The Oldest Civilization in North America?! Cahokia, Centreville, Alorton, IL 4K.

[@ChrisHarden]

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[@mr.notajoke1647]

It's definitely not what it used to be. I couldn't imagine watching a time lapse of the decline. The lack of major business bringing money from surround areas is the problem. The people of these particular cities or town spend their money outside of were they live do to the fact that there just isn't anything worth anything that's accessible in their communities. If you track were they buy their food, clothing and go for entertainment it goes to Fairview Heights, Offallon, Belleville, Collinsville, St. Louis etc, basically the surrounding cities feed off them. The mall in Fairview was the only big mall to shop that was affordable and easy to access after the closing of the St. Louis Center shopping mall. It's a way to escape as well. With people coming from impoverished areas it brings certain troubles for businesses so the way they combat it is through high security, close, or remove stores that attract certain type of people which alarms whites and offends blacks. The foundation of America is why we see what we see in this video

[@margaretlarriva4573]

What is the cost of housing there and what are the job opportunities?

[@erikmcc804]

i used to live in both Cahokia and Centereville, wow al the area have really change especially Cahokia. It was really nice place and quiet but alas that isnt the case now. Thanks for the memories :-)

[@halestormt]

Ditto

[@andrewoberhellmann8886]

I was born In centerville and was raised in cahokia went to e.Morris school and went to wirth middle school then started get in trouble so my family up and moved

[@DjWooGoDD]

I lived in Cahokia and E st Louis

[@DjWooGoDD]

I lived in St Joseph

[@andrewoberhellmann8886]

@@DjWooGoDD You probably know Bryan Lee derrick Coleman Leon Carl grimmett Calvin lanter I'm in my 30s now so 15 years ago

[@jermainenelson7647]

I Laughed when you turned around at 13:25 lol. I grew up in that area you were heading into

[@theresadawdy6497]

I lived in Cahokia in the '80s. My kids went to school there

[@Tominator313]

I'm running for St. Clair County Board in District #25 which is the bulk of Cahokia. All of us are tired of poor leadership and campaign promises made but never acted on! Time to go UP instead of DOWN!

[@a-dashof-pepper4710]

Did you win?

[@IAmTheEggMan111]

Good luck!

[@Tominator313]

Didn't win. The Democrat machine is hard to overcome. I did quite well considering. A I'm not done yet!

[@tommytong2854]

Keep working. Keep trying! That area looks like it could have so much potential with some revitalization. --signed Chicago democratic machine supporter. But parties aside, good luck 👍🏿

[@tinaluvsheryoutubers1937]

Cahokia aka Cahokia Heights now is my hometown where I grew up. Breaks my heart to see how broken it is today

[@ChrisHarden]

I bet. If I remember correctly I’m pretty sure the name changed happened in a matter of days after I uploaded this video.

[@tinaluvsheryoutubers1937]

They changedCahokia's name to Cahokia Hgts not too long ago, they merged Alorton and E.St.Louistogether with Cahokia. Are you still in Cahokia too?@@ChrisHarden

[@ChrisHarden]

I’ve never lived there if that’s what you’re asking

[@rhdk9]

Somehow Cahokia reminds me of Braidwood , perhaps you can do a video of that area, Braidwood, Coal City...Wilmington Anyway, another good one

[@marykurowski7707]

And so Jay my father worked at a factory called Midwest rubber. They reclaimed rubber. But it's been gone for years.

[@tommytong2854]

Why are there some places in Illinois where even when the sun is shining, it just looks gray, yucky, dull: this place, Cairo, east St. L, west side of Chicago. ... Is it the entrails?? 🧐

[@jackson5116]

Sauget factories spewing out all kinds of chemicals. Hell, the EPA TWICE made a creek there a superfund site. That should tell you something.

[@loftonrembert3877]

No it’s America!

[@CrimsonDeathBed]

My home town, I was born here, lived in Cahokia until my teens when I moved to Granite City.

[@ChrisHarden]

Neat.

[@TDurden527]

Thank u for traveling, posting these vids so I can c these sites/towns without going there. It breaks my heart that bad municipal management has had such a hand in the tales of towns decline. Seattle/Everett WA went through a horrible economic downturn in the mid 60's when Boing took a heavy decline in business. Learning a lesson the area leaders/ and state leaders began seriously diversifying the industrial and business base. Look at Seattle/Everett/Bellevue now. Astonishing. I lived there for a long time, and would never move back because of the absolutely horrible traffic and community congestion though.

[@Singledadsclub]

All the above mentioned township have now merged together and the area is now Cahokia Heights!

