This is where I live currently. Been here for 4 years now. I enjoy living here. It's very conveniently located about 1 hour to Columbia, SC, 2 hours from Atlanta and Savannah, 2.5 hours from Charlotte, Greenville and Charleston, as well as to both mountains and beaches, and 3.5 hours from Myrtle Beach and Jacksonville, FL. Augusta offers most of what you need from a major metro area, without all the traffic, and much more affordably.
Please do Macon, GA! Since you like to start at rivers, you could start at the Otis Redding monument on the Ocmulgee River, which is at one edge of the downtown area.
Oglethorpe founded Augusta where it is because that was as far as the Savanna River was navigable. Just north, the river is shallow with lots of rock just below the surface. It is easy to see this from the I-20 bridge over the river.
The Confederate dead deserve as much respect as anyone else. They saw themselves as Americans standing up for their constitutional rights. Not all of them were fighting for slavery, but yes, slavery was the big issue of the war. But still…the men on the filled who died, were standing up for their individual rights. That deserves as much respect as anything else. It was right that the north won, and slavery was abolished, and civil rights for minorities have come a long way. But still, those Confederate soldiers deserve some respect.
But they DIDN'T see themselves as Americans standing up for their constitutional rights because they seceded to form their own country. Not to mention, they lost.
Come back at night and go with me.. I’ll show u stuff about Augusta no one knows anything about. From communities gone over night, government coverups and a lot of stuff this city has that no one’s sees. I live in Augusta and filmed every inch of this city for my channel. I know some spots
Hello there are owned by the city they just refuse to do something with them. I'm a home grown augustan born and raised and the only part of augusta they are worried about is columbia county
@@lakeiagriffin2254 The city doesn’t own those privately owned houses. And nobody from Augusta is worried about Columbia county. The county doesn’t even have a mall and it has one large shopping center.
@@DaOthaA706 understood. That's how it was when I worked for Augusta public works and engineering. The city did have control of those houses. Didn't know things had changed
About the only way you can the Augusta National is if you fly over. I drive by the course almost everyday and unless you work for the National you will never be able to see the course. It's even super hard to get tickets, unless you know someone who gets tickets. A lot of people rent out their houses for the week and go on vacation since spring break is that week for schools.
Although not worth mentioning by you, I am a lifelong resident of the Augusta area and this is also the home of the Prestigeous Sacred Heart Church. It is widely known for it's beautiful architecture.
The Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church is also excellent and has an interesting history. The altars were made in the North and then had to be smuggled past the Union blockade during the Civil War.
Another fact about the Wilson house. Next door is the boyhood home of Supreme Court Justice Joseph Lamar. They were boyhood friends. Their side by side homes is unique in American history.
Lord Spoda, I live in Augusta Georgia. The Miller Theatre was just renovated about 3 years ago and those abandoned houses, the city is doing something about it
hopefully not just bulldozing them.... the little wooden houses have character and a charm that new homes can't match.... while the suburbs grow the older neighborhoods with a sense of place just rot....
My mom also reminded me and I don't know how I could forget, NFL football player Emerson Boozer was from here also. He and my dad's team won the 1962 state championship for black highschools.
It’s a shame you came here during the winter. It gets hot towards late spring and summer but the foliage being green seriously improves the livelihood of the area.
The water tower, where you were going to make a left hand turn, marks the location of the old Berkman's Road / Washington Rd intersection. The road ran parallel to the course since its founding. There was always a parking issue during the Master's Tournament. The National was able to finally buy out all of the homes along there, remove them, & turn the entire area into free parking for the patrons. Berkman's Rd was relocated several blocks to the west. It ties back in to the original location just south of the course. You were right in the fact that you were not going to get in to take in the sights. You would have to be the guest of a member.
The nicer houses you see are from the Augusta Neighborhood Improvement Corp. and others like it. They weren’t refurbished, they’re newer. That project started in the early 2000’s. You talk about the crime rate when you’re driving through one of the more dangerous neighborhoods. Some of those houses that look like they are falling apart and empty, aren’t. People live in them.
I've lived in Augusta since 1983. The city is an embarassment. It's run down. Travel across to Aiken, S.C. and you will see a beautiful city where it's safe to walk around at night. You would think with all the money the Master's brings in, they would put some of it into improving the downtown areas.
