I really want Alabama to stay undiscovered tbh. I never minded that people looked down on the state. They can stay away, at least it'll mean we can still afford to live in our own communities.
I agree bud! I'm from Northern Alabama around Jasper and Birmingham area. I live in Washington state now but really wanna move back. Its so laid back and chill and I love the warm weather down there. Can't stand Washington state.... Alabama is amazing, going back this summer ❤💯
@sawaugust what's up with washington state? I was thinking of moving there precisely bremerton(Kitsap County area) or Tacoma/Olympia(minus lakewood). Btw, moving from GA
@@danw1089 what is your definition of communism? I have gotten to the point where if an American calls something communist, I take it with a grain of salt because usually to most Americans today, communism is anything that doesn't conform with conservative values. Now, is washington state a communist state, far from it. If anything, WA is an example of a successful capitalist state. You can disagree with their liberal politics but calling them communist is just delusional. Is Atlanta a communist city which btw has the most successful enterprises anywhere seen in GA?
The government is choosing winners and losers based on sexual preferences and skin color . government over regulation on industries and personal liberties up there are bordering on totalitarianism
It isn't music that makes kids violent....thats a cop-out....its the PARENTS. Parents do not raise their kids right. This is true for EVERYWHERE not just in Alabama. There's not enough emphasis on keeping the family together, and actually TEACHING kids how to THINK. Most parents think (and believe) that its the public school system that educates their kids. Wrong.
also poverty... Poverty map/crime and that kind of behavior tends to connect well. If anything poverty will do this. Hard to be a parent when they already start in poverty. Religious fanatics/fascists just use that to scare people with.. this is just their version of satanic panic.
I'm a Mobile native who lives across the bay in Fairhope now. Was pleased to see this video actually showed the area in a positive light. Glad you enjoyed your visit!
My family drove through Mobile many times over decades (beginning in the 50's) on our way to visit family near Cape Canaveral & Destin, Florida. We found your city beautiful and as kids thrilled to ride through the tunnel (I've also taken my son and grandchildren) and see the Battleship Alabama. Cities decay nationwide but always retain reminders of their uniqueness.
The problem in Mobile isn’t guns and music. The problem is social decay. Fatherless homes, drugs & gangs. Blaming guns for the crime rate in mobile is like blaming spoons for making people fat.
News flash .., Crime increases where extreme poverty & overpriced groceries & slumlords exist. Blaming music & laziness are just short sighted clueless lacking the big picture comprehension.
Being a 60-year southerner and having been to all of the cities I can tell you I don't care what the stats are but Memphis and New Orleans are the two most dangerous cities in the South and not mobile
I’ve been going to Mobile for many years to attend U.S. Coast Guard aviation training at the Mobile Airport. I’ve enjoyed driving around as you did. Very nice community. Great people fantastic food and very affordable.
Trouble is that there is no political power in these areas. 1 to 5 cities decide who wins elections. A chain is only as strong as the weakest link. The link never gets improved unless people with power actually see the link.
Good news! More and more Californians are buying up all of the land and turning these places into luxury areas nobody else can afford to live in! I blame online shopping for all of the downtowns closing up shop. Covid was the nail in the coffin. Lack of industry and people moving away didn’t help. But even downtown San Francisco and other big cities have a huge problem with stores closing shop, being unable to be sustained due to competition from Amazon
@WonderfulWorldofAwesomeness it's a combination of factors. Mainly the insanity of not enforcement of shop lifting for under $950.00. 40 people per day doing that is enough to bankrupt major retail stores in those areas.
@@billmoretz8718 It doesn’t help. But that law was enacted in 2014. The retail closures have been going on since the first tech boom in the late 1990s. That’s when rents skyrocketed, and commercial properties rents were soaring at such a rate that mom and pop shops couldn’t compete with bigger retailers. And there’s no rent control at all for commercial real estate. Your rent can be raised a few hundred percent suddenly. Even large retailers can’t justify paying that when there’s so much more demand for online shopping. Many stores now have security at the doors to stop shoplifters.
As a Navy veteran, I enjoyed visiting the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park a few years. It was about a 5 to 6 hour drive from where I live in Atlantic Beach Florida but it was definitely worth the drive. I liked going through the tunnel there!
Idk if you knew but you Indian mounds were created over ten thousand+ years of Indian from 12 different tribes floating down the 12 different rivers where it met at Mobile Bay to Dauphin Island. They would get drunk, shuk oysters, and smash the alcohol bottles they brought with them thus creating said mounds.
It was in 2000 when my wife and I visited Mobile. We liked the laid back athmosphere and the hospital people and of course the government street with all the historical houses. And we felt safe.
He was just in downtown Mobile early, there’s usually a lot going on in the downtown of Mobile and fairhope, but most of it’s just drinking clubbing and nightlife
I lived in Foley, AL (Baldwin County) for 20+ years from elementary school until I was 30. Moved to midtown Mobile in November of 2021 to escape the absurd housing market and constant development happening to my once small town. Since living in midtown for almost 2 years, I love it. My neighborhood is surround by 19th and early 20th century homes all around. Can walk or ride bikes while feeling safe. Gorgeous trees everywhere. The best food. And so much history everywhere. The city is finally starting to appreciate the importance of the history and a lot of renovating has taken place on many historical homes and buildings.
Good for you! The one thing I hate most about Pensacola is that they do not value the historic buildings here! Something with character is constantly being torn down for some ugly new build. I’ve noticed Mobile values their history. They have some very awesome mid-century neighborhoods as well.
nah, mobile isn’t dangerous. mobile is only dangerous if you make it dangerous. doesn’t matter who you are here, as long as you don’t cause any issues you’ll be all good. this community is full of love and respect for each other. everyone here has each others back. this is our home, and we’re damn proud of it
@@NewEnglnd-kk9zz you are absolutely correct. i spend 8 months per year in mobile and 4 per year in pensacola. while yes, mobile does have more VERY bad parts, pensacola is basically surrounded by terrible. east hill isn’t safe, ensly isn’t safe, hell i’d even say downtown has gotten drastically less safe within the past couple of years.
@@fleetingfacet that would be a very tough and expensive task, but i know a lot of the people here want to that kind of change. the majority of our issues are on the north side of the city-essentially around prichard, which is a hellhole in itself. that being said, it is possible. very difficult, but possible.
I live in Mobile AL. Facinating that you found the few areas that are prone to flooding and even though the government has offered to buy their homes to relocate , many choose to stay. Northside Mobile is actually a different city Pritchard AL. And 8 mile.
We vacationed in Dauphin Island in 2018. It was my twins’ favorite trip. It was very laid back and chill, with a country vibe. Suited us just fine. The area all around was very depressed, and that made me so sad. We drove in to Gulf Shores for the day. Very touristy, and we were ready to get back to the island. We stayed in a house right on the gulf. It was lovely.
My mom's black caretaker goes every year for a big family get together on Dauphin Island and they love it. Till about 20 years ago they had big black family reunions in the South with folks coming from all over. That is just a memory now.
The social war on Americans to destroy inside out have worked. Drugs, homeless, social division war on its own by the corrupt Govt, elites; quite sad to witness evil winning.
Alabama honestly looks beautiful to me, even the overgrown ghettoes. I would love to see Mobile and surrounds one day. Thank you for your fascinating videos 💚 from Darwin, Australia 🇦🇺
It's also interesting to me that Youth Crime is a huge problem over there. Youth crime and social media are inextricably linked where I live (kids stealing vehicles and filming it for social media, amongst other things).
come visit during Mardi Gras if you can. It'll truly give you a sense of community and America in general. I grew up in Mobile and I absolutely loved it.
@@-spacedout--spacebound-7438I agree about Mardi Gras! It's a great time and everyone goes out of their way to decorate for it! Whole neighborhoods all decked out. I moved here 3 yrs ago from Missouri. In MO, I barely knew my neighbors. Here, I live in a fairly poor income area and we all look out for and take care of each other. I live pretty close to the gulf and I've never felt unsafe. Downtown is all vibes. You can walk around and encounter tons of friendly people. Yes, there are beggars, but that's not unique to Mobile. There's tons of beggars in KCMO too. Mobile is different from MO because if someone here sees that you need help, you're gonna have people coming from everywhere, and hear, "let me help you with that babe." The weirdest thing I've had to get used to is everyone calling everyone "babe." It threw me for a bit, but now I'm used to it. 😄
I can tell Keith feels a connection to his music. You can see it in his movements and big smile. There’s a nice flow to his playing that people acquire learning to play music by ear.
