@@horseplop9 A little over 100 years ago, they had a race riot and multiple lynchings. Yeah, "better" if it was a cesspool. Place was ugly all that time ago, and I feel for people who were stuck there back then. I'd rather be stranded in Cahokia.
BB - This kind of generalized untruth is harmful. If white people move out they are mostly to blame for the problem. If black people find it harder to get good jobs due to racism it is STILL mostly a white person problemm
I don't know what it's like in the states, but here in Oz our manufacturing industry was decimated after the GFC when our dollar was artificially high against the greenback. We are now faced with Construction companies going to the wall courtesy of supply issues and insane cost blowouts. When a warehouse or a building site is abandoned, the vultures move in almost immediately : everything from squatters to arsonists. I don't know when society became dog-eat-dog, but it's a vicious cycle.
I live in Fairview Heights , 7 minutes from East Saint Louis. I used to get all my dr××s from there. I'm clean now. And I don't know how I use to walk those streets at night after taking the metro link back and forth.
@@DaleGribble-yf4yy Nice. I live in the Longacre Ponds apartments. We can't quite see the arch from Fairview. But it's close enough to say we live in the St Louis suburbs.
@@ChadrickKinman327 same, it’s just something you don’t really think about when you’re trying to get a fix. I got clean 8 years ago. Glad to hear you are as well. Keep up the good work! 😊
I'm 70 years old and was born at St Mary's hospital in 1952. It was a great place to grow up. The Jones park pool was my summer hangout. I left there to join the Navy and went to Vietnam. When I returned two years later it looked like a Marine search and destroy battalion had gone through it. I live in Maine now, "The way life should be". Mike from Maine.
hey Mike. James from Indiana, born there in '61. Christian Welfare Hospital! When my older sisters were born, mother had to go to ST. LOUIS because hospital in East didn't deliver Blacks! times have changed and changed again. Sad to see what was once a bustling town. I became a physician; graduated with many other very successful people there in '79. Between loss of industry and the crack epidemic of the 80's, this place didn't stand a chance. Best to you
I'm 64 years old and was born and raised in St Louis. My mother who passed last year at 96 years old was born and raised in East St Louis. She told us lots of stories about growing up there and for her, it was only fond memories even though she described her family as "dirt poor.". Once manufacturing plants closed, the death knell started sounding for East St Louis and for other like cities across the U.S. Very very sad.
Yep, American business owners sold us out when they took their manufacturing to China. And now they rail on China as if it was the Chinese’ fault - and dumb people buy it.
My grandpa moved there in 1936 to find work. My mom was 5 years old. My dad moved there in 1951. They loved East St Louis and nothing but great things to say about it.
I was an over the road truck driver for 11 years. Granted, I went to a lot of industrial areas that aren’t typically very pretty. You can still get a “feel” for a place. Top 5 worst places I’ve ever been: 1. Gary Indiana 2. East St. Louis 3. Camden NJ. 4. Little Rock 5. Memphis TN.. Love your vids Spoda!
all share the same characteristics - East St. Louis city, Illinois - Demographic Profile Race / Ethnicity Pop % 2020 White alone 1.20% Black or African American 94.95% (any questions?)
I’m 64 years old and grew up in the St Louis area. You are very brave to drive around East St Louis. I have to admit, I’ve never been over there. Thank you for the tour.
@@stevenchow408 I mean having 30 more murders, or around a 33% increase in murders per capita from what is considered top spot is a large jump. Also the fact no one is around and it just has this ghost town feel too it. I live in St. Charles, right outside of St. Louis and I've never been nor do I want to go
I grew up in South St. Louis. Never did we venture into E. St. Louis. But what beautiful old buildings. It's a real shame they sit empty and are crumbling. Thank you for showing me a place I grew up so close to but never saw.
In East Germany you were able to see things like that in the early 90s. Luckily not half as dangerous, so you were able to investigate and also make illustrations. I had a look in some abandoned buildings, one of them a villa. But then, a few years later, an architecture firm had bought and completely renovated it. That was nice to see.
This is my hometown and every time we visit it looks worse and worse. Moved away when I was 11 and visit ever so often every couple years or so. So sad to see a once booming town destroyed by carelessness, crime and abandonment. Thank you so much for doing this video.
I grew up in Memphis so I know how you feel. It was a nice place once but tbh I dread going back there like I had to do about a month ago to take care of some business. I won't spend the night in the place I would rather drive across the river and sleep at a truck stop in my car.
Thank you. You are brave, Sir. I was born and raised in this area, and I'm not even brave enough to drive through there. Thank you for giving me the ability to see it again. And I appreciate the fact that you didn't trash-talk the place like many others do. Thank you for the history and the perspective.
I have lived in the area for 10 years and I'm always intrigued when people say they won't even drive through there. How dangerous did this video look ? The odds of something happening to you just driving through are astronomical
@@shannonmorgan6530Yeah, it is next to none. I have lived in East St. Louis for almost ten years. Raised my son here. My neighbors are nicer than when I lived Swansea.
@@thegoodfight4874 I did some rehab work on homes when I was 19 or 20 in the area (mainly Jennings but some in East STL) I was never messed with. As a matter of fact I made friends with a cross walk guard and the guy was so happy to see the houses getting fixed up he ended up bringing his whole family down to talk to us and show his kids lmao. I am also a suburban white boy from about 60 miles south of STL on the Missouri side so I should have been a target but the people were very nice for the most part. However I think there is some truth to the town coming a little more alive at night lol
I remember a time when Clark Griswold and his family mistakenly took the wrong exit here on the way to Wally World. It almost turned into an entirely different movie.
So sad to see the old buildings decaying. There just seems to be an atmosphere of dread around the place. I can see why with the history and such. Thank you for sharing this Joe. Enjoying watching from the U.K.
@@hellomikie92 Oh yes of course. But to see a whole Town like this video, it’s so sad. We have decay in U.K. but I don’t think on this scale? Well we are to small for one 😊
I'm a St. Louis native, and although it might not be pretty it makes me happy knowing other people see our city. If you're interested in it, you should check out the history of St. Louis. Since it was one of the most important cities in the country at one point, a lot of history and culture comes from it :)
It's annoying to see videos and comments that imply that the demographics of cities like Detroit, East St. Louis and Garry are the reason the cities declined. It is a correlation, not a causation. In the late 50's whole neighborhoods of black Americans were leveled and they were pushed out of the cities. The industry in East St. Louis had already begun to decline, so home prices there were affordable. When the last factory left, (due to EPA regulations and corporate greed, not a black majority population) the city had no support to keep up the infrastructure. My mother grew up in East St. Louis. A white family in the housing projects(her father died in 1953 and her mother stopped working in 1945 when she got married and women were expected to stop working when the troops came home.) My mother graduated in 1968 and went to college at ISU in Normal and then taught school in Gary, IN. Largely Hispanic at that time and she taught math to ESL students.
I was born in Christian Welfare hospital in the 1940s and lived in East St Louis until 1974 when my Father died then my Mother sold our house and we moved on. We went to the Majestic and the Esquire for Saturday and Sunday movie matinees. My Doctor's office was in the Spivey Building and my parent's bank account was in the Fisrt National Bank in downtown East St Louis. It was a beautiful city in the late 40s, 50's and 60's but then it began to rapidly change. As a female I had no fear whatsoever about walking anywhere after dark... now I won't visit East St Louis during the day.😔
If you go, try the Saturday on Labor Day weekend. That’s the big football classic at the East St Louis HS on state street. White or not yiu will be safe traveling from I-55 then on State Street passed the HS school then to 255 by pass
No please don't encourage him... his safety is Priority... we appreciate his efforts yeah... but we don't want him to be in Danger.... Hope no body misunderstood me 💐
@mitchellqyra3969 I don't carry anything and haven't had a problem anywhere in the world. I've been in many rough areas (squatters areas, slums, ghettos, favelas) but have always met kind and welcoming people. With that being said I definitely don't walk down addict filled streets after dark. I've been traveling for going on 50 years now. I've never been pickpocketed, robbed, assaulted, or killed yet. Maybe I've just been lucky. Lol
I'm born and raised in the neighboring town of Belleville, and it's been so sad to watch the city and everything else around it fall further and further into disrepair. It was scary when I was a kid, and now I refuse to even drive through there.
Belleville had an actual road barrier on its border with E. St. Louis. Belleville has a long history of overt racism with E. St. Louis in its attempt to keep murderous, thieving, drug dealing 'African-American' thugs out of their community. If the thugs had been Scandinavian they would have done the same thing.
Duke Ellington wrote a tune about the place in 1927 - "East St. Louis Toodle-oo". Steely Dan covered it on their album Pretzel Logic. Sounds rather joyful, an indication how things might have been in the roaring twenties.