I agree with you Terri… for the home of the world’s most magnificent golf tournament the amount of blight is disgusting. My son went to school there and four years later on graduation day I asked him if he had any parting thoughts of Augusta. His response was I hope I never come back. Hundreds of houses needed to be bulldozed years ago.
If its that run down and such .... And i live born and raised in Augusta.... Why stay? Go elsewhere then ... No offense but complaining and staying makes no sense .
I am from here and the citizens of this town have complained and complained about the abandoned homes and the government does nothing. The government is a shambles and has been for decades.
Augusta USED to have The Augusta Cutting Horse Futurity every January in the James Brown Arena, but when the RONA hit, they moved it to Perry Ga. This event payed $millions and brought in people from all over the US.
One of the best channels on RU-vid. Love your leisurely & informative vibe. This is what old network TV could never provide, a pleasant guided tour and snapshot of America. I predict your views will continue to grow for many years to come on each episode.
Good to see Nicole is feeling better. Augusta is about 2 hours from me here in SC. I pass though when I go see my mom in GA. It's a nice town. Lots of hospitals Including the Augusta burn center The Va Hospital and the medical college of GA. Look forward to the SC videos!
I think folks that lived in those old homes that are now abandoned wasn't able to keep them up and pay. The banks then foreclosed on the houses. The houses weren't worth updating to sell so they were left to waste away.
That's exactly what happened. And the bulk of them were redlined African American communities. They've always struggled in Augusta. It happened in some poorer white neighborhoods too, but it's mostly in the AA neighborhoods.
My granddaddy was a guard at the jail in augusta when James Brown was in jail and he swears J.B. got his moves from him . Said he was a really nice guy considering being in jail . Lol and my other granddaddy had his fire place built with the augusta bricks.
Brother James was very familiar with that jail. Do Y’all remember when he had that giant mansion on Walton Way? At Christmas He would set up a bar between His fence and the curb and give out free drinks. I also think that is where He started giving out free turkeys during the Holidays. For all His quirks He was really a nice Guy that loved this area.
I have been looking forward to this! It’s fantastic. Downtown is so gorgeous.. and the river. I learned so many interesting things. The Presbyterian Church is beautiful. I am going to have to get seafood for lunch. Both of yours looked delicious. The tee shirt is precious. I’m happy to see Nicole, too! Some people just make me feel good. That’s you two. I’m ready to see South Carolina next. My son went to boot camp there. It’s as he and I are riding with you! Thank you both so much!!
Some small towns and cities choose not too. I lived in Alabama and a lot of houses are just rotting away with no one wanting to either rebuild them or tear them down. What sadder is they'll trail visitors and drive through tourist to avoid areas like that only to the "beautiful part" of towns and cities.
President Wilson's dad was pastor of the Presbyterian Church. That's the one with the high steeple. Injured Confederate soldiers from the Battle of Atlanta were transported by train to Augusta. Wilson saw that and that was the impetus for his League of Nations which was the impetus for the United Nations.
He was indeed. As a teenager back in the mid 70's, I got to meet JB. I was working at the now long, defunct Valley Park Shell on Wrightsboro Rd during the summer, when JB & his father-in-law brought in a couple of cars to be serviced. He said that he loved cars, & his collection consisted of about 50 cars & 10 limousines at the time. I got to meet him a second time at a Georgia Bulldogs football game in Athens. James was a huge Bulldog fan, & had written & performed his song during halftime, "Dooley's Junkyard Dogs." Go Dawgs!
Such a lovely town! I could be happy there. Thanks for finding cats. LOL ooooh, a toilet with a view from the front porch. hahahaha Atta girl, Nicole! Tell it like it is! That was ugly!! and you were impressive reading that number! Thanks for the video!
You actually missed the entrance to the Augusta National. The light you were at is the old abandoned Berckman’s road which runs down the side of the property. The main entrance is actually a couple of hundred yards back up Washington Road.
It really was a downtown for a city of 40,000. The reason for the current population is they consolidated the City and the County in 1996. So it was not really a large city, but a small city with lots of county suburbs, all combined together.
