I went to a concert festival in Trenton in 2002 & 2003. I made a wrong turn going back to the hotel one night and I found a solid block of drug dealers on one side of the road and hookers on the other. I admired the efficiency, it was on a one-way street.
Lmaooo isn't it always crazy when you see some shit and know you're gonna have to explain specific details for people to believe you?🤣 I saw a dude beating a hooker up on one street, and the next one down was a OKCPD officer sitting back tryna catch people speeding. Wasnt a one way tho that's pretty wicked 🤣
Last time I got lost in Trenton, it was 1991. It was 1am and snowing and I was driving my ancient Fiat 124 Spider. Somebody stole the sign for Rt 206 and wound up right by the prison. Not a good place to be.
Kinda surprising to me, as someone who lives about an hour north of there. I take the kids to Hartford a few times a year for the museums and events at the XL Center... Never really had any bad experiences. I guess they do a good job of keeping up appearances for the tourists.
South Jersey is pretty nice, low crime in areas, high income, great beach and great suburban areas North Jersey has high crime in most areas, but most of all.... *Trenton*
As a CT resident who used to live in Providence, I fully expected Hartford to be high on this list but didn't expect Providence. I understand using per capita and household incomes to rank the capitals, but when you take into account that Providence is really the only true city in the state of Rhode Island, it's no wonder that those metrics are going to be considerably lower than state averages.
I agree. Providence is pretty hip,a nice city with a great food scene. Hartford is straight up ghetto, even after the state sank billions into improvements. That new science museum is a joke.
@@markrichards6863 The trouble is that state capitals are usually among the best cities in their respective states and are usually strong cities overall. The competition is fierce when it comes to this ranking.
While that's true in general, most of the northeast doesn't see that effect. Cities have lower average incomes because they have the most affordable housing. If you look at Rhode Island and Massachusetts, incomes are low in the old mill cities where housing is cheap, incomes go up in the areas outside of those where the cost of single family homes prevents most low-income people from living. New England is so packed together that parts of Massachusetts are functionally suburbs of Providence, and once you Providence metro area heading northeast you start entering the Boston metro area. There are only a handful of towns in RI and eastern MA that could be called rural, and most of those are still full of people commuting to the cities for work.
Having grown up in NJ, I kept wondering through most of the video whether Trenton had somehow managed to not make this list. Had it been improving? Had there been some redevelopment going on I hadn’t heard about? Maybe a new employer or two in town helping to stimulate the local economy? Silly me.
I grew up in NYC, !957, I’ve seen some serious ghettos, Harrisburg is one of the worst cities I’ve ever seen. I have lived in PA for the last 35 years.
I moved to Jackson, Mississippi about three years ago for work and I have to say it’s really bad here. I’m not surprised it’s in the top three. The city shattered its all time murder rate in September or October and is still climbing. At the time of writing this I think it’s at about 114 murders for the year. The previous record was 93. People are leaving in droves simply because there are no opportunities here. Including me since I’m going back to my hometown of OKC.
Just wanted to let you know your channel randomly popped up in my feed and after 4 videos in a row ive subscribed. Quality content man i really like what youre doing!
Providence resident here. To add some color to the population, it saw a drop in population from the 50s-90s and was an impoverished city. It wasn't until the past few decades where we saw people move back. Providence has become much safer over the past few decades and is an attractive place to visit and live in. But I also agree that there still some work to do to make it better, especially with decreasing the poverty rate and improving the public school system.
Agreed. And the irony is that the now deceased longtime mayor & former convict, Buddy Cianci, whom was loathed by his competitors for his seat at City Hall, reinvented the city and made it what it is today. No contest. You simply have to research and see for yourself what Providence was prior to his tenure. The man was a brilliant mayor, urban planner, and negotiator all rolled into one. I mean that beautiful picturesque downtown area with all those beautiful manmade canals, pedestrian overpasses, charming walkways, cobblestone paths, shops, restaurants, malls, greenery, modern & vintage architecture, is simply incredible vs what was there before. All public works that other cities would scream enviously for! The man literally moved railroads and rivers in a vision to revitalize the downtown area and bring back people. HE SUCCEEDED! No sooner did these Robert Moses like urban projects take place did the investments, capital, commerce, arts, real estate, higher learning, and foot traffic all begin pouring back into they city. The city owes him for that, and should never forget him for it. RIP.
@@eyestoenvy For those interested. I would highly recommend listening to Crimetown. The podcast does a really good job on who Buddy was and how he and the mob played into the recent history of Providence. It’s truly fascinating.
Providence is a great city to walk around in. I made a point to explore on foot extensively around NecronomiCon2019 and was very impressed. It was weird but cool that there was this pretty big mall right in town by the park and the capital was just a bit further up. Even the 'bad' neighborhoods aren't bad by my sketchy Central PA standards.
I've been waiting for this video! Nice one. Also looking forward to the best capital cities. I love the state comparison videos too, and all the others for that matter.
Most of Illinois people that move are relocating to Michigan, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Holland cities in particular with the others moving to Wisconsin
Lots of them are moving to Indiana too, my city is doing well since realtors are raising the prices on houses, and as people move out of Chicago which is a half hour away we are doing well
@Gabe. I’m talking about the houses for sale. The city makes more money off the taxes when the house is sold because the houses cost more, which is just extra money in our local economy
@Gabe. progressive Illinois politicians _are_ the system, and have been since the marches in Cicero. They're just as much on the take as the corporate Dems because they want in on the grift, and despite having control they aren't changing anything.
@@danwalter2175 Agree. I was born and raised in Chicago. There is no hope whatsoever. The politicians have put us in a horrible place; they are to blame for the pension crisis among many other issues. People will keep voting Dem and backing the machine.
I am happy that Albany isn’t on this negative list. New York’s capital city has greatly improved since its dark decades of the 60s and 70s when rampant urban decay and political corruption combined with strained finances and population decline were the norm. It is the oldest existing settlement of the original thirteen colonies which gives Albany a long and colorful history. The gigantic Empire State Plaza downtown is the most expensive and extensive state government complex that eventually ushered in the revitalization of downtown Albany. The population of Albany has stabilized in recent decades after a decline from 1950 to 2000. However New York’s historic capital city still has a long way to go.
I was born in Trenton. It pains me to see this. There is so much history in Trenton. Hopefully it turns around in my lifetime so we can be proud of the city again.
Ahhh, New Jersey, with three cities that are literally historically and currently famous for being some of the worst of the worst places in the nation. Lol.
I love visiting Providence RI. It is a beautiful compact city with a wonderful art scene, architecture, rivers, food, street festivals, and nightlife. Their "WaterFIre" events are a MUST .....
@@sunnyjim1355 - And that disqualifies me from stating my opinion of the place? At no point did I say that I disagreed with the videos take on it, I merely stated the draws that lure me there to visit, and frequently at that.
NJ resident here! Trenton, Newark, Paterson, Camden are all rust belt cities that are struggling with poverty. Yet 20 miles outside NYC you'll find some of the wealthiest suburbs in the country. There is one hell of a problem with wealth inequality here.
I used to live in Trenton when I was an infant/toddler and my parents and I moved out just in time before things got really bad like they are now. However, my dad had a business in Trenton still, so I frequently went there as a kid and I am about one of the few people in this comment section that can tell you from a first hand experience that I was fully expecting Trenton to be number one on this list.
No. Fear not. You were not alone. Grew up in Jersey. Made many trips to Trenton when I was young. I've always thought Trenton had a sleazy look to it. The thing about Trenton, though, to me is that Trenton is really typical of the U.S. urban scene and has been for many decades. Decadence is everywhere you look today.
Former Providence resident here. Absolutely no way Providence is in the bottom 10 by a long shot. In terms of vibrancy of the arts, culture, cuisine, architecture, research, academics, medicine, urban trends, cost of living, quality of living, etc Providence is heads and shoulders above capitals multiple times its size and it has hugely over-sized influence in its state. As Providence goes, so goes RI. My years there were some of my favorite. And even in our NE neighborhood, would you rather live in Concord NH, or Augusta, ME (where? Pop 18,600 and *dropping*... Quick, find it on a map!), Montpelier, VT (zzzzz), or Albany, NY? Give me a single reason to live in any of those? No way... Perhaps looking at a stat sheet Providence appears down and out, but it's truly one of the most interesting, densely populated, and dynamic small cities in the US.
Agreed, also kind of messed up that a Hispanic population with a mayor that’s son of an immigrant are qualifying factors for being on a list of worst state capitols.
I agree, I live in the Bronx NYC and visit Providence quite often for a quick get away from NYC & visit friends. Never a disappointment. Those beautiful water canals, Venetian gondolas, cobblestone walkways, greeneries, parks, architecture, arts scene, WaterFIre events (a must), and nightlife just can't be beat. When Providence celebrates an event, the entire city hits the downtown area and parties like no other. Period. Bars with permits to operate on closed off streets and sidewalks with outdoor beach-like foam (suds) parties and etc. The LGBT venues are also very impressive vs those of its larger nearby neighbors, giving a run for their money to the likes of Boston and DC. Not to mention the great restaurants, food trucks, and beer gardens. And of course the very friendly and easy going people that make you feel as if one of their own. Sorry to those who doubt the place but PVD does pack quite the punch these days in almost every category, far greater than many of the capital cities mentioned here. Visit for a full lighting "WaterFire" event and you will NOT regret it ......
