RFD TV had dish for ten years very nice.

[@newwomandouglas2959]

I enjoy your videos. You take us into towns that we would never visit and give us great history. Keep them coming.

[@sungee3333]

Thanks for the hubbstd drive through. My mom was born there in 1940. I never took her there but whe she passed a few years ago i took my dad there. I remember some national or state monument buildings there like an old church etc. My dad was born in Rhineland outside of Munday texas. German farming community with a gorgeous catholic church that is also a state monument.

[@pstan5899]

i hoped that Cancun resort comped you for the great advertisement work, if we go, we go there. and great to see small town America again, thx.

[@debraalexander9535]

I enjoy watching your videos as I get to visit places with you in the USA & it's fun & beautiful exploring .

[@kimberlyplayswithkarma]

I live in Harris Co. TX (native texan)😊 Ive been looking for a place i would like to move to. I really am grateful for this channel for saving me so much time and effort into these towns. Especially the ones to avoid. THANKS!

[@SajjadKhan-jn7cw]

Great video thanks for sharing joe and Nic👍

[@jimmyj4811]

As you drive around the country, it is actually rather shocking just how decayed our nation has become. It is sad to see it. I'd say we are in serious trouble...

[@MrKillswitch88]

This is sadly going to be the fate of countless towns and cities later on in the century between demographic collapse as well the bigger cities hogging whatever is left of the working population leaving these places the scraps. The lack of employment really did these places in that all said they're some of the last affordable places that don't require a middle class or higher income.

[@SoloTravelerOffTheBeatenPath]

It's not just the remote towns at all. I live in Denver and we used to have one of the best downtowns in the country imo. It was so pleasant to hang out and walk around. Nowadays I rarely go down there. The rate at which it has gone downhill in the last few years is alarming. This is true for cities all over the US. I've lived in this country my whole life, through bad and good times, but the sense of genuine national and societal decline has never been this palpable..

[@elizalou2386]

Trumps right,he said we are a nation in decline

[@MonseiurFusiono]

I’d argue that cosmetics aren’t a reflection of good. Alot of these towns hold on to their structures in hopes of revitalization. Why not demolish and plant trees instead?

[@douglasdea637]

@@MonseiurFusiono Work ain't free. You have to pay someone to demolish a site safely, then clean up the debris and haul it away, empty the trucks at the dump, etc. Then pay other guys to plant the trees. Where is that money coming from? If these poor places can't repair the roads they certainly don't have the money for clean up and disposal.

[@michaelwoodford3990]

Once again Joe another great video we really enjoyed our Texas vacation and it is sad to see how so many small towns have fallen on hard times since we were last there hoping to return in 2024 from the UK

[@teresap268]

Very interesting towns and some interesting statistics too.

[@davidcross701]

Love these trips! Our Texas should aid these towns with their streets!

[@Jay-Leigh]

As always a very interesting and informative watch for me, particularly as I’m watching from the U.K. so these are places I will never get to see for real. I love those old homes with the big wrap around porches. Such a shame to see how some little towns are in decline. Thank you though Joey very much appreciated from across here 😊

[@ritakarlsson]

Soo nice too see who it is at the small towns, thanks for share

[@siphomogale779]

I am here even today enjoying the trip

[@marilyneves8856]

Thank you for the great video Joe and Nic! Always look forward to them!

[@mekkler]

107 7th St, $245k. Needs updates, but looks really well maintained. (Actively resisting going all-out real estate agent mode.)

[@OrlandoStreets]

Way overpriced.

[@cindytrayer4279]

Needs more than updating. Needs to be completely gutted and reconfigured. Impractical, poor layout. You open the front door and it looks like it could literally hit the staircase.

[@noodletribunal9793]

brook ｓｈｉｒｅ brothers XD maybe you know, but brookshire brothers is a pretty prevalent grocery chain in middle sized to small towns in texas. you'll also see "brookshire's" in a few places, which was originally part of the brookshire brothers chain until one of the brothers of it's name decided to run it separately. ive never seen one that said employee owned, though. thats cool!

[@ourbeatifulhouse]

Hugs from Brazil, i love your videos, the USA is the most beatiful country in the world!

[@christineazmi]

So is Brazil.👌

[@ourbeatifulhouse]

@@christineazmi thanks my friend😃

[@whatsupdoc84]

Yay! I moved to Texas 3 years ago and havnt been able to do much exploring. I’m excited for this one.

[@juliogonzales5441]

Thanks 😊 Joe 😊

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

You’re welcome 😊

[@mikejohnson3406]

Good job Thank you for getting back to basics

[@NativeNYer]

Thanx again 4 an eye opening video. Wow didn't really know what's going on in the country and its sad 2 c. Cuz the more places u go 2 it tells a sad story. U and Nicole stay safe out there and thanx again 4 the vid.

[@MrCaronhalt]

I really enjoy all your videos. I particularly like how you include all the demographic data.🙂

[@kevinjones5560]

It’s “te-walk’-an-a” Indian word and where my University (Trinity) was founded. Now it’s in San Antonio. I’ve been to the original campus building there that’s still standing.