@@donjuanseville3039 No st Louis is different. St Louis is a independent city. Similar to Baltimore and Richmond Virginia which are cities that are separate from the county. Augusta ga, Jacksonville, Nashville and Louisville are cities that merged with counties
Yes I'm from this area and I can definitely agree that Augusta Georgia has a lot of run-down units houses and lands. I believe Augusta and the CSRA and Burke County Georgia needs to preserve history houses that are falling apart in the woods Allied houses out here have a lot of history historic history to them but unfortunately the people who own the houses could be dead and or the family who owns the estate doesn't want to be bothered. There's a lot of houses out there that all you have to do is pay five thousand $6,000 and you can own it. Restore it back to their original condition Pinewood and also Cypresswood
Alright, after watching your video and reading the comments. I'll be heading out there to explore. Thank you sir and comment section for the recommendation.
Augusta is located in what's termed the CSRA 'Central Savanah River Area'. The deteriorating houses you viewed are located in some very dangerous neighborhoods where we have suffered much like the rest of the US with drugs and violence. I'm in no way claiming these are the most dangerous areas but are areas of concern. Augusta has struggled politically with torn leadership that has put personal agenda ahead of actual achievement. Padding their own pockets at the expense of Richmond County (Augusta). There is so much potential and so much beauty, if the city would rebuild the run-down areas and house some of the displaced residents fleeing the more crime-ridden areas. If they might all get on the same page politically and work for the people of the town instead of their own wealth. I have lived in the Aiken-Augusta area most of my life and had the opportunity to see the good, the bad, and the absolute ugly. My final conclusion - I love the area and would suggest it to anyone interested.
The abandoned houses look like simple dwellings/tract houses for factory workers, etc., and not worth investing in repairs especially considering the price of lumber and building materials these days. Plus takes more time to renovate something that run down than to build something. Also, you'd have to renovate the whole block or live next to stinking, rotting vermin infested piles of rubbish. The city's probably hoping a real estate developer will pick it up or perhaps they're hoping a 🔥 will take care of the problem. 😆
One reason why those homes are abandoned is all the residents have been placed in much better public housing and are on welfare. Last figures I heard were 65,000 public housing residents. I was born in Augusta in 1952. We moved to Martinez in 1965. Augusta used to be a great town, nobody locked houses or cars. Now I wouldn’t drive anywhere downtown after dark unless I had to and I would be heavily armed. You should drive across the river and look at the differences.
Heavy corruption in Richmond county where downtown is. Too many shenanigans downtown after dark. Live west of I20 in Columbia county and life is pretty good. Far less shenanigans.
There was a great controversy by South Carolina on building the first bridge. They wanted the cotton from Carolina to go to Charleston instead of Savannah. After the RR bridge was built, it opened the door for cotton to be shipped to Savannah then to mills in New England and England.
Churches used to be open 24 hours a day, but unfortunately. vandalism changed everything here in America.; A lot of those homes might actually be new construction., especially if being built in a historic district whereby they must be built to original floorplans. That's at least here in parts of California, but not all parts. Nonetheless, beautiful homes indeed.
Really cool to see a video on my home town! I grew up in Augusta! Back in the 70's and 80's when I was there, it was a much smaller town. I used to ride my bicycle to Daniel Field Airport and watch the planes tak off and land. They would let us come up and hang out in the control tower for as long as we wanted to stay. Miss those days. Augusta is a great place.
I used to live there, too, back in the 60’s. Went to the Episcopal Day School when it was an old house (with the kindergarten and lower grades in another, newer building behind it). Also went to St. Paul’s Church…way before the river walk we used to play on the hill behind the church after services while the grownups chatted. We moved to NY in 1969.
@@lynnhoffman247 EDS has grown so much. My landlord actually sold a big chunk of his land so the church could build this massive football stadium. And it's like, state of the art. It's beautiful.
Yeah it's pretty nuts how much of it is run down in areas, specially the East side of the city, all the meanwhile apartment agencies and groups are out here putting up new complexes or townhomes for gentrified prices due to the big emphasis from the mayor and committee to help turn Fort Gordon into the cyber capital as everyone up in maryland moves operations down here and such (makes sense given the NSA hub down here along with SRS and nearby sites like GD electric boat offices)
I don't know who this person trying to fool Augusta Georgia is not a abandoned community. The houses on and off Walton Way is beautiful you barely see raggedy abandoned houses. Nice apartments. There are some poor and ghetto neighborhood although it's minimum.
Born and raised and still live in Augusta. We never locked our doors and felt safe at night. But like most places in the US that’s not a good idea now. We are becoming a sprawl now a days. With the Army Base, the Medical College of Ga, the Dental college of Ga, two nuclear plants near by and Augusta University, Augusta draws people from all over. There are many beautiful places in Augusta as well as dingy rundown areas just like every city. It’s not a bad place to live. We are close to the ocean and the mountains. In 2 to 5 hours you can be either sitting on the beach or tubing down a mountain creek.
Augusta is mostly awful.. sorry.. born and raised .. got out.. it’s sad that Augusta will not/ can not revitalize downtown.. it’s actually getting worse.. great video though bro!
If you get a chance, go back to visit during Masters Week. The city turns into an oasis of massive and brilliant azalea blooms. Always amazed me how they make those things bloom on command. They clean the city as if the King, Queen, Pope, President and any other dignitaries are coming to visit! LOL I went to school in Augusta and lived there for several years - many, many, many years ago - and rather regret leaving.
@@susanb.3363 ok well I’m glad you don’t but it’s the truth. Been here 47 years and my family way longer than that, you’re not “from here” you went to school here and lived here for “several” years you said. My Family IS from here, my grandfather was the treasurer of Augusta, helped build numerous buildings here including the Augusta Library, we also had one of the first feed and seed stores in Augusta and it still stands to this day.
Eli Whitney was on his way to teach at Yale. He stopped at Catherine Greene's plantation (Widow of General Nathaniel Greene) and invented the cotton gin. A gin he built is in the Washington-Wilkes, Georgia, Museum.
I'm from Augusta and I never new why commissioner's don't say or do anything about all the run down and abandon properties, it's depressing but glad you showed them 😎
As someone who has lived in augusta for 17 years. It's really not that great. Downtown is dangerous after dark. There is lots of poverty. Masters week when you live here is a nightmare. I stay away from the mall after the shooting that happened not to long ago. Also many many schools have been having problems with finding guns and getting threats. But to a visitor I can see the appeal. When you live here and see the underneath of it all, it doesn't make you want to stay.
The way I see it, some houses are passed down through the generations. Some are kept up some not. It just depends on work ethic. If you work you have money to upkeep your home. Then there are the homes that are sold when a generation passes on and no family wants to live there and there are no relatives to pass it too. That's where the 30 year old and up generation come in. I call them the HGTV generation. They have a love for old homes, older architecture and want to keep it alive. So they buy older homes and fix them up. I see that around where I live. No where near as big as Augusta but it happens in every town. I love the HGTV generation. They are keeping older homes alive.
That's exactly what me and my husband have been doing since 2002 and we love improving communities in Augusta to provide top quality homes at affordable prices specifically for those who may not otherwise be able to afford top quality homes. It's a win/win..providing great homes while also helping improve communities while doing what we love.
Thank you for showing off our little city/big town. I was a little apprehensive at first because of the title but I believe you did an awesome job of fairly showcasing Augusta.
ive been a local for over 35 years. despite the good vibes you have received in comment section, the TRUTH about downtown Augusta and immediate areas is that those who have made any changes have done so with very limited foresight for the community in general. The arts and music scene is a real joke especially for local musicians and artists. Commisioners notoriously promote their own personal clicks and actively demote all else. Bars and clubs are only willing to pay musicians about half what they could earn 30 years ago. Drugs are a rampant problem. This town is producing more thugs than ever. One of the bustling malls was shut down and abandoned because of this very thing. Cops are lowest paid. The local leaders and the politicians are utter complete failures.
Everything some one does a video on augusta they always do downtown and Washington rd. Try coming out to Hephzibah, Martinez, Evans, places like that is a good representation of aigusta too
Looks like he primarily focuses on downtown areas so naming the video Downtown Augusta instead would have been more accurate particularly since he didn't show all of Augusta and the surrounding areas. There was lots missed in Laney Walker and the Bethlehem area where new homes and renovations are going on. Other than that...nice video with great sharing of Augusta's history.
2:18. I am a virtuoso Kazoo and Accordion Player and I have performed at that Amphitheater many times during the 1990's and into the early 2000's. I mainly played Jazz and Blues, but gradually started to play more Rock & Roll.
