Behind The Scenes In Wisconsin's Worst City
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- Опубликовано: 19 апр 2024
- I was totally blown away by what I saw when I went to Wisconsin's worst hood.
In this video, I explored Beloit, Wisconsin to show you how things are going today in this state's 'worst' place to live.
#wisconsin
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The best video on this topic!
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Is Diane Hendrix still single 😏
Awesome
@@jasonMMorris yes. And she is 77 so you won’t have to wait too much longer.
I was fortunate to have my documentary film about a fourth-generation Wisconsin dairy farmer struggling to keep his farm open at the Beloit International Film Festival last year. I grew up about 30 minutes east of there in Elkhorn, and always heard bad stories about it. When I stayed there during the film festival, I was BLOWN away. The investments that have been poured into the city and revitalizing its Rust Belt past are a masterclass that should be studied by other cities. The downtown was vibrant, and I have stayed at hotels all over the world, the Hotel Goodwin downtown was easily one of the best I've ever stayed at.
I moved from Denver to janesville/beloit 25 years ago. Historic river towns, Victorian houses for cheap, undiscovered, half an hour from Madison. Madison steals the young but def. Underrated
Right
Janesville has terrible crime rate and gangs
If that’s the worst place in WI.. sign me up
Its not racine or kenosha probably is... or milwaukee depending on where you live in milwaukee...
I was thinking the same thing
The Bad areas are the North and west part of Milwaukee. Especially north of Marquette
@@iskdude9922yeah prolly parts of Milwaukee. Milwaukee has a beautiful east side. Much like Chicago has a beautiful north/east side. But yeah the good and bad are separated.
You’re not going to Minnesota 😭
Good for Beloit! I'm a Wisconite that never new Beloit had a renaissance.
This woman is a hero and America needs more like her...PLEASE!
MacKenzie Scott, Jeff Bezos's ex-wife, has donated far more than Diane Hendricks to charity but it's spread around to a lot of different organizations and locations compared to being concentrated in one place like Beloit.
@@FlintIronstag23 Jeff Bezos ex-wife Mackenzie Scott*
@@FlintIronstag23 Yeah, she's not a hero for marrying one of the wealthiest guys in the world, making off with outrageous amounts of money (none of which she deserved) and then giving some of it away.
@@Screenwriting She married Jeff in 1993 before he founded Amazon and long before he was a billionaire. She was also very involved in the early days of Amazon.
Meanwhile Diane Hendricks's husband Ken was actually the driving force behind ABC Supply, being the chairman and CEO of company until his accidental death in 2007.
@@Peewyldwhite
Love it here! I've walked and rode my bike through beloit hundreds of miles and never had any issues with Anyone! Even at 1am in the morning! Never say Beloit is bad. Just hard working blue collar people.
Excellent café there called Jerry's.
I was born and raised in Beloit and it was a great town to grow up in. At 5:55 that used to be the Beloit corporation. The Beloit Corporation made paper-making machinery that was used worldwide, my Dad worked there from 1950 until 1990.
That is an awesome story
This man single handedly produces better, more informative, and more entertaining content than 99% of the "media". Think about that for a minute. The Texas road trip was awesome too. Mappy is hilarious. Kudos Nick, we love you. Don't change anything.
I'm changing everything now
Right?
Nick, thank you for what i consider a love letter to my state. You have done a great job exploring and reporting the highs and lows of Wisconsin. It is far from a perfect place, but you showed the spirit of the people is mostly good and we are kind, friendly and hard working...all true! Beloit is a great example of our spirit, or should i say, the spirit of one hard working woman to make it a good place. I really enjoy all the places you visit, but this series hit my heart and made me proud! Thanks again, Nick, and i will continue to follow you in your travels...we have to get you to one million! ❤
Aww ok Jill!
I have lived in Wisconsin for 20 years and it has been, by far, my favorite place to live. So it is very gratifying to hear that you, Nick, have also found it so appealing. Thank you for this great post about Beloit. I had no idea that it was experiencing such a fine rebirth, and I only live just outside of Madison. I enjoy your videos tremendously. Thank you. Keep up the good work.
Ok!
If you don't give the bum's money they'll go back to Chicago
Or Rockford. A LOT of the FIBs migrate from there too.
The plural of bum is bums, not bum's.
I wish you could do Kenosha Nick, or come back in the summer to check out Wisconsin woods snd what the beaches and lake are like.
I thought he did Kenosha, but maybe i'm thinking of another Wisconsin city.
Lake michigan is way too cold so the beaches suck
I was with my friend in Beloit when he was robbed at gun point, lots of gang connections from Chicago around thare. The one kid that was arrested for the robbery was awaiting multiple felony charges already his buddy just got out the day before from previous armed robbery convictions.