I lived in west Mobile 10 years. We absolutely loved it there. Unfortunately, a family member needed our help due to declining health, and we moved back home to Enterprise, Alabama.
I visited Mobile, AL, driving from NYC, about two years ago, and found it to be one of the nicest cities of the gulf coast, with tree lined streets, and booming businesses. Also visited Biloxi, MS, another nice downtown area, with many casinos, which surprised me.
My native Alabamaian father never considered Mobile. He would only visit his family in Birmingham. It got to the point where I had to beg to go visit Selma. It was crazy. I understand being poor and living under Jim Crow. He never wanted to visit Mobile. By that time, my parents marriage was falling apart anyway. We stopped going with my father to Alabama. I am not interested in seeing any of his family; most have died anyway. But you have renewed my quest to visit that Gulf Shore town. Thanks Nick.
Hell yeah! Thanks for coming to Mobile. There's a lot of great things about it. There are some better places to live, but there are also far worse. It's a wild place, but it's home.⚜️
i love this city. it might have a constant smell of weed and blown head gaskets, but that’s just part of it. having to wait three seconds when the light turns green to avoid the inevitable red light runner isn’t fun, but its not the worst thing. as long as people get treated with respect, everyone loves each other here. i’m proud to call this place home
I'll give you an example of a far worse place to live than Mobile... Toledo OH. I recently moved to Mobile from Toledo. The only way I would ever go back to Toledo, after living there for 15 years, is in a cremains urn.
I grew up in New Orleans; my dad moved to Fairhope when I was 12, so I've spent a bit of time in Mobile and the area. Mobile really is an underrated and underappreciated place. It is a hidden gem. There is much of New Orleans I recognize about the place, as Nick pointed out. The way he called it a smaller, cleaner New Orleans with less drama - there is a fair amount of truth to that. It definitely is not a replacement for N.O., but then again Mobile also has its own uniqueness so N.O. isn't a replacement for Mobile, either. Both are worth experiencing, in my opinion. EDIT: I'll also add, that both cities are just over a 2.5 hour drive to each other, so it's really easy to live in one and experience both pretty much whenever you want. I'm glad that my youth was centered on New Orleans as opposed to Mobile, but if I ever moved back to the gulf coast (20 years in Chicago), I'd likely pick Mobile.
Those were different times; better manners more church going more nuclear families and fewer guns … the decline of the USA has been cataclysmic since then . The minimum wage has barely budged . Poverty level still equated with 60 year old data. Education has cratered and drug addiction / hopelessness and desperation have skyrocketed
Yeah I call BS on the Nola comparisons. There is only one New Orleans and a frozen Drink machine, mediocre band, a wrought iron balcony and an average looking wrap with Boudin is not “similar” to New Orleans at all. I saw Nick’s New Orleans video and it was clear he did very little research on the city and IT’s neighborhoods. He had no idea how to enjoy New Orleans and he did it completely wrong. Otherwise he wouldn’t be shitting on New Orleans constantly
I grew up in San Jose California, not exactly a hotbed of crime. But our house was burglarized several times between the ages of 5 and 16. And my dad's car and van were stolen and totaled. And I'm sure there was places you could get all the violence you wanted. But all in all I'd have to say my neighborhood was a great place to grow up and be a kid. I left in 1984. I've lived in some sketchy neighborhoods as a student for the cheap rent. The tenderloin in SF in the early 90's and Worcester Mass early 90's too. I know some places are dangerous but often times statistics don't tell the full story. Mobile looks charming and I'd like to visit
@@jimdep6542 I left the south Bay area in '88.. San Jose seemed to be the PCP capital of California for a while and if people weren't doing that they were on steroids and cocaine and looking to brawl. But I had a really good child hood there in the 70's and early 80's. I left because a lot of the people I was running with ended up doing time and I realized my time was up there.
@@meghancass3187 I used to play music at a club that was in the bowling alley at the intersection of Story and White Road. At the time the club was called The Country Showroom. I don't remember its original name. That area wasn't too bad an area in the 60's but went down hill pretty fast. I enjoyed my strolls through the San Jose Flea Market. I left the Bay Area in the mid 80's, as it was getting too crowed for my liking and too expensive, unless you worked for Silicone Valley, which wasn't my passion.
I was not surprised when Mr Gary Owens said that people call the City is Gumbo. Because the Vietnamese people here are quiet large and mainly working as “Shrimp Boats”. Even they have shrimp companies, oil shops…and boats fishing shipyards. I used to go back and forth 5-6 months between Biloxi & Mobile when my Uncle ordered to build a shrimp boat here so I know Mobile and since then it’s been almost 40 years that I haven’t had a chance to come back here even though I go through Mobile once a month on I-10. I ❤Mobile and Missed. Thanks Mr Nick Johnson. 👍
Love this video. I learned so much about Mobile, Alabama and I love the area and downtown as well. I had no idea it was so nice and clean. Great video!!!!!😊
Contrary to popular belief.. I feel like we need to see some more positive and upbeat places that you visit! Those are some of my favorite videos that you post. Definitely interesting seeing this side of Mobile and the surrounding areas!
Mobile is a hidden gem. The vibe there is unlike anywhere else. The history, culture, and diversity really make the city feel alive. I lived in midtown, Crichton, and Tillmans and not once have I ever felt unsafe. Prichard is a different story. You nailed it about there not being a lot of jobs. If it wasn’t for having a hard time finding work I would have never left.
@@DBMac-ji7fr It’s literally true. The often repeated mantra “diversity is our strength” could not be further from the truth. It is not in anyway a net benefit. It breeds distrust among citizens because human beings have an in group preference. Meaning they want to be around other people that look like them, speak like them, believe what they believe, etc. It’s a tribal thing that dates back hundreds of thousands of years, if not more. This has been studied and proven. Diversity is however pretty effective at making sure people never come together in order to challenge the status quo or threaten the powers that be. It’s almost as if this was their plan all along.
Idk I used to play plenty of violent games and I’ve never actually considered hurting anybody. The root cause of most of the problems in our society is money printing. We need to return to sound money again.
found the boomer. I play "violent" video games every single day and have to yell for my husband to come kill a bug. It's all about what you're taught as a kid. And what about the movies from the 70s and 80s? Ever watched Police Academy? that series is chock-FULL of sex, drugs, cussing, etc but yalls generation ate it the hell up. Also, in recent years there have been SO MANY studies done that video games ACTUALLY increase brain activity and can release stress, help maintain mental health, and it greatly improves social skills if in multi-player. 100 years ago adults were complaining about kids reading books and magazines, saying it's not good for you and you're wasting time.
@@-spacedout--spacebound-7438 Obviously you have a mature developed brain. Many children and especially teens do NOT!!! You do know if you base the rest of society on your own way of thinkiing your lumping your self in with the people whom do need serious help and there are lots. I would also guess that you didn't grow up in a house eating peanut butter and bread every day because your parents spent all the food stamp and welfare money on drugs. Hopefully your parents didn''t do that to you and my guess is they did not because you play violent video games and don't get ideas about killing others because of it. Kids with drugged out bad parents also get bullied a lot in school. their Fathers in most cases are not interested in raising them properly. Just getting their fix every day. So do you still think they are no different than you? or you ARE different than them.?
I just visited mobile today from vacation in gulf shores for the 2nd straight year and I’m watching this video on the way back, It’s definitely a great area for tourism. The USS Alabama and Bienville square are great places to visit
I nearly spit my iced tea out when you toured the posh neighborhoods in Mobile and told us that the average cost of a house is around $300K! I lve in an outer burb of Seattle and you can't get a nasty 1 berm apartment for that, here. It's laughable to me when the Federal Govt. sets thresholds for financial aid based on income or cost of living when thered are such massive discrepancies in the numbers across this country. My partner works in aerospace and I feel so sorry for peoplGreat video!e who relocate to this area from places like Huntsville, FL and TX. They are in a prolonged state of disbelief for about a year.