A few days ago I was driving near St Louis with my family. We were in a minivan pulling a camper and I hit some sort of dead animal on the highway. Apparently the impact ripped the 7 pin brake light cable out of the receiver which was then destroyed by being dragged along the highway. I Good Samaritan signaled to me that brake lights were out and I pulled off the highway immediately… into East St Louis. This guy described it as bleak. That’s a great word. You can tell it was once a very cool place. I spoke with a Lt. Franklin from the PD who allowed me to park my trailer in the PD parking lot shown in the video, right next to the abandoned Police station building. I took my family to a hotel about 20 minutes away where they stayed until I repaired my trailer brake lights in the police dept parking lot. The police were all very kind. I only saw 2 civilian people the entire time I was there… which was the bleakest part of it.
You were lucky. Yrs ago, I was driving my sister & her 2 kids from Nashville to ks for the holidays. My fiance was up front with me. Newer chevy 1/2 ton ext cab with a camper shell. Around 1am No place to stop for gas. I was starting to panic. Finally saw the st Louis lights! Took the first exit (east st Louis) & my fiance cussed me "wtf are you doing?"
She knew enough about st Louis that I trusted her. Was gong to get straight back on the interstate, but there was a median blocking the way. I had to go right. From the start , people walking just stopped & stared at us in disbelief. My survival instinks kicked in. I might have put my pistol on my lap & chambered a round (if it were legal to do so) I wanted to find a place to turn around without doing a 3 pt turn. I didn't want someone blocking me in. No parking lots were big enough. The side streets were too small for 2 way traffic because cars parked on both sides. The lack of street & porch lights made it impossible to see down the side streets. The farther I went, the more people stopped to stare & the more likely I was to run out of gas. Finally I found the perfect spot. It was even on the left so I wouldn't have to wait for traffic to get back on the main road.
Took the left, then another left into a parking lot, did a 360 then a right & another right & I was on my way to the interstate. This main road was 1 lane each direction. Up a head of me a minivan stopped in the middle of the street. No stop sign, so stop light, they just stopped. A man on a 10 speed bike rides up & talks to the driver of the minivan, but he's looking at me. I slowed down to a crawl but wasn't going to stop. I was watching oncoming traffic * waiting for a break. I got my chance & put the pedal down. I might have gone into the other lane to get around him. Even though It felt great to be armed, I only had xrounds & a truck full of women & children. The last thing I wanted was a shootout. & I was thinking "how many gangsters with fully aito can fit in a minivan?" I didn't have to find out. Got around him & back on the interstate making it to Missouri for gas. Yrs later I knew some people from st Louis. I hadn't shared my tale with them. One of them said "if you're ever in East st Louis and a car stops in front of you for no reason, don't stop. It's a car jacking. Some folks might say "!let them have your car. It's not worth it." Those folks can take their chances & put their faith in the armed carjacker. Others might get lucky & find helpfully cops (not likely I. East st Louis at 1 am) I put my faith in the abilities & sense God gave me. I put my faith in my driving & shooting skills and I always KNOCK ON WOOD!
I worked there for a couple years doing odds and ends. I’ve been to court house a couple times. I’ve gone to the lake several times. Point I’m making is, is not as dangerous as it’s made out to be. I’m not going to say why, but if you know anything about anything regarding East St. Louis…there is a certain type of person who is at risk to end up dead. So…don’t buy drugs and don’t start any bs and you won’t have that happen. I rode my motorcycle through there the other day going across Eads Bridge to cut through to Belleville. I’ve met many good people there. People just see the stats and assume the worst. I’m not saying it’s not bad, but the odds of anything happening to someone driving through is next to none. I used to drive through during the day and night when I worked for a steel mill in Granite City.
Your videos are always great. No matter where you are, you always make it so interesting, and it's much appreciated. I love the old postcards at the beginning. Thanks so much, and stay safe out there !!😊💕
My great, great uncle Frank Holten was a state legislator from East St. Louis. He was elected in 1916 and served 48 years in the Illinois General Assembly. There is a Frank Holten State recreation area, a state park named after him. My father was born in East St. Louis. I visited St. Louis Missouri 3-4 years ago and was told NOT to go to visit the park or go to East St. Louis. I wanted to see where my dad grew up and visit the court house where my G G Uncle Frank served, but was told by everyone NOT to go there for fear of bodily harm. I was so disappointed to be so close, but too afraid to go there. I am so sad that there exists places in our country that so unsafe for people to visit or even try to live. This video is the only way for me to see the city. Thanks for this. Cathy Holten
If you want to go look young man, try Saturday on the weekend of Labor Day. They have had a City of Champions high school football showcase 4-6 teams from the area & country are there. You can at least drive thru on State St back to the 255 by pass. BTW, I am African American in a bi-racial marriage (white wife) and drive thru every year and even have stopped at the Walgreens not too far from I-55. We travel from Aurora IL
As someone who lives in the suburbs of saint louis I would just like to add that whats not being talked about is a increase in crime in suburbs its not bad enough to where people would want to leave but it seems like the radius it really effects is growing
What a sobering video. I think it’s interesting the city was able to tear down the dilapidated homes but unable to dismantle the Spivy. I have no doubt you were being watched! Appreciate you showing us this city. Have a wonderful weekend.
Loving the emphasis on learning and understanding as a supplement to the adventure! Your channel is a true diamond in this labyrinth! Wishing you and your lovely wife and family the best as you all grow and explore and allow us to ride along! 🙏🏻😊
REALLY enjoy your channel. Much of my work over the past 30 years was in places like East St. Louis; Gary, Indiana; New Orleans and similar locales supporting environmental consulting with old-line industry like steel mills. cement, chemical facilities, and refineries, etc. These videos are "a walk down memory lane" for me and my colleagues and we appreciate your work. BE SAFE and keep up the great work! Bob
Every time I go through E. St. Louis, I make sure I have a full tank of gas before I hit the city limits. No exceptions! Thanks for the ride around. As always, carry while traveling. 😉
This may have changed since, but the last time I drove through in...2010 or so, the highway exits were noticeably absent of any "gas" "fuel" or "lodging" symbols. They're obviously around in a suburb of 18,000, but outsiders were being actively discouraged from visiting.
your videos are informative and authentic, not only showing the current situation, also providing some views back the timeline. I love watching all of them, much learned. Thank you, and keep it up!👍🤞
My parent were driving us kids over the river and through ESL on highway 50 back in the 60's. It didn't feel safe back then, but we never had a problem, either. That was when Hwy 50 was the quickest way we knew to get through town. Once I-64 went up in the early 70's we never got off of it when going to StL and back to Illinois. Good show, Joe!
Thanks Joe. I’m in love with the Spivey Building. I’d love to go in a salvage as much of the architectural adornments as possible before the city let’s that building fall in on itself or worse onto the other Art Deco treasure across the street. Sad to see but there’s nothing to sustain commerce there and without the taxable base the city has no funding. You’re a treasure for bringing us these views.
Back in 1994 I went with my father in law to Kansas to help with a paint system install for a tire rim company. On the way back I told him to stop at the first rest area so I could use bathroom. Instead he pulls off highway right in the middle of E St. Louis and stopped at a gas station. I'm still in awe that I didn't get beaten and robbed. There had to have been a dozen locals hanging outside the store and another 10 or so in the store. The bathroom was atrocious. Surprised my shoes didn't come off from how sticky the floor was. The eyeballs stayed on me the whole time. Chewed my fil out when I got back to van.
I lived in East St Louis in 2000, and it looks about the same now as it did then. I always felt safer in East St Louis than I did in North St. Louis because it was just so abandoned and cleared out that there just weren't a lot of people around ever. N St Louis has equal crime but greater population density. I would have loved to see what both places were like in the 1950's and earlier. Sad they will probably never recover.
I'm definitly with you about North STL. My dad grew up in east ST. in the 50's and I use to drive though evey day and night from Belleville to work when it was off Hall St. for years. Don't know if the're still open but watching this vid made think about Sandy's, best damn BBQ EVER! Some folks wouldn't stop by lookin at the place but those folks are missing out for real. Murder cap or not, I'd rather be broke down at night in east St. rather than N. STL, Brooklyn IL. or Washington Park. IL.
When you said N. St.Louis, would that be like N. 12th. Street? They were 3 storied brick buildings narrow in the front with marble steps. My dad grew up there along with his 7 siblings. It was a community of Irish and German Catholics and their parish was St. Michael's. Does this sound familiar?
Something magical and even beautiful about this timeworn urban area. Thanks for taking us there. Many of your viewers likely remember cities like this when they were in their heyday. I happen to have seen northeastern cities like this one but in their prime and where people had (mostly factory) jobs, roads weren't clogged with traffic, and it seemed so many of today's ills were not yet evident. And for those reasons it's a little sad to see that long ago way of life crumble before our very eyes.