They ruin it for everyone.
@@alienprepper5918
And, we know exactly who ‘they’ are 😂
I hung out in Beloit during 90s quite a bit. It was very run down, lots of violence and felt like a shit hole in general. I don't recall running across any people from Chicago. Its just way too small, nothing happening, off the radar town that is not even that close to Chicago to get noticed. Just your typical town that took a big hit when local economy crashed leading to lots of poverty and problems that come with it.
Now Beloit is somewhere worthwhile visiting thanks for the great work 😊
Frito Lay has a chip plant in Beloit , dump ramp picks your entire semi truck off the ground to dump the raw potatoes into the plant , been going there for years never had a problem.
Runs 24/7 365.
Same with PepsiCo, in which Frito-Lay is owned by them. The Amazon warehouse is about a 5 minute drive from the Frito-Lay plant you're talking about.
Fairbanks-Morse locomotives were built in Beloit, Wisconsin in the early 1950s, among them C-Liners and Train Masters.
They also made submarine engines. As for FM locomotives, they were very powerful, but not popular.
one of the biggest contributors in ww2. In recent news, the warship, USS Beloit, is now ready to deploy.
@@oldclip70 The May and June 2024 issues of Railfan & Railroad have articles on the Beloit FM locomotives! Great reading! The June issue will be out in four weeks.
Always watch your videos! Finally, a city I could go to. Nick, you merit the Johnny Cash "I've been everywhere" Award!
I await the video from , "Pasadena. Catalina. See what I mean ah." 😅
The bad part of town looks like where I live, haha! I think the place is pretty nice!! That hotel is so awesome! I’ll have to visit there when I go to see my son in Sheboygan.
It's location on the outline of Wisconsin you showed gave me a clue to it's problem and I checked - it's only 85 miles from Chicago.
rockford as well
There was a big migration of people from chicago a few years back, and to say the least, the change was VERY noticeable.
Lol.
Problem of this town was losing its manufacturing jobs many decades ago, has nothing to do with Chicago.
@@kayelv.l.2016 I used to hang out in Beloit during later 90s quite a bit. It looked way worse back then. Does this shift towards progress coincide with people from Chicago moving in?
Wisconsin is simply a great state. Thank you Nick love your channel !
It is…but Madison extreme left could ruin it!
@@matthewjohnson1211Yep. Milwaukee as well.
A+ video!
Awesome tour and preview of Beloit, Wisconsin!
Beloit Wisconsin is where my mom was born and raised. My dad was born and raised in Appleton, Wisconsin. My 2 older brothers were born in Madison, Wisconsin. My mother’s family owned several big farms there that she and her 2 brothers eventually sold and divided up the profits between the 3 of them. The last farm, in Indiana, was sold within the last 10 years. It was the biggest farm.
I was born in “Terrible Hot”, Indiana. That’s what my parents ts called Terre Haute. We weren’t there 6 months before my dad graduated with his PhD (doctorate). We relocated to Moscow, Idaho where my baby brother was born. My dad was a professor of music-he would always say “I’m not THAT kind of doctor” when he had to visit me in the hospital.
I always felt like Beloit was a quaint little town. My grandfather’s property was along a residential street where the yards were huge and park like. The houses sat back off the road. At the opposite end of the property was a beautiful, wide river (I think it is called the Rock River. I was told that the other side of the river was Illinois, but I’m not 100% sure. We usually drove out there from Idaho at least every other year. We camped out near the river where you could fish, feed ducks, swim, and watch the fireflies dance after dark. A couple times I had to rescue my little brother from getting carried off by huge mosquitoes! JK, but they do have huge ones there. My cousins lived in Madison and would come to Beloit and we would take turns trying to bounce each other off of a huge inner tube, and paddle around on the paddle boat. I never really saw any bad side of Beloit. The last time I was there was right before I graduated from nursing school, in 1995. Eventually, the family home and property was sold years after my grandfather and the “old timers” (I mean that with the utmost respect) passed away. My mom still lives in Idaho, my father passed away suddenly 12 years ago. I’m sure eventually I’ll get back to see the old places (if they’re still there. My grandfather built the huge 3 story farmhouse there, and hopefully it hasn’t changed too much.
I have to say, also, that on one trip home, before we left Beloit, we found a cheesecake store. they had the best cheesecake I've ever eaten. still to this day, it is the best. i bought an entire chocolate chip cheesecake. All for little ol' me.
thank you to anyone who actually took the time tp read my comment here. seriously. thank you. 😊.
