To The Jerk Youtuber Who Unfairly Trashed Augusta, Maine

I love a good debate.  Even if there is no way someone's argument is going to make me change my mind, I love hearing why other people believe one way or the other.  However, if you are going to make an argument for or against something, please have your facts straight.

Over the weekend, I stumbled across a video that really ticked me off.  The Youtube video was on the channel of a Florida couple who spend a lot of time traveling all over the place.

On their way back from a trip to Canada, they made a stop in Central Maine.  Based on the vehicles in the lot at our offices (yes, they rolled through our parking lot) it was pretty clear that they were in town on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.  After eating at a local chain restaurant, they made a 30 minute video about Augusta.  During the video, which was done while they drove around town, they did nothing but trash our area.

Check out the video here:

After watching the video, I could write a novel responding to the comments made by Jose and Katie (mostly Jose, though).  Instead, I am going to respond to some of the more infuriating and ignorant comments made in the video.

Augusta's population has not grown in 80 years

This is far from being accurate.  Like many towns and cities that are going through changes, the population of Augusta has ebbed and flowed.  As a recovering mill town, the city did see a drop in population following the closure of the mills, but it has not nosedived as it has in some places.  According to the latest census data, the city did have fewer residents in 2020 than it did in 1940.  However, the population peaked in 1970 with nearly 22,000 residents.  The 2020 estimate put Augusta's population at about 18,900.  We are pretty sure that the city's population spiked in late 2020 and 2021 due to the people from Boston, New York, etc moving to Maine during the pandemic.  In fact, according to the Maine Demographics website, the population in 2022 was estimated to be 19,066.

Downtown was a ghost town

As this video was taken at about 8:30 PM on a Sunday evening in May, it does not surprise me that town was not really slammed with people.  That being said, there was still a really good crowd taking advantage of our downtown Augusta restaurants and bars.  Had they visited Commercial Street, I am pretty sure that they would not have seen an empty parking spot.

Residents walking and biking

In various parts of the video, you completely contradict yourself.  At 15 minutes into the video, you complain that in other places (like Canada) you'd see people walking and jogging on a nice evening.  However, at about 25 minutes into the video, you see a group of teens walking and biking and immediately comment that they must be a "gang".

The personal hygiene of Augusta's residents

I am not entirely sure how you were raised, but my parents always taught me to be kind to everyone.  And, that you never really know what other people are going through.  Based on the part of town you were in when you made the comment about people's personal hygiene, there is a good chance that you were commenting about some of our unhoused.  The fact that you are making fun of the HOMELESS really tells us a lot about you.

Augusta's drug problem

In the video, you comment that the employees of the restaurant where you ate were probably all "high".  Uncalled for!  Yes, Maine has a drug problem and, sadly, we have more than our fair share of overdose deaths.  However, that does not mean that everyone is a drug addict.  The vast majority of our population is drug free.

Your poor experience at one of our restaurants

You spend much of the video trashing one of our chain restaurants.  You complained about the wait.  As someone who frequently travels, and seemingly lives in a more populated area (going on the fact you kept calling Augusta a "hick town"), you cannot tell me that you have never waited for a table at a restaurant.  Especially considering this video was taken over a holiday weekend.  On top of that, like most places throughout the country, there is a lack of workers.  Because of the lack of workers, sometimes service is slower than we'd expect.  As far as your wrong order and the foot that tasted like chemicals, did you think of sending it back?  Most restaurant managers want to make sure you are satisfied with your meal and had a good experience at the eatery.

Based on a skim of their channel, it looks like they had similar experiences in Lewiston and Portland.

Honestly, I am sad that you did not have a favorable experience during your visit to Central Maine.  Maybe next time, you should just stick to the I-95 until you get to the US / Canada border?

What is YOUR opinion of the video?  Do you agree with what Jose and Katie had to say?  Hit us with a message to give us your thoughts.