I live in MA just half hour away from Providence and it’s got a lot more class than this video shows. I’ve gone to plenty of great restaurants in Providence.
I don't get it either. People visit Providence. I've been there quite a few times and have always enjoyed myself. I also don't think that population growth or decline is really a fair measurement. Providence has stayed mainly flat.
I regularly visit Charleston, WV, and it’s actually got a really nice downtown with a lot of things to do. It’s the outskirts and overall living arrangements that bring it down. When you actually get into where Charleston’s residents live, it’s like slums.
A significant portion of LSU graduates immediately leave for careers in Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, etc. The opportunities are often much better out-of-state, so many of Louisiana's college graduates don't stick around long. North Baton Rouge is a disaster, but South Baton Rouge is growing a bit and Ascension Parish is growing like crazy..
Yeah, as a life-long New Jerseyan, I can vouch for Trenton. Although to be fair, Trenton is not NEARLY as bad as Camden! And as far as worst cites overall, I would give that honor to Gary, Indiana.
You can tell where somebody is from in NJ when you ask what part of the state it is in. Neither the North or the Southern ends of the state want Trenton. It must be part of the mythical "Central Jersey"
I knew Springfield IL was going to be on this list. Ended up in Springfield because of my job. I'm from Illinois, grew up 90 miles east of Springfield in Champaign-Urbana, a Big 10 university town. The contrast between the two cities was huge, I hated the vibe there. After two years I started making plans to get out, I was even going to leave without a job lined up and live with my brother in Colorado while looking for work. But ended up landing a job out west before I could do that. The only positive things I would say is stop by the Lincoln Presidential Library, and associated Lincoln attractions. But I would say if your into architecture visit the Dana-Thomas House by Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the best examples of Wright's "Prairie" house style. It was one of the places I would take out of town visitors and go along and enjoy seeing it multiple times.
Having grown up in Harrisburg, PA, I was at first like 'what!, I love Harrisburg'. Then I listened to the reasons and was like 'okay, that's fair. All true, and definitely fair.'
Grew up in Harrisburg, PA too. Funny, prettiest capitol building and #4 worst capitol cities. Petty theft was bad even back in the '70's. I had my purse stolen while working at Harrisburg Hospital. Made my decision to leave.
Some of these Universities made a bad call back in the day for their locations. In general (not always the case) areas around major Universities tend to be the more stable areas of the city. Had Michigan State University been located near Downtown Lansing they could've been more well off like Ann Arbor with University of Michigan. Midtown in Detroit is a stable part of the city with a lot of development. It is kind of shame that the University of Michigan was actually founded in Detroit but moved to Ann Arbor. On a positive note the University of Michigan is going to build a small graduate campus ($750 million) in Detroit.
Ann Arbor definitely has a different feel and with most new industries and jobs going more and more high tech, companies want to be closer to where the talent is. Cities with major universities are generally doing better than average and some are among the fastest growing cities economically, although Baton Rouge is an example of one of the outliers.
@@GeographyKing I grew up in Lansing and went to MSU in East Lansing. The difference is night and day. Lansing has its charms, but I'm not surprised to see it on this list.
@@jimsteele9261 In Ann Arbor there are a lot of student apartments in Downtown which is the advantage of having the Central Campus right next to Downtown. Downtown Lansing can't really take advantage of that the same way. Same goes for Wayne State in Detroit. In Detroit you can take the bus, light rail, or bike to Downtown Detroit, but it doesn't make sense to build apartments only for students in Downtown.
Its not like Michigan State really had a choice. It was commissioned as a Land Grant Ag school and therefore needed to have ample space for Ag research (and needed to be on the edge of the city). Ohio State also was originally on the edge of Columbus but the city just grew to engulf it.
I live in southeast Texas and we’ve had a bunch of people from Mississippi into the area. It seems like every time we talk everybody keeps talking about how impossible to make a living in Mississippi. It’s sad.
I lived in Albany for 3 years. It's like the Washington Mall grafted onto a small poor city. Of course you can say that about the actual Washington Mall except for the 'small' part.
In 2005 I visited some family in Alabama and Florida (I'm from Norway). I remember especially well how many stores in downtown Montgomery were closed, often with windows either barred or shattered. There were very few people to be seen but a lot of garbage in the streets, and we had to look hard for a place to eat (ended up in a Burger King). We visited the Rosa Parks museum, Capitol building and some war memorial museum which were very nice. I was 11 at the time so I did not know what to expect but this is just the impressions I got.
That's the interesting thing about the US. We have massive cities and small towns that each have their charm. Then you go to a place like Mississippi or Alabama, and it's like visiting a third world country. Poorly run state governments and lack of education can really destroy a state.
I went to Montgomery a couple days ago for the first time in a while, and I was pleasantly surprised. The parts of the city that I went to was very clean and well maintained. It was empty, but it was a Thursday night to be fair. Alabama gets a bad rap, but I’ve lived here my whole life, and after traveling all around the country, I’ve come to realize that Alabama really isn’t as bad as everyone makes it seem.
As a resident of Alabama, I love Montgomery. I know a lot of people who live in Montgomery and hate it, and I get it because we have a ridiculously high number of shootings and a very big hood. But idk something about growing up around it has made me very fond of it. I’m fond of the Biscuits Baseball Stadium, fond of the archives (Alabama is one of the only states that has an archives), fond of my private school (though I will say that Montgomery public schools are absolutely awful and I feel for anyone who has to send their kids there, those schools are down right dangerous). I know Alabama gets a bad rap, but personally I like it. Maybe I’m biased. I know a lot of west alabama is very depressed, especially the area around Selma. Just makes me wish I could go in and fix it all up and help those people out of poverty. Alabama is fairly rural so there’s lots of places where you can get away from the interstate and just drive through the country and look at the woods and fields and the lack of walmarts or gas stations or dollar generals. While Alabama may not be as lush as say Tennessee, it’s still beautiful and green and we often have blue cloudless skies and I’m sure golden afternoon sunlight is beautiful everywhere but idk man I get emotional when I see it every evening. And maybe I live in a cushier part of Alabama. If I asked a person from the hood if they liked it they’d probably have a different opinion. But… it’s home, and it’s where all my friends are, and it has a rich history and needs people like me with a big compassion to come in and start helping it and helping people out of the danger and crime and poverty of the hood. Also, if it weren’t for the air force base keeping people flowing into Montgomery, the place would probably be at the bottom. That doesn’t make me love it any less.
Well then u never been down here. C'mon. We the southerners of the north. Some of out biggest attractions being: corn, soybeans, corn, corn, the border you can cross to get out of this state, and corn
I live in Springfield, IL and I agree with you on most counts, but I suspect the state averages are highly skewed due to Chicago. It is much more expensive to live in Chicago than anywhere else in the state so I suspect the wages and salaries reflect that, throwing off the averages for the rest of the state.
I'm from, and have lived most of my life in, Pennsylvania...I knew Harrisburg would be on the list. I lived several years in Lansing, too, so I knew it'd be on the list.
I'm really surprised that Albany, NY wasn't on your list. The population has literally been flat for about 75 years, and there is rampant crime and poverty all over the city.
I’d throw Salem OR and Olympia WA as (dis)honourable mentions. Both have serious drug problems and are just depressing as hell. Both towns do have some nice areas, Olympia in particular has amazing natural scenery and it’s sad what it’s become.
@@c3mi979 I live in Bremerton and originally from Harrisburg, PA. My expectations are very low. I don't think Olympia is too bad. Can be hard to find a parking place sometimes.
I grew up in Metro Lansing and have vacationed in a number of the cities mentioned. While I agree with the overall assessment of Springfield, as a tourist, it makes for an enjoyable getaway with a number of museums, a Frank L Wright home, etc.
I think Jefferson City Mo deserves honorable mention, while not the top 10 worst, despite decades and decades of taxpayer money being spent on the capital city it really hasn't improved economically. Okay, okay it isn't that bad but it isn't that great. It just muddles along going no where.
That's the Missouri government. Pulling money away, giving it to corporations, all while breaking down the state and selling it for parts. KC and St. Louis support the rest of the state but get zero help from Jeff City.
Topeka is bad but after I saw the other cities that were shown on this list I quickly realized that Topeka is still not as bad as these cities on this list. Topeka is just a depressing city that doesn't really have anything going for it, but there are still places that are way worse than Topeka. Also, Topeka seems even worse than it is because Manhattan and Lawrence are so much better than Topeka.
@@97I30T I think Topeka has a lot going for it. But the pieces never fall together correctly. Cool architecture, history, pretty area surrounding it. Sort of like St Joe.
