Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
“I don’t want to hear anything about ‘Ascend’ when my people are descending... What do we think these people are going to come and do for us? We have people who have lived here for generations and generations who are hungry and can’t get a livable wage or health care. When are we ever going to take care of our own?” - Danielle Walker, state House delegate for Morgantown
McDowell County (Welch) is tied for having the lowest life-expectancy in the entire U.S., (according to USA Today newspaper). This year, they closed the local Wal-Mart. I spent a week there repairing homes with Habitat for Humanity.
There are plans to eventually extend a new limited-access highway to Welch from the city of Beckley, but it will be long decades in coming. So far the new highway is open only from Beckley to Mullens, WV.
Last edited by slowlane3; 07-11-2021 at 02:22 PM..
I've asked the same question because West Virginia is a gorgeous state, but then I traveled across the state and realized the problems. There are a few reasons why...
Geography is West Virginia's biggest obstacle. The state simply isn't built to sustain a lot of development. Flat terrain is rare in West Virginia, and one of the only areas in the state that is relatively flat is the I-64 corridor between Charleston and Huntington, which has already been developed and suburbanized. Southern West Virginia (south of Charleston) is more mountainous and rural, it would be very hard to develop that part of the state.
Politics could be another reason why very few people are moving into the state. West Virginia is extremely conservative, and I doubt that progressive-leaning people would want to live there. It also isn't very diverse at all, and West Virginia's economy isn't strong enough to attract transplants, although people could potentially work remote.
In addition, West Virginia is far from booming metros, which also ties back to geography. Charlotte is the closest major city to southern West Virginia (Roanoke and Winston-Salem are closer but smaller), and Charlotte folks would most-likely move to the North Carolina or Virginia mountains before West Virginia. Pittsburgh is close to northern West Virginia, but I don't think Pittsburgh is growing fast enough to impact West Virginia. At least not yet. Columbus and Cincinnati are similar, both aren't far from West Virginia but they're far enough way to not have any impact on the state.
Finally, West Virginia is pretty isolated, or at least southern West Virginia is isolated. If you're driving up from southwest Virginia or North Carolina, there's really only one highway into the state (I-77), and you have to drive through two tunnels (carved into mountains) before you get into West Virginia. It's not the easiest drive.
I wish places like West Virginia could see more growth, and maybe it will someday, but I don't think it will happen soon.
Last edited by costellopresley82; 07-11-2021 at 07:51 PM..
I've asked the same question because West Virginia is a gorgeous state, but then I traveled across the state and realized the problems. There are a few reasons why...
Geography is West Virginia's biggest obstacle. The state simply isn't built to sustain a lot of development. Flat terrain is rare in West Virginia, and one of the only areas in the state that is relatively flat is the I-64 corridor between Charleston and Huntington, which has already been developed and suburbanized. Southern West Virginia (south of Charleston) is more mountainous and rural, it would be very hard to develop that part of the state.
Politics could be another reason why very few people are moving into the state. West Virginia is extremely conservative, and I doubt that progressive-leaning people would want to live there. It also isn't very diverse at all, and West Virginia's economy isn't strong enough to attract transplants, although people could potentially work remote.
In addition, West Virginia is far from booming metros, which also ties back to geography. Charlotte is the closest major city to southern West Virginia (Roanoke and Winston-Salem are closer but smaller), and Charlotte folks would most-likely move to the North Carolina or Virginia mountains before West Virginia. Pittsburgh is close to northern West Virginia, but I don't think Pittsburgh is growing fast enough to impact West Virginia. At least not yet. Columbus and Cincinnati are similar, both aren't far from West Virginia but they're far enough way to not have any impact on the state.
Finally, West Virginia is pretty isolated, or at least southern West Virginia is isolated. If you're driving up from southwest Virginia or North Carolina, there's really only one highway into the state (I-77), and you have to drive through two tunnels (carved into mountains) before you get into West Virginia. It's not the easiest drive.
I wish places like West Virginia could see more growth, and maybe it will someday, but I don't think it will happen soon.
The only portions of WV really growing at all are North Central WV, which includes Morgantown and the Eastern Panhandle. With the latter, a portion is actually in the Washington DC metro area(Jefferson County), with much of the rest being located in the Martinsburg(WV)-Hagerstown(MD), Winchester VA-WV and Cumberland MD-WV metro areas.
The only portions of WV really growing at all are North Central WV, which includes Morgantown and the Eastern Panhandle. With the latter, a portion is actually in the Washington DC metro area(Jefferson County), with much of the rest being located in the Martinsburg(WV)-Hagerstown(MD), Winchester VA-WV and Cumberland MD-WV metro areas.
Those are the only two areas with potential, yeah. If places like Loudon County, Virginia in the D.C. metro are growing, then the Eastern Panhandle should be impacted in the near future. Also, Morgantown (or possibly Wheeling) could potentially serve as a Pittsburgh suburb, but I still think Pittsburgh's metro needs to grow more for that to happen.