Funny story: Back in 2008 I borrowed my sons' brand new Pontiac G8 GT and my wife and I took a wrong turn heading toward the Arch. There were burned out buildings and trash in the streets and everytime someone that was walking down the street saw us their eyes got big as saucers and they would run into the nearest building. I mentioned this to my son days later and he said think about it: "You were driving the best looking car in town with dark tinted windows so you were obviously mob muscle." Made sense to me. My son was trying to buy a house in the St. Louis area recently and said with the skyrocketing home prices some people were buying in East St. Louis and renovating the old houses.
People were driving brand new Camaros, Chargers, 300s, Bmws, Mercedes, and old schools. Maybe it was because Pontiac G8s just came out and it wasn't a common sight...people look when they see a nice car, in any community.🙄
I live in St Louis and sometimes after work I take joyrides in East St Louis on my nifty Triumph Bonneville. Needless to say I never stop at stop signs and never go lower than 2nd gear, and always return home with a healthy shot of adrenaline coursing through my veins!
Great video. Thank you for the the tour. It puts a whole new image to the childhood home city of Miles Davis.. I'm sure that it looked a whole lot different when he was a kid, there.
That dumpster fire seems sort of fitting, doesn't it? Man, it's just sad to see the decay. America was once the greatest industrial producer in the world. Now everything is outsourced....and the quality of products and life in the U.S.A. has certainly suffered greatly. Thanks for the videos, Joe, and take care, man!
Can America survive outsourcing everything? That is the ultimate question. It’s almost as if no one cared to notice the extreme supply chain issues Covid produced. Dear God what are we going to do if we get into another war???
I grew up going to STL every summer with ny family for Cardinals games, to see the Arch, etc. I lived in St Louis for a year out of college, and worked at a major down town hospital. So, so much gun violence. Almost every trauma that came in was a gunshot wound. There were carjackings and shootings and muggings on hospital campus. I never ventured into ESTL, we saw enough violent crime from the downtown and north side areas.
I live in S Missouri and a few years back had a big meeting in St Louis. That was the first time I’d ever seen a gas station with bars on all the windows and THICK glass all around the counter. I was terrified 😂
East St. Louis is a lot like Garry Indiana, it was a planned industrial city that only existed to service the factories in the area, when those factories left, the city started crumbling fast. Garry sort of hangs on by a thread thanks to a small number of factories that still operate in the city but East St. Louis basically has been closed for business for the last 40 years and ever since then, the population has decline significantly from around 55,000 in the early 1980s to now basically nothing. Cairo IL to the south is basically a miniature version of East St. Louis that has been completely gutted of everything. I'm thinking East St. Louis will become exactly like Cairo some day.
People who own manufacturing businesses would rather take their business overseas and pay close to next to nothing for wages and line their own pockets than pay hard working people decent wages that got them there in the first place. Capitalism at its best
Wife and I were traveling from Tennessee to Kansas City, and when trough the east side of St. Louis, and it reminded me of bomed out cities in Europe during W.W. II
I'm in E. St. Louis at least once a week and I never feel unsafe. Yes it is run down but as far as safety goes, I feel no less safe there than I feel in any other city. Crime is everywhere; Even in your cleanest cities.
Wow. You’re right. There’s no mention of her anywhere in the city’s promo materials. I don’t get that at all. If I’m a city, I would proudly claim her. I wish I had known before doing this video.
I am from St.Louis. I really like it there but I wouldn't live in the city but the metro area is nice. It's best to live around it in a place like St.Charles, O'Fallon. I have been to East St.Louis only a couple of times, you don't wanna be hanging around there for very long.
I pretty regularly have to drive through St. Louis on work hauling a trailer and equipment, I'll see the city from the highway and imagine how impressive of a place it used to be. It just makes me sad to see the city completely lose its industrial identity, I work with heavy equipment and machine tools a lot of stuff used to come out of St Louis way back in the day. I feel the same way about Memphis unfortunately.
Very interesting video. I went to college in St. Louis (the other side of the river) in the 60s and loved it. I knew East St Louis was there, but never had reason to go. According to your info it was very different then than it is now. That being said, I plan to revisit St. Louis for old time's sake. It was a great place to eat when I was there, especially Italian. Those were my formative years which I recall fondly.
It breaks my heart to see the shell of cities and areas like this. I look around and paint a mental picture in my head the families that lived there, the holidays spent with each other. Just life in general all gone. It saddens me
Joe, you are correct on that town, I have been there many times when I was a truck driver. I tried to avoid it as much as possible. Love you videos. Since I quit driving semis I get to see all those places again...
Thank you for this really nice walk/drivethrough of East St. Louis. I used to live close to this metro area and I always thought ESL was such a waste. It's so close to St. Louis (especially downtown) and its downtown would make a really wonderful lifestyle center where people could live, eat, and play. It has commuter train and freeway access right into downtown. If there was a way to turn it all around, I'm sure it would become one hell of a place. Just sad...
Yes! I was raised around this area, and was advised to buy up as much flat land real estate as you can there. Maybe I won’t see it, maybe my grandkids won’t see it but one day it will come back around- and some day those lots will be worth some decent money!
Graduated from East Side High in 1959. I remember going to the Majestic theatre. Went to a Drive Inn called Price's. Best burger in town. It was a very different town then.
I rode my motorcycle through East St Louis not so long ago. I never really heard anything about it before, and I grew up near it. All I can say is it felt like I was in an apocalypse.
Thank you for doing this video. I’ve always wanted to check out ESTL but I’m too nervous to go alone. It’s such a shame what happened here. And I agree with you, it will take a lot to bring the city back. A large industry that provided OJT would be a good start, but I think most businesses are afraid to set up businesses there
Another great video Joe. I'm glad you do these videos. Your doing something a lot of people wish they could do, but don't have the time or resources. Including me.
The ever changing industries. Outsourcing jobs overseas. Has changed the once powerful Midwest, into a shell of its former self. The region needs to reinvent themselves for the future. Everything changes, Great leaders prepare and diversify their States for the future. Joe your channel is definitely one of my favorite's.🫡👍🍺🍺🍺🍺
The 1983 movie "Summer Vacation" starring Chevy Chase had a really funny scene in which he and his family pull off the highway for directions in E. St Louis. When Chase sees the state of the neighborhood they were in he says "roll'em up." He, his wife and kids have the car windows rolled up in 2 seconds.
In 1973 we went to Six Flags St Louis from Chicago area. We stayed in East St Louis. We were actually shocked that there was a high chain link fence with barbwire around the entire motel property.
When you see a stop light (when present) they are blinking and this is because the city doesn't want you to be stopped at a light when a dangerous situation may be brewing. The blinking lights allow you to stop and then move on swiftly if need be vs being stuck at a traditional lighted intersection.
I just love your videos and your appreciation of the beautiful old architecture. And I agree you are very brave and I appreciate seeing all those scary places because I would never have the guts to do what you do!
I used to live in O'fallon Illinois back in the Early 1990's. I remember East St. Louis being a very trashy and scary place to drive through. I can't imagine what it looks like now, especially after NAFTA took off. It wasn't a safe place before. They even had a Cop who was arrested. He lured women using his badge to offer them rides, and they ended up being found deceased in corn fields.
They had a Sheriff who was arrested by the feds a while back for robbing drug dealers and then selling the dope out of his patrol car (on duty and in uniform).
@@cosettelaplante699 No, I was already out of school by then. I remember driving around the are in 2020 when I was headed to Georgia. O'Fallon looked so different, that I couldn't really recognize anything. I couldn't even find the Imo's pizza, where I used to work. It was a strange experience, I must say.
I once drove though East St. Louis and needed to stop for a moment, and within a few seconds I saw a shirtless man hop a fence, run across the street wielding a butcher's knife, and then hop another fence on the other side of the street and disappear from view. I then resolved not to idle in East St. Louis again.
I was born in east st. louis and moved further north then more eastern now im in Florida and grew up halfway of my life here in Florida. My family, old history.. To see it become abandoned is just absolutely heart breaking. I keep coming back to these videos out of remorse
A few years ago, I had the chance to visit St. Louis. I still wish I'd gone, but, at the time, I just couldn't get away. I love your twist of exploring EAST St. Louis. I grew up in a suburb until I was 14. The biggest thing that bothered me was that I needed a car to get anywhere, and I had no car. Watching this, makes it look like this was more of a town, but still, a car is needed.
It’s sad to think that every city isn’t safe like it used to be. I wish when i visit cities my parents or me didn’t have to worry about something bad happening, but you have to now days. I hope these cities or bad areas gets cleaned up and more tourists come to it.
The "no-go" zone you saw at the end of the video is slated for demolition. There's something planned there, I think it's either casino expansion or railroad expansion. There was a large homeless encampment just past there and the railroad cops sent them packing.
I remember seeing E. St. Louis from the top of the Gateway Arch back in 1999. It looked like the burned-out shell of a town back then even; no signs of life at all.
First time I went up in the Gateway Arch was 1987. I looked over at ESL, saw the Spivey Building and remarked to my friends, "Looks like East St Louis has a nice little downtown". (Spivey Building was in good condition still back then.) We drove over and saw how bad everything was.