I just moved from Seattle back to Montana. But I was living in Rainer Beach when I finally got a place. and yes it’s insane how much it is. Unless your an immigrant family staying in those cheap housing complexes your fked. And I don’t understand why people pay to live downtown. It’s crazy bad especially at night totally different world. Also I found it interesting while delivering for Amazon there were a lot of nice houses given to Ukrainians and Russians. Not small ones either the American dream type houses.
As someone from North Western Europe, this really shocks me. We used to see the U.S. in movies and we fell for the propaganda. Now we are adults, we travel and have the internet. We read your newspapers and study's and see what the U.S. really is. I really hope your country can make 'the American dream' come true.
It's crazy spooky how all America's harbor areas are being allowed to rot away... Like a secret world order, take over plan, that the home town people are blindly allowing to happen.
@@ayabokti161 Meanwhile i live in a red brick house, work 32hr. weeks with 6 weeks payed leave, never seen a pothole. Healthcare, safety and education are perfectly arranged. Life expectancy is higher, child deaths are much lower and we are much higher on the world happyness index.
I was looking for that comment lol! The closest access to the ocean that we have from Baldwin county is a straight 8 hours driving on I-10 to Jacksonville
Gulf Shores is prosperous and expensive to live in unless you’ve been there for a generation and own your property. It’s a nice place to vacation. I live a short drive from Mobile and go there a few times a year. Never had an issue, but the local news could paint a different picture for you.
Surprisingly I just saw a lot of homes selling for north of 1 million on the other side of the bay near Fairhope and Montrose on redfin, I can imagine the condo penthouses in Gulf Shores that actually have Gulf of Mexico views run double that. It's been 15 years since I been through that part of the world, never thought it would start competing with Florida home values, then again inflation, inflation, inflation! Soon million dollar homes will be where all the poor people live....and then 10 million homes will mean middle class.
Been to Mobile once with my family as young kid in the late 60's. The USS Alabama battleship from World War Two was open to public tours. I'm pretty sure we were on our way to Florida.
Everywhere has good areas and bad areas. Even when we visited Hawaii, our hotel shuttle drove through some rough drug infested areas. It was sad to see, and I'm from New York.
Living in a hurricane zone on the Gulf would be too worrisome for me. There will be another hurricane like Frederic that hits Mobile someday. It's not a question of if but when.
That is something in the back of my mind as weII. Seems Iike there is NO WHERE in the USA anymore where there are NOT pIaces with some hazard and/or potentiaI disaster. Name me even one.
@@lane6216 Western Michigan does seem pretty safe against major weather events since tornados are more common in the southern part of the state. You are suspectable to lake-effect snowstorms there, but I would take a blizzard over a tornado.
Every single city east of the Mississippi gets more annual precipitation a year. Seattle gets more days of rain per year though because it’s always a light rain
Mobile is literally the rainiest city in the continental US, I also read a fact somewhere that X amount more inches of rain a year in Alabama, and it would be considered a protected environment
I've been to Mobile many times. Not for about 13 years now. There was a museum I hadn't seen before. It was the museum of Mardi Gras. Which originated there. The museum had 70 some years of the King and Queen "Trains" their elaborate royal capes they wore for Mardi Gras. THAT was amazing in how beautiful most of them were and brilliantly decorated and could weigh up to 50 lbs!! I've seen all their museums now ( I think), battleship and other military (from the Civil War) ships and artillery. And I love that white sand on their beaches in the Gulf. It's like sugar. So different from CA sand. Good job, Nick.
The beads in the trees are from the maskers on the Mardi Gras floats throwing them to the parade goers just a little to hard. During Mardi Gras season you will also find moon pies, stuffed animals, Frisbee's, footballs and all finds of weird stuff in the trees. You should come back during Mardi Gras season, Mobile has a whole different vibe then.
Most places can have prosperity. My area could too. ..in theory.. Only problem is that the moment you try, the prosperity gets robbed, vandalized and threatened until people give up and leave. When an area starts going down hill the constructive, capable, qualified, educated and professional people leave... then all you have is whats left.. not easy to recover from that unless the population hits zero and you can rebuild from scratch.
I'm surprised! I used to pass through Mobile on the way to Pensacola from Houston but never had any desire to stop there and visit. May have to change my plans after seeing this.
Another pretty neat fact about Mobile is that the movie, close encounters of the third kind, was filmed here. All of the scenes for devils tower was shot in one of the hangers near the shipyard. Over half of the movie was shot in this area.
Yes!...the exterior scenes for the house where the kid is seen running out to see the lights was filmed off a little country road near Sllverhill Al (Baldwin County) that my ex-wife's cousin owned and is or was still there as far as I know...old oak and all. :)
I never thought I’d wanna go down there but after seeing your video on mobile Alabama I actually think I would like to go down there and I never thought in my life I would say this. Good job again Nick on such great amazing coverage where you go
That building with the two pharoah statues, pretty sure a masonic lodge. Thanks for the tour. Lived in Mobile for a short time in the early 70s. Nostalgia for me.
You're videos are awesome... having moved cross country with my family almost 8 times, and looking to move again... you're videos are awesome! Thanks!!!!!!!
These crime stats provided by th FBI should be looked at with scepticism. Any city has good parts and everyone, everywhere knows what part of town to stay away from.
I get a kick out of you and like watching your videos. I like your approach to adding value to us all as we broaden our options for living life. Thanks.
A lot of sorry looking buildings but as a Northeasterner I can admire the good condition of their roads due to lack of cold weather. Barely any cracks in roads or potholes.
That violent music statement should get ALOT more attention. I graduated HS around the time Drill was first really getting popular. I have friends on social media that still post clips of themselves holding guns pointing them at the camera dancing while their favorite musician and talking about getting the Op. A lot of those ppl have young kids that can sing along to the songs cussing and all.
Tim Cook Apple CEO, Jimmy Buffet, Hank Aaron all grew up in Mobile. Ive been living in Mobile since 1960 and its one of the best cities in America. Ive traveled and visited 42 states and none are as nice as Mobile is.
I'm not an American, but thank you Nick for opening our eyes that the US is not only what Hollywood shows. After watching a dozen videos from Nick's channel, I came to the conclusion that the best times in the United States are over. Maybe I'm wrong, but hopelessness and devastation reminded me of the times before the collapse of the USSR. Many people worked in factories, on collective farms, and then they began to close and fall into decay What I saw as a child on these farms and in the areas around them is very similar to what you show us. It's hard for me to describe this feeling in English, but maybe you will understand what I mean. The feeling of a bygone life, some oppressive emptiness. My sister has been living in CA for over 16 years and I've never heard anything like it from her other than whining about crazy taxes.
The keyboard man needs a keyboard case with a strap. I was impressed he had nerve to carry it riding a bicycle. I am a singer /musician/ entertainer. I am 66 years, one month and 13 days as of my comments. Thanks for reading my comments. Smiles
It’s really sad to see that so many cities and even towns in the United States have become dystopian nightmares. I’ve traveled to many different countries and in those countries I never saw Zombie houses are boarded up abandon houses they always get knocked it down and replaced with something new but here in the United States they just stay and stink
Yeah, here in Canada, decapitated homes are removed fast. Temporary parks, or parking uses the space until new construction. I'm amazed how many entire subdivisions in the rust belt are quietly rotting away, nothing done, in USA.
The government can't just go and knock them down. They have to go through the court system first to gain control of the property. Property rights in the USA are powerful rights which means they have a lot of protections.
Every place he has driven through like this at one point was much more important than today. The Great lakes and Mississippi River system used to be manufacturing hubs and transportation hubs. As water transport became less crucial manufacturing outsourcee and globalization shifted importance to the coast. That's just how it happens their is not enough revenue to demolish these homes as these areas basically died.
Thanks for the video. You are correct about the crime problem. The crime problem is on both sides of the Mobile bay. The time of the year, on Easter, the bad heat hasn't hit the Gulf of Mexico yet. You were fortunate. Just a note: When you stated (video showing the Fairhope marina) this "allowed folks to hop on their boats and be out into the Atlantic ocean." That is humorously Wrong, The Bay empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Carry On Sir!
I'm glad you went across the bay to Fairhope and Daphne. Also Foley is nice. It reminds me of what parts of California used to be like before everything was developed. Like you said, that won't last for long, I'm afraid. I have been to Gulf Shores twice in the last decade, and I can say that it doubled its size over a five-year period. Now is the time to buy in.
