One thing few people know about Alexandria is that early during WWII, Patton was asked where the best place to train for an invasion of the Ardennes Forest would be, and he replied that the nearest thing we had to the Ardennes in this country was the Kisatchie National Forest in Central LA. A very large military camp was quickly constructed near Alexandria. It was known as Camp Claiborne. The planners of the war effort then began sending dozens of trains filled with thousands of troops to Alexandria to be settled at Camp Claiborne. The metropolitan area of Alexandria swelled from less than 50,000 to around 250,000 in a matter of weeks. Much of Alexandria's downtown area was built up during that time. After the war Camp Claiborne was abandoned, most of it's buildings were demolished, and the pace of life in the area returned to normal. When I was a college student there my friends and I frequently visited the remains of Camp Claiborne to explore the few remaining structures left. Most interesting to me was the sewage treatment facility which was a large concrete cylinder that stood 10 or twelve feet high and extended many more feet below the ground's surface. A hole was knocked in the side and one could stick his head inside and yell creating an echo which seemed to reverberate for quite some time. That was at least 40 years ago. I'm sure it must all be gone by now. Just thought someone might find the story interesting.

This is where I grew up and have lived most of my life so cool to see a KZfaqr touring our city!! A few things I’d like to say, it definitely is what you make it there are ghettos and there are wealthy neighborhoods and also a neighborhood of of full of mansions. We have lots of places to go out and eat bars, and other activities. Most of the crime that happens is with people who are involved in street life. You can walk down the streets in most of the “hoods” and 9/10 no one will bother you, but maybe a hobo might ask for a dollar lol. And ppl here love to throw mattresses on the side of the road for some reason lol. Most of the suburbs are kind of “hidden” which is a good thing but ghettos are easy to find so it’s easy to think the town is full of them.

Live here in Alec, and it’s mostly gone downhill. People move to Pineville or the outskirts of Alexandria going towards Versailles. The homeless situation is taking over downtown and are spreading. Shootings are common (over nonsense). Something has to change. Drugs, mentality, play a larger role.

So weird to see somebody touring my town! I never considered Alexandria or Pineville to be much of a tourist attraction, but the food at Spirits is pretty damn good, so is The Diamond Grill. Wish you could have seen the inside of the Bentley Hotel, it's really beautiful.

I'm so full of emotion watching this. Born in "Ellick". Every aunt and uncle was baptized, married and had their funerals at the Cathedral. Wedding receptions at The Bentley. It was a very dignified, gentile existence and I am grateful for it.

I discovered your channel a few months ago and absolutely love it! It's great for us folks that don't get to travel as much and still get to see the country. And what really appealed to me when I found your Channel is when you drive through those little towns. That's one of our favorite things to do when we travel is to visit those little towns and the little out of the way places.

Great video, one correction. It's not pronounced "Rapids" it's pronounced Rap-eeds. I'm from Alexandria, grew up off of Monroe Street near Levin. In the 20 plus years I lived there, we made the number 1 highest crime rate several times yearly. But very few people nationwide know anything about Alex. Thanks for shining a light on our darkness there bud. Edit: BTW, next time yall are in town, look up Tunks Cypress Inn. It's a restaurant located just west of town on beautiful Kincade Lake. Try the Oyster Bar, then the fried Alligator tail. 😍

I’ve been looking forward to riding along as you travel through these Southern cities! Thank you! And, the cathedral…wow! Literally awesome!

My wife's family is embedded in Alexandria. We're usually there about twice a year. There are still a lot of good people in "Ellick" or "Alec" (the abbreviated name varies and are depended upon who you ask), but like across this country, violence and drugs are the report, and are tearing these places apart. I've been going there only about ten years. I've met some good people. A lot of them have moved to Pineville, even I a couple of guys I hunt with, have moved to Marksville. I just showed my wife this video, and she still finds it hard to believe that Alexandria is being talked about.