@@bramlintrent1145 I went in late December of 1999. When I looked over at ESL (didn't really know what it was called at the time), it appeared to be a group of dilapidated, blackish buildings on the dark grayish beige of the wintertime prairie.
I had project work for AT&T in East St Louis about 15 years ago. The rule was to start when the sun rose, and be done with field work by 11:30. I saw a burned out church and realized this town was different than most slum areas I've worked in.
When I drove truck I had to switch trucks at the ESL truck stop one night. I had not shaved in a couple days. As I walked to my new truck a security man tried to remove me from the premises. After I identified myself and cleared up his confusion, he pointed out that the truck stop was surrounded with high fence topped with barbed wire. He told me to get to my truck and not leave the fenced perimeter. He said I would not get back in if I left on foot, under any circumstances. Only drivers behind a wheel of a truck were allowed. The town outside the fence looked like zombie town.
Born and raised in STL moved down to Florida to start a new life and get clean and sober. I was really hooked on drugs back there. I’ll be one year clean on May 25th. I still miss my hometown I’ll be homesick till the day I die. I’ll be back one day. But for now Florida is home I’m doin great gotta amazing job and sober but I still miss my old life back there sometimes. An old life that will get me no where I like a simple 9-5 life now because I use to live that wild crazy lifestyle of using drugs chasing the dope man all thru St Louis. Life is good now and I hope everyone back in the STL metro is doing good.
Escape From New York was filmed in a burnt out part of St. Louis. While filming, Kurt Russell went around a corner to come in to a scene, dressed as Snake Pliskin. He ran into a couple of hoodlums, . They backed away saying, "It's cool man. Please don't hurt us." Then they ran away.
I actually stayed in this area. When I first got here, I was asked by these sweet grandmas, “Where are you from sweetheart?” I said, “I’m from O’ahu, Hawai’i ma’am.” They both told me, “Sweetheart. What in the world are you doing here all the way from Paradise?!?!” We talked for a bit and they said, “Please don’t walk around outside of this building after 7 p.m for your own safety.” I always made sure I was back in the building by 6pm. I was probably on that 1% of Asian there.
Stood right there on that platform last Saturday May 6th, 2023. My best friend and I were on a road trip across old U.S.66 and spent the night in Fenton, Mo. We hit East St. Louis at a good time. We were in my friends nice SS Camaro with Texas plates and could have been targets in other areas of the city but I saw the decay of the buildings and streets. Always makes me sad because this was once a thriving, vibrant city. But the best place to take a picture of the Arch with the skyline and the river is in East St. Louis, Illinois.
My Dad grew up in East St. Louis in the 40's/50's, but by the mid-60's he took our family out of there. The majority of the businesses fled the area by 1970 and crime just kept getting worse and worse.
The reason why they block some of those side roads is to prevent people from illegally dumping trash there. Trash, meaning truckloads from Contractors. That's why they close off the road. Trying to catch up with you, what a fantastic job you're doing! We really enjoy following your travels.
As a truck driver, I had to pick up alot in E St Louis.... I always made sure that 1. I had enough time on my DOT clock to get out of there. 2. I never walked around. And 3. Kept to myself. I unfortunately had to stay there at the truck stop, and yeah... gunshots were my alarm clock!!
I grew up 30 miles from here…amazing how vastly different these towns are, only 30 miles apart…I used to work downtown St. Louis and took the Metro Link and it went through the heart of East St. Louis…nothing ever happened to me but plenty of crime happened all around me daily…my wife never knew if I’d make it home
My father was born in E.St.Louis and then his family moved across the Mississippi to Jefferson Missouri. He didn't talk about his tough childhood and I had to hear about most of it from mom. Needless to say, we never took a road trip to his childhood home..another great video, Joe and Nic.
@@Nacalina007ESL is pretty quiet in the daylight. (I live in the next city over and go into ESL frequently with my job.) It's the evening and nighttime when things get wild. The problem, as others have mentioned, is decades of corruption in the city government which existed well before the white flight in the 60s and 70s.
It really didn't look that bad to me. I didn't see a single pedestrian in the entire video. I'm sure the vibe shifts dramatically at night when the cover of darkness shrouds the streets.
@@TheHamburgler123 it’s the chance of my car breaking down while driving through that terrifies me, as a single middle aged white woman. I’d rather not take that chance
Each building left in ruins is someone's dream that is gone. So sad.
It was better 100 years ago. Imagine that. Thank everyone in charge
@@horseplop9 A little over 100 years ago, they had a race riot and multiple lynchings. Yeah, "better" if it was a cesspool. Place was ugly all that time ago, and I feel for people who were stuck there back then. I'd rather be stranded in Cahokia.
Ever see that meme with 3 nice homes and a black family moves into one of them and then all 3 become decrepit buildings?
BB - This kind of generalized untruth is harmful. If white people move out they are mostly to blame for the problem. If black people find it harder to get good jobs due to racism it is STILL mostly a white person problemm
I don't know what it's like in the states, but here in Oz our manufacturing industry was decimated after the GFC when our dollar was artificially high against the greenback. We are now faced with Construction companies going to the wall courtesy of supply issues and insane cost blowouts. When a warehouse or a building site is abandoned, the vultures move in almost immediately : everything from squatters to arsonists. I don't know when society became dog-eat-dog, but it's a vicious cycle.
The fact that you found a dumpster fire in East St Louis makes this video 10X better 🤣🤣
Not difficult to do. MOST of East St. Louis is pretty much a literal dumpster fire. Source: St. Louis native.
@@sjevans8807 same. Well metro east native but spent my whole life in the area. It’s been a dumpster fire for at least the 37 years I’ve been alive 😆😅
I live in Fairview Heights , 7 minutes from East Saint Louis. I used to get all my dr××s from there. I'm clean now. And I don't know how I use to walk those streets at night after taking the metro link back and forth.
@@DaleGribble-yf4yy Nice. I live in the Longacre Ponds apartments. We can't quite see the arch from Fairview. But it's close enough to say we live in the St Louis suburbs.
@@ChadrickKinman327 same, it’s just something you don’t really think about when you’re trying to get a fix. I got clean 8 years ago. Glad to hear you are as well. Keep up the good work! 😊
I'm 70 years old and was born at St Mary's hospital in 1952. It was a great place to grow up. The Jones park pool was my summer hangout. I left there to join the Navy and went to Vietnam. When I returned two years later it looked like a Marine search and destroy battalion had gone through it. I live in Maine now, "The way life should be". Mike from Maine.
maine is a white majority state that's why. but we coming for ya
I live in NH so I agree with you.
hey Mike. James from Indiana, born there in '61. Christian Welfare Hospital! When my older sisters were born, mother had to go to ST. LOUIS because hospital in East didn't deliver Blacks! times have changed and changed again. Sad to see what was once a bustling town. I became a physician; graduated with many other very successful people there in '79. Between loss of industry and the crack epidemic of the 80's, this place didn't stand a chance. Best to you
Navy veteran and fellow Mainer here! Thanks for your testimony brother! Go Navy!
I was born at St, Mary's in 1954, they circumcised me and my dad had a fit.
He would not sue them, but he complained for years.
I'm 64 years old and was born and raised in St Louis. My mother who passed last year at 96 years old was born and raised in East St Louis. She told us lots of stories about growing up there and for her, it was only fond memories even though she described her family as "dirt poor.". Once manufacturing plants closed, the death knell started sounding for East St Louis and for other like cities across the U.S. Very very sad.
Yep, American business owners sold us out when they took their manufacturing to China. And now they rail on China as if it was the Chinese’ fault - and dumb people buy it.
You are lucky you did not get shot, over at Spivey
Joe, do you realize that East St Louis , Ill. is not a suburb of St. Louis Mo. Mo. and Ill. are two different states.
My grandpa moved there in 1936 to find work. My mom was 5 years old. My dad moved there in 1951. They loved East St Louis and nothing but great things to say about it.
Blacks mostly?
I was an over the road truck driver for 11 years. Granted, I went to a lot of industrial areas that aren’t typically very pretty. You can still get a “feel” for a place. Top 5 worst places I’ve ever been: 1. Gary Indiana 2. East St. Louis 3. Camden NJ. 4. Little Rock 5. Memphis TN.. Love your vids Spoda!
I didn't know that about Little Rock. Damn, that sucks.
And we know why.. I hate memphis and st louis...Demons driving around...
all share the same characteristics - East St. Louis city, Illinois - Demographic Profile
Race / Ethnicity Pop % 2020
White alone 1.20%
Black or African American 94.95% (any questions?)
Have you been to Detroit?
@@djquinn11 I have and yeah ethnic groups in Detroit, MI are Black or African American (76.6%)
I’m 64 years old and grew up in the St Louis area. You are very brave to drive around East St Louis. I have to admit, I’ve never been over there. Thank you for the tour.
Probably no more dangerous then anyother big city. Precieve dangerous.
@stevenchow408
No sir.