It’s a lovely comment and I enjoyed reading it. 🙂
@@lovewins8238me too❤
No one asked for your Bio.
Try getting a life.
Great back story
It is very pretty and quaint.
Great video! Looks like a pretty nice place ! Thanks for sharing n safe travels
Great video Nick! This series has been amazing! Nice work! (and, that hotel in Beloit is somewhere I would like to stay!)
I know right??
I lived in B City for 6 years, 1976-1982, a great place to live a lot of good memories!
Not only is Beloit nicer than most people think, Janesville and Kenosha are too. We are not rust belt tragedies. If you’re worried about us, don’t be. There are brighter days ahead.
...blah
Downtown racine is clean so much to offer and dead quiet. Weird
I live in Janesville, moved here a couple of years ago. Honestly, except for maybe the 5th ward, it’s a pretty nice place to live.
I’d have guessed Racine would be considered “the worst” on a smaller town scale based on the gang and drug problems there. Beloit has always gotten a bad rap and obviously as you showed Nick it’s actually been refurbished quite well for the 21st century. They have had a lot of good manufacturing jobs like tool & die makers and as you stated have a “blue collar” historical reputation which I think contribute to the bad rap since culture at large tends to denigrate hard work especially where one gets their hands dirty and have to sweat - God forbid that “persecution” LOL!
I'm the video he said that Beloit was heading the way of Racine, but someone invested a lot of money... So, yeah, Racine (my hometown) is worse.
Where you've been, Nick this the stuff of those epic saga romance novels ⚡
Look at this bathroom in Beloit! I need that on a shirt.😂
Nick! It's not true we love the positive! God bless the United States of America!
Most don't click on happy shit John
Why because she turned it into a decent and safe place to live. It seems like a nice quiet place to move to. In this country there are different levels of what you can call poor ,small towns are some of the most richest places in the country where people care about their town and where they live.
What a cute town. I wouldn't mind visiting. Looks nice.😊❤
Envy creates hate. It's hard to do good for people because of that effect.
Yes Clara Barton was pilloried and her name dragged through the mud, and she was forced to resign her position in the American Red Cross (which she chartered!) after her efforts in the relief of Galveston in 1900 after the hurricane. Small minded people will turn their envy into action against those they envy.
I drove to Beloit from Chicago back in the 90s, never went back, there was nothing there to go back to. What a change. It looks really cleaned up and decent. That lady really made a difference in that city. That hotel is wow!
Same. I had some friends in Beloit and Madison would visit fairly often from Chicago. If not for my friends would never consider visiting, not even talking moving. It was just a small, poor, run down town. Kind of funny that city is getting much nicer now, which is coinciding with people from Chicago starting to move in, yet everyone blames Beloits problems on Chicago. Its getting better not worse...
@KaliAndy2 I know right! People like to blame someone when things go bad. But when things are good, they don't like to give credit.
@@beachdawgz guess kinda have to expect it though. its kind of the motto of this channel. Focus on the bad and offer reasons to blame. Good stuff got to leave out or make it snappy.
risking life and limb to give us the lowdown from the streets, stay safe!
Why are local residents putting this woman in a negative light? She’s not a selfish rich person!
Sounds like it's the complaining Lefty teachers and union people.
Because most locals can't afford the amenities she's added to the city. And it was her deceased husband, not her, that started it all.
Gentrification
I live in Nebraska so I don’t have any right to have an opinion on this. I’m sorry if I offended anyone.
@@debbiefurman4052 100%
Great job Nick, thanks
To me, the worst places in Wisconsin is often better than the best place in other states.
Another Gem Nick
Fairbanks still makes giant ship engines in Beloit
I used to go to Beloit in the late 70's/early 80's to play youth hockey. It was a nice working class city but a little rough.
When you where talking to Mappy . There was a Stuff mappy behind you with Legs. Can you make them for your Mappy friends online? Mike
I am working on it Mike
@@NickJohnson
MAPPY! MAPPY! MAPPY!
Do my hometown Kenosha, thats where that 70s show was filmed.
That 70s Show was filmed in LA, and mostly took place in the fictional town of Point Place. Kenosha does get mentioned a few times though.
The thing about the lack of bums is...well to let the cat out of the bag ...we eat the homeless.
HA!😂
I picture a Twilight zone episode where you sudden'ly wake up homeless, and wonder how funny you would then think these comments are.
WOW I love this place! OMG I have seen some really rotten places and this doesn't even come close, Great Video
Maybe up your standards instead.
I’ve been to Beloit when I worked in nearby Rockford,Ill. Didn’t tour the town but they have a great Planet Fitness and City Park with Lake Victoria. The clearest freshwater lake I’ve ever seen.🤟🏿😎
The city park in lake Victoria that you reference are actually in South Beloit Illinois.
