Mississippi born and bred. I’m from this area. This is one of my hometowns. Lived here from 12 years old to freshman or sophomore year in college. Then moved to the next town Marks. The county has been poorly ran since I can remember. The same politicians have been in office all of my life. That’s another story. But yeah. I appreciate my upbringing. It made me appreciate life and the opportunities that have come my way. Thanks for shining a light on a place that had much potential but gets put on the back burner year after year.
The lack of people is so strange. Where I live, even dying small towns still have people out in the street, gardening, walking dogs, maintaining their homes, etc etc.
It does in small towns in Mississippi. Not like it used to be but they pick the parts that are damn near abandoned or the time of day. I have seen like 5 and I'm from there. When I go visit there are still people. Obviously not like when I was there. A lot of buisnesses because they can't stay open are closed but there are usually somewhere with convenient stores dollar stores at least some small grocery store.
@@amberpowell2609 So you're basically agreeing that there are at least large areas of these towns, which are effectively abandoned. It still doesn't explain anything. WHERE are the people who live in the towns. If your small city has 20,000 people (for example), they would be very visible. They would be out and about around town. Walking their dogs. Gardening. Shopping. Catching up with friends at cafes. Playing tennis. Working out. Hiking. Riding bikes. Commuting to work. Jogging. Etc etc? All the normal things that normal people do.
@@pm2886 not large and 20,000 is a lot bigger than a little over a 1,000. A huge difference. I would bet money not a single person plays tennis, or even cares to for the large majority. What I meant is that there will be places in the community that obviously you will see people on a pretty day but obviously with that small of a population is going to be very different. No town like that has a "large area" most work will probably not even be in town.
I really appreciate you covering these small, nearly forgotten towns. I have lived in the deep South my entire 50 years and it absolutely never fails to amaze me the vast amount of generational poverty and decay. Heartbreaking when you consider these were vital, thriving, living and breathing towns at one point, not really so long ago. It seems like they degrade to a certain point, and finally the few remaining residents just give up on keeping up the town and their homes. The ones that can afford to, leave and all that is left is a aging population that is unable to afford to keep a town up and are not physically able to do it themselves.
Sat next to Charlie pride on a plane to Germany. He was going to sing at the NCO clubs for the military. Fell in love with his voice and his wonderful personality. Very humble man.
Not true I have family that lives in Lambert Mississippi I've been there over 20 times every body knows every body and my cousin is City Council there and she's a nurse and her brother have his own trucking company he owns 3 semi trucks. He did not show the entire Lambert even though it's not that big
I don't care who you are, when people from that area see you driving down the road, THEY WAVE at you. Some of the friendliest folks in the world. And...I was in a funeral procession in Batesville, and the traffic pulled over and men standing outside their cars with their hats over their hearts....out of sheer respect.....and the young folks are brought up with "Yes Sir, No Maam"...That's the Mississippi Delta I saw, know and love....
Interesting what you said about the funeral procession. My grandmother died in rural Southern Alabama in the 90s and I remember the same thing happening with people pulling over their cars...
I am from the ms delta, my mom lives in Tchula, MS, in a little community on horseshoe lake. This brings tears to my eyes because growing up in the delta you don't really see how poverty stricken these places are until you leave. I wish somehow we could revive these places, I love the delta, I miss home.
Maybe a change in leadership and ideals and maybe just maybe investors would come. Until then it's kinda of like a no go zone to people outside of the state and I mean all walks of life people.
Farmers have been leaving California over the past 30 years over water concerns, regulations and taxes. They should start showing up in the Delta at some point in time.
Greetings from NYC. I've heard of Mississippi but wasn't sure where it was on the map. Then my job sent me there on a 3-day assignment (attend the funeral of a retiree). I couldn't believe and was astonished by how wonderful the people there were. A sheriff suggested I buy a house near him and his family. Despite being a poor state, they make up for it in character. I'll never say a negative work about Mississippi.
Yes. No matter how little people have there, they'll do whatever they can to share with others who are struggling. The people of Mississippi are wonderful. There might be a few bad apples, but you'll find that everywhere.