I live in the garden district and you passed right by my street. I was looking to see if I was there walking my little pug Jeffrey lol! So fascinating seeing someone tour our little city. Spirits was a great choice. I also recommend Tunks and Atwoods bakery. Hugs and pugs! -Breland

Hey y'all! Native Cajun, here. I see y'all going down through the Acadiana area of Louisiana. I'm originally from New Iberia, and trust me when I say you will find my hometown quite interesting as well as the surrounding area if you haven't explored them yet!! It's about 30 minutes from Lafayette and near the Tabasco Company and Rip Van Winkle Gardens! So much to see! Also check out downtown New Iberia :) Also, wonderful video as always :)

I’m from Louisiana. I live here in Alexandria now. So cool to see you touring this city. I work at the Alexandria Staging Facility. A hub for deportation at AEX. I only see too many car accidents here.

Thanks for showing me what it’s like up there! Just moved to Metairie (New Orleans suburbs) and always wondered what it looks like north of here. The people I meet from there working in the hospital talk highly of Alexandria.

It always weirds me out when people mention Alexandria since I always thought of it as small and boring. The crime rate always surprises people, even people who have lived there forever, since most of it happens in the streets at night. Usually, people hear about another shooting in the mall parking lot, avoid the mall for a bit, then give in a week later to buy Auntie Anne's 😅

The "construction area" you walked into at the beginning of the video, there used to be a stationary vw beetle covered in street art. I took my senior pictures there in 2019. Alec is the town most of us in the small towns around Alexandria go to, and when it comes up in conversation the fact that its become a crime-riddled hole is always at the forefront. My grandfather would hang the american flag up at the Alexandria town hall every morning. Sad to see what could have been knowing what is.

This is my hometown. Been here all my life. With that being said part of the issue is that Alexandria is at a stalemate. Since the airbase closed there has been no growth in anyway. The city council and mayor's office fight so much that nothing ever gets done. The most exciting thing is when a new restaurant opens

This video shows a small part of the city. At the beginning there is far too much concentration on the empty buildings and streets when just across from that empty parking area on Fourth street is an amazing vibrant coffee shop, Tamp & Grind. Also, you were right by River Oaks Arts Center and the Coughlin Saunders Performing Arts center, two fantastic places in a City of this size.

We live in leesville about 35 mins away. Pretty cool to see a big channel do some coverage here.

I grew up there and the new bridge from Alexandria to Pineville is named after my daddy on the Alexandria side it is named after the Late Honorable Israel B.Curtis, Jr. And the Pineville side after the Late Lemon Coleman. They were Influencers before their time. We are proud to have The Curtis -Coleman Bridge named after 2 Outstanding Gentlemen who created change.

Thanks for a great video. Nice to see a part of Louisiana I haven't been to. The people I've encountered in that state were very nice and friendly. Just be careful when you talk about being a good cornholer, some people may get the wrong idea. lol And yes we use that term up here in Washington.

Was born and raised there. Got out as soon as I turned 18.

"Probably some construction going on here" brother that's been under construction for 30 years.

Nice Video The place you called a theater, "Rapides Foundations" is a charitable organization that supports our community through grants and economic development projects. The theater down town is named "The Cofflen Sanders Theater" and it is a jewel in our community. Also Rapides, which is the name of our parish, is pronounced "rap-ides" and sounds like "rap.eedz". The parish was named for the rapids that once existed in the Red River near todays downtown location.

My mother was from Alec. We went there once or twice a year while I was growing up. I remember them putting lights on the water tower at Christmas. I thought that was magical! Mom’s large family all moved to CA around 1950. She always said that was the best thing her parents ever did for her.

Dang it feel surreal to see someone touring my city. I’m born and raised in the Ghetto of that city the North Side where most of the crime takes place. I can say one thing if you can survive in Alex u can survive anywhere.

Looks rough. I like how you show downtowns and surrounding neighborhoods

I totally get the statistics you were discussing on home prices. Starter homes are basically nonexistent in this town and the median home price is tanked by the poorer, crime ridden areas. The housing market in Alexandria is weird and homes are well over priced for what the community provides in opportunities to purchase them.

This is the town I was born and raised in. Still have family there. Me and my wife moved from there back in 2015 and moved to ATX

It had gotten worst with crime every year. I live here but spend most of my time traveling elsewhere.

