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No political corruption in Wheeling? Just because they don't have coal (and dead voters voting) doesn't mean they don't have corruption, especially people with ties to the legacy families in the area (or so I've been told). But, yeah, it can't be as bad as the South, that's for sure.
Going back to the original article, it is clear that due to the short-sightedness of most of the local governments in the coalfields, they won't be able to diversify their economies fast enough to soften the coming blow at the end of the decade. Morgantown will continue its torrid pace of growth with the increased focus on research and technology as well as the booming healthcare industry. As road projects continue in the EP, the Washington sprawl will continue to flood into those counties. And as natural gas secondary industries (see: fractionators, crackers, other chemical plants) expand, coupled with local universities and community colleges increasing their natural gas trade education, more WV workers will be skilled enough to work in state, providing for permanent jobs and residents in the NP down to Parkersburg. