Thanks! I used to spend a lot of time looking at tiny towns like this on Google's street view and thought I was a weirdo for doing it. Turns out there are a lot of "weirdos" out there. Love this channel.
@@tina74166 Unfortunately, Google doesn't bother updating really small towns like this. If you look at Turon for example, they're still showing the scene from 2008 and the resolution is horrible.
@@richrobertson9457 Oh yes, you are so right! It can be quite annoying🙄And as you said, we're not not as crazy as we thought!!😂 Are you looking to move? Or just having fun checking these towns out?
@@tina74166 I live, and have always lived, in central New Jersey where we're packed in like sardines and one town blends into the next, and the traffic at times, is horrendous. So I'm intrigued by areas of the country where there's so much empty space and hardly any people. Part of me would love to live in a place like that, but realistically, I'm too used to having supermarkets and restaurants 10 minutes away where I can get anything I want and an abundance of choices for just about any service I need, so alas, it amounts to no more than fantasy.
Rural Kansas is full of amazing and kind people! You can imagine my initial deflation when all I could see were corn and wheat fields on approach to Wichita Airport in 1983. They were not the skyscrapers-filled America cities I envisioned, especially after coming in via JFK Airport. I wanted to return to Nigeria immediately 😂😂 All it took was a few weeks in Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas, to show me how WONDERFUL the people of Kansas were and still are!! Though in Texas now, I will always LOVE Kansas!!❤❤❤
There is no potential because there is no industry. Automation in farming has wiped out the need for people. In another 15 years these towns will have half the population. But they keep voting for Republicans.
Me, too, but the local economies have been decimated. And much of the central USA is hot and humid and now becoming dryer and dryer. The federal gov would have to make big investments in small towns to encourage small, non-predatory businesses.
I 'm from Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and i must say i really appreciate your vids. But as i am living in a densely populated city, it always surprises me that i see so few people walking around in the towns you feature. Here it's always busy, but in rural America i see no people walking around, tending their gardens, making small talk with their neighbours, or heaven forbid, bicycling. It all looks so deserted.
Its very sad. Due to a variety of factors we bulldozed our cities for automobiles in the 20th century. Things are turning around though. In mamy towns and cities there is a large push to bring back walkable communities and make many downtown cores car-free. In the city of Knoxville, TN there is a large section called "Market Square" where cars arent allowed. It is always very nice and we have markets twice a week! I would love to live in The Netherlands though. Absolute gold standard for urban planning and prioritizing the community over cars. Dont stop making improvements but never stop being grateful for the wonderful improvements of your country! 😊
@@stephenmorton8017 Factory farms produce most food. There is a large amount of conservatives who idealize rural america as small groups of people who are more likely to be farmers and pool their resources. A very fake idealized version that from my experience is not the case. Most people I know that live in rural areas are not much different than your average suburbanite or urbanite. The biggest difference is that per capita rural folks cost their respective communities a lot more in taxes and services than suburbanites or urbanites. This is well known and can be looked up on a per-capita basis. It costs a lot of money to run power lines, roads, water, sewage, internet etc to these small communities. 😂
@@concernedcitizen6572 most people garden for pleasure and enjoy the results and a lot of folks will sit outside on a beautiful morning. not in the twilight zone, apparently. they seem afraid of snipers.
“Toto, I have a feeling we're in Kansas...” 🙃Thanks for the virtual tour of the heartland! I've driven though the state a couple of times-- despite its reputation for being flat and boring, I found some really interesting towns and places there. Sometimes it's just nice to get off the freeway, slow down and enjoy the low rolling hills with green grass and crops stretching out to the horizon. (For a day or so, anyway...🙂)
I'm from Laverne, OK (30 miles directly north of Shattuck), but have lived about 7 years of my life in Protection, KS. I worked in Coldwater for about 3 years. But I've been on this stretch of road in this video more times since becoming an over the road truck driver than I ever did living in SW Kansas. Thank you for driving around these towns, I'm really only capable of passing through on the highway in a truck. About a month ago I did deliver to Halstead, just east of Hutchinson. It's a very nice town that would be worth checking out.
Yes, Halstead is very nice but the hospital closed down perhaps 25 years ago and that's when a lot of houses were built. We were through there the other week just tooting about and there's some new houses on the southside of town which really surprised me. The best Kansas small town would be Hesston. Major corps and small college and wealthy retirees.
@@keithwiebe1787 Hesston College was the BEST known American college in my Nigerian village of Alayi in Abia State in the 1970s😀. Four of my siblings attended Hesston College.