I am from Crowder! Which is one town east of Lambert. I love this place, and it fills my heart with joy to see this while at the same time I am also saddened. I accept it for what it is. It is home to me, and I love and always feel refreshed coming back visiting! Thank you for coming through and visiting!
We lived in MS for several years. My husband was a pilot stationed at Keesler AFB in Gulfport after serving two tours in Vietnam (he's since passed long ago). Yet, while living in MS we explored everything we could as we were absolutely fascinated by this state with such amazing rich history. The Delta, indeed, was home to rock and roll...PLUS, jazz. Such as Son House, John Lee Hooker, Junior Parker, Ike Turner, Eddie Boyd, Sam Cooke, Muddy Waters, Pinetop Perkins, Earl Hooker, Lil Green, Big Jack Johnson and the list goes on. Just being able to have had the opportunity to live within this amazing state was an enormous blessing that we could never forget. The people of MS are the best, kindest folks we'd ever met. Just thinking of all those we'd met... I can hardly breathe. We thank God to have had such a wonderful opportunity. Sir, your videos are beyond wonderful. Yet, regarding MS no matter how well it's shown in pictures or videos it doesn't compare to actually being there. My husband was originally from TX...me, from Detroit. MS, from the moment we first got there was etched within our hearts forever. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing videos. Much Respect to you... 💖😼😼
I totally agree with you. I'm also from Detroit ,but now have move away. I have been to Mississippi at least 21 to 23 times and the Delta area. I love Mississippi people in Mississippi are really down to earth and respectable like no other place. haven't been to Mississippi in about eight years now boy do I miss it. Lambert and marks Mississippi where's my stomping ground😊
Thank you so much for your kind words. I’ve lived in Tupelo, MS my entire life, except for the five years I lived in Clarksdale. It’s really nice to hear someone speak positively about us Mississippians and our very poor but still so very rich state. We don’t get that often. 😊❤
Love me some Pinetop Perkins and Sam Cooke. The artists you listed sang from a place of pain. The movie ‘Mississippi Burnimg’ is an accurate description of Mississippi. Jackson Mississippi today is the state capital. They have no clean water to drink because the town is 80 % dark skin folk. Mississippi is a disgusting hell hole to this day. As a military family you did not live like a ordinary citizen. America is a tribalistic nation of consumers. Dark skin citizens are still slaves in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
My paternal grandparents were born and raised in the rural Mississippi Delta region. They left Mississippi and moved to Milwaukee in the 1940s. They were part of the Great Migration.
20% of white people have been running and running down these towns forever and it shows.people live their whole life's not knowing the real beautiful America because of repression.
My Dad grew up near New Albany, MS and after he was in the military, he moved to Kenosha, WI. He retired to Blue Springs, MS in 1989 and passed in 2003. He worked at AMC in Kenosha. Good pay for sure. A lot of people came North. It was financially a very depressed area. I am 52 and moved there with them my senior year of school. Huge culture shock! I refused to convert to any religion. I was an atheist and they really tried to bring me to jesus! I couldn't wait to leave.
Two slight corrections, the Muddy Waters song was “Rolling Stone” (not “Like a Rolling Stone” which is Bob Dylan). Second, Muddy didn’t play electric guitar with a band until he moved to Chicago. For bonafides, my band did gigs opening for Muddy and other great blues musicians in the early 70s.
I had the same sad experience. We came from Sweden looking for music. Old historic music venues are empty or shuttered and felt like they were in the middle of nowhere. Good thing we started in Nashville! We adored Mississippi though. The people are very relaxed and friendly and can chat all day.
i was born in Woodstock NY in the 1960s. i learned to snap my fingers while jumping on my sister's bed and listening to her Beatles records. at 14, i ran away from home. not to escape....but to explore. the first day, i went straight to Max Yasgur's farm (the site of the original Woodstock festival) and met Max and his wife. i camped on the hill above where the stage had been. i then headed south. i hitchhiked for ten days before i landed in Corinth Mississppi. the food and music are what i remember the most.