The rest of the state is going to take longer to grow. Geographically, Charleston is a really cool city and almost looks like a smaller Pittsburgh, but it feels like a city that is stuck in the past and needs to be revitalized. Huntington might have a little more potential, but it has suffered from similar issues in the past.
It's sad, but the majority of West Virginia basically combines the worst aspects from Appalachia and the Rust Belt. In other words, rural poverty combined with the loss of industrial jobs. I'd like to see more tourism in West Virginia, though. I know there's a ski resort off I-77 near Beckley, and I'm sure it's a great state for hiking and other outdoor activities.
Honestly, Revitalization is barking up the wrong tree. Consolidation is the better route than growing rural hollers of a bygone coal mining time. The cities are still losing population, so an influx of former rural residents would help keep populations stable. The terrain of the area is too rugged to feasibly add new development that comes with water, sewer, fiber, electricity... The WFH crowd that would be the potential new residents is going to move to small cities, not po dunk towns of 243 residents. The state of WV is covered in valleys with po dunk towns everywhere with a ton of rural residents.
I'm sure they enjoy their rural 40 acres, but the only reason they're able to enjoy their private woodlands is milking development subsidies from their tax paying city dwellers.
Coal is dead and it left a terrible mark on the landscape of WV and KY. How's the progress on restoring these old mining fields and the water quality in the streams below? Mining areas can be restored to tourist towns, Breckenridge CO is a perfect example of polluted mess of tailings that got revitalized when people put in the money to actually do restoration.
If WV wants tourists, it has to have public land for outdoor rec. The state lags quite a bit in public land. The terrain is a lot more rugged than the Rockies are with the flat meadows in between peaks out there, but western states have a lot more public land. The southern part of the state down into eastern KY should really be taken back into public land as a new national forest.
Those are the only two areas with potential, yeah. If places like Loudon County, Virginia in the D.C. metro are growing, then the Eastern Panhandle should be impacted in the near future. Also, Morgantown (or possibly Wheeling) could potentially serve as a Pittsburgh suburb, but I still think Pittsburgh's metro needs to grow more for that to happen.
The rest of the state is going to take longer to grow. Geographically, Charleston is a really cool city and almost looks like a smaller Pittsburgh, but it feels like a city that is stuck in the past and needs to be revitalized. Huntington might have a little more potential, but it has suffered from similar issues in the past.
It's sad, but the majority of West Virginia basically combines the worst aspects from Appalachia and the Rust Belt. In other words, rural poverty combined with the loss of industrial jobs. I'd like to see more tourism in West Virginia, though. I know there's a ski resort off I-77 near Beckley, and I'm sure it's a great state for hiking and other outdoor activities.
The Eastern Panhandle has actual growth in at least a few counties like Jefferson, Berkeley and Morgan counties.
I live in PA Appalachia. In a area too far from the Philly and NYC metro. They are far from the heyday when Corporate America had jobs for all and mills in every city. When America made its own clothing and shoes, shirts and dresses etc. Some of Appalachia PA is in Coal country too far from King today.
Old-stock homes extremely cheap Finding a $12,000 would be more a small interior of a black row-home that probably needs upgrades for sure.... but there are such for someone on the poorer side and perhaps can do their own work fix things up more and more and no HOA's ever. Even for Apartments in this region in general also.
Most of course will be more in the $25,000 to $45,000 range for a larger old-stock home perhaps a half/double duplex home. These are DEPRESSED AREAS not that they have nothing.... like my hometown. Some great restaurants and craft beer bars to other bars and clubs.
You're thinking in very small terms. Sure land/housing is cheap, but to what end? You still need income if you're going to take care of a family (and yourself), and it's pretty hard to max out a 401k and/or invest in anything on the kind of incomes found in rural areas. They're rural for a reason. Add in lack of amenities and even some basic services and these areas are in for a rough time going forward.
Nothing will be fixed unless investors can see ROI, and that won't happen without jobs in the area. Corporate America isn't going to move in because they won't be able to find the kind of workforce they need locally.
I've been to Welch. I passed through it on the way to Coalwood, inspired to visit it by the movie October Sky. The first time I went there was while the movie was still playing, and there were actually several others who were there the same time I was. So, yeah, Coalwood (and, more remotely, Welch) did benefit from a short-lived tourism boom. I went there again three years ago. My family were the only tourists for miles in any direction. We stopped for lunch in Coalwood's only functioning business, a gas station/convenience store/deli. The people were friendly, as has been my consistent experience in West Virginia. But Coalwood is basically dead, and so is Welch. And with coal pretty much gone, and no tourist infrastructure, and many miles of back roads before you get to a real highway, I don't see it coming back.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