[@jasonmiller4046]

or a dump

[@DiegoMagengo]

Metro East is depressing but interesting to see. Thanks for uploading!

[@ChrisHarden]

Thanks for watching!

[@doublesmooth]

@@ChrisHarden What kind of camera set-up are you using?

[@dvferyance]

I wouldn't say all of it is. I think places like Troy, Marysville and Edwardsville are nice.

[@mallaholicretailadventures]

@@dvferyance he's telling the truth about the area he drove in. Maybe some parts are thriving, but not this part of the metro area

[@1L6E6VHF]

Out of sheer curiosity, I looked up the asking prices for houses in Cahokia. Houses with the exact same design have great differences in the asking price!

[@jackson5116]

I was born in Centreville, grew up in Cahokia, living there from the 70's through the 90's, moved to Belleville, and lived there ever since. Best decision I made was leaving Cahokia. Worst decision I made was choosing Belleville!

[@ChrisHarden]

Haha.

[@jasonmiller4046]

yes i call it helleville these days

[@demolishbeatz3796]

Thanks for the memories. I use to lived there back in 2002-2005 Now I reside in Norman, Oklahoma and I love it here!

[@jimoakley4944]

I think you drove right by my mom and dad's old store which was on the right and is painted blue right at 15:50 on the video and then you turned right on Broadway and then left at the FF tracks and came back up Walnut?

[@jackson5116]

1:43 airport is technically in Cahokia. It's right on the boarder of Cahokia where Sauget meets it, barely, and I mean barely in Cahokia.

[@ChrisHarden]

Ok.

[@RudyJamrock]

So sad, i went college in Cahokia at Parks College in the early 90s before they closed it and moved to St Louis (SLU). Alot of good memories from back then.

[@donnasheraden6371]

There's a town in White County, Centerville & Crossville.

[@michaelgwfrogwelge]

St. Louis Downtown Airport is not now and has never been in Sauget. It was the airport of Parks Air College in Cahokia. Parks is now a part of St.Louis University, and Cahokia is now Cahokia Heights. Sauget was formerly named Monsanto, Illinois.

[@erikmcc804]

BTW Did you know Cahokia, Alorton, and Centereville. had voted to Merge in to one town ? i think it passed.

[@ChrisHarden]

I thought I saw that on Centreville and Alorton? Don’t remember seeing that for all three

[@roughtoughanddirty9371]

I know Cahokia was against it

[@roughtoughanddirty9371]

I used to live in Parkfield Terrace was beautiful, my grandma still live out there. Damn shame what they did to that neighborhood

[@patrickwilson3080]

It did

[@willhyten498]

It did, Alorton, Cahokia, and Centreville merged to become Cahokia Heights

[@johnsmith3085]

You may want to fact-check this, but it's my understanding that Alorton used to be part of East St. Louis. Then, in order to keep the tax revenue for themselves, a lot of the industry there on Route 15 annexed into their own town (Alorton). It was apparently a devastating blow to East St. Louis who no longer had the revenue from a huge chunk of the industry.

[@jackson5116]

15:51 or they went to other counties that weren't originally part of St Louis metro like Clinton County. The metro east used to be Madison County, St Clair County and Monroe County. Now, there's like 10 Illinois counties all trying to be added as part of the metro east. I say add them, people can drive to St Louis from as far as Mt Vernon, who's considered part of the metro east now, so why not!

[@ChrisHarden]

Whoa.. Mt. Vernon is Metro East? Not sure about that.

[@andrewoberhellmann8886]

I’ll tell how long or how long it’s been since came there was when their wasn’t a bypass on camp used had stop at the train before mini mall and I don’t remember if their was gas station there use be Popeyes tho miss my soul food back home damn

[@marykurowski7707]

In the early '50s my aunt and uncle lived in Cahokia. At that time it was really a nice little city. But now I don't know if I would even go through Cahokia. Maybe I drive through but I sure in the world wouldn't get out of my car. Lot of crime and that's sad

[@andrewoberhellmann8886]

If you don’t go down there looking for trouble and have respect nobody will mess with anyone and night time just have to walk straight line don’t be slowing down in someone block

[@HeatherHopfinger]

Need to include edgemont villa hills next time for videos Milstadt and dupo and Waterloo Columbia and lebanon and Mascoutah illinois

[@johnniegriffin7320]

Why didn't you go by the historic courthouse and the Jarrot mansion

[@mallaholicretailadventures]

just in the last few months, those 3 towns dissolved, combined, and became Cahokia Heights.

[@ChrisHarden]

Yup. Pretty wild.