I moved to Clarksdale for retirement after 40 years in Calif. Just went to one of the many blues festivals we have in the area. This was in Helena, Ar, about 30 miles away. We're just 50 miles south of Memphis. We have live music here 7 nights a week and our "Juke Joint Festival" every April. Yes, we are a convenience store nation now and we buy our stuff online which hurts downtown. But the people around here are so friendly. I love it. Everything costs 2/3 less than in Calif. People are poor but they are not depressed with anxiety. Good, salt of the earth folks. Houses are really cheap and utility rates are low. I pay $300 per month rent.
Drove through this area last year when tracing the blues trail from NOLA to Memphis. Its was fascinating, inspiring and deeply depressing all at the same time. Such deep roots in culture, but such poverty and so few prospects.
All states have problems, not just MS has over ONE BILLION DOLLARS + in our treasure. Not many states can claim that. Just look at the slums in all the Nothern states.
@@mitchboswell2445 And what does MS plan to do with all of that money? Build indoor volleyball facilities. Jk Anyhow I live in the Northeast but there isn’t anything like this. Even in our most impoverished areas they oddly sit surrounded by some of the most affluent areas. It’s extremely rare to be able to travel to a downtown of a town or city and see complete abandonment like this. I can only speak for the Northeast though, maybe areas like Detroit and some of those regions are a different story.
this year marks the 30th anniversary of my journey from Malaysia to Columbus airport, where I began my degree program at Mississippi State University in Starkville, located halfway across the globe. Fondly reminiscing about the charming town that I miss so dearly...
I was born and spent my first 6 years in Mississippi. I loved it. No other place has ever felt like home to me, and I am getting old now. All these small towns that have a much higher % of females - I wonder how many men from these towns are incarcerated. I wonder if that is why there are so many more women. I suspect one reason why so many people don't get married is b/c they can get more government assistance if they are single with kids vs married with kids, and they need the assistance.
I was born there but am so happy to have left many years ago. I just feel sad for those that made the decision to stay. I moved North where I received numerous opportunities to earn a good living and gain office experience. Later I graduated junior college which allowed me to earn even more thereby saving for retirement and qualifying for a nice SS check each month. I watched my mom and sister work 25 & 23 years respectively at a nursing home in MS and never earn $9 an hour. That's how the system was designed, to keep the poor, very poor. There are no jobs...just feelings of despair and hopelessness. My nieces and nephews moved to Texas where they found jobs one week after arriving. It has been four years since they moved, and one nephew said "he'd live in a shelter rather than return to MS". This is not a place for young people which is why they leave in large numbers every year.
The most bizarre thing for me was not seeing a single place where people could meet. Only streets (with no sidewalk), houses and Dollar General. No squares, parks, theaters, libraries or even bars with some kind of outdoors sitting space. It's like these towns were built with no urban planning whatsoever. Or maybe these things existed at some point and local government just stopped maintaining them.
That's because these towns were either segregated for non-whites or they were decent until segregation ended, new opportunities presented itself, causing many of the families to move and/or the town became so stubborn that when new money making tools came out like brand new technology for example, they refused to learn, thinking their old ways is enough for their little town. It is usually a combo of all of the above. I suspect the town that has 100% black was likely a designated "black only" town way back during segregation. So it never improved.
When I first visited the States as a kid I remember having the impression that there were almost no "real villages" compared to Europe. While villages and cities in Europe naturally grew and expanded around a castle, a monastery or a church, those places called downtown in the US appear more like a necessity after settlers had moved there and occupied the land. That lack of centers probably hurts those communities badly as the population shrinks.
CHECK IT - SAD- DELTA- like the rest of the south- last in health care, education, crumbling infrastructure, - First in DOMESTIC APARTHAID- VOTER SUPPRESSION- VOTE BLUE
I lived in Greenwood and Vicksburg and as a black man, I can see that this is accurate. It’s sad, very sad and depressing. Great video that captures reality.