It’s all nice. I love living down here. I used to hate the heat, but since I started running I’ve gotten used to it. I love walking my dogs in Fairhope though. They have a wonderful community.
A good friend of mine lives in Daphne. He says it's like night and day driving across to Mobile. I'm surprised you didn't mention the last slave ship or Africatown. Good pieces of history. Just saw your full video link......maybe its in there. Love your videos Nick!
I wish I knew you were coming to Mobile. I would have loved to meet up and show you around. We tend to get called to do jobs in a lot of horrible neighborhoods. I used to do security at Veet’s until last year. I’m friends with the guys I’m Sucker Punch. Come back to Mobile!!!
Ya know, I find Nick's travelogues highly informative, and with a high degree of accuracy. How 'bout a special on the best places in the US for RENOVATORS? I see all those former dwellings and think Salvage. All that seasoned wood can be cleaned up and used as exterior sheathing very inexpensively. Did you know that when you look at an Honest 2x4 these days it looks like heavy timber? All that brick up North can be crushed and remolded into tornado resistant building material. Know any investors that would like to see some (proprietary) numbers?
@@thatguyoverthere8355 I have proof of concept at a small scale. Because there is no set-up other than a crusher, conveyor, and molds. Assuming gang labor at minimum wage for the debridement and casting. Allowed 1800 miles shipping, and delivery to a contractor's site: break even comes at 80k bricks when compared to #10 Common at 15 cents ea. My bricks are lighter and stronger than regular baked clay. There is no refractory, sun bakes my recipe' in 3 months, give or take. Still looking for investors, but need attorney b4 anything else.
Nick on your trip through mobile it was very nice everything showed. But I have to correct you that's not the Atlantic Ocean is the Gulf of Mexico just ask Mappy LOL
I go down to the senior bowl every year in Mobile and over to New Orleans, some of the stories ive heard of the crime are insane but there are alot of awesome people ive met down there in 5 years, alot of great athletes come from that area in all sports. Wintzels Oyster house has the best food ive ever had, well all the food down there is amazing. But just after about 10pm keep ur head on a swivel
While watching this video I noticed something that few people noticed and comment on…In the late 1970s I was in California and saw Japanese cars accounted for 50-60%. But when I moved to Louisiana and the Southern states in the late 1980s I found that 80-90% were Domestic cars and Small trucks accounted 50-60%. Now it’s completely different from most Japanese made and small cars is the most.
![Gunna - HIM ALL ALONG [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/w7Wf0h1Q8a4/mqdefault.jpg)
I really want Alabama to stay undiscovered tbh. I never minded that people looked down on the state. They can stay away, at least it'll mean we can still afford to live in our own communities.
I agree bud! I'm from Northern Alabama around Jasper and Birmingham area. I live in Washington state now but really wanna move back. Its so laid back and chill and I love the warm weather down there. Can't stand Washington state.... Alabama is amazing, going back this summer ❤💯
@sawaugust what's up with washington state? I was thinking of moving there precisely bremerton(Kitsap County area) or Tacoma/Olympia(minus lakewood). Btw, moving from GA
@@westmax8491you like
Communism? -fellow Georgian
@@danw1089 what is your definition of communism? I have gotten to the point where if an American calls something communist, I take it with a grain of salt because usually to most Americans today, communism is anything that doesn't conform with conservative values.
Now, is washington state a communist state, far from it. If anything, WA is an example of a successful capitalist state. You can disagree with their liberal politics but calling them communist is just delusional. Is Atlanta a communist city which btw has the most successful enterprises anywhere seen in GA?
The government is choosing winners and losers based on sexual preferences and skin color . government over regulation on industries and personal liberties up there are bordering on totalitarianism
It isn't music that makes kids violent....thats a cop-out....its the PARENTS. Parents do not raise their kids right. This is true for EVERYWHERE not just in Alabama. There's not enough emphasis on keeping the family together, and actually TEACHING kids how to THINK. Most parents think (and believe) that its the public school system that educates their kids. Wrong.
Mike: You are right some parents do not raise their children right. Letting tv, the internet and gaming to keep them busy is not raising them.
No Fathers in their lives!
bull shit its alot of it blaring that vile poison racket into their pea brains.
They encourage broken family values, they want everyone in the household out working to pay taxes
also poverty... Poverty map/crime and that kind of behavior tends to connect well. If anything poverty will do this. Hard to be a parent when they already start in poverty.
Religious fanatics/fascists just use that to scare people with.. this is just their version of satanic panic.
I'm a Mobile native who lives across the bay in Fairhope now. Was pleased to see this video actually showed the area in a positive light. Glad you enjoyed your visit!
My family drove through Mobile many times over decades (beginning in the 50's) on our way to visit family near Cape Canaveral & Destin, Florida. We found your city beautiful and as kids thrilled to ride through the tunnel (I've also taken my son and grandchildren) and see the Battleship Alabama. Cities decay nationwide but always retain reminders of their uniqueness.
I visited Fairhope a few years ago (just before Covid hit us) and fell in love with the quaint city, such a charming area.
Positive light?
If you see Rick Bragg, tell 'im I said "Hidy!"
How much is homeowners insurance there?
The problem in Mobile isn’t guns and music. The problem is social decay.
Fatherless homes, drugs & gangs.
Blaming guns for the crime rate in mobile is like blaming spoons for making people fat.
I didn't know. I thought it was safe. Btw
News flash .., Crime increases where extreme poverty & overpriced groceries & slumlords exist. Blaming music & laziness are just short sighted clueless lacking the big picture comprehension.
I didn’t realize Mobile has so many blacks?
Yes,one mental abnormality is must the same as another.
What are the gang members using bow and arrows?
Being a 60-year southerner and having been to all of the cities I can tell you I don't care what the stats are but Memphis and New Orleans are the two most dangerous cities in the South and not mobile
worst part of the trip from Missouri to the perdido key is , damn St Louis and Memphis...Demons in vehicles everywhere
After reading all the comments, NYC is not bad at all just very expensive but we are used to that here.
Facts
@@brianjacob8728 mobile has a 200k population bham had 197
Those stats don't lie. I'll take New Orleans anyway. Not nearly as much crime as 15-20years ago.
I’ve been going to Mobile for many years to attend U.S. Coast Guard aviation training at the Mobile Airport. I’ve enjoyed driving around as you did. Very nice community. Great people fantastic food and very affordable.
its sad to see so many small towns slowly turning into ghost towns.
Trouble is that there is no political power in these areas. 1 to 5 cities decide who wins elections. A chain is only as strong as the weakest link. The link never gets improved unless people with power actually see the link.
Good news! More and more Californians are buying up all of the land and turning these places into luxury areas nobody else can afford to live in!
I blame online shopping for all of the downtowns closing up shop. Covid was the nail in the coffin. Lack of industry and people moving away didn’t help. But even downtown San Francisco and other big cities have a huge problem with stores closing shop, being unable to be sustained due to competition from Amazon
@WonderfulWorldofAwesomeness it's a combination of factors. Mainly the insanity of not enforcement of shop lifting for under $950.00. 40 people per day doing that is enough to bankrupt major retail stores in those areas.
@@billmoretz8718 It doesn’t help. But that law was enacted in 2014. The retail closures have been going on since the first tech boom in the late 1990s. That’s when rents skyrocketed, and commercial properties rents were soaring at such a rate that mom and pop shops couldn’t compete with bigger retailers. And there’s no rent control at all for commercial real estate. Your rent can be raised a few hundred percent suddenly. Even large retailers can’t justify paying that when there’s so much more demand for online shopping. Many stores now have security at the doors to stop shoplifters.
As a Navy veteran, I enjoyed visiting the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park a few years. It was about a 5 to 6 hour drive from where I live in Atlantic Beach Florida but it was definitely worth the drive. I liked going through the tunnel there!
I went there too on a southern extravaganza it was one of my favorite stops and I visited a lot on that trip
Thank you! For your service my Grandpa is also a Navy 🌊Vet
@@SV-kr9fu I was, 1984 to 1988, aboard the USS Charles F. Adams, DDG-2.
Thank you for your service sir my machine shop instructor was a navy seal great man!