Well cant disagree with what you said about West Virginia. There are alot of low income housing all around Charleston, alot of people I know including my self are bearly making it because of our WV edjemucatiun system and low job opportunities, and I'm smoking a cigarette as i write this. On the bright side im below average on weight so at least I didn't check the obesity box and you ranked our capitol 6th in your other video. At least we have something pleasant to look at while our city suffers. Ps If anyone is playing West Virginia bingo and you need to get overweight individual just go to any Wal Mart. Trust me it won't take long. Lol
Jason, what could be done to help revitalize the city of Charleston in your opinion? I'm not from West Virginia (Virginia native), but the more I visit your state I get a feeling like Charleston and WV in general have so much potential. Every time I go I meet great people (probably the friendliest of anywhere I've been), and there are very few places that could compete with Charleston in terms of the scenery and feel that the geography creates. I don't want to be naive and not recognize the economic/drug abuse issues, but I know of a lot of places that have bounced back from those problems and become great places to live. Let me know your thoughts, and I know this is an old comment, but still thought Id ask.
Providence, RI... I agree. Great restaurants, great theatre, fairly low crime, good public transportation, Water Fire in the summer (pre-Covid), great beaches within 45 minutes, great seafood... Yeah. It sucks.
This video refers to a low percentage of the population of Baton Rouge possessing a college degree, however, in addition to being a state capital and home of a state university Baton Rouge is a traditional industrial center, in particular oil and petrochemical refining. In other words, with a fair amount of the workforce employed as plant operators. Also, with many of the residents who do possess degrees residing in parts of the parish or in other parishes outside of the city limits.
At least none of these state capitals has the motto, " We serve up a dead man every breakfast .". That belongs to the U.S. capital of D. C. Deadly City.
Lived in Michigan all my life. Got a degree from Michigan State University. During the years I attended MSU and the years I returned for athletic and cultural events, I crossed the line between East Lansing and Lansing probably hundreds of times. I never got the unsafe vibe in the city Of Lansing that I did in parts of Detroit, Flint, and evening my hometown of Saginaw. Lansing is filled with friendly university people, state employees, and blue collar auto workers. I can drive one end of the city to another and never feel like I am in an impoverished area. Is Lansing a beautiful city. No. But I think it gets a bad rap by being on this list. It should be in the unrated category between best and worst state capitols.
You're right. I went back to East Lansing and downtown Lansing recently. Hadn't been there in ages. Downtown was very quiet(though it was in the evening). Downtown looked nice, especially the riverwalk. Also Old Town is such a neat area, didn't know it was the original downtown area. Downtown Lansing isn't on the same level as downtown Detroit, GR, or Ann Arbor, but I don't find Lansing to be a bad city at all.
@@brendanbressler9807 I've worked in Lansing for years and one thing I can say is that the people really make the city. I've never felt uncomfortable in any part of Lansing and the people have always been super friendly. Traffic and street grid is way better than Ann Arbor and people seem to be less snooty and more down to earth than those in A2. Overall Lansing has a pretty good vibe IMO
lansing is awful mostly because michigan state is a toxic pit full of stupid, drunk young men that get into fights with other people, or at least that's been my experience and that of many i know and have talked to.
Lansing only gets rough on the South Side so crossing from East Lansing to Lansing proper isn't as jarring as this video makes it out to be. Granted it is fairly low on this list, so it isn't too bad. Also most of the state employees live in the suburbs (at least if they have families) and downtown Lansing is kind of a ghost town after 5pm.
*YES!* Lansing finally made it onto a list! Now time to get it off the list! It feels so weird hearing that that city I have lived in my whole life is the 8th worst capital city in the US, though.
I live in Grand Rapids. I have no idea why Lansing is on this list. It's mostly pretty quiet and unremarkable. I never feel unsafe in the city. It's fine
Dude hates Michigan, love living in the Lansing area, and East Lansing is exploding economically. Only drawback: Proud Boys busting into the Capitol with AR-15s
Sacto has some rough areas and the crime rate isn't low by any means but the downtown area is actually pretty nice and feels like a state capital should. SF's downtown is far and away more sketchy. So I don't think it deserves to be in the top 10 worst compared to these other cities.
I live just 20 miles south of Harrisburg, in York. Harrisburg crime is in the news quite frequently. Such a shame because City Island and Riverfront Park are still amazing, although Riverfront does always appear to have a lot of homeless. As someone who's traveled a lot Trenton is the only city that scares me.
I’m from Baton Rouge and I live there and love it. It’s becoming relatively gentrified. In the last 15 years I’ve seen it being built up, especially South Baton Rouge. Anything north of Florida Boulevard is generally where you’ll get some rougher areas but even there I’ve never gotten mugged or assaulted. It technically happens but everyone doesn’t walk around fearing violent crimes. We are a pretty poor city, I can’t disagree. We lack sufficient employment and housing. And our population has gone down since peaking around 230k in 2010. But we have everything you need right here. Streets are becoming lined with nice new subdivisions and trendy retail shops. We’ve kept a lot of our “old town charm” and we have some very rich neighborhoods too for being such a poor city. Downtown has a couple fun areas but the part I really love is Mid-City South. That’s where you get your antique stores, crystal shops, coffee bars, and renovated gentrified old buildings. Along I-10 is pretty packed with things to do too. Siegen Lane, Bluebonnet Boulevard, Perkins Road, and College Drive are probably my favorites to visit for a nice day out to shop, eat, get my nails / hair done, walk around, etc. Although College Drive has started showing its age recently. East of Airline Highway I’d say it’s a little boring but they have some nice neighborhoods in the Shenandoah suburbs
I travel to work in BR but don't live there. The biggest gripe I have about it is the traffic. I12 is ridiculous and the lack of north/south freeways makes getting around a nightmare. Once it took me 30 minutes to traverse about 5 miles on Airline. That was from a hotel at the I12/Airline exit south to close to where that Kleinpeter Dairy is located. Other than that it is a normal southern town as far as I can tell. It is certainly better than the capitol of my state. Which made this list, too (Jackson). As an aside, this dude sure doesn't hold back telling you how bad your hometown is.
@@FunkyMonk4Life Omg yeah that’s another thing, for some reason our traffic is just awful. Especially for not even being an extremely big city. I-10 during rush hour is a bitch!
Baton Rouge traffic is awful and it’s really only gotten that way in the past 20 years (really, since Katrina). In the late 90s you could ride around campus and up Highland (unless there was a game). But now it’s like a damn parking lot that occasionally moves.
Springfields wages are actually pretty good considering that the cost of living is over 20% cheaper. I’ve lived in both the suburbs of Chicago and Springfield and I can confidently say 55K in Springfield is equivalent to about 70K in the Chicago area. Also most of the money in Springfield is in the suburbs which most of which have household incomes usually above 80K. Like I said earlier, a 100K house in Springfield would cost about 200K in the suburbs of Chicago, even though wages are only slightly lower in Springfield.
I grew up in Baton Rouge and my mom was not happy with the neighborhood that she lived in before she and my stepfather lived in. I think part of the issue has to a street that run across through it. My husband and I moved about 30 minutes east of there.
Baton Rouge may be bad, but it has a lot of records that you may or may not know of: we have the tallest state capitol building in the country, at one time the largest refinery in the world, at one time the longest department store in the world, the most accurate and original WW2 ship museum in the world, the 8th in the world and 7th in the country largest football stadium, and one of only two capitals that are located next to the Mississippi River. We also have an Old State Capitol building designed as a French castle, three governor’s mansions from varying time periods (two still standing), and we have/had 4 shopping malls across the city. Baton Rouge had and still has much to offer and is home.
@UlisesHeureaux I think that Nick Johnson isn't actually a Trump supporter, but pretending to be. As you might know already, the RUclips fanbase tends to lean to the right when you get to the geographical/political stuff, and Nick realized he could become more popular by praising the right more than the left.
Can’t argue with statistics, but Lansing, Michigan is a super fun, safe city to visit. Downtown, Old Town, REO Town, and the Stadium District all have lots of fun bars & breweries and their own unique business district vibes. The Lansing River Trail connects all the neighborhoods neatly, and there are tons of places within the city limits to hike, bike, snowshoe, and XC-ski. There’s also an impressively passionate fan base for the Lansing Lugnuts, who play their home games right downtown.
Except for family and friends, most Illinoisans (that I know personally) want to move out of Illinois. Major contributors are lingering winters, very high taxes, crime in many areas, traffic in the urban and semi-urban areas, political corruption, many lousy public schools, fees for everything, financial mismanagement, year round illogically-coordinated road construction, polluted beaches, gangs, high racial segregation and a virtual army of exceedingly unskilled drivers of all types of vehicles. Illinois: Land of Lincoln and Three Impeached Governors over the past Fifty Years. 😬🚬😬🚬
Very surprised and disappointed at the casual racism regarding Providence's ethnic makeup. Really think you might want to reconsider what you said there, because most of the rest of the video was quite astute and objectively accurate.
Yeah, Trenton has got to be #1. I visited Trenton a few years back and couldn’t believe the ghetto homes literally across the street from the Capitol building.