I like how you give us the break down about each town. I had cancer and can't get out much any more. I am so short winded now. It is so relaxing seeing all the towns. Thanks for all the work you do to bring us these videos. I Sub
My mom left there in 1963 said she would never return our family last name was White so my siblings and I will never know our family there my grandfather was name Luther White grandmother Paralee Williams a whole lost generation
How the hell did I just happen to click on a random video and immediately recognized my hometown?! First, there is a lot of rich history that you apparently don’t know. Such as the reason that town went to hell in a hand basket. One of the biggest contributors was when Garan, a large manufacturing plant for Fruit of The Loom or Haynes shut down, and a huge portion of the town became unemployed and a lot less cash in circulation. In the early ‘80’s that town looked a lot like The Sandlot movie. We had baseball games and parades during the summer. Around the early ‘90’s is when it all fell apart. Our grocery store shut down, they removed all the stop lights and replaced them with stop signs. We had to travel to Marks just to get groceries. Main St., or “downtown” as you called it, was a thriving business area until the old man that owned the warehouse on the end was murdered by 3 guys trying to rob the place. After that, the stores on Main just started closing down. The school, Southside, didn’t have air conditioners in the 80’s so our summer vacation would last 4 to 5 months.
My Grandparents were of modest means and mostly lived/worked in Louisiana. The little towns here looked a lot like what I remember visiting them. Thanks for putting this up!
thanks for taking us with you! I've only been to Mississippi once and enjoyed it -- blues music, great southern food, low cost of living...... I think Mississippi has alot to offer and alot of potential but gets overlooked.
I'm from Clarksdale and went to Ole Miss. Soon after graduating, I moved to Texas. It is depressing to go back home and see all the closed businesses and empty homes. I'm interested as well as to what the area will look like in 20 or 30 years.
Who knows, it might rejuvenate. People get tired of living in the city with all its crime and other drawbacks. They could have a change of heart and decide the small time life is for them. And with the American entrepreneurial spiri, they could create jobs for the small towns. Where there's people that pray, there's a way. And Mississippi people are a praying people.
Lord Spoda, in 1988 my brother was in basic training at Ft. Benning, GA. I was in my early 20s. My family from Pennsylvania drove to visit him. We went over to Alabama and ended up in Phenix City. That was the most culture shock I’ve ever experienced in my life. People of color living in wooden shacks with steam from stoves, and clothes hanging from lines. My late g-ma as a teen in the 1930s told me about this same condition then. I couldn’t believe 50 some years later that it still existed.
Seen similar outside of Paducah KY on gravel roads in the 70's. Growing up in the northern MI, had never seen folks living like that before. Stuck with me all these decades.
Clothes hanging from lines is the norm in my country, out of the biggest cities anyway. Always been the best way to dry clothes, still is, I don't own a dryer, but we also don't have extremes of weather.
Here it is 2023 in Phenix City, the wooden shacks are still here. All the brothels and pool halls are gone now so that name they gave it " Sin City" doesn't apply these days. And that tree that my uncle (on leave from the Vietnam Era) wrapped our corvair on is still there on S Railroad St. The house my Papa & adopted father built in '65 for us still in use by other folks now
@@jillspence7227 its Saturday, I just took my clothes off the line! Yes I own a dryer, I've used it a couple of times in 5 years. Why run up the gas an electric bill when mother nature will do it better for free?
A lot of dogs running free. 😢Our dog is a rescue from Mississippi. I'll be sure to remind her how blessed she is. Her litter was surrendered to a local vet and half had parvo. Prayers for these communities.
How can there only be 264K of subscribers. I made plans to visit the US from Miami up the East Coast to Chicago and down the middle to New Orleans but now I don’t have. It’s a brilliant channel. Love it. Would like him to interview some of the local inhabitants. Love the architecture and various other commentaries. Really great channel.
Dad is from Clarksdale and he loves his hometown. He's a true Delta Boy! I love the history and how he speaks about it. It's just not anywhere I could live. I enjoy visiting family though.
I was born in Clarksdale and I spent a good bit of my adolescence growing up in Crowder which is close to Lambert and Marks ( not much different). This video is a blast from the past but it also affirms my decision to make a geographical change was the right decision .
Dear Lord Spoda. Thanks once more for video. Heartbreaking. That this is possible in the USA. A friend of mine visited Mississippi in the 80s and confirms the poverty was already rife then.
Just love your attention to significant detail about the areas you and wife visit. Keep up the good work and your enthusiasm for new adventures. As always safe travels 🚘🐈❤️🗺
Again, just love this channel. Feet up, relaxing and cruising America. We'll be touring the southern states next month for 4 weeks. This gives us an idea where we need to keep the doors locked and which motels not to book 😂
A fascinating insight into a part of the world I know very little about. Thanks for all the additional facts, figures and information that makes these trips with you so informative.