The first time I visited Mobile, Huntsville, and Birmingham I was surprised at how nice they were. Nothing like I expected.
Even Birmingham?
Birmingham is a crap hole!
@@marvwatkins7029 Birmingham isn’t AS bad as people say. You just have to be aware of where you are and where you’re going to avoid problem areas
Especially if you watch Nick!!! Because that is what "you people want" his words, not mine!!! do not come for me.
What exactly were you expecting? Mean people?
Spent my happiest years of childhood in Mobile long ago. There was nothing on Dauphin Island but Indian mounds and blackberry bushes way back then.
Soo how old are you, 180 , hahahaa
Dauphin Island is still just sand with a few condos on it now.
Idk if you knew but you Indian mounds were created over ten thousand+ years of Indian from 12 different tribes floating down the 12 different rivers where it met at Mobile Bay to Dauphin Island. They would get drunk, shuk oysters, and smash the alcohol bottles they brought with them thus creating said mounds.
It was in 2000 when my wife and I visited Mobile. We liked the laid back athmosphere and the hospital people and of course the government street with all the historical houses. And we felt safe.
Whaaaat 2000 , how old are you, 180, hahahaaa
@@dennynisevic7848how old are you? 8? Year 2000 was 24 years ago. To green men and women, that’s not long ago. Why comment as such?
It’s crazy how most of the downtowns on this road trip are just empty lots, abandoned buildings, and empty streets.
‘Merica!
@@LaGrandeBayou Oy….
Now I see why some people look at me crazy when I say I want to live downtown. My downtown is expensive. An apartment is $2600.
He was just in downtown Mobile early, there’s usually a lot going on in the downtown of Mobile and fairhope, but most of it’s just drinking clubbing and nightlife
I lived in Foley, AL (Baldwin County) for 20+ years from elementary school until I was 30. Moved to midtown Mobile in November of 2021 to escape the absurd housing market and constant development happening to my once small town. Since living in midtown for almost 2 years, I love it. My neighborhood is surround by 19th and early 20th century homes all around. Can walk or ride bikes while feeling safe. Gorgeous trees everywhere. The best food. And so much history everywhere. The city is finally starting to appreciate the importance of the history and a lot of renovating has taken place on many historical homes and buildings.
Good for you! The one thing I hate most about Pensacola is that they do not value the historic buildings here! Something with character is constantly being torn down for some ugly new build. I’ve noticed Mobile values their history. They have some very awesome mid-century neighborhoods as well.
Interesting
I lived in Robertsdale. I moved for the same reason. I live in midtown now too, by Murphy High.
nah, mobile isn’t dangerous. mobile is only dangerous if you make it dangerous. doesn’t matter who you are here, as long as you don’t cause any issues you’ll be all good.
this community is full of love and respect for each other. everyone here has each others back. this is our home, and we’re damn proud of it
I'm more afraid of Pensacola then I am of Mobile.
Mobile, Alabama is pretty much the worst neighborhood for crime in the US.
Some neighborhoods are better than others, but overall it's terrible.
@@NewEnglnd-kk9zz you are absolutely correct. i spend 8 months per year in mobile and 4 per year in pensacola. while yes, mobile does have more VERY bad parts, pensacola is basically surrounded by terrible. east hill isn’t safe, ensly isn’t safe, hell i’d even say downtown has gotten drastically less safe within the past couple of years.
1 in 9... Worst in the country. I get the impression if you make eye contact with the wrong person that's considered causing problems.
@@fleetingfacet that would be a very tough and expensive task, but i know a lot of the people here want to that kind of change. the majority of our issues are on the north side of the city-essentially around prichard, which is a hellhole in itself.
that being said, it is possible. very difficult, but possible.
I live in Mobile AL. Facinating that you found the few areas that are prone to flooding and even though the government has offered to buy their homes to relocate , many choose to stay. Northside Mobile is actually a different city Pritchard AL. And 8 mile.
Looks a really cool place, One of the places I’d love to visit. Always been interested due to Elvis. I’m from Scotland
We vacationed in Dauphin Island in 2018. It was my twins’ favorite trip. It was very laid back and chill, with a country vibe. Suited us just fine. The area all around was very depressed, and that made me so sad. We drove in to Gulf Shores for the day. Very touristy, and we were ready to get back to the island. We stayed in a house right on the gulf. It was lovely.
My mom's black caretaker goes every year for a big family get together on Dauphin Island and they love it. Till about 20 years ago they had big black family reunions in the South with folks coming from all over. That is just a memory now.
You weren't freaked out by all the houses on the stilts? What if a big hurricane came through?
Back in the day, Gulf Shores was abandoned from October until May… nowadays, it’s busy year round. I do love the area though.
the houses are elevated so the Gulf can go under them during hurricanes. Doesn't always work though. LOL@@duhsunnyday8590
The social war on Americans to destroy inside out have worked. Drugs, homeless, social division war on its own by the corrupt Govt, elites; quite sad to witness evil winning.
Alabama honestly looks beautiful to me, even the overgrown ghettoes. I would love to see Mobile and surrounds one day. Thank you for your fascinating videos 💚 from Darwin, Australia 🇦🇺
It's also interesting to me that Youth Crime is a huge problem over there. Youth crime and social media are inextricably linked where I live (kids stealing vehicles and filming it for social media, amongst other things).
come visit during Mardi Gras if you can. It'll truly give you a sense of community and America in general. I grew up in Mobile and I absolutely loved it.
@@-spacedout--spacebound-7438I agree about Mardi Gras! It's a great time and everyone goes out of their way to decorate for it! Whole neighborhoods all decked out. I moved here 3 yrs ago from Missouri. In MO, I barely knew my neighbors. Here, I live in a fairly poor income area and we all look out for and take care of each other. I live pretty close to the gulf and I've never felt unsafe. Downtown is all vibes. You can walk around and encounter tons of friendly people. Yes, there are beggars, but that's not unique to Mobile. There's tons of beggars in KCMO too. Mobile is different from MO because if someone here sees that you need help, you're gonna have people coming from everywhere, and hear, "let me help you with that babe." The weirdest thing I've had to get used to is everyone calling everyone "babe." It threw me for a bit, but now I'm used to it. 😄
I can tell Keith feels a connection to his music. You can see it in his movements and big smile. There’s a nice flow to his playing that people acquire learning to play music by ear.
Yeah I’d love to jam with that man. He’s a real one.
I lived in west Mobile 10 years. We absolutely loved it there. Unfortunately, a family member needed our help due to declining health, and we moved back home to Enterprise, Alabama.
That's so funny. I grew up in Mobile and moved up to Enterprise a few years ago.
I visited Mobile, AL, driving from NYC, about two years ago, and found it to be one of the nicest cities of the gulf coast, with tree lined streets, and booming businesses. Also visited Biloxi, MS, another nice downtown area, with many casinos, which surprised me.
That's the casino with a river behind it.theres a huge homeless encampment there.
@@brianmatthews4149 Yes, I remember that casino. Sad about the homeless population, it's all over the country now.
No ocean in Alabama. We call it the Gulf.
I immediately wanted to say just that but here you are doing it for me. ❤
Yes and it's not a small ocean, it's called the Atlantic.
@@oldisgood2587 No. Its called the Gulf of Mexico.
@@oldisgood2587the Atlantic is on the other side of Florida.
@@w.e.s. born and raised on the Gulf. We call it the Gulf.
Keyboard Keith had my whole office cracking up! I appreciate the black trash bag used as the cover😂😂Absolutely a fan favorite 👍🏻😂
My native Alabamaian father never considered Mobile. He would only visit his family in Birmingham. It got to the point where I had to beg to go visit Selma. It was crazy. I understand being poor and living under Jim Crow. He never wanted to visit Mobile. By that time, my parents marriage was falling apart anyway. We stopped going with my father to Alabama. I am not interested in seeing any of his family; most have died anyway. But you have renewed my quest to visit that Gulf Shore town. Thanks Nick.
But because of you RIGGERS mobile, Birmingham and Selma are all 💩 now.
you will LOVE IT. I grew up down there and its beautiful all times of the year.
Hell yeah!
Thanks for coming to Mobile. There's a lot of great things about it. There are some better places to live, but there are also far worse.