@@ucukaoma4551 My wife, my 2 sisters, and a brother in law, ex boss, wife's Uncle (he taught there) all had affiliations with Hesston College. Oh, and I think my dad may have attended a year of high school in the early 50s when they had a program for that.
I live in rural North Dakota. So I really appreciate your videos. I try to do some of my own, but my main joy is from yours. You show parts of the US that most people will never see. IT is an important part of the "discussion" we are having as a nation.
Thank you Joe for driving around rural Kansas. I used to live in Augusta KS. Brought back great memories for me and I remembered driving through through Preston. Love these quiet quaint towns.
I am from that area of Kansas and it is beautiful and peaceful. If you’ve not already visited them, there is a town in NW Kansas called Speed, KS which boasts a hot wheels museum and also another town called Gas, Kansas which as a water tower shaped like a gas can with “Gas, Kan.” on it.
If I were in a position to leave my job and move somewhere else, this part of Kansas is where I'd consider. Moderately dry climate (good for sinuses), but not nearly as hot as Texas or Arizona.
All old Chicago Rock Island and Pacific railroad towns. All of the grain elevators are now too small to be served by the railroad and are served by trucks if still in use. Another excellent video, thanks much!
Love Kansas! Thank you! I was born in SE Kansas and lived there until I was 10 1/2 when we had to move because of my Dad's employment. For me, it was the center of the universe and I'd live there now if I could.
Never been to Kansas so I appreciate this video. Arlington looked very peaceful. Some nice architecture too. I like Zenith too! Agree that building a crematorium in a dying town is a great irony! Appreciate and love your channel !
The video is not representative of the majority of Kansas. There are other videos out there showing what a larger portion of the state and it's small towns are like. My wife and I explored this country, full time, in an RV for 11 years before finally settling in our current (not Kansas) location. This video shows the worst, which should not lead you to believe the entire state is like that. Not even close.
As usual you guys never disappoint me. I luv what you do for me. It just makes me chill for awhile & away from the insane world that is persistently driving me bonkers. Loads of luv & God's Blessings be yours.
I came upon a book from the UK with authentic old photographs of the Henley Regatta from the turn of the prior century.....It was a glorious time for the british I hope they build that time machine for im not going forward Im going back
Awesome, as always !! I agree with you about the lovely old buildings, it's such a shame when they try to "modernise" them with add-ons, so you can't see the full beauty of the building. Thanks so much for another enjoyable video !!😊
There is something both impressive and noble about grain elevators. Form follows function we hear, and the elevators are the apotheosis of that aesthetic ideal. Looking at ‘em, each has a certain integrity and generally subtle shifts in line and volume. An American art-form as yet uncelebrated.
This one was neat to see! A dear friend of mine from college is from Sawyer, and Pratt was the closest “active” town. In 2011 my husband at the time and I went to her wedding which was in held in Medicine Lodge, but we drove in early and stayed at a house closer to Sawyer. We didn’t quite make it over to the little towns in this video - we MAY have explored close to Preston, but we drive down from 1-70 so I am pretty sure we didn’t. Sawyer in 2011 resembles these little towns. Cool to see. We loved the slower pace of life. A few years before I was in Hutchinson on a separate trip. All that said, to was neat to see the little towns in between.
Joe you should have stopped at Carolyns Essenhaus in Arlington. Some of the best food and service I have ever had. Drive out there a few time a year from Wichita just to eat.
I was born in Pratt, Kansas. I lived in Turon, Kansas a portion of my younger years. I always returned there to visit family. My grandparents house is still there. Unfortunately they are no longer living. I've always wished I could buy their house back. It was such an important part of my life.
I'm a Texan who moved to Kansas years ago. I love watching your videos. It's interesting to hear the different stats you provide. Spotting the cats are enjoyable as well
Who is doing the mowing in all those dying towns? The grass is not cut to military standards, but there appear to be huge areas that appear to have been mowed recently.
I wondered that too. Maybe the county sends a landscaping crew around periodically to keep these little towns from turning into hayfields. Or Forrest Gump and his riding mower live nearby
On a trip to Colorado we went thru Kansas on 70, it was nice but also very run down. Almost impossible to find a local place to eat. This was 2019. Still no better on the way home trying different stops. Thanks, always enjoy these vids!
70 west of Salina once out of the hills is very boring. One needs to go hiway 50 further south for a more local flavor of the towns. Goes to Dodge City, Garden City and into Colorado where it follows the Arkansas river. Northeast Kansas is considered the armpit of Kansas. Very nasty snowstorms in the off seasons, etc. Only saving grace is that it cools off some at night in the middle of summer.
I spent my teen years in Turon. I lived there from 1985-1990, until I left for college. I know all those towns well! Thanks for driving through. Lots of memories for me.