Augusta is not a growing city. It has not had any significant population growth in over 25 years and that was only because the city and county consolidated in 1995. In fact Augusta lost its status as second largest city in Georgia to Columbus because of its stagnant population..it's been stuck at around 200,000 since the late 90s. Neighboring Columbia county is indeed growing, in fact it grew by over 35% over the past decade. The only time downtown sees any foot traffic is when they have a festival once every six months or after 10pm when all the drunks come out on Broad street. That's all downtown really is: a handful of late night drunk bars where a fight or shooting is almost guaranteed to occur almost every weekend. There are some nice older historic homes and neighborhoods but they are greatly overshadowed and outnumbered by the blight..it really is everywhere. It should be no surprise why this city is universally known as Disgusta.
When I lived there in the 1990s it was pretty clear that the income/wealth was going west of town, into Columbia County just like you said. We lived in the National Hills area between the National and the river and there was a very pronounced east-west gradient. Initially I lived in the Olde Town area just east-southeast of where the OP was downtown and I remember hearing full auto fire down the road one night.
Augusta does have its bad neighborhoods as well as upscale ones and downtown comes and goes as far as progressing and regressing depending on who is in power in Richmond County. However, it's still a great place to live. The suburbs - Evans and Grovetown in Columbia County - are constantly growing and don't have the crime rate that Augusta has. Very interesting video, thank you for showing the rest of the nation our great city.
I have lived in Augusta since I was seven. I hate and love Augusta like anyone who still lives in the town they grew up in. I say this with no agenda, it feels like a small town in the downtown metro area because our elected officials continue to steal or excuse me divest into their own pockets from us. Investigate the history of our transit system. But by all means, come visit lol btw the miller is a surprisingly cool place donate they give u an excellent tour.
You should come for arts in the hearts, it's always booming during then! Bad drivers though😂😂😂 But I don't like that confederate pillar but they removed the other pillar which was supposed to have superstition that a sd space built it and cursed so that whoever tries to move it would die shortly! But you were standing near one of my favorite food places! Broad street bullies is so good the wait is a tad bit long but worth it!!!
My Mom moved to Augusta in the early 70s. My Grandparents lived here as my Grandfather did commercial construction and was part of building Ft Gordon. I moved here in 1982, lived with my Mom and her husband to attend Augusta College, now Augusta University. The classrooms at the time were former barracks. The Deans residence and admin building sat in front of a huge garden courtyard. walled in with brick wall that had rifle slits in the wall. I lived there 14 years but visit often when I visit Mom. I put myself through college working in many non franchise restaurants, The Green Jacket Restaurants in Daniel Village and Washington Rd. Goldsmiths on Broad St., Marlowes off Washington Rd. The Continental Rest Supper Club)at the hotel just across the entrance of the Augusta airport. Lots of great memories and it still feels like home. I always thought of it as a small city or big town. Love watching this video, I feel like I could share so much more with our tour guide here. I miss Fat Mans Forrest. I still have a Christmas tree from there that I got 1/2 off in July. I wrote a marketing paper on Fatmans.
What a interesting City ! The old and new parts of town remind me of the Heights in Houston, TX. . Just give it some time and the run down homes will disappear 🤣
These videos are Americana in its purest form" being a truck driver I sometimes get to park and walk around and explore" but its almost impossible finding a space big enough to park.
I lived in Augusta back in 1980 I loved it, not known as a Golf course back then. The road I lived on was "Belair Rd" it was way outside the city nothing but woods a house every 1/4-1/2 mile. I was the first one on my school bus It took an hour to get to school it was a long ride . Now I look at the road I lived on everything is gone 😔 the brick house all the neighbors homes I knew it's all built up and not in a good way. I had 3 friends within a 1/4 mile of my house nobody locked their doors. My one friend didn't have Locks on any door on the house. Seriously the front door never had a lock on it since it was built. Those days are gone forever 😔😔😔😔
K Richner; You're so right and what a shame it is. That Era of innocence was a Treasure we didn't know we had. So sad. The lunch looked great. My mouth was "Salavating" over the Salad, Catfish and Fries.
The only original building at the main intersection on Washington Rd in Evans is the big church on the hill. The old Evans High location is now a Home Depot. Used to be really nothing from there until you got close to Clark's Hill. Now it is all built up.