I've been to cities all over & east st Louis is bad..
This guy not that brave. Let's see him do the tour at 1am
@@stevenchow408 I mean having 30 more murders, or around a 33% increase in murders per capita from what is considered top spot is a large jump. Also the fact no one is around and it just has this ghost town feel too it. I live in St. Charles, right outside of St. Louis and I've never been nor do I want to go
I grew up in South St. Louis. Never did we venture into E. St. Louis. But what beautiful old buildings. It's a real shame they sit empty and are crumbling. Thank you for showing me a place I grew up so close to but never saw.
In East Germany you were able to see things like that in the early 90s. Luckily not half as dangerous, so you were able to investigate and also make illustrations. I had a look in some abandoned buildings, one of them a villa. But then, a few years later, an architecture firm had bought and completely renovated it. That was nice to see.
This is my hometown and every time we visit it looks worse and worse. Moved away when I was 11 and visit ever so often every couple years or so. So sad to see a once booming town destroyed by carelessness, crime and abandonment. Thank you so much for doing this video.
I remember it in the 1960’s-1970’s. It was quite a city back then.
📻😐
I grew up in Memphis so I know how you feel. It was a nice place once but tbh I dread going back there like I had to do about a month ago to take care of some business. I won't spend the night in the place I would rather drive across the river and sleep at a truck stop in my car.
Is this Belleville Ill?
@@bigsnooks5968 it's happening in Belleville now.
Its sad
Thank you. You are brave, Sir. I was born and raised in this area, and I'm not even brave enough to drive through there. Thank you for giving me the ability to see it again. And I appreciate the fact that you didn't trash-talk the place like many others do. Thank you for the history and the perspective.
I have lived in the area for 10 years and I'm always intrigued when people say they won't even drive through there. How dangerous did this video look ? The odds of something happening to you just driving through are astronomical
😂😂😂 scary ass
@@shannonmorgan6530Yeah, it is next to none. I have lived in East St. Louis for almost ten years. Raised my son here. My neighbors are nicer than when I lived Swansea.
@@thegoodfight4874 I did some rehab work on homes when I was 19 or 20 in the area (mainly Jennings but some in East STL) I was never messed with. As a matter of fact I made friends with a cross walk guard and the guy was so happy to see the houses getting fixed up he ended up bringing his whole family down to talk to us and show his kids lmao. I am also a suburban white boy from about 60 miles south of STL on the Missouri side so I should have been a target but the people were very nice for the most part. However I think there is some truth to the town coming a little more alive at night lol
I remember a time when Clark Griswold and his family mistakenly took the wrong exit here on the way to Wally World. It almost turned into an entirely different movie.
It’s good you went during the daytime. Once the sun goes down, that’s when the action starts.
So sad to see the old buildings decaying.
There just seems to be an atmosphere of dread around the place. I can see why with the history and such.
Thank you for sharing this Joe. Enjoying watching from the U.K.
The UK has a large number of abandoned buildings too. More so in London.
@@hellomikie92 Oh yes of course. But to see a whole Town like this video, it’s so sad. We have decay in U.K. but I don’t think on this scale? Well we are to small for one 😊
I'm a St. Louis native, and although it might not be pretty it makes me happy knowing other people see our city. If you're interested in it, you should check out the history of St. Louis. Since it was one of the most important cities in the country at one point, a lot of history and culture comes from it :)
@@monkeyman4097 I will definitely do that as I love History… 😊
It's annoying to see videos and comments that imply that the demographics of cities like Detroit, East St. Louis and Garry are the reason the cities declined. It is a correlation, not a causation. In the late 50's whole neighborhoods of black Americans were leveled and they were pushed out of the cities. The industry in East St. Louis had already begun to decline, so home prices there were affordable. When the last factory left, (due to EPA regulations and corporate greed, not a black majority population) the city had no support to keep up the infrastructure.
My mother grew up in East St. Louis. A white family in the housing projects(her father died in 1953 and her mother stopped working in 1945 when she got married and women were expected to stop working when the troops came home.) My mother graduated in 1968 and went to college at ISU in Normal and then taught school in Gary, IN. Largely Hispanic at that time and she taught math to ESL students.
I was born in Christian Welfare hospital in the 1940s and lived in East St Louis until 1974 when my Father died then my Mother sold our house and we moved on. We went to the Majestic and the Esquire for Saturday and Sunday movie matinees. My Doctor's office was in the Spivey Building and my parent's bank account was in the Fisrt National Bank in downtown East St Louis. It was a beautiful city in the late 40s, 50's and 60's but then it began to rapidly change. As a female I had no fear whatsoever about walking anywhere after dark... now I won't visit East St Louis during the day.😔
If you go, try the Saturday on Labor Day weekend. That’s the big football classic at the East St Louis HS on state street. White or not yiu will be safe traveling from I-55 then on State Street passed the HS school then to 255 by pass
@@tysonsmartialartso
You are very brave to be driving around East St Louis. Thanks for taking the risk to show us what is left. Be safe!
No please don't encourage him... his safety is Priority... we appreciate his efforts yeah... but we don't want him to be in Danger....
Hope no body misunderstood me 💐
@@abdulazizsaleh8650 Yes we do need him to be in danger. No risk no reward!
In danger of what? Loneliness? There wasn't anyone there.
@mitchellqyra3969 I don't carry anything and haven't had a problem anywhere in the world. I've been in many rough areas (squatters areas, slums, ghettos, favelas) but have always met kind and welcoming people. With that being said I definitely don't walk down addict filled streets after dark. I've been traveling for going on 50 years now. I've never been pickpocketed, robbed, assaulted, or killed yet. Maybe I've just been lucky. Lol
@KC-in9px
Happy for you... and I wish you always a Safe trip....
I'm born and raised in the neighboring town of Belleville, and it's been so sad to watch the city and everything else around it fall further and further into disrepair. It was scary when I was a kid, and now I refuse to even drive through there.
Me too! Mighty Maroons class of 1972!
Belleville had an actual road barrier on its border with E. St. Louis. Belleville has a long history of overt racism
with E. St. Louis in its attempt to keep murderous, thieving, drug dealing 'African-American' thugs out of their community. If the thugs had been Scandinavian they would have done the same thing.
Belleville is not doing much better as it appears to be following suit.
@@BruceWayne-tt6tqWest Belleville to be exact, but yeah same in O’Fallon
@@kcrsradioBelleville class of 78 but born at St Mary's hospital in 1960
Duke Ellington wrote a tune about the place in 1927 - "East St. Louis Toodle-oo". Steely Dan covered it on their album Pretzel Logic. Sounds rather joyful, an indication how things might have been in the roaring twenties.
When people worked, and got married… if you didn’t work you got real hungry…… LBJ fixed that for us.
Great album!!!! The DAN
A few days ago I was driving near St Louis with my family. We were in a minivan pulling a camper and I hit some sort of dead animal on the highway. Apparently the impact ripped the 7 pin brake light cable out of the receiver which was then destroyed by being dragged along the highway. I Good Samaritan signaled to me that brake lights were out and I pulled off the highway immediately… into East St Louis. This guy described it as bleak. That’s a great word. You can tell it was once a very cool place. I spoke with a Lt. Franklin from the PD who allowed me to park my trailer in the PD parking lot shown in the video, right next to the abandoned Police station building. I took my family to a hotel about 20 minutes away where they stayed until I repaired my trailer brake lights in the police dept parking lot. The police were all very kind. I only saw 2 civilian people the entire time I was there… which was the bleakest part of it.
You were lucky.
Yrs ago, I was driving my sister & her 2 kids from Nashville to ks for the holidays.
My fiance was up front with me.
Newer chevy 1/2 ton ext cab with a camper shell.
Around 1am No place to stop for gas. I was starting to panic.
Finally saw the st Louis lights!
Took the first exit (east st Louis) & my fiance cussed me "wtf are you doing?"
She knew enough about st Louis that I trusted her.
Was gong to get straight back on the interstate, but there was a median blocking the way.
I had to go right. From the start , people walking just stopped & stared at us in disbelief.
My survival instinks kicked in.
I might have put my pistol on my lap & chambered a round (if it were legal to do so)
I wanted to find a place to turn around without doing a 3 pt turn.
I didn't want someone blocking me in.
No parking lots were big enough.
The side streets were too small for 2 way traffic because cars parked on both sides.
The lack of street & porch lights made it impossible to see down the side streets.
The farther I went, the more people stopped to stare & the more likely I was to run out of gas.
Finally I found the perfect spot.
It was even on the left so I wouldn't have to wait for traffic to get back on the main road.
Took the left, then another left into a parking lot, did a 360 then a right & another right & I was on my way to the interstate.
This main road was 1 lane each direction.
Up a head of me a minivan stopped in the middle of the street.
No stop sign, so stop light, they just stopped.
A man on a 10 speed bike rides up & talks to the driver of the minivan, but he's looking at me.
I slowed down to a crawl but wasn't going to stop.