What does being in a minority group has to do with a state capital, if you are african or indigenous or Puerto Rican or native american you are american, when you talked about providence, when you talked about Charleston you didn't say anything about the white people who lived there; and also jackson mississippi, what do you have aganist minorities?
Sir with all due respect i wanna give you a suggestion. I dont have netflix or cable. only thing i have is youtube premium as this is the only thing i watch. So i have some idea of what I am talkin bout. In 10 years since I have watched RUclips, i can comfortably say you have one of the best content ever. You are politically unbiased and have a lot more knowledge about every places you talk about including first hand travel experiences. Content like yours shouldn't be just getting around 100k views . Probably you need to add a lil bit more of graphics or animations to your video. We live in a world full of people with short attention span. That explains your low view count. Perhaps you need to make your video more visually appealing for them. I have never given suggestions to any youtuber. I am just doing it for the first time because i really like your content.
Thank you very much for your comment! I really appreciate the kind words. My channel is definitely low budget but I do have a little revenue coming in that I'd like to use to help improve the production value. I'm glad you found the channel!
Due to a heat inversion caused by surrounding mountains, Salt Lake City has the worst air in the nation almost every winter. It's feels like it's so cold that car exhaust just precipitates in air and you can feel it like humidity. Really gross.
I lived near Lansing around 2000 - 2020. While I won't quibble with the stats, subjectively it doesn't feel that bad. Lansing was hit hard by the collapse of US auto manufacturing, and there are the eternal problems with conflict between the mayor and city council, aging infrastructure, flooding in some of the poorer neighborhoods - but despite those, it's managed to keep some nice neighborhoods, a viable (if not vibrant) downtown, and some other amenities. It's true East Lansing sucks a lot of the money and entrepreneurship away from Lansing. (East Lansing sucks in general. It's an astonishingly mismanaged city.) And there are other nearby bedroom communities like Okemos which also draw the upper-middle class residents out of the city. On the whole, though, I didn't experience Lansing as being any rougher than, say, Boston in the 1980s.
From Philly, have family in Trenton. Spent many summers there as a kid and the only time outside of the marines I had a gun pointed at me was in Trenton.
Trenton’s new motto- “Our Murder Rate Is Average”
only because of the good EMS and Capital Health lol. Murders would be MUCH higher without them.
@Vivian is my City same
@Vivian is my City He we got #1 and that's a good reason for our high taxes
Murder rates? Hmm. I wonder if demographics are involved..
@@andrewdevine3920 ...that & I wonder if democrat-controlled local governments are involved?
...just an observation ...
I went to a concert festival in Trenton in 2002 & 2003. I made a wrong turn going back to the hotel one night and I found a solid block of drug dealers on one side of the road and hookers on the other. I admired the efficiency, it was on a one-way street.
Lmaooo isn't it always crazy when you see some shit and know you're gonna have to explain specific details for people to believe you?🤣 I saw a dude beating a hooker up on one street, and the next one down was a OKCPD officer sitting back tryna catch people speeding. Wasnt a one way tho that's pretty wicked 🤣
That's called "the track". Straight cash homie.
Last time I got lost in Trenton, it was 1991. It was 1am and snowing and I was driving my ancient Fiat 124 Spider. Somebody stole the sign for Rt 206 and wound up right by the prison. Not a good place to be.
In OKC, the motels on Lincoln Blvd. are one stop shops for drugs and hookers.
@@meadster308 I was on 44th and Robinson the south side version of up there🤣
HARTFORD! WE MADE IT YES
LEEEETTTSSSS GOOOOOOO
But the state capitol building was number 1 in the country!
@@danc1180 I have to agree that the capital building is beautiful.
Well, at least NJ beat us out to #1.
Kinda surprising to me, as someone who lives about an hour north of there. I take the kids to Hartford a few times a year for the museums and events at the XL Center... Never really had any bad experiences. I guess they do a good job of keeping up appearances for the tourists.
Hartford is a city you drive through, not to.
avoid that place
I can see my office in the picture.
So true
Nope, there's no way to drive through without stopping in traffic
@@robertm.9515 you drive around
Everyone else: nooooo you can't put our Capital on here, its not that bad
People from New Jersey: haha true
I’m from Alabama, and I can say our current capital sucks
@@JC00L_08 trust me when I say that Trenton sucks more
@@colinnoble8234 From reading the comments about Trenton, I do trust you
@@JC00L_08 why not both?!
Haha yeah I grew up outside Trenton and almost thought it wasn’t gonna make the list. Was relieved when it popped up at #1
Prediction: Trenton is near #5
Edit: holy shit it’s even worse
I was waiting the whole video for Trenton. Man #1 feels bad
Im from Jersey, and we all kinda know how much of a shithole Trenton is here.
South Jersey is pretty nice, low crime in areas, high income, great beach and great suburban areas
North Jersey has high crime in most areas, but most of all.... *Trenton*
Cape May is nice.
@@AD-tj4jc I actually found Trenton nice to drive through on the highway after crossing the bridge.
As a CT resident who used to live in Providence, I fully expected Hartford to be high on this list but didn't expect Providence. I understand using per capita and household incomes to rank the capitals, but when you take into account that Providence is really the only true city in the state of Rhode Island, it's no wonder that those metrics are going to be considerably lower than state averages.
What about Woonsocket? 🤪
Cities usually have much higher wages than the countryside
I agree. Providence is pretty hip,a nice city with a great food scene. Hartford is straight up ghetto, even after the state sank billions into improvements. That new science museum is a joke.
@@markrichards6863 The trouble is that state capitals are usually among the best cities in their respective states and are usually strong cities overall. The competition is fierce when it comes to this ranking.
While that's true in general, most of the northeast doesn't see that effect. Cities have lower average incomes because they have the most affordable housing.
If you look at Rhode Island and Massachusetts, incomes are low in the old mill cities where housing is cheap, incomes go up in the areas outside of those where the cost of single family homes prevents most low-income people from living. New England is so packed together that parts of Massachusetts are functionally suburbs of Providence, and once you Providence metro area heading northeast you start entering the Boston metro area. There are only a handful of towns in RI and eastern MA that could be called rural, and most of those are still full of people commuting to the cities for work.
I love the NJ solidarity of collectively hating Trenton in these comments.
I'm from Trenton, but I escaped.
New Jersey state bird: The Bitter Egret.
One thing you missed in Charleston WV is the endless string of chemical plants.
That state is depressing af
@@MajorMlgNoob Actually, no. Most of it is beautiful. Some of the best scenery around.
That DOW plant blows my mind.
@@theragingplatypus4743 I'm talking about the human part
It's full of economic decay
@@MajorMlgNoob Okay, I'll give you that. But the scenery is top shelf.
Having grown up in NJ, I kept wondering through most of the video whether Trenton had somehow managed to not make this list. Had it been improving? Had there been some redevelopment going on I hadn’t heard about? Maybe a new employer or two in town helping to stimulate the local economy? Silly me.
😂😂😂
I did the same thing, O sambar king
Just saved the worst for last
Nashville: yay we've economically grown so much in a few years!
Murder rate: please allow me to introduce myself.
Exploding vans:😐
Nashville is nice
Nashville can afford to lose some people. Quit moving here.
@Joey Word you missed spelled tax payers
Being from PA, seeing Harrisburg on this list isn't surprising.
Harrisburg has some amazing architecture
i’m from york and i’m not surprised lmao
I grew up in NYC, !957, I’ve seen some serious ghettos, Harrisburg is one of the worst cities I’ve ever seen. I have lived in PA for the last 35 years.
I'm originally from Harrisburg, can't disagree
I live like 20 minutes from downtown and 10 from Hershey, Hburg should not be our capital lol
In terms of a general sense of vibrancy, Providence is in a very different category from most of the others on here.
Yeah I would say so
Providence doesn’t belong here
I used to live in Rhode Island and it’s true. Providence is a beautiful city, but it still has its problems and very bad areas.
Providence and RI are bad.
@@Wolff13 shut up bitch
I moved to Jackson, Mississippi about three years ago for work and I have to say it’s really bad here. I’m not surprised it’s in the top three. The city shattered its all time murder rate in September or October and is still climbing. At the time of writing this I think it’s at about 114 murders for the year. The previous record was 93. People are leaving in droves simply because there are no opportunities here. Including me since I’m going back to my hometown of OKC.
I lived in Jackson MS for 4 years. It was shit. Unless you’re in north Jackson or Madison, it’s not worth it.
I was waiting and wasn’t disappointed. Haha. Trenton! We’re number 1! Yeah baby what!?!?
Yo have a way with words
@@regret9423 that’d be the Jersey in me.
@@jerseymusicman3332 As a Delawarean, I think New Jersey people are a trip!
@@jeremyud just right up 95. Not far. But you’re dealing with mostly south Pennsyljersey... they aren’t the real deal. You gotta go north.
NEW JERSEY NEW JERSEY NEW JERSEY
Trenton’s motto is “Trenton makes the world takes” but it’s fairly obvious that it’s the other way around.
it's only true when the lights on the letter M are out so it says Trenton akes (aches) the world takes"
It didn’t use to be. :(
@@daveb11230 true.