Absolutely love your videos! I loooove exploring small towns! Im in Pennsylvania!
Boy has it changed since back in the day. Keep the FIBS out!
Fibs aka: Friendly Illinois Buddies
@@summerjohnson5437 LOL
I enjoyed this show🎉
I really like to visit this place one day !!!
Wisconsin person my vote is:
Kenosha
Nah. The entire Northside of Milwaukee alone is the worst in all of Wisconsin 😅
Racine
@@pabloguerreromunoz you’re correct! As bad as any part of Chicago…
@@matthewjohnson1211Actually, the South and West Sides of Chicago are VERY comparable to the North Side of Milwaukee.
Hello from New Glarus Wisconsin!
I wish we had New Glarus beer in Florida! I love the brewery and their beer.
I love their Spotted Cow! Greetings from Madison, which I live in THAT ultra leftist cesspool of a city.
Fat Squirrel for me!
@@fidgeneckwedge625 Is Fat Squirrel Beer? Should I order a fatty next time in Wisconsin?
@@KTJohnsonkidThunder You mean the only city in the whole state that exhibits any signs of life?
Another fine production! Thanks brah! Shaka!
🤙🏻
I have not been to Beloit since the 90s but even then it wasn't that bad. Milwaukee as a whole is ok but has a few neighborhoods you don't go to unless necessary.
The gal with her $100 million welcome in my town anytime! Woodmans grocery has awesome pricing.
Yea, Beloit used to be in the Janesville/Racine/Kenosha club... seems like Beloit has crawled out of the armpit club and is "ok" now.
Janesville has too crawled out of the crap pit.
🙋♀️ I'm Pro-Diane ❤
He failed to get the whole story with Ken Hendricks.
Ken did a lot for this town and she has kept that legacy alive .
I am not as a life long beloit resident.
@@juliaf2152 your reason/s ? Inquiring minds would like to know.
@mobyjoe1 No doubt in any residents mind that she killed her husband....no way he just fell off a ladder. She swindled properties from business owners downtown (hatleys pub is an example) when they refused to sell to her. She has pulled many shady strings. I hate to use the word gentrification but it's true, she gentrified the town. Right outside of our beautiful and whitewashed downtown with apartments no locals can afford is my street and neighborhood. She doesn't care about the people here. She cares about the tourists who have money. She's a rotten human being, and I've met and mingled with her and her team, as have my parents, at a conference of hers back in 2018.
Lots of love over there!😅
Good morning Nick..Holy moly that's pretty epically awesome having someone put their own personal money into a town.
That's next level helping the community.
I think some people these days you just can't satisfy or please even with such big Positive changes to a small town.
Hopefully she's a beautiful soul and not like those powerful rich women in the Hollywood movies 😂.
From all outward appearances it appears to be sweet place to call home with lots going for it.
Have a blessed week ahead..happy travels.
Glad you enjoyed my home state! Left after high school. Still miss it. I think its actually nicer than trashy Southern California where I lived for 30 years.
Should of come to downtown Appleton on the weekend bro.
Ive heard of beloit, i think they may have got it confused with south beloit across the illinois border for being bad, im not sure, but beloit on the wisconsin side definatley looks like a decent place I dont think going 10 minutes outside of beloit proper to south beloit would make that big a difference looks and statistics wise. Illinois is just know for having a bad reputation with the way there government is ran.
Great job showing Beloit Nic ! Great channel
✍ Wow super great news - so happy for people who live there, very inspirational - the lady is a good egg. Thanks for all your work Nick & Team - good job.🌱🌷🌳🌻
@9:42 omg..is that a stuffed Mappy, I see behind you on the bookshelf? Adorable!
It is!
@@NickJohnson
I WANT!! 😻😻😻Mappy!!
Thank you for finally showing something that I love to watch. Beloit Wisconsin. Just when I was looking for a nice place to move to. Again, thanks.
Thank you. Fantastic reporting on this turn around. I’ve watched about 100 Nick Johnson videos and they are always informative and very funny!!
Only 100? Theres 600.
@@NickJohnson I’m pacing myself! One per night. Awaiting the next Great Lakes tour video-I spent a LOT of time in Marquette and Traverse City.
Having lived in several states, ( Michigan, New York, Virginia and Florida the longest) it’s interesting to see your focus and comments. Good to know the places where I “won’t get jumped”. 😜
Beloit is a beautiful city.
Home of the Buc’s
Purple Pride!
This was one of your best videos. You are helping to cover for missing local journalism.
What a delightful feelgood video!