It's a wild place, but it's home.⚜️
i love this city. it might have a constant smell of weed and blown head gaskets, but that’s just part of it. having to wait three seconds when the light turns green to avoid the inevitable red light runner isn’t fun, but its not the worst thing. as long as people get treated with respect, everyone loves each other here. i’m proud to call this place home
Oh hey Ross. Good to see ya here
I'll give you an example of a far worse place to live than Mobile... Toledo OH. I recently moved to Mobile from Toledo. The only way I would ever go back to Toledo, after living there for 15 years, is in a cremains urn.
I grew up in New Orleans; my dad moved to Fairhope when I was 12, so I've spent a bit of time in Mobile and the area. Mobile really is an underrated and underappreciated place. It is a hidden gem. There is much of New Orleans I recognize about the place, as Nick pointed out. The way he called it a smaller, cleaner New Orleans with less drama - there is a fair amount of truth to that. It definitely is not a replacement for N.O., but then again Mobile also has its own uniqueness so N.O. isn't a replacement for Mobile, either. Both are worth experiencing, in my opinion.
EDIT: I'll also add, that both cities are just over a 2.5 hour drive to each other, so it's really easy to live in one and experience both pretty much whenever you want. I'm glad that my youth was centered on New Orleans as opposed to Mobile, but if I ever moved back to the gulf coast (20 years in Chicago), I'd likely pick Mobile.
Lived in Daphne and was happy there was a bridge separating Mobile. Fairhope Art Shows are awesome. 😊
Those were different times; better manners more church going more nuclear families and fewer guns … the decline of the USA has been cataclysmic since then . The minimum wage has barely budged . Poverty level still equated with 60 year old data. Education has cratered and drug addiction / hopelessness and desperation have skyrocketed
Video games are horribly violebt
Yeah I call BS on the Nola comparisons. There is only one New Orleans and a frozen Drink machine, mediocre band, a wrought iron balcony and an average looking wrap with Boudin is not “similar” to New Orleans at all.
I saw Nick’s New Orleans video and it was clear he did very little research on the city and IT’s neighborhoods. He had no idea how to enjoy New Orleans and he did it completely wrong. Otherwise he wouldn’t be shitting on New Orleans constantly
@@ilikenachosify all raising the minimum wage does is raise prices.
I grew up in San Jose California, not exactly a hotbed of crime. But our house was burglarized several times between the ages of 5 and 16. And my dad's car and van were stolen and totaled. And I'm sure there was places you could get all the violence you wanted. But all in all I'd have to say my neighborhood was a great place to grow up and be a kid. I left in 1984. I've lived in some sketchy neighborhoods as a student for the cheap rent. The tenderloin in SF in the early 90's and Worcester Mass early 90's too. I know some places are dangerous but often times statistics don't tell the full story. Mobile looks charming and I'd like to visit
I remember San Jose going down the tubes pretty fast in the 70's. "Safe" neighbors began to disappear and crime, drugs and violence took over.
@@jimdep6542 I left the south Bay area in '88.. San Jose seemed to be the PCP capital of California for a while and if people weren't doing that they were on steroids and cocaine and looking to brawl. But I had a really good child hood there in the 70's and early 80's. I left because a lot of the people I was running with ended up doing time and I realized my time was up there.
@@meghancass3187 I used to play music at a club that was in the bowling alley at the intersection of Story and White Road. At the time the club was called The Country Showroom. I don't remember its original name. That area wasn't too bad an area in the 60's but went down hill pretty fast. I enjoyed my strolls through the San Jose Flea Market. I left the Bay Area in the mid 80's, as it was getting too crowed for my liking and too expensive, unless you worked for Silicone Valley, which wasn't my passion.
Your house was burglarized several times? That's not normal.....😂
@@jimdep6542 Yeah. That area did go downhill. The Flea Market was great. You could find literally anything if you walked long enough.
I've been waiting for this one! : D I also wanna say I love that art deco-esque building in downtown Mobile! So pretty!
I was not surprised when Mr Gary Owens said that people call the City is Gumbo. Because the Vietnamese people here are quiet large and mainly working as “Shrimp Boats”. Even they have shrimp companies, oil shops…and boats fishing shipyards. I used to go back and forth 5-6 months between Biloxi & Mobile when my Uncle ordered to build a shrimp boat here so I know Mobile and since then it’s been almost 40 years that I haven’t had a chance to come back here even though I go through Mobile once a month on I-10. I ❤Mobile and Missed. Thanks Mr Nick Johnson. 👍
a geography correction: if you go out of mobile bay in a boat, you would have to go around florida to get to the atlantic ocean.
Right? He mentioned Gulf Shores "ocean" views multiple times. His ignorance takes a little of his credibility away.
Love this video. I learned so much about Mobile, Alabama and I love the area and downtown as well. I had no idea it was so nice and clean. Great video!!!!!😊
Contrary to popular belief.. I feel like we need to see some more positive and upbeat places that you visit! Those are some of my favorite videos that you post. Definitely interesting seeing this side of Mobile and the surrounding areas!
Very beautiful. I love this part of the South. What I love most about Alabama is it’s rich soil, it’s great for farming.
Mobile is a hidden gem. The vibe there is unlike anywhere else. The history, culture, and diversity really make the city feel alive.
I lived in midtown, Crichton, and Tillmans and not once have I ever felt unsafe. Prichard is a different story.
You nailed it about there not being a lot of jobs. If it wasn’t for having a hard time finding work I would have never left.
OMG sUcH ViBeS
ooooooh, diversity!!! I moved away from that. Life is better now.
@@DBMac-ji7fr It’s literally true. The often repeated mantra “diversity is our strength” could not be further from the truth. It is not in anyway a net benefit. It breeds distrust among citizens because human beings have an in group preference. Meaning they want to be around other people that look like them, speak like them, believe what they believe, etc. It’s a tribal thing that dates back hundreds of thousands of years, if not more. This has been studied and proven.
Diversity is however pretty effective at making sure people never come together in order to challenge the status quo or threaten the powers that be. It’s almost as if this was their plan all along.
@@guthrie_1 Next part is identifying "they."
@@DBMac-ji7fr You can be a “they/ them”.
My pronouns are “god” and “king”.
All joking aside I am not going near the JQ bro
Thanks for taking us all across the United States!
The Pastor is absolutely right. The violence in the video games, the violent language in the rap music has a very strong influence on young minds.
i agree!
Idk I used to play plenty of violent games and I’ve never actually considered hurting anybody. The root cause of most of the problems in our society is money printing. We need to return to sound money again.
@@huemann7637 No doubt about that.
found the boomer.
I play "violent" video games every single day and have to yell for my husband to come kill a bug. It's all about what you're taught as a kid. And what about the movies from the 70s and 80s? Ever watched Police Academy? that series is chock-FULL of sex, drugs, cussing, etc but yalls generation ate it the hell up.
Also, in recent years there have been SO MANY studies done that video games ACTUALLY increase brain activity and can release stress, help maintain mental health, and it greatly improves social skills if in multi-player.
100 years ago adults were complaining about kids reading books and magazines, saying it's not good for you and you're wasting time.
@@-spacedout--spacebound-7438 Obviously you have a mature developed brain. Many children and especially teens do NOT!!! You do know if you base the rest of society on your own way of thinkiing your lumping your self in with the people whom do need serious help and there are lots. I would also guess that you didn't grow up in a house eating peanut butter and bread every day because your parents spent all the food stamp and welfare money on drugs. Hopefully your parents didn''t do that to you and my guess is they did not because you play violent video games and don't get ideas about killing others because of it. Kids with drugged out bad parents also get bullied a lot in school. their Fathers in most cases are not interested in raising them properly. Just getting their fix every day.
So do you still think they are no different than you? or you ARE different than them.?
Too bad it seems so cloudy during your visit down there. The coast is beautiful when the sun is out.
I just visited mobile today from vacation in gulf shores for the 2nd straight year and I’m watching this video on the way back, It’s definitely a great area for tourism. The USS Alabama and Bienville square are great places to visit
I nearly spit my iced tea out when you toured the posh neighborhoods in Mobile and told us that the average cost of a house is around $300K! I lve in an outer burb of Seattle and you can't get a nasty 1 berm apartment for that, here. It's laughable to me when the Federal Govt. sets thresholds for financial aid based on income or cost of living when thered are such massive discrepancies in the numbers across this country. My partner works in aerospace and I feel so sorry for peoplGreat video!e who relocate to this area from places like Huntsville, FL and TX. They are in a prolonged state of disbelief for about a year.