Thanks for doing this video of Alexandria. I live 45 miles south/south west of Alexandria in Avoyelles parish in Moreauville. I live in the country rural area. As I was watching the video I was recognizing places. There were a lot more beautiful places you could have gone to. You should have gone inside the Bentley. Beautiful historic. Keep the videos coming enjoy watching them

"Managing The Decline" attitude in some politicians mindset is completely unacceptable. I'm not saying this is the attitude of all politicians of this city, but this one of the disease philosophies that has been a cornerstone of neo-liberal platform for over two decades now. If we don't reverse ourselves and restore Law and Tradition, then ruinous chaos will be our only future.

I was born in Alexandria in 1947. Loved living there in the 50's and 60's Graduated from Bolton High School and moved out of Alexandria soon afterwards to attend college and never went back except to visit. Sure miss it. Thanks for the tour. Not like I used to remember.

30 years ago, this was the best town with lovely Stores. It could have been the loss of the air/army base that started the degradation bc loss of commerce? There are many many more old beautiful homes in the garden area. Growing up in La., Alexandria was the highlight when visiting grandparents. It just felt safe and what every town should be.

I can't believe yall didn't go look at some of the scenery around Natchitoches being that close.

I live right between Alexandria and Monroe. Lived here all my life. That is strange to hear how high we rank on the crime scale. Ive never had an issue myself knock on wood lol i saw on tv the other day that New Orleans has the highest murder rates in the US. I can see that one.

Alexandria used to be the capital before it got burned down in the civil war. The VA hospital in Pineville was the first LSU campus

Stay away from here if you’re thinking about moving here. There are still nice places in the parish, but the nice places in the city are steadily shrinking while the bad ones expand and expand. There are a lot of nice and cool people, but so are there in other places without the violence and drugs.

Thanks for sharing. Greetings from Australia.

@ 1:25, there is Sentry Drug... Years ago it used to be called Red Cross 🙂 All along this street there used to be Parking Meters because this was "Downtown" and used to be very busy!! It had stores like Gus Kaplan, Koblins Jewelry, Weiss & Goldring, Soul Train, etc., etc., It's cool to see a video about a town I grew up in 🙂

Born and raised in Libouse before it grew so large. Spent every Saturday with my Meme coming into town to the Post Office, went to the zoo a lot as a kid, worked downtown with Mr. Burns (criminal attorney), danced the night away at the Light House and Cotton Gin and many more. Crossed the Sabine and married a Texan. Of course this was all back in 1957 when I was born and left at 18 and didn’t come back. My Papa taught at Bolton HS, and my daddy went to Louisiana College. A lot has changed yet still stayed the same. Lots of family and friends still there.

We went camping in Louisiana decades ago and those horseflies are brutal.

I live here. You didn't even scratch the surface of the city 🤣

I can’t believe someone made a video of Alexandria. Pretty cool!

Thank you Spoda. Nicely done sir always a fun watch

Rapides foundation is actually pronounced Rap-peeds foundation, just like the parish. Yes, and 3rd Street is the "ghetto" as well as part of the Garden District.

Yeah, I grew up in Louisiana as well. Further south than you though. Ever since I was a kid, Louisiana rank class in education, quality of life, mortality, health, care, etc. Nothing has changed. Evidently nothing ever will. For all those who can I would suggest hightailing it out of there as quickly as possible. Sad but true.

Also fun fact about Alexandria, is it’s home to two amazing bands, perpetual deception and absence of us. They really bring life to every show they do there.

Kind of looks spooky 🔥💥🙀in the beginning. Did you see the decorative manhole right before cutting to residential? I am wondering where it was made because it looks so old. What happened to the middle class of America? Love Nicole's outfit, reminiscent of the 80's so 😎. The food alone would make the whole trip!! Awesome!!

Nice tour. You say that Alexandria is ninth in crime in the USA: You missed an area of the city that would have shown why. I know that you want to present the positive and not be exploitive of poverty-stricken areas, but years ago while driving through Alexandria I took a wrong exit off the expressway into an area that looked dystopian. Shotgun houses with dirt yards that looked like they may have been there since the days of share cropping or slavery. Louisiana has an interesting history.

I live about 25 miles east of Monroe Louisiana. I knew that Monroe was rough, but didn't know it ranked 2nd. My goodness..