It was true in 1935 when the sign was built.
I think we help make Campbell soup and cars and stuff in the 30s. As someone from there it’s genuinely a rust belt city in the northeast
Just wanted to let you know your channel randomly popped up in my feed and after 4 videos in a row ive subscribed. Quality content man i really like what youre doing!
Thank you very much. I really appreciate that. Welcome aboard!
Same, this channel has great content
Same thing happened to me last night, watched a few vids and immediately subscribed
Same for me too
Same here.
As an LSU alum ... this tracks. It's fun to go to school there, but all of us get our degrees and then get the hell out of Baton Rouge!
I'm from Baton Rouge & attended LSU for a couple years. I am the exception as most students come from & return to another state.
Providence resident here. To add some color to the population, it saw a drop in population from the 50s-90s and was an impoverished city. It wasn't until the past few decades where we saw people move back.
Providence has become much safer over the past few decades and is an attractive place to visit and live in. But I also agree that there still some work to do to make it better, especially with decreasing the poverty rate and improving the public school system.
Agreed. And the irony is that the now deceased longtime mayor & former convict, Buddy Cianci, whom was loathed by his competitors for his seat at City Hall, reinvented the city and made it what it is today. No contest. You simply have to research and see for yourself what Providence was prior to his tenure. The man was a brilliant mayor, urban planner, and negotiator all rolled into one. I mean that beautiful picturesque downtown area with all those beautiful manmade canals, pedestrian overpasses, charming walkways, cobblestone paths, shops, restaurants, malls, greenery, modern & vintage architecture, is simply incredible vs what was there before. All public works that other cities would scream enviously for! The man literally moved railroads and rivers in a vision to revitalize the downtown area and bring back people. HE SUCCEEDED! No sooner did these Robert Moses like urban projects take place did the investments, capital, commerce, arts, real estate, higher learning, and foot traffic all begin pouring back into they city. The city owes him for that, and should never forget him for it. RIP.
@@eyestoenvy For those interested. I would highly recommend listening to Crimetown. The podcast does a really good job on who Buddy was and how he and the mob played into the recent history of Providence. It’s truly fascinating.
Providence is a great city to walk around in. I made a point to explore on foot extensively around NecronomiCon2019 and was very impressed. It was weird but cool that there was this pretty big mall right in town by the park and the capital was just a bit further up. Even the 'bad' neighborhoods aren't bad by my sketchy Central PA standards.
@@eyestoenvy not with clean hands, that's for sure...
Ayeee Rhode Island buddy
I just realised that in the majority of the states, the largest city isn't the capitol
Prob bcuz the capitals were set 200 years b4 similar 2 other nations around the world.
Sometimes its ment to be that way. For example, PA has its capital is a pathetic city because it's in the middle of the state.
Haha
@@wizard680 damn
I've been waiting for this video! Nice one. Also looking forward to the best capital cities. I love the state comparison videos too, and all the others for that matter.
Most of Illinois people that move are relocating to Michigan, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Holland cities in particular with the others moving to Wisconsin
Lots of them are moving to Indiana too, my city is doing well since realtors are raising the prices on houses, and as people move out of Chicago which is a half hour away we are doing well
@Gabe. I’m talking about the houses for sale. The city makes more money off the taxes when the house is sold because the houses cost more, which is just extra money in our local economy
I like how you said reloading to Michigan vs relocating to Michigan.
@Gabe. progressive Illinois politicians _are_ the system, and have been since the marches in Cicero. They're just as much on the take as the corporate Dems because they want in on the grift, and despite having control they aren't changing anything.
@@danwalter2175 Agree. I was born and raised in Chicago. There is no hope whatsoever. The politicians have put us in a horrible place; they are to blame for the pension crisis among many other issues. People will keep voting Dem and backing the machine.
I am happy that Albany isn’t on this negative list. New York’s capital city has greatly improved since its dark decades of the 60s and 70s when rampant urban decay and political corruption combined with strained finances and population decline were the norm. It is the oldest existing settlement of the original thirteen colonies which gives Albany a long and colorful history. The gigantic Empire State Plaza downtown is the most expensive and extensive state government complex that eventually ushered in the revitalization of downtown Albany. The population of Albany has stabilized in recent decades after a decline from 1950 to 2000. However New York’s historic capital city still has a long way to go.
Albany's kind of cool. I do remember it being more rough than it is now. There are still some rough areas, but it's overall not bad.
Yes, like getting rid of our shite Governor and bringing New York back to greatness!
It's a shame that 787 runs along the river making it difficult to establish a nice waterfront
I hope Albany goes back into its deserved glory soon. It has gone loads better and I hope to does better
Albany is boring
I was born in Trenton. It pains me to see this. There is so much history in Trenton. Hopefully it turns around in my lifetime so we can be proud of the city again.
This just made me...sad.
These dreary cities make me feel depressed.
part of life is seeing the ugly, use that as inspiration to make things better
I actually kinda like it. That Midwest aesthetic
I live in Mississippi. Most people think our main export would be some kind of crop, but it's actually crippling depression
@@itsBlueshift But y’all have the gulf coast! I go there often to get away from things. Love it!
@@tommymount5709 it's cool until it's where you grow up then it makes you want to off yourself.
Ahhh, New Jersey, with three cities that are literally historically and currently famous for being some of the worst of the worst places in the nation. Lol.
Trenton, Newark, Atlantic City?
Camden, Trenton, and Paterson?
yeah we have an abundance of shitty cities
New Yorkers love to make jokes about us for a reason.
But the rest of the state is nice.
I love visiting Providence RI. It is a beautiful compact city with a wonderful art scene, architecture, rivers, food, street festivals, and nightlife. Their "WaterFIre" events are a MUST .....
The point is that you visit... you don't live there.
@@sunnyjim1355 - And that disqualifies me from stating my opinion of the place? At no point did I say that I disagreed with the videos take on it, I merely stated the draws that lure me there to visit, and frequently at that.
@@sunnyjim1355 I lived there for awhile. It's a good city.
I agree, Providence does have some cool stuff. But I don't live there, so I can't really say for sure how life is there in that way...
Waterfire events? I thought that's something Cleveland is famous for
NJ resident here! Trenton, Newark, Paterson, Camden are all rust belt cities that are struggling with poverty. Yet 20 miles outside NYC you'll find some of the wealthiest suburbs in the country. There is one hell of a problem with wealth inequality here.
As always, thanks for the interesting content kyle!
I’m not an American but your videos are so interesting!! Subscribed to learn geography facts about a country I’ve never been to :)
Thank you! I'm glad you like the videos!
LOL. My current location (Harrisburg) made the list! In fact, I can see the building I used to live in at 6:37
I live in Philly. Harrisburg is just a smaller Philly with a state capital. We are both very poor cities.
Hello from Hershey, at least harrisburg is starting to recover ever so slightly
I know that feeling when you see your city in a video
The population decline is due to many people moving to the Harrisburg, PA suburbs.
Honestly Harrisburg isn't that bad. There are MUCH worse cities than Harrisburg. I'm surprised it was on this list.
I used to live in Trenton when I was an infant/toddler and my parents and I moved out just in time before things got really bad like they are now. However, my dad had a business in Trenton still, so I frequently went there as a kid and I am about one of the few people in this comment section that can tell you from a first hand experience that I was fully expecting Trenton to be number one on this list.
No. Fear not. You were not alone. Grew up in Jersey. Made many trips to Trenton when I was young. I've always thought Trenton had a sleazy look to it. The thing about Trenton, though, to me is that Trenton is really typical of the U.S. urban scene and has been for many decades. Decadence is everywhere you look today.
Trenton has been really bad since the 70s lol
Former Providence resident here. Absolutely no way Providence is in the bottom 10 by a long shot. In terms of vibrancy of the arts, culture, cuisine, architecture, research, academics, medicine, urban trends, cost of living, quality of living, etc Providence is heads and shoulders above capitals multiple times its size and it has hugely over-sized influence in its state. As Providence goes, so goes RI. My years there were some of my favorite. And even in our NE neighborhood, would you rather live in Concord NH, or Augusta, ME (where? Pop 18,600 and *dropping*... Quick, find it on a map!), Montpelier, VT (zzzzz), or Albany, NY? Give me a single reason to live in any of those? No way... Perhaps looking at a stat sheet Providence appears down and out, but it's truly one of the most interesting, densely populated, and dynamic small cities in the US.
Agreed, also kind of messed up that a Hispanic population with a mayor that’s son of an immigrant are qualifying factors for being on a list of worst state capitols.
I agree, I live in the Bronx NYC and visit Providence quite often for a quick get away from NYC & visit friends. Never a disappointment. Those beautiful water canals, Venetian gondolas, cobblestone walkways, greeneries, parks, architecture, arts scene, WaterFIre events (a must), and nightlife just can't be beat. When Providence celebrates an event, the entire city hits the downtown area and parties like no other. Period. Bars with permits to operate on closed off streets and sidewalks with outdoor beach-like foam (suds) parties and etc. The LGBT venues are also very impressive vs those of its larger nearby neighbors, giving a run for their money to the likes of Boston and DC. Not to mention the great restaurants, food trucks, and beer gardens. And of course the very friendly and easy going people that make you feel as if one of their own. Sorry to those who doubt the place but PVD does pack quite the punch these days in almost every category, far greater than many of the capital cities mentioned here. Visit for a full lighting "WaterFire" event and you will NOT regret it ......
agreed, with maybe the exception of albany. id put it in the top half of the list.
