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 ...

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.

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🤣

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

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 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.

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

I'm from Trenton, but I escaped.

New Jersey state bird: The Bitter Egret.

😂😂😂

I did the same thing, O sambar king

Just saved the worst for last

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.

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

Exploding vans:😐

Nashville is nice

Nashville can afford to lose some people. Quit moving here.

@Joey Word you missed spelled tax payers

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

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

I lived in Jackson MS for 4 years. It was shit. Unless you’re in north Jackson or Madison, it’s not worth it.

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

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

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.

I'm from Baton Rouge & attended LSU for a couple years. I am the exception as most students come from & return to another state.

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.

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

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.

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

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 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.

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.

I'm glad you like the videos!

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

They are still reliving the Civil War.

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.

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.

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.

You can in Springfield as well. Only difference is it’s the government officials mugging you

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.

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.

Thank you! I'm glad you like the videos!

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.

I'm surprised as well.

Thats what im saying

How bad is it there?

@@theevildrummingsithlord1492 veeeerryyy bad

@@dylancoykendall554 Ouch. How so?

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.

Chicago is expensive to live in?

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!

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 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, 😂😂😂

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.

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

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!

You haven't been to DC since the 90s have you?

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.

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.

i went there in 4th grade, been in that museum too. It just seemed a bit _off_

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.

#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.

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.

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.

Not every state has traditional bail laws, e.g., Oregon has replaced bail with a monitored pre-trial release program. A bigger indicator might be the presence of state prisons in a capital city, because of the family members and friends of the prisoners residing nearby.