[@mkr4922]

Just discovered your channel and really enjoy the scenes and facts that you give

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Awesome! :)

[@cajuncarla7334]

Come visit us in Jefferson Tx Used to be a bigger river port than New Orleans... They've begun a tourist town known for Antiques Eat at River Port bbq... Cornbread sandwiches at Kitts I think? Our population is around 2 thousand??

[@StevetheAmateurHistorian]

So Hubard’s just out here rocking a Dollar Tree, Dollar General and Family Dollar on the same block. 😂

[@RichardFelstead1949]

As always , a great video. Greetings from Australia.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you very much!

[@ronaldcates5760]

I really enjoy your videos so well done thank you for sharing 🐟

[@flyergowest]

Very blurry auto focus on my end. Haven’t seen that before on your channel. Love your channel. Drive safe.

[@dougchilders9586]

Same here. Very blurry on transitions …

[@eyeoftheaxis]

yep like a digital double vision. not normal for this channel. We really enjoy watching on the weekends.

[@barbaramarkham4736]

Thank you Joe for another great video. I have seen every single one of your videos. Love to you and Nicole from B.C. Canada 🇨🇦

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@justjokinntokin5474]

I enjoyed the video! I ❤️ seeing small forgotten town in the middle of nowhere with a slow pace of life where I live on long island 13 miles away from manhattan and EVERYONE knows nyc is a fast pace of life I enjoy southern states the best 😃

[@sailor4116]

The best travel vlogger on You Tube. 😊

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Thank you!

[@Hamza-xc9kb]

Thank you for 4K my friend! But it doesn't appear to be 4K. It still says 1080p

[@mariogarcia7588]

Reminds me of my little hometown ' SMILEY, TEXAS I grew up there and now my grandchildren live there , population is about 440 , it's right on hwy 87 east between San Antonio and Victoria Texas, don't blink your eyes when driving through or you'll miss it , good ol country folk ways of life.

[@ronweaver9296]

I delivered to the gro store in smily tx way back in the 80's across the chicken processing plant

[@usmcmos0317]

Great video love small town Texas. Not that I want to live in town by no means just close enough to get what I need. New camera doing a great job looked like to me. Hate seeing these little towns deteriorating but it is what it is. Keep traveling and I’ll keep watching

[@cindyhughes7452]

My brother and his wife live in Wortham and my Daughter and son~in~law and granddaughter live in Tehuacana ❤❤❤❤❤

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

Wow!

[@danielking2944]

I love these old sleepy towns. I’m old and sleepy too. You can go to Waco or DFW if you want some drama. I live on social security and small teacher’s retirement very comfortably under the poverty line. Don’t care for fast food,can’t imagine why anyone pays for TV ,have an electric assist bicycle and have a beautiful younger wife,only 66.

[@stephenmuirhead1838]

In Scotland those small, two room cottages would be called a But and Ben. But means outside or outer and Ben means in or inner. Loving your videos, getting to see an America that you don't see elsewhere.

[@daviddecelles8714]

I'm grateful for your localism. An expression such as "Butand Ben" is I fear evident as to its meaning only to Scots. If your further reference is to his videos showing habitations distant from population centers, that's most of America's land mass if one includes the areas not populated at all.

[@NottinghamshireMadness]

Thanks for bringing this to us, respect

[@robhonzellsr5714]

We really enjoy the small towns and va especially the statistics.

[@RobinGerhart]

Thank you! Very interesting and sad,….,

[@JostenDooley]

Always love seeing these different parts of the country in places I had no idea existed and I love the facts you give on them as well.

[@davidgarcia6315]

Sad to see places so low !! On the other side interesting little towns !! That new cam looks interesting as well !!

[@delstanley1349]

I visited relatives in Wortham many years ago, and some are buried in a cemetery not far from there. All those towns you just visited I have never heard of before despite having to go through them on TX 14 and TX 31 and being so close to Wortham. You said Wortham was 64% female and nearby Tehuacana was 61% male, you would think these two towns would "hook up!" Then you mentioned another town along your drive had a slew of motels, which was "unusual." Maybe these two above towns in fact DO hookup after all! Some place else, ha ha. Hey, they're just being discreet and taking it all beyond those nosy, gossipy, chatterbox neighbors in their own home towns🤪!

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

LOL, your analysis is pretty damn good. I agree! :)

[@delstanley1349]

@@JoeandNicsRoadTrip > You what they say down there don't you? "What happens in Tehuacana STAYS in Tehuacana!

[@indiglo1971]

Did you have to dig up those relatives in order to visit with them?

[@warwickkeene363]

I enjoy the seies immensely. No petroleum prices on this onel Perhaps it would be good to always stop and talk to a local, or perhaps pop into a shop or something to find out what the place is about. Your call. Greetsing from Qld Australia

[@jtamsmom5]

Really cool

[@sheridee]

I would love to see you explore Marlin, Chilton, Lott and Rosebud areas.