I live in MA just half hour away from Providence and it’s got a lot more class than this video shows. I’ve gone to plenty of great restaurants in Providence.
I don't get it either. People visit Providence. I've been there quite a few times and have always enjoyed myself. I also don't think that population growth or decline is really a fair measurement. Providence has stayed mainly flat.
I regularly visit Charleston, WV, and it’s actually got a really nice downtown with a lot of things to do. It’s the outskirts and overall living arrangements that bring it down. When you actually get into where Charleston’s residents live, it’s like slums.
I’m sorry but only 4K views, this is absolutely great!
Yeah, this channel is seriously underrated, most comments are from 2 days ago
@@juliusnepos6013 yeah idk what happened but he just got recommended to a bunch of people all at once in the past several days.
They say Harrisburg is the only place you can get mugged on the capitol steps, and have the robber get away with it
You can in Springfield as well. Only difference is it’s the government officials mugging you
A significant portion of LSU graduates immediately leave for careers in Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, etc.
The opportunities are often much better out-of-state, so many of Louisiana's college graduates don't stick around long.
North Baton Rouge is a disaster, but South Baton Rouge is growing a bit and Ascension Parish is growing like crazy..
Thanks for your great Videos its excellent to know this all
Yeah, as a life-long New Jerseyan, I can vouch for Trenton. Although to be fair, Trenton is not NEARLY as bad as Camden! And as far as worst cites overall, I would give that honor to Gary, Indiana.
Camden and Gary are not state capitals
As an original citizen of NJ I can agree that Camden and Trenton are by far the worst cities I've been too.
@@corderajones he said "cities overall" when referring to Gary, and was talking about cities in NJ for Camden
Newark should be the capital
I can easily see Gary in the Bottom 5. New Orleans, my hometown, should be bottom 5 as well.
NJ resident and I just burst out laughing when Trenton was #1
You can tell where somebody is from in NJ when you ask what part of the state it is in. Neither the North or the Southern ends of the state want Trenton. It must be part of the mythical "Central Jersey"
WE'RE NUMBER ONE! WE'RE NUMBER ONE! .....
Central NJ exists
I worked in Trenton for 3 years. That’s called a tour of duty.
I knew Springfield IL was going to be on this list. Ended up in Springfield because of my job. I'm from Illinois, grew up 90 miles east of Springfield in Champaign-Urbana, a Big 10 university town. The contrast between the two cities was huge, I hated the vibe there. After two years I started making plans to get out, I was even going to leave without a job lined up and live with my brother in Colorado while looking for work. But ended up landing a job out west before I could do that. The only positive things I would say is stop by the Lincoln Presidential Library, and associated Lincoln attractions. But I would say if your into architecture visit the Dana-Thomas House by Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the best examples of Wright's "Prairie" house style. It was one of the places I would take out of town visitors and go along and enjoy seeing it multiple times.
Having grown up in Harrisburg, PA, I was at first like 'what!, I love Harrisburg'. Then I listened to the reasons and was like 'okay, that's fair. All true, and definitely fair.'
Grew up in Harrisburg, PA too. Funny, prettiest capitol building and #4 worst capitol cities. Petty theft was bad even back in the '70's. I had my purse stolen while working at Harrisburg Hospital. Made my decision to leave.
Some of these Universities made a bad call back in the day for their locations. In general (not always the case) areas around major Universities tend to be the more stable areas of the city. Had Michigan State University been located near Downtown Lansing they could've been more well off like Ann Arbor with University of Michigan. Midtown in Detroit is a stable part of the city with a lot of development. It is kind of shame that the University of Michigan was actually founded in Detroit but moved to Ann Arbor. On a positive note the University of Michigan is going to build a small graduate campus ($750 million) in Detroit.
Ann Arbor definitely has a different feel and with most new industries and jobs going more and more high tech, companies want to be closer to where the talent is. Cities with major universities are generally doing better than average and some are among the fastest growing cities economically, although Baton Rouge is an example of one of the outliers.
@@GeographyKing I grew up in Lansing and went to MSU in East Lansing. The difference is night and day. Lansing has its charms, but I'm not surprised to see it on this list.
Michigan State is near downtown Lansing. I had no problem biking down there if I felt the need back when I was a student.
@@jimsteele9261 In Ann Arbor there are a lot of student apartments in Downtown which is the advantage of having the Central Campus right next to Downtown. Downtown Lansing can't really take advantage of that the same way. Same goes for Wayne State in Detroit. In Detroit you can take the bus, light rail, or bike to Downtown Detroit, but it doesn't make sense to build apartments only for students in Downtown.
Its not like Michigan State really had a choice. It was commissioned as a Land Grant Ag school and therefore needed to have ample space for Ag research (and needed to be on the edge of the city). Ohio State also was originally on the edge of Columbus but the city just grew to engulf it.
How Topeka never made it on this list, I'll never know
I'm surprised as well.
Thats what im saying
How bad is it there?
@@theevildrummingsithlord1492 veeeerryyy bad
@@dylancoykendall554 Ouch. How so?
I clicked this expecting my hometown to be on here. Wasn’t expecting to be #1!!!
Interesting. Some were surprises. You do a great job. We look forward to every new video and enjoy some multiple times.
I live in southeast Texas and we’ve had a bunch of people from Mississippi into the area. It seems like every time we talk everybody keeps talking about how impossible to make a living in Mississippi. It’s sad.
They are still reliving the Civil War.
*Watches with bated breath, waiting for the "Albany, NY" bomb to drop.
Albany has some impressive architecture though despite the crime and povert
As a resident of the Albany area I can safely say it’s middling at best!
I lived in Albany for 3 years. It's like the Washington Mall grafted onto a small poor city. Of course you can say that about the actual Washington Mall except for the 'small' part.
Also way overpriced.
@@slipperyhardandcold7740 at least it’s not rochester!
In 2005 I visited some family in Alabama and Florida (I'm from Norway). I remember especially well how many stores in downtown Montgomery were closed, often with windows either barred or shattered. There were very few people to be seen but a lot of garbage in the streets, and we had to look hard for a place to eat (ended up in a Burger King). We visited the Rosa Parks museum, Capitol building and some war memorial museum which were very nice. I was 11 at the time so I did not know what to expect but this is just the impressions I got.
That's the interesting thing about the US. We have massive cities and small towns that each have their charm. Then you go to a place like Mississippi or Alabama, and it's like visiting a third world country. Poorly run state governments and lack of education can really destroy a state.
I went to Montgomery a couple days ago for the first time in a while, and I was pleasantly surprised. The parts of the city that I went to was very clean and well maintained. It was empty, but it was a Thursday night to be fair. Alabama gets a bad rap, but I’ve lived here my whole life, and after traveling all around the country, I’ve come to realize that Alabama really isn’t as bad as everyone makes it seem.
As a resident of Alabama, I love Montgomery. I know a lot of people who live in Montgomery and hate it, and I get it because we have a ridiculously high number of shootings and a very big hood. But idk something about growing up around it has made me very fond of it. I’m fond of the Biscuits Baseball Stadium, fond of the archives (Alabama is one of the only states that has an archives), fond of my private school (though I will say that Montgomery public schools are absolutely awful and I feel for anyone who has to send their kids there, those schools are down right dangerous). I know Alabama gets a bad rap, but personally I like it. Maybe I’m biased. I know a lot of west alabama is very depressed, especially the area around Selma. Just makes me wish I could go in and fix it all up and help those people out of poverty. Alabama is fairly rural so there’s lots of places where you can get away from the interstate and just drive through the country and look at the woods and fields and the lack of walmarts or gas stations or dollar generals. While Alabama may not be as lush as say Tennessee, it’s still beautiful and green and we often have blue cloudless skies and I’m sure golden afternoon sunlight is beautiful everywhere but idk man I get emotional when I see it every evening. And maybe I live in a cushier part of Alabama. If I asked a person from the hood if they liked it they’d probably have a different opinion. But… it’s home, and it’s where all my friends are, and it has a rich history and needs people like me with a big compassion to come in and start helping it and helping people out of the danger and crime and poverty of the hood. Also, if it weren’t for the air force base keeping people flowing into Montgomery, the place would probably be at the bottom. That doesn’t make me love it any less.
If Springfield isn’t on here I’m suing, southern Illinois doesn’t exist it’s a bad place and nobody likes it :)
I’ve always wanted to see Cairo. I heard it’s so empty that it’s surreal
As a person who lives in Chicago land and has been to southern Illinois, I agree(to an extent of course)
Well then u never been down here. C'mon. We the southerners of the north. Some of out biggest attractions being: corn, soybeans, corn, corn, the border you can cross to get out of this state, and corn
@@DerKommissar86
They have a great museum of Egyptian antiquities in Cairo.