Thanks for the opportunity to watch this types of towns, I take a kind of trip at another part of US in the news don´t see much times, greetings from Latin America.
Thanks so much for that music history lesson! I've been an amateur musical historian for much of my life, since high school. I always thought that the birthplace of rock 'n' roll was West Memphis, across the river from Tennessee, in Arkansas. (1947-1952). But it sure makes sense that the Delta would have bred bigger things with the blues. I recall listening to old '78 records as a kid, in my next door neighbor's basement in the early 1960s. Vintage stuff. Worth its weight in gold. Love your videos. Have watched many without commenting much. I am no longer able to ramble because of my health. But your windshield has become a window to a world that fascinates me. I grew up in small and middle sized towns. Those roots still run deep within me - even though I've spent my entire adult life in cities. Much obliged for all your efforts!
I live about an hour away, closer to Memphis. I know some people that are moving into delta towns like Lambert because you can buy land or old houses there for practically nothing. My family lived in Crenshaw in the late 60's . At that time it was so busy on Saturday nights the sidewalks downtown were full. The boarded up building at 37:58 was my fathers grocery store. Look to the right behind that Dollar General and that is the bluff where the delta ends.
I've always thought that some of these abandoned towns would make a comeback once remote work became more mainstream. You could buy a house for straight cash and just forget about even needing to pay a mortgage payment, would be a great way to save money. On the down side, you'd have to live there, and it doesn't necessarily look like the type of place where you'd want to start a family or invite friends from out of town. But on the plus side, it's essentially a blank canvas and you could create whatever type of life you wanted there without worrying about neighbors getting up in your grill!
@@BrokenCompass502 That's exactly why they bought them. Your just over an hour from Memphis and a major airport. Drive 30 minutes east and house values triple, an hour east is Oxford and Ole Miss and home prices there are crazy. All of them paid cash, no HOA's super cheap property taxes. All of them could afford more but wanted to save money and not be house poor.
I came to the USA from England in 1979 and we did a coast to coast drive from New York to Los Angeles via the Deep South. I remember being quite shocked when driving through Mississippi, and how run down a lot of the towns were, compared to the several other states that we had visited. However, your excellent video has shocked me even more. The situation looks terribly depressing, all those abandoned homes and businesses and nobody around. The future looks extremely bleak for the people living there.
Totally stereotypical response .. depends greatly on which towns you went thru …going from NY to LA , you wouldn’t have gone thru any on the interstate
@@cliffwheeler7357 I call BS - you don’t take a cross country trip by going down obscure two lane state highways…it would take forever . You sure got a totally inaccurate perception of MS , I know that …this guy seems to have a perverse view of the world, where he seeks out every problematic venue he can find .
Just subscribed, after seeing one of your videos by chance a while ago. Really appreciate seeing this part of the U.S.A. as I've always had an interest in out-of-the-way places, followed by the folks who live there. My family migrated to Australia from Germany in 1956 and from then until I turned 17 I lived in a small town there, after which I moved to our state's capital city, Melbourne, to find work, and have been there ever since. Over the years I've seen my home town, and many others like it, shrink in population as businesses shut down and work was harder to come by. Although the population has since stabilized, it will never be the bustling, thriving community it once was. I find that sad. Growing up in a small town is so much better than growing up in a large, impersonal city, from what I can tell. Thank you.
@@JoeandNicsRoadTripso sad to see one town after another getting bad so shame on politicians who never talk about that even big cities getting worse full of homeless high in crimes what's going on where the money where is the care😭😭🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲
Wow, it's sad seeing the decay of once thriving towns and communities. Sadly it appears to be this way all across the country. It's great that you're capturing it in videos.👍
Back in the day when cotton was king, these were poor but thriving communities. When people could no longer depend on farming and factory work, they left. Even though there is now extreme blight, the land is very beautiful in the summer when everything is in full bloom. Such an extreme contradiction to the reality of life that most of the people of the communities must be living.