The area by Tamp and Grind and Embers is the area where we have our Winterfete (winter celebration) and our artwalk events. I have lived in Rapides Parish all my life. It's always been bad with crime however since Katrina when many people from the gulf area moved here its gotten a good 10 times worse and gets worse by the day. It's really sad to know our kids are growing up in this society. 😢

I was born in Pineville at the Huey P. Long Charity Hospital in 1969, my moved myself and my Sister to Columbus, Ohio when we were 12 & 13! I return to visit my family once every year. Just was there in September. I LOVE my family so much. I get SO EMOTIONAL when it’s time for me to leave. I ALWAYS t hi no to myself. There is SO MUCH BETTER for you all outside of this place. Home is Home to them. Alexandria was such a VIBRANT place when we were growing up. I know that area very well!! That city could really be redeveloped if the Mayor can get some help and backing to do what needs to be done . It’s called PLANTATION HOUSE!! Keep it 💯💯

I live just outside of Alexandria but work there. I arrived from Ohio after joining the USAF. My wife is from Louisiana and we chose to live here after exiting the military.

I live close to Alec and my family is scared to go in these days

Some other fun facts about Alexandria. The invading union army razed it to the ground during the Civil War , burning most everything but the cathedral and a handful of plantations. Jim Bowie lived in Alexandria , and it was here that he became embroiled in the feud that would lead to him and his infamous Knife becoming known the world over. Lee street was the site of a race riot during the second world war that lead to the mass killing of a still disputed number of servicemen in the downtown area that was called little harlem , known as the Lee Street Riot.

Born and Raised in Alexandria, A-Town. It was once a great place to live, I go back home often my Grandmother still lives there in Acadian Village been there my whole life, same home. I always tell my children when we visit this is not the Alexandria, I grew up in. It’s Central Louisiana it should be further along, 3 hours from NOLA, 2 from BR, and Lake Charles 1.5 from Lafayette and Shreveport, 45 mins for Natchitoches. Why is there no growth??? High School State Championship games can be hosted there and not Lafayette, it’s central. The crime has increased tremendously because of the corruption at the top. The first major headline in my lifetime that was nationally broadcast about the cop killings, it was corruption in the APD. A-Town used to be the number 1 city in LA to retire. Now, it’s 9th in the Nation for crime. There’s always a root. I grew up in the Sonya Quarters, Karst Park and lived in GD until I moved in 2004. So from 1979-2004, when I tell you, it has changed drastically. Yes, it’s a small town, but it had big city energy. Karst Park was a housing project, however you never heard of any murders when I was growing up, families lived there, although it was government subsidized many homes were 2-parent, including mine. I remember the frozen cup ladies, the boudin lady, the ice cream cone and candy lady. I had a great upbringing in Alexandria, Louisiana and I wish my children could’ve seen the A-Town I loved. Now, it’s hard to be present when I visit, I go see my in-laws, grandmother and 2 aunts and leave as soon as possible, because the new generation in A-Town, I’m not familiar with and they have no conscious or code. My classmates are burying their children, it’s sad. It can be turned around, as someone mentioned earlier the cost of living is overpriced, they’re decent jobs but very few outside of the hospitals, Pinecrest, Dresser, Proctor and Gamble, you can go outside the town and work at Marco. There’s NOTHING for the youth, not a damn thing. We had the mall, movies, Aggie Skating and Rink, Frank O’Hunter park when there wasn’t any fighting or shooting. Again not much, but it was fun, we were different teens we didn’t need a lot to occupy our time. Going to the mall or movie, hanging out, was good enough for us. Football and Basketball games, when Peabody and Pineville played, Peabody was a solid team, we went to state often. It was a very good time, growing up late 80’s teenager in the 90’s. Another thing that caused harm was shutting down Charity Hospital aka Huey P Long it took away great healthcare for those who were low income and many jobs were lost including my late great aunt who worked there for years, and after became homeless and suffered from mental illness. Pineville will look like this soon, it used to be a dry parish now it’s not, some things shouldn’t be messed with. As I look at these videos, I innerstand now more than ever, what Trump meant by Make America Great Again, small minds thought it was about race, no it’s about the heart of America, the average American, the smaller towns, the “middle class” that kept the country balanced.

i live in the Garden District in a home well over 100 years old. i am 4 minutes from downtown and while we have street traffic i am comfortable going out every day for my daily walk.

Great exploring the city . Love to see all the places . Defenetly want to start doing this too . Been sense 95 in the same city . Lol need to get out .