OZ// Thanks Joe for another great drive. I LOVE THE TRAINS !! I live in a train town. In Turon- I spotted an Australian flag in a window of one of those old houses !! wow. Love ur work. Hello to Nicole.
I agree, the add-on to the old brick building in Sylvia was definitely an eyesore. They didn't even try to maintain the style. Enjoying your videos, as always!
At the same time, it's easy for us to sit and criticize others' decisions. Yeah, the new addition was a bit garish, but for a small church in a declining small town, making the addition look like the rest of the building might have been literally beyond their pay grade
thank you for sharing this video. im from Malaysia but used to study Petroleum engineering at Univ of Kansas, Lawrence. i was there from 1984-1987. looking at the small towns that u visited, it brings back a lot of good memories during my days there. . thnks again and please keep up the good work. cheers😊
If you’re ever looking for other great small Kansas towns I highly recommend visiting Winfield, El Dorado, Manhattan, the entire Flint Hills. Also if you’re ever in north eastern Kansas I highly recommend visiting Falls City, NE. Falls City reminds me of how a city from the 50s would look today.
When I was a kid in the 70-80's, Preston was one of the nicer "rural" communities in Pratt County. It's really gone downhill in the past 25 years. I still get my meat from the butcher shop in Preston, but I live in the Kansas City area. One of my brother's best buddies is the mayor of Turon. Lol! Most of the towns were founded around railroad stops not the grain elevators. Although, the two things basically became synonymous
I usually like videos showing the ghettoes of America but this channel is cool because it shows towns that are small and you usually don't see on videos.
Love how you give us so much info on the towns. These videos show how much small town life is not desired by many people nor is the infrastructure of them able to be maintained long term with little to no tax dollars.
The infrastructure in the major city I left is crumbling because of poor city government and the taxpayers are moving to small towns like the one I moved to. The infrastructure is much better here, not to mention crime, schools and city services.
You're joking about the infrastructure, right? June of 2023 tanker truck crashes under Philadelphia's I-95. A major through fare Resulting firestorm makes overpass collapse. Rebuild is expected to take MONTHS. LOL!
I really like your videos.....It really gives a chance to see some great small towns that most of us have never heard off..And a lot of these places are small but some can have some great things..I look forward to seeing some of these places in your videos Peace and Blessings
Awesome stuff as always man! You should start stopping by and talking with the locals a little bit, get their perspective and out take on these towns! Anyways I would love to do something like this with my channel one days back home in rural Brazil.
This part of Kansas is close to my heart. My mom went to school in Hutchinson. My mom's grandparents lived in Newton. Spent alot of time exploring these parts as a kid. Same goes for NE Kansas as well. 😊
I love cruising rural America and see how I can't get out s often as I like to, I thank you for the ride along. looking forward to some more interesting trips.
My wife and I try to do a day trip to small towns like this. I've been on new roads I didn't even know existed 20 miles from where I live (north of Wichita, Ks). Found a Chisolm trail map coming home from a rural town restaurant and decided to go west out of town and ran into the historical markers and maps.
I attended elementary school in Preston. My dad and both brothers graduated high school there. We moved to Colorado in 1965. The last class to graduate there was 1966. The high school consolidated to Pratt which is 13 miles away. The schools’ history in these small towns is at the heart of who these towns were. Thanks for sharing this video!
Fantastic Video I really enjoy watching this channel. Kansas looks very peaceful not to much going on. It must be nice driving around there there is absolutely no traffic that's a good thing!!!!
The towns, distressed properties, and architecture appreciation are really spot on, but when you take a few days off, your food reviews and hotel reviews are also very good, and short video's would add a little .
Hey Joe. I did little more research on turon ks the closet Walmart is one hour by car the cafe that you showed has a buffet on Wednesday nights the closest gas station is 4 miles away
Lost you guys for some time because of the P C but have you back and sure do like your show all the luck for you both have a good time. Charlie and Cathy from Florida.
Such cute houses, big trees, nice yards. What a shame no one wants to live there. I wonder how far these towns are from the nearest hospital or physician. I wouldn't mind living there.
Don't know how I stumbled upon your channel but this is cool. I live in Wichita. The largest city in Kansas. There are so many cool places off the beaten path to explore. Keep on keeping on.
This is very Quiet... i was thinking if i wake up early morning get some Coffee and cokes....enjoying the Fresh air listening to the Birds.... What a perfect morning would be 👌🏻
My own observation as a Kansan, your right. Most of these towns grew around and elevator and a feed store. If your were lucky the town had a gas station, grocery, and a school. Nowdays the town has dried up, but you look outside of town you can find the nicer homes with a massage amount of acreage owned and farmed by one family. Instead one family farming 80 acres back in the day, today a farm can be 4-6x that. Fewer people, but still most the land is still farmed with help of huge tractors.