I can’t help but think that these are once beautiful and thriving towns. So sad and what a waste especially the old bldg architectures. I just found you and binge watching your videos. For some of us that cannot explore these cities like you do, this is an eye opener for sure and is greatly appreciated. Thank you for including their statistics as well 👍😁
Hello Mr Spoda. Great videos, once again.. And as usual, enjoying your videos, and thank you for providing lots of info about those Mississippi towns. I'm getting to know many places without leaving my home town. Greetings from Montebello, California
I was born in southern Mississippi and raised there and southern Louisiana. My dad’s job moved us to Washington when I was 16 and since then I’ve lived all over the country. I’m 51 and have never moved back. I have fond memories of my childhood down there.
As a someone who had lived in Pittsburgh, PA her whole life and relocated to Hattiesburg, MS in 2020. I was in culture shock, and that’s for Hattiesburg. A city that has the best school district in the state and 2 universities. We lived in a nice housing plan, someone broke into my car in my driveway, the police came and told me there are over “385 different gangs in Hattiesburg”. 😳 For as poor as the area is, I was shocked to see the high cost of groceries at the time, and the fees to register your car. Car registration fees in PA are $46 a year! There were also loose dogs always running, all the time. We lived there for 18 months, and decided it was not for us. So we moved back home to PA.
Please stop lying about Hattiesburg Mississippi I been here for 14 years move from the delta. Your car will get broken into everywhere you go ,it’s crime no matter were you go it’s not 300 gangs in Hattiesburg stop lying i love my state don’t ever disrespect it city ppl just don’t get it that’s y we will always out live you guys we know what it mean to struggle and get pass it
I loved seeing those loose dogs everywhere. When I lived down South I'd always keep a little something to toss out the window. Most are looking for any scrap of food they can find.
It is funny how two people can think opposite in they same scenario. I was thinking how many of these dogs were dumped on the side of the road because the people either could not afford them or they were not trained and turned into nuisances and people just dumped them. Every dog deserves a home and to be loved, and nice warm dry bed to sleep in. So for me it is sad.
@@miketybring4700 It's possible those dogs have a home to go to to eat and sleep. When I grew up in a small town in the South, our little dog wandered around free all day, but sure knew where home was. I hope that's still the case. I can't stand to think of unhappy animals.
Im glad you highlight these areas. When you go on vacation, you never venture into the abandoned areas, nothing for tourists to do so it doesnt get mentioned in the guide books
Love Your Video's you do a such good job, explaining about each town's history, record, and stats, you do well with your photography, and you show the good with the bad, and are honest, Thanks for showing us all these interesting towns and places, We love to watch your video's.
I’ve never been to the Mississippi Delta. Thank you for the tour. Some of these towns appear as if a tragedy occurred and the residents vanished. Some gems in these towns nonetheless.
I'm not from the Delta but my family is from top to bottom starting with Holly Springs south east of Memphis to Greenville on what they call the ArkLaMiss. The south in general is much more down trodden than the rest of the country and the reasons are vast. I love visiting the south regardless cause it's where my ancestors started their journey and it's beautiful I love nature and water. Was just in this area 2 days ago
From Marks...Graduated HS 1957..thriving town of 2500..Great place to grow up in 50's..live @511 oak st..Good homes this area. Show the good areas next time..Enjoyed this.. Brings back memories...
My children's father is from Greenville, his dad worked on Tacket farms, and it's still full of cotton fields, soy bean, rice, the catfish pond were converted into feilds.
Great work! Thank you for sharing. If I may make a suggestion, there are nice parts of Mississippi as well. Many times only the run down, rural areas of Mississippi are shown. You would really enjoy viewing other towns and cities that have beautiful homes, schools, universities, etc. That would make for a great video as well - to show both sides of Mississippi 👍🏽😊
I have visited and done videos of Gulf Port, Biloxi and Tupelo - all beautiful Mississippi cities.Those videos are exactly what you suggested. Check them out, you might like them.
The mood in most of these places is very eerie to me. I can't help but wonder what happens behind all those doors. I've probably watched the first season of True Detective one time too many.