I’ve lived in and around Alexandria my whole life (im 25 now). When I was younger the city had its dangerous spots, namely lee street, lower 3rd, Monroe street, and Bolton, but now the whole city is a shit hole to say the least. It’s very dangerous and there and shootings constantly. I still work in Alexandria but I love just outside of it now cause living in Alexandria doesn’t make sense now with how dangerous it is.

My grandparents lived close to here my whole life. Pineville to be exact. The zoo there is pretty cool. We would go often. There was also an art camp there for summers. I never noticed any crime as a child, and I can't believe that my grandparents would stay in a place that was dangerous considering their personalities and the fact that they definitely had the means to relocate but maybe they just didn't notice. Lol. I have no idea. But in the 38 years that I've been alive and they lived there they never had any issues.

Thank you for doing a great video of our city. I enjoyed it very much.

Hi Lord Spoda Thanks. Spent a good day with you in Alexandria, Louisiana. Capitol of the State is generally in the mid of State. Wyoming must be a prominent exception. Why many roads in city are dark reddish? Bricks or Paver blocks? @ 14:13 Magnificent Post office building, @ 14:57 marvellous 3D mural, contrasting to that, @ 18:17 return to nature, @ 23:11 tree grown out of roof. But in general peaceful neighborhood with single story houses and lots of old trees. Enjoyed the video as usual. Thanking you again.

Alexandria is a very nice clean city I liked that I did see homeless people camping on downtown, street where nicely clean didn’t see thrash everywhere, most of the house on video had there front yard nice cut and cleaned. Thank you for one more video.

It's a clean town with no visible homeless camping on sidewalks. It's really pretty too and the Bentley looks like a nice family place. Safe travels!

Thank you!!

It's still mid October 2022 and it is now in the 30s here in Alexandria, LA. Lol gotta love Central Louisiana weather.

I’m disappointed you didn’t point out the Coughlin theater and the museums, they are the most impressive things downtown IMO

You didn't show the million dollar homes. There's much more to Alexandria than you showed. The state of Louisiana can be divided into 3 portions the food, people and atmosphere are totally different. North Louisiana, Central Louisiana and South Louisiana. Louisiana has the best of everything. The culture and food are like no other. The people are extremely hospitable. You will not meet a stranger. Louisiana is truly a Sportsman's Paradise and we Louisianians live off the land for sure. There is no place in the world like Louisiana USA. I am a very proud Louisiana woman born and bred.

I was born and raised in Alexandria Louisiana (A-TOWN) and now live in Pineville Louisiana and lemme tell y'all that the crime is so bad in Alex that the cops are even scared. There's at least a murder a day if not 3-4 and you can and will get robbed quick morning noon or night. Alex use to be beautiful and enjoyable, where raising a family was a a smart choice but at this point I don't go to Alex because of the crime and I live 10 minutes away. I haven't been there in 6 months and I use to go everyday after moving to Pineville but it's scary there and not just at night, every second of everyday

Wow! Beautiful statue and placard at St. Francis Cathedral. Built in 1919. I never knew the Red River flowed through central LA. I Loved those houses in the Garden District. I’m guessing “shotgun houses” means something completely different in Alexandria. Oh, I need a mattress. Where was that one so I can go get it?😁

Hey Lord, on that FBI chart you posted a link to, do you have any idea why a city like St Louis somehow didn't make the top 50 list when it comes to violent crimes or homicide rates per 100,000?

You did a great review of Alexandria, my Dad and his brother were both Architects and Dad settled in Baton Rouge and Uncle Joe in Alexandria. Uncle Joe and his Sons did a great deal to create beautiful buildings in Alexandria. I am from Baton Rouge and the joke is anyone who lives north of I-10 is a Yankee wait till you see the difference in Lafayette Cajun is alive there and the surrounding areas. I laughed at you talking about the football game, a lot of people were happy to see Nick Saban throwing a fit on the sidelines when Alabama got beat by Tennessee

Been living in Alexandria since 2005. I have not seen or experienced crime. Have heard of crime but not to the extent of being 9th in the USA. one thing I have always wondered. Why it's citizens have in a way abandoned the city. It's a great potential area to be a tourist heaven! It just needs to be discovered and not let it go to ruins. I live in the Garden District close to the zoo which some people consider it a unsafe area. The city needs motivation to make it a great place to visit. Overall I loved the video!

