TEXAS: Dying Towns Full Of Widows & Widowers (All Nearing Ghost Town Status)

All old railroad towns again. The first two were built along the Paris and Mt. Pleasant railroad that lasted fom 1909 to 1956. The last two were on Texas and Pacific railroad branches which were abandoned by the 1980s near as I can tell. It's an almost universal American story where highways were built along the railroad right of way and eventually the subsidized truck traffic siphoned off the rail traffic until the rail lines were no longer viable. Great video, enjoyed it much.

Growing up in Texas near San Angelo, I loved this video. Even though the towns are dying the people seem pretty cultured, not much trash etc on the street. Loved the court house in Clarksville. Quiet towns to retire in and peaceful.

My husband and I love watching your videos! As a retired librarian, I'd like to suggest that you point out a library if you ever see one in a town you visit. My husband would like to see you talk to folks you see walking around the town. We have enjoyed the chats you've done in some of your videos.

I really appreciate your videos showing us how beautiful our country really is. and these towns have so much potential for anyone who appreciates a quiet easy-going life.

In 1845, my 3rd great grandfather was elected Justice of the Peace in Red River County, TX. His name was Henry Coleman Hocker. His son, Obediah R. Hocker, went on to be a Texas Ranger, and in the Texas Cavalry... after that point, they had moved to south of San Antonio, Texas. My branch went on to Austin, Texas and have been in the Houston area for 4 generations. Most of my family are oil refinery workers these days. This is my paternal line, and we arrived in Texas from Kentucky. Thank you for this video of the area, I had no idea what it looked like up there!! =)

Always so interesting driving through these little towns. I love the church with the purple doors !! Thanks so much, I really enjoy these.😊💕

And we love that you go out and show us these towns! I watch every video. As someone who lives just outside of Toronto where everything is growing it’s interesting to see all these places 😊

That derelict Ford Falcon you filmed in Deport was the basis of the first Ford Falcon (XK) introduced into the Australian market in Sept. 1960. The XK was essentially a right-hand drive version of the North American model, although local country dealers here often included modifications such as heavy-duty rear suspension (five leaves) and larger 6.50 x 13 tyres to cope with the roads here. Front suspension came in for revision here as well with stronger front ball joints. In time it became a popular seller.

I live outside of Chicago and these towns look neat and clean to me. They could be charming if businesses would move back. It's hard to imagine being limited to stores like Dollar General. City people like me want to escape the crowds but such limited shopping would be a huge negative. And jobs. Still, it's nice to see.

I worked the ambulance in a lot of those north east Texas towns. Grew up there all my life and I live in Tyler now. Then crime stats in those towns are higher, not due to poverty or being higher than larger cities, but due to crime being better reported. I know that goes against what some experts say but the reality is since they are small, people see something and they call immediately. Probably better than in a large city where people just simply ignore something happening.

I don’t know if you know this, but for your edification, Dollar General, and those similar stores have a business model to be in food deserts. They actually operate at a near loss (5.5% net profit) but provide valuable services to grossly economically depressed areas and food deserts (as well as profit zones OF COURSE). When you see them, you know that the economy is very poor in that community, if it is the ONLY grocery source.

My husband is from Clarksville, we also lived there for many years and have several family members who still reside there. I can remember all the businesses that occupied every inch around the square. So sad to see the state the town is in now. By the way Detroit is pronounce Dee-troit. Enjoyed your video Joe.

Thanks for another outstanding video You put sooo much time and work in your videos for us We appreciate you and Nicole Some of these towns look like old movies very interesting

My hometown has a bandstand in the middle of the town square. It's one of the more beautiful town squares in the country. Oskaloosa Iowa.

When you and Nicole come up to Minnesota, visit New Ulm. It's a quaint German town on the Minnesota River with a 19th-century downtown, the MN Music Hall of Fame, the Hermann Monument, and Schell's Brewery and Gardens (the second-oldest brewery in the USA).

Who else is here from 10:30 p.m 👀 most nights? Love this channel. Hi friends from Western Australia 👋🏽💖.

I watch all your videos and love them ❤, but I still find it odd that there's no people walking around these. Even though the population is low , where are the people 😮

Always good to get a notification of a new upload. Thank you for giving us a glimpse into what most of us might never get a chance to see. Very interesting.

I used to live in Knox City, Texas. My wife and I were teachers/coaches for Knox City/O’Brien CSD. It, as well as some of the surrounding towns (Benjamin, O’Brien, Rule, Rochester), are in really bad shape. They are held together by a few [relatively] wealthy families but have incredibly high poverty levels. To the east and south of Knox City are huge cotton farms. To the west and north are massive ranches that are essentially beautiful untouched sections of the Great Plains that are so large and naturally pristine that the cattle are worked by cowboys on horseback; very much like they would have been 150 years ago. In the summers, I worked for a gentleman who would traverse the ranches in a chuck wagon providing campfire meals for the cattlemen. It was a once in a lifetime experience that a vast majority of the US population would never realize was still in practice. Unfortunately, living there I couldn’t help but notice the rigid dichotomy. Needless to say, we became very isolated and depressed and had to move back to the larger (albeit still small town) of Graham which rests on the western edge of the Southern Cross Timbers. I grew up in Graham, and it has a rich history of Native American populations seeking refuge from the Comanches in the post oak forests that stretch into the beautiful cedar hills that we call the Palo Pinto Mountains. I feel immensely blessed to be in touch with the reality that is North/Central/West Texas and would be thrilled if you ever found the time and interest to visit the area aforementioned. Sometimes, I find myself wanting to make content similar to what you produce on this channel simply because I, too, have a passion for learning about and understanding these communities that are all but lost to the public eye. God bless you and all that you do!

I moved to a small town purposely. To get away from the city and crime. I drive to Sam's club and stock up. 🤠👍 TX, resident 😎