Thanks for the opportunity to see the real inside part of the good old states of the Mississippi river! I've never been to the US and my vision of the old Mississippi was drawn for the most part from Huck Finns story by Mark Twain. To see the country for yourself is such a brilliant opportunity, especially considering that I am not planning to travel across the Atlantic. Such a contrast to what I had in my imagination! Lost for words
@Dale Gribble I kind of imagined these small towns aging, picturesque and a bit nostalgic ))) I've had no idea about the US rural life (no more than the city life either)
all i know from the south is from movies and youtube i watched, allways tought america was so beautiful although ive never been there and im surprised to see it like this
I know it could be a lot of research but it would be nice to hear about the dominant economic activity for some of these towns. Agriculture, mining, fishing, manufacturing, etc. Thanks for your videos. I am Canadian but am fascinated by the US because you are our closest friends, our economies are closely tied. and I think it is our responsibly to know more about you. I also noticed the train was CN, interesting to see so far south. Sending you all love and respect.
I think he tries if there was one dominant industry for a city. The biggest problem for this region was stated at the beginning of the video. A arm that used to employ hundreds now rarely have even ten employees. With nothing else to fall back on these towns have been dwindling for years.
Interesting you say that, Octo. I am part Canadian and have always been touched by the fact that you know more about our country than we do yours. Sort of speaks to our arrogance.
In reality there is no economy, and that is why almost everyone moved out. There used to be a lot of farm jobs, but automation eliminated almost all of them.
Clarksdale is the birth place of the blues. I've been to the Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale. I've also visited Rosedale, Marks, Tunica and Helena AR for a US Army Reserve medical mission.
Just a heads up on the Delta region of Arkansas. You may have already filmed it but I am looking forward to your thoughts of the area. I lived in Helena-West Helena for 3 yrs. 2012-2015. I had remarried and moved there from beautiful Hot Springs, Arkansas. My husband died suddenly so I moved back home. He was a Funeral Director and also pastor of a small church. I saw so much crime (mainly drug busts and homicides) every time I left the house. State Troopers had to raid the town and sweep up all the drug dealers on a regular basis. So I just wanted to warn you of the danger there. Safe travels and prayers for your safety!
Thank you, Patricia! That video will be up Wednesday. An eye opening area, for sure. I went to Hughes, Marianna, Brinkley & Forrest City. I'll be visiting the area around Helena in a future video. Side note: We visited Hot Springs and had a great time, including getting a good soak in a bath house! The video is on the channel! :)
If you think it was bad in 2015 dont go now. Helena West Helena looks like someone dropped napalm on it now. It's a place to pass threw and dont think about stopping. They drop folks in broad daylight now.
Hi, how do i find the delta area on a map? We are spending a month touring the southern states soon 😮. Not sure whether by motor home or car yet.... Motels.
@@tomf4547 Hey back at you! I am basically mostly familiar with Arkansas. But the Delta region consists mainly of 100 mile radius closest to the Mississippi River in Southeast Arkansas, Northwest Mississippi, and Northeast Louisiana. Be aware this is not ideal tourist area as there are miles and miles of commercial farmland there. But you may find something of interest the closer you stay to the mighty Mississippi River. Stay far far away from Memphis, Tennessee. That’s a high crime area, though there is many things to see there. Not sure what your interests are but I hope this helps. Good luck on your trip!
@@patriciawilhite7038 ooh Memphis Tennessee is/was high on the list. Maybe have a quick look n keep driving! I was a Bobby for 22 years so have a tenancy for curiosity, but that killed the cat didn't it 😂🇬🇧
Really enjoying your videos man! From France, blues fanatic and feeling like in the steps of the giants when watching! God bless Amercica and God bless the Blues!
Born in Clarksdale, because that's where the only hospital in Cohoma County is. Raised in Jonestown, and on occasion I stayed in Marks with my sister. Very hard life being raised in the Delta. We moved to the coast in 90-91, and it was like being in an entirely different state.
Its very depressing to see the loss & decay of small villages & towns in rural America. We all can expect to see change as time moves along ( some positive , some negative ) but not at these levels. All very sad for those that live there.
I think people should just move out of these towns and find opportunity elsewhere rather than try to revive a place with no jobs or industry. Sometimes it's just better to let a dying town die and return to nature. There just aren't enough people to support such a town.