Thx for so many tours of fascinating places!

Good video. Thumbs up for this one.

I love how he said it was still summer weather. It really was in the 80's Move a week forward to tonight. It's getting into the 30s

I wish you had mentioned the Tasting Room of Alexandria. It's run by the only whiskey sommelier of Louisiana. It's so wild to see someone touring Alexandria. I came upon your video in my recommendations. It's so interesting to see an outsiders perspective.

I go to school right there in downtown, pretty neat to see you walking the route I drive literally every day lol. I eat my lunch on the levee all the time

Great vid, keep 'em coming!!!!

The geographical center of the state is right across that bridge in Pineville in the veterans' cemetery.

Hotel Bentley! If my memory serves me correct, was built by a guy who was turned away from a fancy hotel for being too dirty after a long day of work. So he decided to build one himself, he tiled everything by hand, and had a relatively small construction team for the size of the place. You can find his “signature” blue tile, only one on the entire floor. Edit: overall, people are scared of the town, but if you stick to the right people, and don’t get yourself in a situation where you could be in trouble, you’ll be fine. Only thing about Cenla (Local name for Alexandria, Central Louisiana) is that if you walk at night alone, regardless of if you’re a man or a woman, someone might try to mug you. People will leave you alone if you have dogs, or travel in groups greater than 2. I’ve never once been pickpocketed, nor do I know anyone that has been.

Monroe is number 2 and it really is no bigger than Alexandria is chilling"too me to hear the only Northeast Louisiana City at that ranking which is one of the most beautiful city that sits along the Ouachita River and the wonderful bayou (NE) that's surrounds the area with the pecon and oak trees lining the road ways and boulevard it's so much talent and so much history in this city it's unbelievable may my City get the people back she need to grass gane our glory back.... One city one future =Monroe proud.....

It is so sad to see how much potential Alexandria and surrounding areas have and to see it going downhill. I pray for a positive change. 9th most violent city. Lord help.

10:30 Saturday morning and not a soul to be seen! Some rather beautiful church architecture in the city and a remarkable difference between the "Haves" and the "Have nots". I could say more but I will refrain. All very interesting to watch and thank you for sharing it.

There’s just something special about the south and the people. The houses remind me of the book & movie To Kill A Mockingbird.

Folks have been leaving Alex for Pineville and other outlying areas. Crime has been a driving factor.

shit, I live right off Rapids Avenue. I just heard shots pop off 30 minutes ago. It's definitely rough around here.

Im from there and its sad that its known for that I just keep praying for my city cuzz only God can help them

I am from Alex, and I don't miss anything about it. I've been gone from there for 19yrs and I barley wanna come back to visit family.

At 3:06 the open building you were in is our farmer’s market

I grew up there. Nothing going on there with skyrocketing crime. Moved to Lafayette area.

I thought they would try the Pitt Grill!

I noticed there are a few more out there traveling the nation.. I like your channel the best, it's much more interesting,

My hometown. Saw a lot of my own artwork on those walls downtown. Alexandria really is like the wild west though, it's the dark heart of Louisiana,it's the crossroads . And everyone knows the devil likes to linger at the crossroads.

The writing on the wall art iminates life the message is clear

You were in Pine Bluff recently. That's a notoriously dangerous city.

Where are the people? Are they afraid to come out?

Another great video! 👍

Lord Spoda… This is my hometown Pineville Louisiana and Alexandria. I couldn’t believe you were reviewing it I sent it to my wife right away. Pineville is a lot better than Alexandria as far as crime it is across the river. If you’re in Pineville you don’t go to Alexandria after dark. Did you try Johnny’s pizza or Lou and Laura’s shrimp Po boys.

Lafayette i used to live there. you gotta go to Best Stop grocery in nearby Scott La. Their boudin "pork and rice sausage" is AWESOME. i just ate 2 smoked links yesterday. soo very awsome wow it is good. The best food in all of Louisiana is in that area. You can get better food in a grocery stores deli than in most fine restaurants in other parts of the state. oh BTW Deano pizza is #1 ranked pizza in the state and i agree. i used to live there. just thinking about Lafayette makes my mouth water