I was watching oncoming traffic * waiting for a break.
I got my chance & put the pedal down.
I might have gone into the other lane to get around him.
Even though It felt great to be armed, I only had xrounds & a truck full of women & children.
The last thing I wanted was a shootout.
& I was thinking "how many gangsters with fully aito can fit in a minivan?"
I didn't have to find out.
Got around him & back on the interstate making it to Missouri for gas.
Yrs later I knew some people from st Louis.
I hadn't shared my tale with them.
One of them said "if you're ever in East st Louis and a car stops in front of you for no reason, don't stop. It's a car jacking.
Some folks might say "!let them have your car. It's not worth it."
Those folks can take their chances & put their faith in the armed carjacker.
Others might get lucky & find helpfully cops (not likely I. East st Louis at 1 am)
I put my faith in the abilities & sense God gave me.
I put my faith in my driving & shooting skills and I always KNOCK ON WOOD!
If only I had the sense to proofread
@@jupitercyclops6521 haha. Wild story. Glad you made it home alright as well. And we are all guilty of poor grammar on the internet.
Used to tow cars in East STL. I personally never had issues and I was towing at all hours of the day and night.
I worked there for a couple years doing odds and ends. I’ve been to court house a couple times. I’ve gone to the lake several times. Point I’m making is, is not as dangerous as it’s made out to be.
I’m not going to say why, but if you know anything about anything regarding East St. Louis…there is a certain type of person who is at risk to end up dead. So…don’t buy drugs and don’t start any bs and you won’t have that happen.
I rode my motorcycle through there the other day going across Eads Bridge to cut through to Belleville. I’ve met many good people there. People just see the stats and assume the worst. I’m not saying it’s not bad, but the odds of anything happening to someone driving through is next to none. I used to drive through during the day and night when I worked for a steel mill in Granite City.
Your videos are always great. No matter where you are, you always make it so interesting, and it's much appreciated. I love the old postcards at the beginning. Thanks so much, and stay safe out there !!😊💕
That was probably the last visitor burning in that dumpster . Still----- the sky was blue and the weather stayed fine .🇬🇧
My great, great uncle Frank Holten was a state legislator from East St. Louis. He was elected in 1916 and served 48 years in the Illinois General Assembly. There is a Frank Holten State recreation area, a state park named after him. My father was born in East St. Louis. I visited St. Louis Missouri 3-4 years ago and was told NOT to go to visit the park or go to East St. Louis. I wanted to see where my dad grew up and visit the court house where my G G Uncle Frank served, but was told by everyone NOT to go there for fear of bodily harm. I was so disappointed to be so close, but too afraid to go there. I am so sad that there exists places in our country that so unsafe for people to visit or even try to live. This video is the only way for me to see the city. Thanks for this. Cathy Holten
If you want to go look young man, try Saturday on the weekend of Labor Day. They have had a City of Champions high school football showcase 4-6 teams from the area & country are there. You can at least drive thru on State St back to the 255 by pass. BTW, I am African American in a bi-racial marriage (white wife) and drive thru every year and even have stopped at the Walgreens not too far from I-55. We travel from Aurora IL
You should go! There is a beautiful golf course by it. Don't listen to those people. I live in ESTL, and it is not what everyone makes it out to be.
As someone who lives in the suburbs of saint louis I would just like to add that whats not being talked about is a increase in crime in suburbs its not bad enough to where people would want to leave but it seems like the radius it really effects is growing
What a sobering video. I think it’s interesting the city was able to tear down the dilapidated homes but unable to dismantle the Spivy. I have no doubt you were being watched! Appreciate you showing us this city. Have a wonderful weekend.
Loving the emphasis on learning and understanding as a supplement to the adventure! Your channel is a true diamond in this labyrinth! Wishing you and your lovely wife and family the best as you all grow and explore and allow us to ride along! 🙏🏻😊
REALLY enjoy your channel. Much of my work over the past 30 years was in places like East St. Louis; Gary, Indiana; New Orleans and similar locales supporting environmental consulting with old-line industry like steel mills. cement, chemical facilities, and refineries, etc. These videos are "a walk down memory lane" for me and my colleagues and we appreciate your work. BE SAFE and keep up the great work! Bob
Don’t forget KC Missouri they’re on the top of the list and they are almost 200 murders
Thank you for taking the time to show all that that was worth the time watching
Every time I go through E. St. Louis, I make sure I have a full tank of gas before I hit the city limits. No exceptions!
Thanks for the ride around.
As always, carry while traveling. 😉
Every time he drove over anything slightly rough, I was thinking about tire punctures and waiting for AAA there.
This may have changed since, but the last time I drove through in...2010 or so, the highway exits were noticeably absent of any "gas" "fuel" or "lodging" symbols. They're obviously around in a suburb of 18,000, but outsiders were being actively discouraged from visiting.
I normally do not carry a gun but I always have one while traveling through St Louis and E St Louis on the way to Collinsville IL.
@@jbtechcon7434 ride the rim till you get home
Full tank of gas,two full mags and, one in the chamber. Winning!!!!!
your videos are informative and authentic, not only showing the current situation, also providing some views back the timeline. I love watching all of them, much learned. Thank you, and keep it up!👍🤞
Hahahahsh
My parent were driving us kids over the river and through ESL on highway 50 back in the 60's. It didn't feel safe back then, but we never had a problem, either. That was when Hwy 50 was the quickest way we knew to get through town. Once I-64 went up in the early 70's we never got off of it when going to StL and back to Illinois. Good show, Joe!
Thanks Joe. I’m in love with the Spivey Building. I’d love to go in a salvage as much of the architectural adornments as possible before the city let’s that building fall in on itself or worse onto the other Art Deco treasure across the street. Sad to see but there’s nothing to sustain commerce there and without the taxable base the city has no funding. You’re a treasure for bringing us these views.
Back in 1994 I went with my father in law to Kansas to help with a paint system install for a tire rim company. On the way back I told him to stop at the first rest area so I could use bathroom. Instead he pulls off highway right in the middle of E St. Louis and stopped at a gas station. I'm still in awe that I didn't get beaten and robbed. There had to have been a dozen locals hanging outside the store and another 10 or so in the store. The bathroom was atrocious. Surprised my shoes didn't come off from how sticky the floor was. The eyeballs stayed on me the whole time. Chewed my fil out when I got back to van.
J Colt. Locals? Is that what we’re calling them now huh?
@@bryanbaker5942 Locals meaning as they live there, Maybe age gap here?
Probably watching you the whole time because you came across as weak and afraid. Just saying. You sound/talk like a target.
Demonic if I say
I like your FIL's sense of humor!
I lived in East St Louis in 2000, and it looks about the same now as it did then. I always felt safer in East St Louis than I did in North St. Louis because it was just so abandoned and cleared out that there just weren't a lot of people around ever. N St Louis has equal crime but greater population density. I would have loved to see what both places were like in the 1950's and earlier. Sad they will probably never recover.
This!
I'm definitly with you about North STL. My dad grew up in east ST. in the 50's and I use to drive though evey day and night from Belleville to work when it was off Hall St. for years. Don't know if the're still open but watching this vid made think about Sandy's, best damn BBQ EVER! Some folks wouldn't stop by lookin at the place but those folks are missing out for real. Murder cap or not, I'd rather be broke down at night in east St. rather than N. STL, Brooklyn IL. or Washington Park. IL.
@@opethfantoo3140 Demographics destroyed the neighborhood.
Yeah same thing with some of the really creepy abandoned parts of Detroit, there's just no one around, your nearest mugger is probably a mile away.
When you said N. St.Louis, would that be like N. 12th. Street? They were 3 storied brick buildings narrow in the front with marble steps. My dad grew up there along with his 7 siblings. It was a community of Irish and German Catholics and their parish was St. Michael's. Does this sound familiar?
I live just outside St. Louis and I have to say, you are very brave driving around that area. So dangerous. The northside is also really bad.
Un reportaje genial! Muchas gracias!
Something magical and even beautiful about this timeworn urban area. Thanks for taking us there. Many of your viewers likely remember cities like this when they were in their heyday. I happen to have seen northeastern cities like this one but in their prime and where people had (mostly factory) jobs, roads weren't clogged with traffic, and it seemed so many of today's ills were not yet evident. And for those reasons it's a little sad to see that long ago way of life crumble before our very eyes.
Demography is destiny, and Left wing policy is national suicide.
You should move there so you can enjoy the ambiance daily.
Excellent comment. I feel the same way. Something about the place draws you in. It is captivating.
It's magical alright nobody's there
@@bluephoenix8470 it has history for sure but that's it
Funny story: Back in 2008 I borrowed my sons' brand new Pontiac G8 GT and my wife and I took a wrong turn heading toward the Arch. There were burned out buildings and trash in the streets and everytime someone that was walking down the street saw us their eyes got big as saucers and they would run into the nearest building. I mentioned this to my son days later and he said think about it: "You were driving the best looking car in town with dark tinted windows so you were obviously mob muscle." Made sense to me. My son was trying to buy a house in the St. Louis area recently and said with the skyrocketing home prices some people were buying in East St. Louis and renovating the old houses.
