@@streetsharkz Corruption, drugs are rampant, break-ins constantly, city loves to waste money. When they built the waterpark, they waited until the last minute to announced it to hold a vote. Made it so no one could take off and voice their opinion. They swore up and down that water rates wouldn't go up. Every year they jacked up the water bill. They also made a couple intersections 4 way stops. No warning about it. They put the stops in overnight, then had cops stationed by them. They made thousands of dollars in revenue from the tickets in the 1st week. They keep the big drug dealers free and arrest the small ones. They get more revenue that way from civil asset forfeiture. It's a business for the town. They built a new middle school a while ago. I didn't realize how bad it was until my son went there for 6th grade. I had to show up at 2pm to get ready to get him when he got out at 3:30pm. Any later than 2, and you wouldn't get out of there until a hour after school was over. They also moved the city limits when they built the school. People that were outside city limits became inside overnight. Code enforcement was ready to start issuing fines for violations. If anyone decides to move there, better have a firearm if you value your property. I use to keep my firearms at my parents house because my wife wanted them there after our son was born because we didn't have a gun cabinet. I hunt, so it got old real quick getting everything ready to hunt. So I started leaving them at home. Word got around to the criminals that I was armed. When they did their break-ins, my house was skipped.
13:58 The Coney Island Cafe is on the right with the flag. Dates from the 1930s and definitely the oldest eatery in Pampa. 14:24 The La Vista Theater on the right was the oldest movie house after the La Nora on Cuyler was demolished. It showed first-run movies, often of the grindhouse type. I saw Village of the Damned, House of Usher, and Spartacus there. 16:32 That empty 6-story building on the left dates from the early 1950s and housed the pediatrician who delivered me (oh happy day!). 18:08 The Capri Theater ahead on the left was the "new" cimema in the early 1960s. I believe it's an events venue now. 18:05 Look at all those bricks. Jim Brown, an Oneda Indian from New York, laid them. The fastest brick layer that anyone had seen, he once laid over 67,000 bricks in seven hours, a North American record. 19:54 The White Deer Land Museum (flag) on the right is actually pretty good. I took exception to a shrine to a former sheriff who was a known racist. He stopped by the motel rooms of Black travelers to "inquire" if they were just passing through. Woody Guthrie is said to have once lived across the street. 20:45 The area south of Brown (Hwy 60) was once mostly Black. Now it's mostly empty lots. But then, as you can see, most of central Pampa is empty lots. It shrunk from about 25,000 to its present 17,000. The inhabited area, including a sizeable high school, is north of downtown. 25:00 The depot ahead is where the town began, when the White Deer Land Company was designated as a station on the Southern Kansas Railway in the summer of 1887. 29:49 Somerville Street, with its boulevard design, was the tony street in the 20s and 30s. That's all gone now. 31:34 As the camera rounds the corner, there's just a glimpse of the old Coronado Inn on the right. It was built in the early 1960s as the town's first upscale lodging since the downtown Schneider Hotel (now apartments) was built in the 1920s. It's now the AmericInn.
How we are fascinated by the earliest films of street scenes in cities like New York and Chicago. A hundred years from now people will watch this and say "Cars with wheels. How quaint".
I use to live in Plainview. Pampa was our adversary in football. Borh cities had about the same population in the 60's. We were the bulldogs they were the harvestors. They use to beat us in football.
My hometown. Lived here for 30 years. Moved to Houston 32 years ago. I hate to say this, but not the Pampa I remember. SO MUCH IS GONE !!!! Great seeing the old Court House. Dad was a deputy over 30 years. Ex was with PPD. Thought of moving back recently. Been looking online at homes for sale, not so sure now. Pampa will always have a special place in my heart. Susan Collins Boydston Ballard
The old pack a burger is Starbucks, long John silver is torn down and it's another coffee shop. The school system sucks. The water sucks. And with the oilfield down, people are moving out. Only took 36 years, but finally got out of there with my wife and kids last year. Even though Shamrock is smaller, the school here is great
@@simpleman806 Honestly? I live near a town in remote North Dakota with only 20 people. The nearest fuel pump is 40 minutes away, the nearest grocery store is an hour, and my closest neighbor is 9 miles down the gravel. It regularly gets to -40 here in the winter. Pampa is in the panhandle, which I like because it looks like home. It’s also warm, and affordable. It seems like a nice place to have a winter home to get away from the testicle shattering cold.
@@fmachine86 if you do decide to move there, pick a house on the north side of town. Safer neighborhoods. Amarillo is the closest big city, it's an hour away from pampa. I move an hour away from pampa to a small town called shamrock. Even though it's a tenth smaller than pampa, the school is a hell of a lot better. And safer. If you forget to lock up your car, got a 99.9% chance your stuff will still be there. Never could say that while I lived in pampa.
My step dad was from Pampa, his sister ended up in Skellytown. Cousin went to school in Whitedear. My dad’s other sister ended up in Grand Jct. been a long time since I was in Pampa, 1955, as I recall, coming back from 2 years in Naples Italy. My stepdad was Navy, RIP. Is there still a Varnon street?
@@beautifuldreamer3991 the school sucks, the town is corrupt, city cops are useless, water rates have gone up every year after they built the water park, cops only go after small time drug dealers once they get enough assets, won't go after the big dealers, if you go to the emergency room for pain, they think you're a drug seeker. So yeah, fuck living there. Only took me 36yrs to get out
Grew up there, graduated PHS in 1964 and left for good in 1967. Been back for a couple of visits over the years and it clearly is NOT the same place - and not in a good way. I would never consider returning. Well done video however.
I've been looking at some houses here at a very good price. Do you think it's a good place to live? Is it dangerous? I'm a truck driver and I spend a lot of time on the road. I'm afraid to leave my family alone at home.
If I were looking to buy a house in the panhandle I would probably look at Canyon because I have always felt incredibly safe there and I like the state park nearby.