[@jackson5116]

They didn't dissolve, voters voted to combine them into Cahokia Heights. It wasn't even a close vote either! The idiots there thought they'd get higher house values by merging, but all it's going to do is screw up everything for everyone, because they're not going to change, that whole area has turned to crap, and it's a shame, becuase I grew up in Cahokia, and watched it become the crap it is today over the last 20 to 30 years.

[@johndesherlia264]

@@ChrisHarden 1699 is the founding year for Cahokia, and now the city is Cahokia Heights.

[@EvilLeprechuan]

Alorton? Did you mean Alton? No Alorton in the area unless they change the name. Alton is where Robert Wadlow, known as the Alton giant is from.

[@ChrisHarden]

This video was made before the name change. Nice try!

[@ruffles886]

I grew up in this town from age 0-7 until my mom passed away from a car accident in 2004 and was adopted. You passed by my old house. What are the odds I can go look at my old house on KZbin?

[@andrewoberhellmann8886]

Sorry about your momma I think remember that in the newspaper reading it with my pops we didn’t have internet back then

[@ruffles886]

@andrewoberhellmann8886 thanks for that. And yeah it was a simpler time. I kinda miss it.

[@andrewoberhellmann8886]

@@ruffles886 me too cuz I go back to Cahokia few times remember where I came from if I was still there probably would’ve been in jail or dead by now

[@andrewoberhellmann8886]

@@ruffles886 it was now it’s so bad really at night time back in the 90s or early 2000 did you hear about 2 males or white boys killing the ducks at the park ya it was me

[@jackson5116]

6:45 just a small technicality, but that's "Range Lane".

[@ChrisHarden]

Ah.

[@HeatherHopfinger]

Also what we call the hollow dutch hollow

[@mallaholicretailadventures]

I like when you put the ghetto music on in bad areas of town. lol Telling the truth is a good thing. Those figures are facts.

[@jimoakley4944]

had a motorcycle wreck with Dennis Keck on that curve on 42nd street at 17:09 on the video

[@taylorconklin2320]

I dropped below the bridge once and shot my new Glock 19. Before pops night club. Drive down around 8th and 10th st. If you go deeper you'll hit the gumpers housing projects. Daytime is ok but at night it is an erie feeling. An urban wasteland. Another world.

[@jackson5116]

11:42 you're in Sauget at this point. Don't trust Google maps, Peterbilt is located in Sauget, same with Love's.

[@ChrisHarden]

Ok.

[@jerseygetsherwetter345]

🧢 thats basically still cahokia that’s right by wirth middle school

[@staceysturgill846]

If I were driving through Centreville, I wouldn’t suspect crime and poverty, the houses are nice looking. They’re well kept and there isn’t junk outside. Even the projects you were too scared to drive through looked decent. I’d live in any one of the houses, as long as they were in my town.

[@HeatherHopfinger]

Maryland Heights Missouri and Alton Missouri as well as Caseyville illinois

[@jackson5116]

7:53 my grandfather's house. He lived at 1224 Williams Drive.

[@ChrisHarden]

Nice.

[@angellamyers9758]

We lived at 1435 n. 55th st Washington Park il & 1620 Andrew's drive Cahokia illinois

[@RomanSaunders]

Metro East is depressing but interesting to see. Thanks for uploading!. Metro East is depressing but interesting to see. Thanks for uploading!.

[@randygraves2881]

I'd be impressed if you could actually hit a stop sign before going passed it

[@CAROLDDISCOVER-2025]

So you've been at this longer than I realized

[@jackson5116]

0:38 no wonder your 255 video had so many errors, Google isn't 100% accurate on those, it's got more of Cahokia than it actually is (the boarder is the levee), and it's got part of Sauget considered Centreville. Google tries, but they'll never be 100% accurate, because their lines don't officially line up with boarders, it just gives you a broad overview of approximate regions.

[@ChrisHarden]

Ok.

[@craigwhiteside3842]

It would be interesting if you would give the demographics of the cities you tour.When I was growing up in this area in the 60s and 70s Cahokia and Centreville were both working class white people. Neither city was unsafe until the demographics changed in the late 70s

[@Yntstax]

So it changed cause white folks left when the jobs left and the poor got stuck your people never learn to fix your own mess

[@HeatherHopfinger]

Elgin and St Charles Illinois and Genevia Illinois

[@michaelgwfrogwelge]

This video was posted at about the same time the three communities merged to become the city of Cahokia Heights.

[@anthonyhunt701]

This music is like Kraftwerk!

[@likslime512]

The Mississippi people never left due to floods they left due to genocide by the French 🧐 this is why the Midwest always had a problem progressing business wise is because the natives of Missouria and Illinois already had a society 🤞🏾💯

[@timpatrick2109]

I guess you were there tell us more space man.