I live in an outer burb too of Seattle. Prices are insane.
I just moved from Seattle back to Montana. But I was living in Rainer Beach when I finally got a place. and yes it’s insane how much it is. Unless your an immigrant family staying in those cheap housing complexes your fked. And I don’t understand why people pay to live downtown. It’s crazy bad especially at night totally different world. Also I found it interesting while delivering for Amazon there were a lot of nice houses given to Ukrainians and Russians. Not small ones either the American dream type houses.
As someone from North Western Europe, this really shocks me.
We used to see the U.S. in movies and we fell for the propaganda.
Now we are adults, we travel and have the internet.
We read your newspapers and study's and see what the U.S. really is.
I really hope your country can make 'the American dream' come true.
It's crazy spooky how all America's harbor areas are being allowed to rot away... Like a secret world order, take over plan, that the home town people are blindly allowing to happen.
@@ayabokti161 Meanwhile i live in a red brick house, work 32hr. weeks with 6 weeks payed leave, never seen a pothole. Healthcare, safety and education are perfectly arranged. Life expectancy is higher, child deaths are much lower and we are much higher on the world happyness index.
The late George Carlin said something to this effect "The American Dream....you'd have to be asleep to believe it ".
Yeah. Life is cheap here.
@@Dutchtreat-pn3cj and probably Americans winning a war gave you that luxury life
Not getting into the Atlantic Ocean from Mobile Bay. Did you mean the Gulf of Mexico? LOL
I was looking for that comment lol! The closest access to the ocean that we have from Baldwin county is a straight 8 hours driving on I-10 to Jacksonville
Actually yall both wrong, technically you can take a boat into the gulf then head east reach florida which in turn is now the Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean encompasses the Gulf of Mexico. And the Caribbean Sea.
Using that logic the stream out back my house is Atlantic Oceanfront property, the water connects eventually.😂🤣
@@pavelow235 Even the North Sea (40 km) from here, is a part of the Atlantic Ocean. 😳😳😳
Gulf Shores is prosperous and expensive to live in unless you’ve been there for a generation and own your property. It’s a nice place to vacation. I live a short drive from Mobile and go there a few times a year. Never had an issue, but the local news could paint a different picture for you.
Surprisingly I just saw a lot of homes selling for north of 1 million on the other side of the bay near Fairhope and Montrose on redfin, I can imagine the condo penthouses in Gulf Shores that actually have Gulf of Mexico views run double that. It's been 15 years since I been through that part of the world, never thought it would start competing with Florida home values, then again inflation, inflation, inflation!
Soon million dollar homes will be where all the poor people live....and then 10 million homes will mean middle class.
Been to Mobile once with my family as young kid in the late 60's. The USS Alabama battleship from World War Two was open to public tours. I'm pretty sure we were on our way to Florida.
Everywhere has good areas and bad areas. Even when we visited Hawaii, our hotel shuttle drove through some rough drug infested areas. It was sad to see, and I'm from New York.
Good video, Nick. Some areas look really nice, some. Nice ocean . Some folks appear chill, good to see happy in 2023😊
Man I am addicted to your videos now. I am binge watching your content.
Wow I can't even binge me
@@NickJohnson That's one disadvantage of being an awesome storyteller. You never get to enjoy your own storytelling. Lol.
Living in a hurricane zone on the Gulf would be too worrisome for me. There will be another hurricane like Frederic that hits Mobile someday. It's not a question of if but when.
That is something in the back of my mind as weII. Seems Iike there is NO WHERE in the USA anymore where there are NOT pIaces with some hazard and/or potentiaI disaster. Name me even one.
@@ayabokti161 While not Tornado Alley like Oklahoma, Ohio does get tornados.
Western Michigan. We’ve been here for 8 years. We’ve yet to see a major weather event. Originally from Ohio.
@@lane6216 Western Michigan does seem pretty safe against major weather events since tornados are more common in the southern part of the state. You are suspectable to lake-effect snowstorms there, but I would take a blizzard over a tornado.
@@FlintIronstag23 , yes, we do get some snow. It’s so pretty, it’s worth it! Just get your essentials, and settle in for the show. ☺️
Thanks Nick...another great video, you hit things on the head!!I hope your channel continues to grow!!
In my meteorology class, I was shocked to find out that Mobile has more annual precipitation than Seattle does (by quite a bit)!
Can you say humid
Well, Seattle sits in a rain shadow
Every single city east of the Mississippi gets more annual precipitation a year. Seattle gets more days of rain per year though because it’s always a light rain
Mobile is literally the rainiest city in the continental US, I also read a fact somewhere that X amount more inches of rain a year in Alabama, and it would be considered a protected environment
@@trebors386But Gates is there😢
One of the most RICH man of the World.
Ask for help, maybe his foundations help Seattle!
I think, he doesn't do that😢
A great and surprising trip! Thanks for putting Mobile on the 👍 list, Nick.
I've been to Mobile many times. Not for about 13 years now. There was a museum I hadn't seen before. It was the museum of Mardi Gras. Which originated there. The museum had 70 some years of the King and Queen "Trains" their elaborate royal capes they wore for Mardi Gras. THAT was amazing in how beautiful most of them were and brilliantly decorated and could weigh up to 50 lbs!!
I've seen all their museums now ( I think), battleship and other military (from the Civil War) ships and artillery.
And I love that white sand on their beaches in the Gulf. It's like sugar.
So different from CA sand.
Good job, Nick.
The beads in the trees are from the maskers on the Mardi Gras floats throwing them to the parade goers just a little to hard. During Mardi Gras season you will also find moon pies, stuffed animals, Frisbee's, footballs and all finds of weird stuff in the trees. You should come back during Mardi Gras season, Mobile has a whole different vibe then.
Wow!! The 🌳 🌳are beautiful!!
Beautiful nature there! Could be such a great prosperous area...
Most places can have prosperity. My area could too. ..in theory..
Only problem is that the moment you try, the prosperity gets robbed, vandalized and threatened until people give up and leave.
When an area starts going down hill the constructive, capable, qualified, educated and professional people leave... then all you have is whats left.. not easy to recover from that unless the population hits zero and you can rebuild from scratch.
What i so enjoy Nick is history thrown in places you visit. love the south trips.
I'm surprised! I used to pass through Mobile on the way to Pensacola from Houston but never had any desire to stop there and visit. May have to change my plans after seeing this.
Pensacola acts like it was a port city, but Mobile is a REAL port city. Lots of history.
Another pretty neat fact about Mobile is that the movie, close encounters of the third kind, was filmed here. All of the scenes for devils tower was shot in one of the hangers near the shipyard. Over half of the movie was shot in this area.
Yes!...the exterior scenes for the house where the kid is seen running out to see the lights was filmed off a little country road near Sllverhill Al (Baldwin County) that my ex-wife's cousin owned and is or was still there as far as I know...old oak and all. :)
Very educational and cool video! Love watching these kinds of things opens my mind since I don’t get to travel alot! Thank you!
Ok Hollie!
I never thought I’d wanna go down there but after seeing your video on mobile Alabama I actually think I would like to go down there and I never thought in my life I would say this. Good job again Nick on such great amazing coverage where you go
Don't come down here its awful.
@@jackdarren9210 🤣
It’s fun. Just visit in the cooler months. It’s very warm here during the summer… by warm I mean you sweat as soon as you step outside.
Thank you 💖
Philadelphia USA🇺🇲
Hi from Port Richmond!!!!! 🍀
Very impressive Nick - thanks for your down home (real) assessment of the Mobile area !
I love the music you've been playing in your Southern videos.
That building with the two pharoah statues, pretty sure a masonic lodge. Thanks for the tour. Lived in Mobile for a short time in the early 70s. Nostalgia for me.
It’s the old Scottish Rite Temple (Masonic Lodge).
Whaaat , 70s , so how old are you, 180 , hahaaa
Now you are getting real, thanks for posting Nick!