Interesting video. I grew up in NYC in the 60s and have always had a positive impression of Kansas through the film, The Wizard of Oz. Thirty years ago I was offered a job in Vietnam and the first thought when arriving here was, “I think I am not in Kansas anymore” given how different everything was. I have remained here in Vietnam all that time and now if I ever had reason to go to Kansas the first thing I would think is, “I think I am not in Saigon anymore!”. Reminded that our impression from this video is in its best light being beautiful morning sunshine and the bright green of late spring under beautiful blue skies. It would a a very different scene on a gray winter day. One little suggestion time and money considered would be for you to go into the town coffee shop (those that may have one) and have a few words with the people living there.
I spent three years of my childhood in small-town Kansas. The memories of it are great. Garnett, Anderson County is holding its own; but barely. The comments from across the pond say something else about American society. Even in these small towns with lots of space and less crime, folks just don't socialize like previous generations. I attribute it to a gradual shift caused by television, computers and social media. Most of us are looking at a screen inside and not outside talking to the neighbors.
Might be for another set of reasons: declining and aging populations mean fewer people and age groups to speak to; and less vibrant economies mean a more despondent population.
Ah, yes...the infamous "blue glow" (TV) you see shining through the front room lace covered windows on an early summer evening. People glued to the boob tube being "programmed"
My great grandparents had a farm in Arlington & when my dad was a little boy, Friday nights there would be movies on the side of the building (throughout the summer) that was the Crazy Horse.
I've just discovered this channel! Probably got recommended to me because of searching a few places in Ohio. I'm from the UK and it's a real education to see these less publicised parts of the US
Fascinating video, especially if, like me, you live in suburban UK where everyone is within 20ft of everyone else. While there are compensations, I could happily swap places to live contentedly in any of these small rural towns and think I'd gone to heaven. But then, I'm an old fart and would probably fit right in. The slight seediness and emptiness is hugely appealing if you can get the beauty of wabi-sabi. Appreciate all the videos Joe. Keep up the great work. I have no doubt that all will become historically important in the fullness of time. Much success, richly deserved.
It’s the first time that I have ever been in downtown Sylvia KS. Driven through there on highway 50 several hundred times. Lived 70 miles east of there in Newton KS for 8 years back in the 1990’s. Would travel to Colorado to visit family a lot of times on my days off from work when I had time.
Passed through half of Kansas to get to Salina, a year ago. It was cool to see, but I didn’t really have enough time to stop and explore anywhere. It was pretty much a get there and back trip, from central TX and back over a weekend. One of these days I want to be able to explore some of the places where they filmed Twister in the state 👍🏻
Love your videos. Currently live in NC. Lived in Hutchinson, KS, from '67 to '77 when I was growning up. Then I joined the USAF and moved away. Have extended family who live on farms near these towns. They live closest to the little tiny town called Penalosa. Been to all of 'em many times. They've all been going downhill since WW II at least. Keep up the good work. Bon Voyage! :)
My Uncle pretty much owns the the town of Arlington. He has purchased most downtown buildings. He lives in Wichita and is 87 years old. He has a nice farm on the east side of town and his wife’s daughter lives there.
I've been through Kansas on Rt. 70 years ago. It was an ocean of flatness with occasional dust devils. I also enjoyed the rolling terrain heading into Colorado on Highway 36 . . .. The Rocky Mountains were in the distance as I passed through an intersection in "Last Chance", CO.
You need to get off the interstate to see Kansas. Only a small part of Kansas is really flat. Usually in river valleys. I dare you to ride a bicycle through the Arikaree Breaks and Bad Lands of northwest Kansas or the Gypsum Hills area of southwest and south central Kansas.
This is my home county (Reno) where I lived until the age of 21. There are some towns around here that are more prosperous and with larger populations. But even back in the 50's and 60's almost every place was shrinking. After all there were reasons I left Kansas. I still have plenty of relatives here but many of them moved to bigger places such as Wichita, Pratt and Hutch.
I lived in Hutch for 3 years for college and I always loved checking out the smaller surrounding towns. I left Kansas for Michigan after I graduated, but I really enjoyed my time there.
I love how empty the places you go are . Nobody outside in the yards or walking is the most weird part about it for me … where I live , you can’t go a single block without seeing people all over their porches and yards and walking . 78000 people here so I guess that doesn’t help . I wanna move to every location you visit , regardless of most of them being inconvenient places to live . Lol