[@timpatrick2109]

And also these areas ounce thrived with business it’s only in the past decades the decline began throughout the whole Midwest.

[@HeatherHopfinger]

One problem with Sauget you need to simonize your suv or car after leaving there why chemicals

[@andrewoberhellmann8886]

Yep all the stripper clubs

[@zacharyf.568]

Centerville isn't just one of the poorest towns in Illinois its the poorest in the state and also the poorest town in the whole entire united states.

[@ChrisHarden]

According to Business Insider, you are correct. www.businessinsider.com/poorest-towns-in-every-us-state-2018-9

[@roughtoughanddirty9371]

Facts

[@denigomez7810]

Sad but true

[@denigomez7810]

I was born there

[@andrewoberhellmann8886]

Yep born an raised there

[@michaelgwfrogwelge]

"Back in the day" (which is to say 30-50 years ago) Centerville and Alorton were largely Black, while Cahokia was filled with Hillbillies.

[@jerseygetsherwetter345]

4:34 u rode directly into the hood I grew up in for 19 years “the joe”

[@andrewoberhellmann8886]

Bro I think went school with you

[@jerseygetsherwetter345]

@@andrewoberhellmann8886 hml cuh

[@andrewoberhellmann8886]

@@jerseygetsherwetter345 what your grad yr I went to wirth Maplewood e.morris belleville west because I got kicked out of all the other schools

[@HeatherHopfinger]

Chester Illinois and waterloo Illinois

[@Singledadsclub]

Bro I am familiar with your videos as I have watched several believe me when I say your gangster music when you officially hit centreville,il I couldn’t help but to bust out laughing but trust me when I tell you that music should been on when you first bite route 3 right there by pops, The Oz, and the penthouse strip club matter fact before that because u was coming off 64 from Saint Louis lol

[@HeatherHopfinger]

Batavia Illinois home to Aldi's warehouse

[@jasoncarr5379]

The county seat doing ok

[@jackson5116]

1:35 none of the locals ever call it that! We all call it "So-jay". French names to St Louisians are seldom pronounced their proper way. Oh, and we add an "r" to wash, so it's waRsh here.

[@ChrisHarden]

Ok.

[@jermainetheory]

As a local, I’ve never in my life called it “so-jay.”

[@xSephironx]

I live near Detroit, I don't get how any of these cities are in better shape lol

[@jasoncarr5379]

I think the towns South of the county Are doing OK!

[@HeatherHopfinger]

😢Cahokia and Alorton merged and became Cahokia Heights Illinois

[@stevefisher3016]

618

[@jariksitch9431]

No excuse st louis is right there so many jobs in st louis

[@anthonyhunt701]

This music has to be Kraftwerk or similar….

[@MrJacobkick]

Had car stolen in 2018. They found it in Alorton.

[@joanna7350]

Centreville no longer exists.

[@ToddHa]

This video shows the inside of the church: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKS3oaecj65kf5o

[@travisczapla3911]

Right as the eight-minute mark on the corner of Williams and K 1300 is the house I grew up in and also back in 2015 was the house I got shot will a 12-gauge shotgun and paralyzed because of pointless gang violence, didn't have anything to do with me. All of that is trash down there now

[@andrewoberhellmann8886]

Bro that’s why I moved I got trouble at the schools wirth. Maplewood and e. Morris and back then we had to wear uniforms my parents had to move us when I went middle school one day and I took my dad handgun and tried taking it to school that’s when we moved

[@patrickwilson3080]

I grew up in cahokia 80s an 90s it's sad to see what a corrupt bunch of political gangsters do St.clair county is as bad as chgo

[@jackson5116]

4:54 well, I'll have to drop a dislike for your wrong information, because you chose to use Wikipedia as your source. Why? Why are so many users of a site that can be edited by anyone?

[@ChrisHarden]

That was mean, Jack Son. I’ll forgive you though. And I’m not sure what I used. Could’ve been wiki or it could’ve been a different source. My memory doesn’t stretch back that far.

[@jimmievw]

love sauget

[@patrickwilson3080]

Had many many late/early morning 🌄 binges there I worked the clubs for yrs. From Brooklyn to sauget had tone of fun...

[@preciousroihomeshoppingnet7908]

When you can taste the air, you know you're there.

[@jackson5116]

Why? All that's there are strip clubs and factories. I worked for Cerro Copper for a few years to get me enough money to get the hell out of Cahokia!

[@Lilspamt3z]

I make 13,947 dollars every 2 week in I live out there so who poor

[@timpatrick2109]

Geez learn how to spell!!