[@disco07]

I really enjoy you and Nicoles channel. Driving thru the vast abyss of backwoods towns makes me hungry. A nice chicken fried steak from Texas would work nicely! Houston had really good chicken fried steak but nuthin else. Drinking was fun though.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

That is awesome!

[@alexandralovesgoats3360]

Some really nice houses in Hubbard. Especially like the grey one with the turret! I do like the small rural towns. I like the brick streets in Wortham. Cool rooster. Also like the cat and dog sightings. Appreciate the view into these five towns. The only time I was in Texas was at one of the airports on a layover. Would love to visit some day.

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

You should, Alexandra! :)

[@joanne6606]

Cupola, not turret- built by my great-grand father’s brother.

[@Jjchg]

The house is on what’s called a pier and beam foundation. 🙂 12:29

[@theirmom4723]

Yes. If you look closely you can also see large cinder blocks that the house is placed on.

[@denisem.1042]

Another excellent video! Just an FYI, I was seeing a lot of motion blur in this video. Camera setting perhaps?

[@JoeandNicsRoadTrip]

The raw footage and the rendered final edit looked great. When it uploaded to KZbin something happened. I shot with the same settings as the previous camera except for the codec. I used the newest codec H265. I'm thinking KZbin is having trouble encoding it. I'm working on fixing it.

[@lindamagnan6749]

I enjoy your videos ..have you ever went through Muleshoe a small panhandle town

[@johntyson]

I’m over here getting nervous as you’re getting really close to my town.

[@RandyFelts2121]

Me too Corsicana hi neighbor.

[@SarahRodriguez-n6v]

Hi there. Tehuacana is actually my home town and the yellow house you drove by is the house I grew up in and my parents still live in. Wortham is also very close to me, as have friends from there. You wouldn’t believe it but in the 80s/90s albeit small, Tehuacana had an amazing community! It’s actually a beautiful town when you drive through it on the outskirts. Thanks for the video and will view more of your content.

[@pkleo73]

Love your vids man. thnx so much

[@cecoya]

107 7th street is $245,000 3 bedrooms 2 bath garage in the back a beautiful house inside lots of built in cabinets.

[@johnvinings5652]

That house in Hubbard for sale was listed at $245,000 Joey.

[@htalbott1899]

The house in Hubbard is one forty five thousand.really enjoy your channel as I live in hutto tx.would like to you do around megargel olney, archer city and maybe seymor as grew up in that erea in the 50s

[@britishgal1808-Sue]

I have never heard of a “Cowboy Church” before, that is different! Nice you have a new camera. A couple of times the video didn’t look tack sharp, it might be my eyes allergies are bad. Great video, Joe I enjoyed it. :)

[@rong5910]

I thought the same about the sharpness in some places, and wondered if it was my eyes also. Perhaps the auto-focus is not cutting in properly. See how things are in the next video.

[@unklejohn8575]

Hey if you get to Milford soon, please drive by the house behind the city park, it has a beautiful magnolia tree in the front yard. I used to own that house and I can see on google earth, I’m ashamed of what it has become. We used to have a beautiful backyard, box hedges, and flowers.

[@DuckieDee]

The house on 7th street in Hubbard is listed for 245k. Built in '74, 2230 sq. ft. and well maintained. It is a two story home and it didn't look like it on the exterior, to my eye anyway.

[@donnawentz2221]

There is a 2 bedroom house for sale in Tehuacana for $62,500. I would love to see the inside of those small houses. I really enjoy your videos.

[@Yawndave]

A little bit of a scenery change from the last episode, eh? I'm always fascinated driving through these empty old main streets with their empty storefronts, imagining what things might have been like when the towns were thriving. I passed through the area a couple of years ago in late spring--the thing that sticks out in my memory? Love bugs. I must have stopped to clean off my windshield 5 or 6 times in one day, Until we meet again in Waco, happy trails!

[@cecoya]

Thanks for sharing these small towns in the USA. Gives everyone an idea of how the rest of the world lives. Can you add in your statistics something the homeless population at all? Have a great day and safe travels

[@carolkokx9638]

Oh I love that little small house

[@duncancallum]

Nic does that all the time telling how the conditions of the places he visits is.

[@LarryHart-cl4vm]

Great one here far shure

[@marksnyder8022]

The house in Hubbard Texas at 107 N. 7th Street is listed at $245K. It has 3 beds, 2 baths and 2230 square feet.

[@markovichamp]

Wow! Bike lanes there for a bit, great to see

[@catcrazy67]

Thats a first a rooster great catch Joe

[@catlover614]

A great video ! I really love exploring these small country towns, always so interesting. Lots of beautiful and unique old homes, and the "haunted" house was gorgeous, and would have looked amazing for Halloween ! Thanks so much, Joe, enjoyable as always.😊💚

[@rattletrap2007]

There's the Masonic Lodge @ 3:16, very cool!

[@mekon1971]

Hubbard is exactly the kind of place I want to retire. Good value on real estate, short commute to Corsicana and Waco, all the basic conveniences are available.

[@fredinvest.2134]

Very educational your videos