Born and raised in Beloit. Left for college and never went back. Looks like it’s worth a visit again. I’m glad it’s come back to life. 😊
Looks like a nice town. People are the heart of a town. Many places have their ups and downs. Like to see that it is on the rise.
I come for the story but i stay for Mappy 🗺️ 😊
Hold on a second, i have got to go beloit…..
Don’t forget to check out Janesville as well. It has a nice downtown and Milton Avenue has a lot of businesses and is semi-pedestrian friendly. The surrounding communities are also nice like Whitewater, Milton, Edgerton, Evansville, Fort Atkinson, etc.
Due to it's proximity to Rockford, IL and South Beloit, IL, Beloit, WI gets dragged down. They're trying to re-hab the city but the "neighborhood" sucks.
chicago*
I came home from out west to my neighbors telling me there was a DEA raid on one corner of my street and then I noticed a memorial for a black dude that got murdered on the other corner. All while I was gone for a couple of weeks.
Yeah, Rockford is pretty rough. When I lived there, you couldn’t go a couple days without hearing a gunshot.
Thank you Nick! Awesome video of my home town. I lived there for about 62 years!
Ok Jenny!
Ay carumba! You went to Woodman's in Betroit!
LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL
Damn Nick !! Benoit is Legit !! She is a National Treasure !! Where is the Ghetto ?
I’m from Beloit it was bad not so much anymore. I’m a former drug addict here so I seen the bottom of the city and it’s behind closed doors. Also Diane Hendricks got rich from her husband he started abc and he died that’s how she got rich.
Come on back, Nick, and this time stop and explore Appleton and its surrounding towns. I've lived here for over 25 years in the Fox Valley, and might just retire here. Never would a native Southern Californian thought she'd find herself saying this, but this place grew on me over the years. Have had well-paying jobs that entire time, too!
Nick is like the Google map car, you really hope to catch it!! Maybe some meet and greet Nick. Don't be selfish
Missed him on the Texas tour haha
I wish that all of America was making a come-back like Beloit. UNFORTUNATELY, I t won't happen.😢
Never in my life have I heard of this city.
that's probably how they like it
@@chrishultgren777-Exactly!
Sweet video Nick Johnson! It was a breath of fresh air. Thanks! ❤
Build it and they will come
The cook waving from the grill area at Lucy’s 👋
🍔
4/20 🔥🔥
Mappy Spark up buddy 🚬
Hey Nick ❤
"Way better than I thought it would be," is typical of newcomers' experience with Wisconsin. They expect it to be a snowy toxic waste dump, and are surprised to see prosperity and even staggering wealth in a lot of places, due to the spirt of progress and prosperity of the largely German-derived population. I'm surprised people still live there when there is so much of the USA that is superior in weather and scenery, but Wisconsin is a great place to spend your young life if you want to prosper through work.
Staggering wealth? No.
Toxic waste dump? no one thinks that.
@@NickJohnson I'm thinking in terms of people (like me) who live in the South and are travelling to Wisconsin for the first time. We hear about how terrible the winters are and how decrepit the cities are, and that is true compared to the newer Sunbelt cities. Then we see all the shiny new buildings of corporate headquarters (Kohler, and others) on I-94 north of Milwaukee and realize there is a lot of money to be made there. Two of my son's friends, who'd never left the State of Florida, moved to Wisconsin as soon as they left high school because the money building heavy construction machinery up there pays multiples of what they could make in Florida. To me, that is incredible, that a young Floridian would move to Wisconsin, but they did it. I also took my son to a baseball tournament in West Bend, Wisconsin (a Little League center NW of Milwaukee) and was surprised at how sparkling clean and up to date that and some other out-of-the-way Wisconsin towns are. There is wealth in that state that is staggering compared to what you expected it to be --- which is like Detroit or Akron, except colder.
The former GM plant in Janesville closed in 2010 and that left the area devastated. Fortunately the area is now turning around.
It's a rumor to keep people out 😅
Hey I’m in Toilet, I mean Beloit Wisconsin right now!
2:54 🤣
We were at a wedding reception in Beloit a month ago and it looked like a nice little town.
Hey Nick! When are you coming to Puerto Rico? 😅
Nice vid Nick! Wausau WI resident here and I've also heard nothing but bad but I've never been there.
I watch the News station 9 in wausau down here in Adams. What do you guys think about people in Adams? I just purchased a house here. I've asked people and they say they can hear the banjos and the family tree here doesn't have many branches, lol. I like it her tho
Great video, Dude!
i lived on Sweet Rd in Darien which is about a half hour southeast-ish from Janesville. with the exception of the Wisconsin winters, I loved my time in Darien.