I have dear friends in Cuello. Their stories confirm.
I live in Springfield, IL and I agree with you on most counts, but I suspect the state averages are highly skewed due to Chicago. It is much more expensive to live in Chicago than anywhere else in the state so I suspect the wages and salaries reflect that, throwing off the averages for the rest of the state.
Chicago is expensive to live in?
Love you and your videos, man. Thank you.
I'm glad you like the videos!
I'm from, and have lived most of my life in, Pennsylvania...I knew Harrisburg would be on the list. I lived several years in Lansing, too, so I knew it'd be on the list.
I'm really surprised that Albany, NY wasn't on your list. The population has literally been flat for about 75 years, and there is rampant crime and poverty all over the city.
I’d throw Salem OR and Olympia WA as (dis)honourable mentions.
Both have serious drug problems and are just depressing as hell. Both towns do have some nice areas, Olympia in particular has amazing natural scenery and it’s sad what it’s become.
I'm from Tacoma and Olympia is depressing to me, haha
@@c3mi979 I live in Bremerton and originally from Harrisburg, PA. My expectations are very low. I don't think Olympia is too bad. Can be hard to find a parking place sometimes.
@@c3mi979 now thats saying something haha
@@mercury2632, 😂😂😂
I grew up in Metro Lansing and have vacationed in a number of the cities mentioned. While I agree with the overall assessment of Springfield, as a tourist, it makes for an enjoyable getaway with a number of museums, a Frank L Wright home, etc.
Just wondering where Trenton is on the list
#1, its #1. No surprise there
@@christophermilne6563 Trenton shouldn't even be on the list it's just that awful
"Trenton: Even our map dot is pathetic."
I knew as soon as I started the video that Trenton's #1.
Interesting how Harrisburg is so poor yet Pennsylvania has the highest paid government officials in the entire country.
I think Jefferson City Mo deserves honorable mention, while not the top 10 worst, despite decades and decades of taxpayer money being spent on the capital city it really hasn't improved economically. Okay, okay it isn't that bad but it isn't that great. It just muddles along going no where.
What I think needs to happen for MO is to have the capital become St. Louis of Kansas City
I was sure it was gonna be top 3. Just a bunch of vacant houses, no good businesses, and a terrible downtown.
We called it "Jefferson City" instead of just "Jefferson" in the hopes a city would eventually form, but it never did.
@@47Jaspers I know how to make it a city. Make a skyscraper Capitol.
That's the Missouri government. Pulling money away, giving it to corporations, all while breaking down the state and selling it for parts. KC and St. Louis support the rest of the state but get zero help from Jeff City.
I'm from Kansas and I was hoping Topeka would be on this
Topuka is a huge frown.
Topeka is bad but after I saw the other cities that were shown on this list I quickly realized that Topeka is still not as bad as these cities on this list. Topeka is just a depressing city that doesn't really have anything going for it, but there are still places that are way worse than Topeka. Also, Topeka seems even worse than it is because Manhattan and Lawrence are so much better than Topeka.
@@97I30T I think Topeka has a lot going for it. But the pieces never fall together correctly. Cool architecture, history, pretty area surrounding it. Sort of like St Joe.
I’m honestly offended Montgomery didn’t make the top 5
Montgomery is awful. Especially West of I 65.
I forgot Montgomery was our state capital when I clicked on this video
Montgomery was great up until the early 90s.
@@JimGeigerMusic Agreed.
Well cant disagree with what you said about West Virginia. There are alot of low income housing all around Charleston, alot of people I know including my self are bearly making it because of our WV edjemucatiun system and low job opportunities, and I'm smoking a cigarette as i write this. On the bright side im below average on weight so at least I didn't check the obesity box and you ranked our capitol 6th in your other video. At least we have something pleasant to look at while our city suffers.
Ps If anyone is playing West Virginia bingo and you need to get overweight individual just go to any Wal Mart. Trust me it won't take long. Lol
Well, you can write complete sentences, so you're ahead of much of our American populace!
Jason, what could be done to help revitalize the city of Charleston in your opinion? I'm not from West Virginia (Virginia native), but the more I visit your state I get a feeling like Charleston and WV in general have so much potential. Every time I go I meet great people (probably the friendliest of anywhere I've been), and there are very few places that could compete with Charleston in terms of the scenery and feel that the geography creates. I don't want to be naive and not recognize the economic/drug abuse issues, but I know of a lot of places that have bounced back from those problems and become great places to live. Let me know your thoughts, and I know this is an old comment, but still thought Id ask.
why do you say providence is 43% Hispanic as if it is a bad thing? lol
Providence, RI... I agree. Great restaurants, great theatre, fairly low crime, good public transportation, Water Fire in the summer (pre-Covid), great beaches within 45 minutes, great seafood... Yeah. It sucks.
Being from Mississippi I can say "You are Spot ON" !
Love to see a show from you on Canada, your videos are very interesting.
This video refers to a low percentage of the population of Baton Rouge possessing a college degree, however, in addition to being a state capital and home of a state university Baton Rouge is a traditional industrial center, in particular oil and petrochemical refining. In other words, with a fair amount of the workforce employed as plant operators. Also, with many of the residents who do possess degrees residing in parts of the parish or in other parishes outside of the city limits.
At least none of these state capitals has the motto, " We serve up a dead man every breakfast .". That belongs to the
U.S. capital of D. C. Deadly City.
You haven't been to DC since the 90s have you?
Harrisburg, I knew I'd find you here - I just didn't know where you'd rank.
I work in Harrisburg. Downtown is okay, but there are parts where you DON'T want to go (Allison Hill, for example).
Lived in Michigan all my life. Got a degree from Michigan State University. During the years I attended MSU and the years I returned for athletic and cultural events, I crossed the line between East Lansing and Lansing probably hundreds of times. I never got the unsafe vibe in the city Of Lansing that I did in parts of Detroit, Flint, and evening my hometown of Saginaw. Lansing is filled with friendly university people, state employees, and blue collar auto workers. I can drive one end of the city to another and never feel like I am in an impoverished area. Is Lansing a beautiful city. No. But I think it gets a bad rap by being on this list. It should be in the unrated category between best and worst state capitols.
You're right. I went back to East Lansing and downtown Lansing recently. Hadn't been there in ages. Downtown was very quiet(though it was in the evening). Downtown looked nice, especially the riverwalk. Also Old Town is such a neat area, didn't know it was the original downtown area. Downtown Lansing isn't on the same level as downtown Detroit, GR, or Ann Arbor, but I don't find Lansing to be a bad city at all.
I live just outside of Lansing. The city, particularly the southside, is a shit-hole. I am surprised it isn't higher on the list.
@@brendanbressler9807 I've worked in Lansing for years and one thing I can say is that the people really make the city. I've never felt uncomfortable in any part of Lansing and the people have always been super friendly. Traffic and street grid is way better than Ann Arbor and people seem to be less snooty and more down to earth than those in A2. Overall Lansing has a pretty good vibe IMO
lansing is awful mostly because michigan state is a toxic pit full of stupid, drunk young men that get into fights with other people, or at least that's been my experience and that of many i know and have talked to.
Lansing only gets rough on the South Side so crossing from East Lansing to Lansing proper isn't as jarring as this video makes it out to be. Granted it is fairly low on this list, so it isn't too bad. Also most of the state employees live in the suburbs (at least if they have families) and downtown Lansing is kind of a ghost town after 5pm.
*YES!* Lansing finally made it onto a list! Now time to get it off the list! It feels so weird hearing that that city I have lived in my whole life is the 8th worst capital city in the US, though.
I live in Grand Rapids. I have no idea why Lansing is on this list. It's mostly pretty quiet and unremarkable. I never feel unsafe in the city. It's fine
I'm actually stunned Lansing is there. I'm sad.
Lansing and East Lansing are both really nice in my opinion so I was pretty confused when it showed up
Dude hates Michigan, love living in the Lansing area, and East Lansing is exploding economically.
Only drawback: Proud Boys busting into the Capitol with AR-15s
Could you please make a video ranking each state based on their infrastructure?
Born, and raised in Connecticut. Completely agree with these statements on Hartford from first hand experience.
Before video: is Sacramento on this?
Edit:
It’s not!
They don't actually visit these cities to make the videos. They just use a few statistics and make a ranking. Sac should definitely make the list.
Ikr lol.
Sacto has some rough areas and the crime rate isn't low by any means but the downtown area is actually pretty nice and feels like a state capital should. SF's downtown is far and away more sketchy. So I don't think it deserves to be in the top 10 worst compared to these other cities.
@@owenfrank5671 Yeah just off the top of my head I'd rank Salem and Carson City lower than Sac
@@owenfrank5671 The down town area in Sacramento is complete garbage, yet still not as garbage as most of the Bay Area.
