I went to the POOREST place in America (Owsley County, Kentucky - Booneville)
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Published 2024-07-18
JD Vance will soon be a household name and he may even end up being the Vice President of the United States. Vance started out with extremely humble and impoverished beginnings. In his book 'Hillbilly Elegy', he wrote about his upbringing and described in great detail life in a poor Appalachian 'holler' as well as the plight of many of the poor and forgotten people that live therewithin.
Booneville isn't a hollow, but it is a poor little Appalachian town and will naturally share many of the characteristics that Vance wrote about in his book. I wanted to give you all an inside look into the region share my experience with you.
Drugs, poverty, hardship exist in this region - in ever-increasing amounts, but so too do strong family values, love of country, natural beauty, a unique and fascinating culture, the roots of bluegrass music, etc. It's a place that very few ever get to, not for lack of opportunity, but it doesn't exactly rank very highly on most folks' travel bucket list. But I was extremely interested in the area so I took a road trip and went to see it for myself. I'm glad I did. I hope you all enjoy the video!
#kentucky #jdvance #appalachia #poverty
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All Comments (21)
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NOTE FROM CREATOR: My closing monologue got cut out of this video due to a claim filed against the music I used (which was guaranteed copyright free) and that monologue was of major significance. So I'm going to paraphrase what I said starting at the 10:42 mark: "For being the poorest county in the nation, Booneville was a lot better than I thought it would be. Statistically, it might be located in the poorest county in the country, but one way in which it is not poor is in terms of its natural beauty. The hills, the rivers, the forests - it's all truly breathtaking. The US often gets a bad rap. It seems like all we hear about are the problems we face. Drugs, crime, homelessness, etc. Well, we certainly do have our fair share of problems, but as a world traveler that's been to many parts of the world, I've got a news flash for you all: so do other countries. In fact, if you went to the 'poorest county' in virtually any other country, it wouldn't be anywhere near as nice as Owsley County is. This isn't an insult to other countries, this is just a fact. It's also an important perspective that we don't often here. The people I met in Booneville were truly salt of the earth. They were the type of people that would give you the shirt right off their back if you needed it, even if it was their very last one. Booneville is a place where normalcy rules. People have traditional values. Men act like men and women act like women. All in all it was a very interesting trip. I'm glad I visited Booneville, and who knows... one of these days I might be back to visit again." Just after this closing monologue the US flag and eagle fade into the scene.
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Being poor doesn't mean unhappy or not sober.
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What you see is poor people dealing with their hardship without becoming street criminals.
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In Kentucky we choose solitude and woods over wealth but we are free in our minds and wave at our neighbors
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No graffiti.... no burned down buildings.... I'll take it
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No anti-male sentiment, no PC, no free speech rules, no gang violence, no burned down buildings, no high taxes ... Mmmm any houses for rent there?
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Poor doesn’t mean bad. I’d live there, seems quiet and laid back. No poop all over the street and no one getting pulled out of their car at gun point.
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That's nice of the store owner to give you a bottle of water for free
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I live in this little town, work full time EMS and vol. at the fire depts. it isn’t often that people from out of town have a nice thing to say about us. Yes we have crime,drugs, and bad people but everywhere else doe also. I appreciate the honesty and glad you didn’t point out “ the rough ones” to talk to like all the other people. I am actually the one driving by in the little green ford ranger in the video.
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It's a very clean town, pride in ownership.
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In the South it's not all about money it's about living the way we want that brings happiness.
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The books say the people are poor up there , but they are rich when it comes to living in such a beautiful place
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I have lived in Europe, Hawaii and all over the US. I would rather live in Owsley County (or anywhere else in Eastern KY/TN than in NYC, LA, etc. The people are friendly and I feel safer there than in the large cities.
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I gave you a thumbs up for the commentary at the end of the video, thanks for being positive and not trashing the place. 👍
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The streets are clean. No graffiti. No tents. No homeless sprawled everywhere. No addicts standing in the middle of the street. No needles and beer bottles everywhere....
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I recently left apparently Philly for KY. It’s like living in a Hallmark movie. It’s so wholesome after stepping over needles and urine for a decade. I love the people here. They are all family. Go Cats!
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I would love to buy a home and retire surrounded with this kind of scenery. They might be poor but at least they live in peace and do not have to be worry about being annoyed or bothered by anyone else.
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It is the kind of place where you can feel perfectly safe 100% of the time!
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I used to live a couple hours from there… It is poor, but the countryside in that region of the USA is beautiful and the people are usually very friendly and happy to chat, especially the old timers. Glad you got to get some fresh air state-side buddy.
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Poorest in what capacity? Financially maybe but in character, friendliness, warmth, love for others, an ability to survive against the odds......the Appalaichan folk are amongst the richest. Blessing to you wonderful people.