I had to look up houses, there were very few for sale actually. The highest price was 89K and it was a large, nice home.
@@poodlegirl55 so, you think that poowg comment is a real estate agent?
@@jaysmith3361 No. There is almost nothing for sale and they are cheap.
@@poodlegirl55 ok, thanks.
People were driving brand new Camaros, Chargers, 300s, Bmws, Mercedes, and old schools. Maybe it was because Pontiac G8s just came out and it wasn't a common sight...people look when they see a nice car, in any community.🙄
I live in St Louis and sometimes after work I take joyrides in East St Louis on my nifty Triumph Bonneville. Needless to say I never stop at stop signs and never go lower than 2nd gear, and always return home with a healthy shot of adrenaline coursing through my veins!
Great video. Thank you for the the tour. It puts a whole new image to the childhood home city of Miles Davis.. I'm sure that it looked a whole lot different when he was a kid, there.
That dumpster fire seems sort of fitting, doesn't it? Man, it's just sad to see the decay. America was once the greatest industrial producer in the world. Now everything is outsourced....and the quality of products and life in the U.S.A. has certainly suffered greatly. Thanks for the videos, Joe, and take care, man!
Being destroyed from within as we speak..
@@davehughesfarm7983 Yup. Sadly.
I was thinking . Probably burning a body .. hope I'm wrong !
An actual dumpster fire at 9:30 on a Tuesday morning. The irony is thick.
Can America survive outsourcing everything? That is the ultimate question.
It’s almost as if no one cared to notice the extreme supply chain issues Covid produced. Dear God what are we going to do if we get into another war???
Lol you caught a literal dumpster fire in a dumpster fire city. Says a lot
I grew up going to STL every summer with ny family for Cardinals games, to see the Arch, etc. I lived in St Louis for a year out of college, and worked at a major down town hospital. So, so much gun violence. Almost every trauma that came in was a gunshot wound. There were carjackings and shootings and muggings on hospital campus. I never ventured into ESTL, we saw enough violent crime from the downtown and north side areas.
did you go to wustl?
I live in S Missouri and a few years back had a big meeting in St Louis. That was the first time I’d ever seen a gas station with bars on all the windows and THICK glass all around the counter. I was terrified 😂
Thank you!!! This was Great!
I love your videos so much. They tell the story of America, the real story, that so few people really see or realize.
East St. Louis is a lot like Garry Indiana, it was a planned industrial city that only existed to service the factories in the area, when those factories left, the city started crumbling fast. Garry sort of hangs on by a thread thanks to a small number of factories that still operate in the city but East St. Louis basically has been closed for business for the last 40 years and ever since then, the population has decline significantly from around 55,000 in the early 1980s to now basically nothing. Cairo IL to the south is basically a miniature version of East St. Louis that has been completely gutted of everything. I'm thinking East St. Louis will become exactly like Cairo some day.
It pretty much is already, the difference being that East St. Louis is close to a major city.
Yep I live in southern IL and east st Louis reminds me so much of Cairo
East Saint Louis has a casino.
People who own manufacturing businesses would rather take their business overseas and pay close to next to nothing for wages and line their own pockets than pay hard working people decent wages that got them there in the first place. Capitalism at its best
@@bas4903 greed is the source of most of modern humanity's issues but instead of addressing it we laud it.
Wife and I were traveling from Tennessee to Kansas City, and when trough the east side of St. Louis, and it reminded me of bomed out cities in Europe during W.W. II
I'm in E. St. Louis at least once a week and I never feel unsafe. Yes it is run down but as far as safety goes, I feel no less safe there than I feel in any other city. Crime is everywhere; Even in your cleanest cities.
Agreed!
Truth
I agree, I deliver there 150 times a year, been doing that for 40 years. Never had any problems
@@onehappyfarmer3461you think it’s safe to get photos and videos inside of the buildings?
@@Exp101_ I bet it’s safer there than if someone was to come into my home uninvited…
I don't know if anyone has commented on this, but the great female Olympian, Jackie Joyner-Kersee was born and raised in East St Louis.
Wow. You’re right. There’s no mention of her anywhere in the city’s promo materials. I don’t get that at all. If I’m a city, I would proudly claim her. I wish I had known before doing this video.
Her brother was no slouch either, and born there as well.
There’s a park in ESL named after her
I am from St.Louis. I really like it there but I wouldn't live in the city but the metro area is nice. It's best to live around it in a place like St.Charles, O'Fallon. I have been to East St.Louis only a couple of times, you don't wanna be hanging around there for very long.
I pretty regularly have to drive through St. Louis on work hauling a trailer and equipment, I'll see the city from the highway and imagine how impressive of a place it used to be. It just makes me sad to see the city completely lose its industrial identity, I work with heavy equipment and machine tools a lot of stuff used to come out of St Louis way back in the day. I feel the same way about Memphis unfortunately.
Very interesting video. I went to college in St. Louis (the other side of the river) in the 60s and loved it. I knew East St Louis was there, but never had reason to go. According to your info it was very different then than it is now. That being said, I plan to revisit St. Louis for old time's sake. It was a great place to eat when I was there, especially Italian. Those were my formative years which I recall fondly.
It breaks my heart to see the shell of cities and areas like this. I look around and paint a mental picture in my head the families that lived there, the holidays spent with each other. Just life in general all gone. It saddens me
Joe, you are correct on that town, I have been there many times when I was a truck driver. I tried to avoid it as much as possible. Love you videos. Since I quit driving semis I get to see all those places again...
Me too!! Although I've never had trouble at any of the truck stops there.
Thank you for bringing us goods. Truck drivers are underappreciated
Thank you for this really nice walk/drivethrough of East St. Louis. I used to live close to this metro area and I always thought ESL was such a waste. It's so close to St. Louis (especially downtown) and its downtown would make a really wonderful lifestyle center where people could live, eat, and play. It has commuter train and freeway access right into downtown. If there was a way to turn it all around, I'm sure it would become one hell of a place. Just sad...
Yes! I was raised around this area, and was advised to buy up as much flat land real estate as you can there. Maybe I won’t see it, maybe my grandkids won’t see it but one day it will come back around- and some day those lots will be worth some decent money!
I’m coming along with you on your road trip! Easy to listen to, informative and revealing. I hope you have a safe journey! (I’m safe in England!).
Awesome, Mark! :)
Graduated from East Side High in 1959. I remember going to the Majestic theatre. Went to a Drive Inn called Price's. Best burger in town. It was a very different town then.
East St. Louis board of tourism slogan: "The entire city is one big escape room."
I rode my motorcycle through East St Louis not so long ago. I never really heard anything about it before, and I grew up near it. All I can say is it felt like I was in an apocalypse.
Thank you for doing this video. I’ve always wanted to check out ESTL but I’m too nervous to go alone.
It’s such a shame what happened here. And I agree with you, it will take a lot to bring the city back. A large industry that provided OJT would be a good start, but I think most businesses are afraid to set up businesses there
Another great video Joe. I'm glad you do these videos. Your doing something a lot of people wish they could do, but don't have the time or resources. Including me.
The ever changing industries. Outsourcing jobs overseas. Has changed the once powerful Midwest, into a shell of its former self. The region needs to reinvent themselves for the future. Everything changes, Great leaders prepare and diversify their States for the future. Joe your channel is definitely one of my favorite's.🫡👍🍺🍺🍺🍺
My aunt was murdered in that town back in 1990. Still unsolved to this day. You never want to break down there
Rest in peace for your Aunt!! : ( soul breaking!
I have broken down a few times. I have even walked from the east side to St. Louis, MO from the Riverfront Queen Casino.
I drove through East St. Louis one Sunday morning at 10 AM. It was desolate with a few people walking around. Circa 1980.
The 1983 movie "Summer Vacation" starring Chevy Chase had a really funny scene in which he and his family pull off the highway for directions in E. St Louis. When Chase sees the state of the neighborhood they were in he says "roll'em up." He, his wife and kids have the car windows rolled up in 2 seconds.
In 1973 we went to Six Flags St Louis from Chicago area. We stayed in East St Louis. We were actually shocked that there was a high chain link fence with barbwire around the entire motel property.
Hey Joe, I really like your narration you have a very pleasant voice. Thanks to you and Nic for sharing your travels!
A literal dumpster fire in this video… 🫣
I grew up in East Saint Louis as a child my grandma used to take me there to shop hard to believe it was really nice and modern back then
When you see a stop light (when present) they are blinking and this is because the city doesn't want you to be stopped at a light when a dangerous situation may be brewing. The blinking lights allow you to stop and then move on swiftly if need be vs being stuck at a traditional lighted intersection.