I live just 20 miles south of Harrisburg, in York. Harrisburg crime is in the news quite frequently. Such a shame because City Island and Riverfront Park are still amazing, although Riverfront does always appear to have a lot of homeless. As someone who's traveled a lot Trenton is the only city that scares me.
I’m from Baton Rouge and I live there and love it. It’s becoming relatively gentrified. In the last 15 years I’ve seen it being built up, especially South Baton Rouge. Anything north of Florida Boulevard is generally where you’ll get some rougher areas but even there I’ve never gotten mugged or assaulted. It technically happens but everyone doesn’t walk around fearing violent crimes. We are a pretty poor city, I can’t disagree. We lack sufficient employment and housing. And our population has gone down since peaking around 230k in 2010. But we have everything you need right here. Streets are becoming lined with nice new subdivisions and trendy retail shops. We’ve kept a lot of our “old town charm” and we have some very rich neighborhoods too for being such a poor city. Downtown has a couple fun areas but the part I really love is Mid-City South. That’s where you get your antique stores, crystal shops, coffee bars, and renovated gentrified old buildings. Along I-10 is pretty packed with things to do too. Siegen Lane, Bluebonnet Boulevard, Perkins Road, and College Drive are probably my favorites to visit for a nice day out to shop, eat, get my nails / hair done, walk around, etc. Although College Drive has started showing its age recently. East of Airline Highway I’d say it’s a little boring but they have some nice neighborhoods in the Shenandoah suburbs
I travel to work in BR but don't live there. The biggest gripe I have about it is the traffic. I12 is ridiculous and the lack of north/south freeways makes getting around a nightmare. Once it took me 30 minutes to traverse about 5 miles on Airline. That was from a hotel at the I12/Airline exit south to close to where that Kleinpeter Dairy is located. Other than that it is a normal southern town as far as I can tell. It is certainly better than the capitol of my state. Which made this list, too (Jackson).
As an aside, this dude sure doesn't hold back telling you how bad your hometown is.
@@FunkyMonk4Life Omg yeah that’s another thing, for some reason our traffic is just awful. Especially for not even being an extremely big city. I-10 during rush hour is a bitch!
I’m from just outside BR! But I love my capital city! But yes the traffic can be absurd! At least it’s not Atlanta traffic!
@@julieloucalcote1368 Oh wow I can’t imagine 😬
Baton Rouge traffic is awful and it’s really only gotten that way in the past 20 years (really, since Katrina). In the late 90s you could ride around campus and up Highland (unless there was a game). But now it’s like a damn parking lot that occasionally moves.
Springfields wages are actually pretty good considering that the cost of living is over 20% cheaper. I’ve lived in both the suburbs of Chicago and Springfield and I can confidently say 55K in Springfield is equivalent to about 70K in the Chicago area. Also most of the money in Springfield is in the suburbs which most of which have household incomes usually above 80K. Like I said earlier, a 100K house in Springfield would cost about 200K in the suburbs of Chicago, even though wages are only slightly lower in Springfield.
Should move the Alabama capital to either Auburn, Tuscaloosa, or Huntsville
You have a pretty interesting channel. thanks from Vancouver B.C.
If you have a AA baseball team, playing in the Eastern league, you're probably on this list.
I appreciate your unabashed candor. Sugar-coating does no one any favors on a list like this.
I grew up in Baton Rouge and my mom was not happy with the neighborhood that she lived in before she and my stepfather lived in. I think part of the issue has to a street that run across through it. My husband and I moved about 30 minutes east of there.
I expected Jackson to be higher. Bless my heart, I ain’t know about Trenton. Y’all living wild up there
Hahaha, being from New Jersey I was surprised Trenton wasn't on the list while watching the video! Until I saw it was number 1, LOL.
Baton Rouge may be bad, but it has a lot of records that you may or may not know of: we have the tallest state capitol building in the country, at one time the largest refinery in the world, at one time the longest department store in the world, the most accurate and original WW2 ship museum in the world, the 8th in the world and 7th in the country largest football stadium, and one of only two capitals that are located next to the Mississippi River. We also have an Old State Capitol building designed as a French castle, three governor’s mansions from varying time periods (two still standing), and we have/had 4 shopping malls across the city. Baton Rouge had and still has much to offer and is home.
Do a colab with:
- Nick Johnson
- World According to Briggs
- From here to there
- No cantfant
Vali Tsunami from here to there is a rip-off of world according to Briggs
Briggs is a bigot. He was shown by another channel to have used deceptive statistics. Avoid him.
Do any of them not have a reputation for loving to shit on Ohio though?
@@devincampbell5007 Well it's an objectively shitty place to live in
@UlisesHeureaux I think that Nick Johnson isn't actually a Trump supporter, but pretending to be.
As you might know already, the RUclips fanbase tends to lean to the right when you get to the geographical/political stuff, and Nick realized he could become more popular by praising the right more than the left.
Can’t argue with statistics, but Lansing, Michigan is a super fun, safe city to visit. Downtown, Old Town, REO Town, and the Stadium District all have lots of fun bars & breweries and their own unique business district vibes. The Lansing River Trail connects all the neighborhoods neatly, and there are tons of places within the city limits to hike, bike, snowshoe, and XC-ski. There’s also an impressively passionate fan base for the Lansing Lugnuts, who play their home games right downtown.
Except for family and friends, most Illinoisans (that I know personally) want to move out of Illinois. Major contributors are lingering winters, very high taxes, crime in many areas, traffic in the urban and semi-urban areas, political corruption, many lousy public schools, fees for everything, financial mismanagement, year round illogically-coordinated road construction, polluted beaches, gangs, high racial segregation and a virtual army of exceedingly unskilled drivers of all types of vehicles. Illinois: Land of Lincoln and Three Impeached Governors over the past Fifty Years. 😬🚬😬🚬
Now everyone wants to move here, or at least stay the night… no reason at all.
Very surprised and disappointed at the casual racism regarding Providence's ethnic makeup. Really think you might want to reconsider what you said there, because most of the rest of the video was quite astute and objectively accurate.
Replace Lansing with Little Rock
Yeah, really. How is Little Rock not on here?!?
@@njunderground82 also Providence Rhode Island isn’t that bad
Fr lansing isn’t that bad
@Benjamin Quaglia Detroit isn’t that bad.
I was shocked when Lansing came up. It has no business on this list. Mediocre for sure, but not terrible.
Very much runners up: Salem, Carson City, Dover, Pierre, Santa Fe, Frankfort, Montpelier, Jefferson City, Concord, Augusta
Agreed, Pierre should have been number 1.
Yeah, Trenton has got to be #1. I visited Trenton a few years back and couldn’t believe the ghetto homes literally across the street from the Capitol building.
Came here expecting Richmond, VA to be on this list, was actually pretty surprised my state
What does being in a minority group has to do with a state capital, if you are african or indigenous or Puerto Rican or native american you are american, when you talked about providence, when you talked about Charleston you didn't say anything about the white people who lived there; and also jackson mississippi, what do you have aganist minorities?
What do you have against listening carefully to what is actually said instead of getting triggered as soon as someone mentions a minority?
Trenton was nice before the Italians and white people moved out.
@@billnolastname5078 in the old days the italians were not considered white.
Sir with all due respect i wanna give you a suggestion.
I dont have netflix or cable.
only thing i have is youtube premium as this is the only thing i watch.
So i have some idea of what I am talkin bout.
In 10 years since I have watched RUclips, i can comfortably say you have one of the best content ever.
You are politically unbiased and have a lot more knowledge about every places you talk about including first hand travel experiences.
Content like yours shouldn't be just getting around 100k views .
Probably you need to add a lil bit more of graphics or animations to your video.
We live in a world full of people with short attention span. That explains your low view count. Perhaps you need to make your video more visually appealing for them.
I have never given suggestions to any youtuber.
I am just doing it for the first time because i really like your content.
Thank you very much for your comment! I really appreciate the kind words. My channel is definitely low budget but I do have a little revenue coming in that I'd like to use to help improve the production value. I'm glad you found the channel!
Due to a heat inversion caused by surrounding mountains, Salt Lake City has the worst air in the nation almost every winter. It's feels like it's so cold that car exhaust just precipitates in air and you can feel it like humidity. Really gross.
It smells bad too.
I lived near Lansing around 2000 - 2020. While I won't quibble with the stats, subjectively it doesn't feel that bad. Lansing was hit hard by the collapse of US auto manufacturing, and there are the eternal problems with conflict between the mayor and city council, aging infrastructure, flooding in some of the poorer neighborhoods - but despite those, it's managed to keep some nice neighborhoods, a viable (if not vibrant) downtown, and some other amenities.
It's true East Lansing sucks a lot of the money and entrepreneurship away from Lansing. (East Lansing sucks in general. It's an astonishingly mismanaged city.) And there are other nearby bedroom communities like Okemos which also draw the upper-middle class residents out of the city. On the whole, though, I didn't experience Lansing as being any rougher than, say, Boston in the 1980s.
From Philly, have family in Trenton. Spent many summers there as a kid and the only time outside of the marines I had a gun pointed at me was in Trenton.
love these videos but please say population not poppilation. otherwise your voice is great for this information