Good morning Nick, Thanks for the video 😊
You're videos are awesome... having moved cross country with my family almost 8 times, and looking to move again... you're videos are awesome! Thanks!!!!!!!
I lived in Alabama for 4 years. I miss it. Hoping to move back one day!
There’s a low key, subtle humor laced throughout your commentary that I find funny and entertaining.
I’m from the UK. Somehow, your films resonate deeply. Humans are humans are humans. Everyone is doing their best.
Thanks for this video Nick. I have Mobile on my "must visit" list and this just reinforces the notion.
These crime stats provided by th FBI should be looked at with scepticism. Any city has good parts and everyone, everywhere knows what part of town to stay away from.
I get a kick out of you and like watching your videos. I like your approach to adding value to us all as we broaden our options for living life. Thanks.
A lot of sorry looking buildings but as a Northeasterner I can admire the good condition of their roads due to lack of cold weather. Barely any cracks in roads or potholes.
I've been to Baldwin County and Gulf Shores. I had a friend who lived in Loxley. It was very nice. I really like this video❤. Brings back memories.
So Nick are you Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again? Lol That Bob Dylan song has been playing in my head this video.
That violent music statement should get ALOT more attention. I graduated HS around the time Drill was first really getting popular. I have friends on social media that still post clips of themselves holding guns pointing them at the camera dancing while their favorite musician and talking about getting the Op. A lot of those ppl have young kids that can sing along to the songs cussing and all.
vile poison
Tim Cook Apple CEO, Jimmy Buffet, Hank Aaron all grew up in Mobile. Ive been living in Mobile since 1960 and its one of the best cities in America. Ive traveled and visited 42 states and none are as nice as Mobile is.
It's nice I'm glad you missed the bad parts
Im glad you came as well. I think you did a good job!
I'm not an American, but thank you Nick for opening our eyes that the US is not only what Hollywood shows. After watching a dozen videos from Nick's channel, I came to the conclusion that the best times in the United States are over. Maybe I'm wrong, but hopelessness and devastation reminded me of the times before the collapse of the USSR. Many people worked in factories, on collective farms, and then they began to close and fall into decay What I saw as a child on these farms and in the areas around them is very similar to what you show us. It's hard for me to describe this feeling in English, but maybe you will understand what I mean. The feeling of a bygone life, some oppressive emptiness. My sister has been living in CA for over 16 years and I've never heard anything like it from her other than whining about crazy taxes.
I spent 10 years in Gulf Shores! My daughter was born in this area. Loved it!
I hope that guy who played the music gets the exposure he needs. From what I heard in that short period of time him seems to be pretty talented.
The keyboard man needs a keyboard case with a strap. I was impressed he had nerve to carry it riding a bicycle. I am a singer
/musician/ entertainer. I am 66 years, one month and 13 days as of my comments. Thanks for reading my comments. Smiles
Mobiles my favorite city ive been to yet in my travels. Its just chill and beautiful. Id live there in a heartbeat
It’s really sad to see that so many cities and even towns in the United States have become dystopian nightmares. I’ve traveled to many different countries and in those countries I never saw Zombie houses are boarded up abandon houses they always get knocked it down and replaced with something new but here in the United States they just stay and stink
Yeah, here in Canada, decapitated homes are removed fast. Temporary parks, or parking uses the space until new construction. I'm amazed how many entire subdivisions in the rust belt are quietly rotting away, nothing done, in USA.
The government can't just go and knock them down. They have to go through the court system first to gain control of the property. Property rights in the USA are powerful rights which means they have a lot of protections.
There is no $ to get rid of them.
Every place he has driven through like this at one point was much more important than today.
The Great lakes and Mississippi River system used to be manufacturing hubs and transportation hubs. As water transport became less crucial manufacturing outsourcee and globalization shifted importance to the coast.
That's just how it happens their is not enough revenue to demolish these homes as these areas basically died.
@@jeltoninc.8542 there is $ our govt/corporations are just too greedy to doll it out properly
Your video and history annd conversation was terrific. Loved it!!!
Thanks for the video. You are correct about the crime problem. The crime problem is on both sides of the Mobile bay. The time of the year, on Easter, the bad heat hasn't hit the Gulf of Mexico yet. You were fortunate. Just a note: When you stated (video showing the Fairhope marina) this "allowed folks to hop on their boats and be out into the Atlantic ocean." That is humorously Wrong, The Bay empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Carry On Sir!
Until today, the hottest day ever on record at 103°!
A+ video!
Great to see what that part of Alabama is like!
I'm glad you went across the bay to Fairhope and Daphne. Also Foley is nice. It reminds me of what parts of California used to be like before everything was developed. Like you said, that won't last for long, I'm afraid. I have been to Gulf Shores twice in the last decade, and I can say that it doubled its size over a five-year period. Now is the time to buy in.
It’s all nice. I love living down here. I used to hate the heat, but since I started running I’ve gotten used to it. I love walking my dogs in Fairhope though. They have a wonderful community.
I hope by these videos that everyone stays out of the south so we can keep enjoying our way of life without outside influences
A good friend of mine lives in Daphne. He says it's like night and day driving across to Mobile. I'm surprised you didn't mention the last slave ship or Africatown. Good pieces of history.
Just saw your full video link......maybe its in there. Love your videos Nick!
I know a coworker who retired in Gulf Shores. He loves it, damn the hurricanes!
I wish I knew you were coming to Mobile. I would have loved to meet up and show you around. We tend to get called to do jobs in a lot of horrible neighborhoods. I used to do security at Veet’s until last year. I’m friends with the guys I’m Sucker Punch. Come back to Mobile!!!
Nick, you got it wrong, you don't get a house for 3k. You get trash for 3K. Thanks for the upload. Always looking forward to them. 👍
Really nice to see some charming parts of the country for a change, esp. in the Deep South 🙂.
Great video Nick , very fair honest explanation and I will tell you it is a beautiful city for what I see. I am like you , loving what I saw.
Ya know, I find Nick's travelogues highly informative, and with a high degree of accuracy.
How 'bout a special on the best places in the US for RENOVATORS?
I see all those former dwellings and think Salvage. All that seasoned wood can be cleaned up and used as exterior sheathing very inexpensively. Did you know that when you look at an Honest 2x4 these days it looks like heavy timber?
All that brick up North can be crushed and remolded into tornado resistant building material.
Know any investors that would like to see some (proprietary) numbers?
The cost of tearing down without destroying, transporting wood/bricks might not be cost effective.
@@thatguyoverthere8355 I have proof of concept at a small scale. Because there is no set-up other than a crusher, conveyor, and molds. Assuming gang labor at minimum wage for the debridement and casting. Allowed 1800 miles shipping, and delivery to a contractor's site: break even comes at 80k bricks when compared to #10 Common at 15 cents ea.
My bricks are lighter and stronger than regular baked clay. There is no refractory, sun bakes my recipe' in 3 months, give or take. Still looking for investors, but need attorney b4 anything else.
Your ingenious Mappy skits are quite hilarious 👍🇺🇲
Nick on your trip through mobile it was very nice everything showed. But I have to correct you that's not the Atlantic Ocean is the Gulf of Mexico just ask Mappy LOL
Wow, That Keyboard Guy has the Entrepreneur Spirit!!!👏😊🙏💪☝👍
I go down to the senior bowl every year in Mobile and over to New Orleans, some of the stories ive heard of the crime are insane but there are alot of awesome people ive met down there in 5 years, alot of great athletes come from that area in all sports. Wintzels Oyster house has the best food ive ever had, well all the food down there is amazing. But just after about 10pm keep ur head on a swivel
Wintzell’s is killer!!! Best fried oysters HANDS DOWN 🙌
Glad you mentioned that spot, I need to go back soon. Take the wife for a nice day trip.
While watching this video I noticed something that few people noticed and comment on…In the late 1970s I was in California and saw Japanese cars accounted for 50-60%. But when I moved to Louisiana and the Southern states in the late 1980s I found that 80-90% were Domestic cars and Small trucks accounted 50-60%. Now it’s completely different from most Japanese made and small cars is the most.
Who can afford the price of gas in this days economy.
Not to mention, japanese reliability.
I really tried for many years to do union built US junk.
Not gonna do it ever again.
They close bridges when winds exceed set mph.
Thanks for Sharing and taking us on this journey with you.