I just love your videos and your appreciation of the beautiful old architecture. And I agree you are very brave and I appreciate seeing all those scary places because I would never have the guts to do what you do!
Superman Joe! Have Broncos will travel!
It’s not that bad
It’s crazy that this city is literally across the River from St. Louis but feels like it’s in the middle of nowhere and a ghost town.
Lol I grew up in STL and it’s no different. In fact the neighborhood I grew up in looks exactly like this.
Good stuff, got to say you go into some pretty rough places, thanks for sharing stay safe out there
Thanks for the video. Well done. Curiosity satisfied without having to go there.
I used to live in O'fallon Illinois back in the Early 1990's. I remember East St. Louis being a very trashy and scary place to drive through. I can't imagine what it looks like now, especially after NAFTA took off. It wasn't a safe place before. They even had a Cop who was arrested. He lured women using his badge to offer them rides, and they ended up being found deceased in corn fields.
Man who's doing the hiring?
They had a Sheriff who was arrested by the feds a while back for robbing drug dealers and then selling the dope out of his patrol car (on duty and in uniform).
Did you go to OTHS? The area has grown so much. Other than ESL, the area is nicer than STL.
@@cosettelaplante699
No, I was already out of school by then. I remember driving around the are in 2020 when I was headed to Georgia. O'Fallon looked so different, that I couldn't really recognize anything. I couldn't even find the Imo's pizza, where I used to work. It was a strange experience, I must say.
@@steveib724 the mayors had been very corrupt like much of Illinois.
I once drove though East St. Louis and needed to stop for a moment, and within a few seconds I saw a shirtless man hop a fence, run across the street wielding a butcher's knife, and then hop another fence on the other side of the street and disappear from view. I then resolved not to idle in East St. Louis again.
I was born in east st. louis and moved further north then more eastern now im in Florida and grew up halfway of my life here in Florida. My family, old history.. To see it become abandoned is just absolutely heart breaking. I keep coming back to these videos out of remorse
I love your work.
A few years ago, I had the chance to visit St. Louis. I still wish I'd gone, but, at the time, I just couldn't get away. I love your twist of exploring EAST St. Louis.
I grew up in a suburb until I was 14. The biggest thing that bothered me was that I needed a car to get anywhere, and I had no car. Watching this, makes it look like this was more of a town, but still, a car is needed.
When Whiteflight nears 100%
Wise people !
It’s sad to think that every city isn’t safe like it used to be. I wish when i visit cities my parents or me didn’t have to worry about something bad happening, but you have to now days. I hope these cities or bad areas gets cleaned up and more tourists come to it.
The "no-go" zone you saw at the end of the video is slated for demolition. There's something planned there, I think it's either casino expansion or railroad expansion. There was a large homeless encampment just past there and the railroad cops sent them packing.
Thanks for sharing that.
Isn’t the draft kings casino here?
I remember seeing E. St. Louis from the top of the Gateway Arch back in 1999. It looked like the burned-out shell of a town back then even; no signs of life at all.
First time I went up in the Gateway Arch was 1987. I looked over at ESL, saw the Spivey Building and remarked to my friends, "Looks like East St Louis has a nice little downtown". (Spivey Building was in good condition still back then.) We drove over and saw how bad everything was.
@@bramlintrent1145 I went in late December of 1999. When I looked over at ESL (didn't really know what it was called at the time), it appeared to be a group of dilapidated, blackish buildings on the dark grayish beige of the wintertime prairie.
I had project work for AT&T in East St Louis about 15 years ago. The rule was to start when the sun rose, and be done with field work by 11:30. I saw a burned out church and realized this town was different than most slum areas I've worked in.
When I drove truck I had to switch trucks at the ESL truck stop one night. I had not shaved in a couple days. As I walked to my new truck a security man tried to remove me from the premises. After I identified myself and cleared up his confusion, he pointed out that the truck stop was surrounded with high fence topped with barbed wire. He told me to get to my truck and not leave the fenced perimeter. He said I would not get back in if I left on foot, under any circumstances. Only drivers behind a wheel of a truck were allowed. The town outside the fence looked like zombie town.
Born and raised in STL moved down to Florida to start a new life and get clean and sober. I was really hooked on drugs back there. I’ll be one year clean on May 25th. I still miss my hometown I’ll be homesick till the day I die. I’ll be back one day. But for now Florida is home I’m doin great gotta amazing job and sober but I still miss my old life back there sometimes. An old life that will get me no where I like a simple 9-5 life now because I use to live that wild crazy lifestyle of using drugs chasing the dope man all thru St Louis. Life is good now and I hope everyone back in the STL metro is doing good.
I live in Florida, I want to move to St.Louis
@@MrISkater that’s what’s up I was just back there and moving back in a couple months also 😁
Escape From New York was filmed in a burnt out part of St. Louis. While filming, Kurt Russell went around a corner to come in to a scene, dressed as Snake Pliskin. He ran into a couple of hoodlums, . They backed away saying, "It's cool man. Please don't hurt us." Then they ran away.
That's awesome. One of my favorite Carpenter flicks.
callin bs here
@@johnhenninger1980 It's definitely true.
Wut😂😂😂😂
It wasn't filmed here. That's cap!
Thanks for the ride along
I actually stayed in this area. When I first got here, I was asked by these sweet grandmas, “Where are you from sweetheart?” I said, “I’m from O’ahu, Hawai’i ma’am.” They both told me, “Sweetheart. What in the world are you doing here all the way from Paradise?!?!” We talked for a bit and they said, “Please don’t walk around outside of this building after 7 p.m for your own safety.” I always made sure I was back in the building by 6pm. I was probably on that 1% of Asian there.
Stood right there on that platform last Saturday May 6th, 2023. My best friend and I were on a road trip across old U.S.66 and spent the night in Fenton, Mo. We hit East St. Louis at a good time. We were in my friends nice SS Camaro with Texas plates and could have been targets in other areas of the city but I saw the decay of the buildings and streets. Always makes me sad because this was once a thriving, vibrant city. But the best place to take a picture of the Arch with the skyline and the river is in East St. Louis, Illinois.
Growing up in Collinsville i can remember E. St Louis when it was semi safe to go to. Bring on the 80's and it became a no go zone.
My Dad grew up in East St. Louis in the 40's/50's, but by the mid-60's he took our family out of there. The majority of the businesses fled the area by 1970 and crime just kept getting worse and worse.
The reason why they block some of those side roads is to prevent people from illegally dumping trash there. Trash, meaning truckloads from Contractors. That's why they close off the road.
Trying to catch up with you, what a fantastic job you're doing! We really enjoy following your travels.
Awesome! :)
I heard they were putting up barricades to prevent street racing throughout St Louis. Maybe that’s part of the reason too?
One statistic stands out. Explains much.
As a truck driver, I had to pick up alot in E St Louis.... I always made sure that 1. I had enough time on my DOT clock to get out of there. 2. I never walked around. And 3. Kept to myself. I unfortunately had to stay there at the truck stop, and yeah... gunshots were my alarm clock!!
Like locust migrating from one beatiful city to the next devouring everything beforehand. I love flyover country.
I grew up 30 miles from here…amazing how vastly different these towns are, only 30 miles apart…I used to work downtown St. Louis and took the Metro Link and it went through the heart of East St. Louis…nothing ever happened to me but plenty of crime happened all around me daily…my wife never knew if I’d make it home
My father was born in E.St.Louis and then his family moved across the Mississippi to Jefferson Missouri. He didn't talk about his tough childhood and I had to hear about most of it from mom. Needless to say, we never took a road trip to his childhood home..another great video, Joe and Nic.
Your description of East St Louis as bleak is spot on Joey. It’s a very depressing sight for sure. Thanks for braving this tour!
Thanks, Patricia!
On the bright side you can get a house for fifty thousand.
@@jerrymylove1754 How is that the bright side?🤣🤦🏾♂️
@@jerrymylove1754 and in 10 years, you can sell that house for forty thousand
@@tariqreid1866 if you are still alive.
The streets make a city look beautiful. I haven't been here since I was younger with my grandmother great view. .
This is the birth home of U.S. Olympic Gold Medal Boxing Champions Leon and Michael Spinks.
I live 20 miles away, in Illinois. You couldn’t pay me enough to drive through those streets like you did, that was extremely dangerous. Wow.
Joe has big Cahones like Charlie Bo ...
@@Nacalina007 Still a breakdown could be deadly .........
@@Nacalina007ESL is pretty quiet in the daylight. (I live in the next city over and go into ESL frequently with my job.) It's the evening and nighttime when things get wild.
The problem, as others have mentioned, is decades of corruption in the city government which existed well before the white flight in the 60s and 70s.
It really didn't look that bad to me. I didn't see a single pedestrian in the entire video. I'm sure the vibe shifts dramatically at night when the cover of darkness shrouds the streets.
@@TheHamburgler123 it’s the chance of my car breaking down while driving through that terrifies me, as a single middle aged white woman. I’d rather not take that chance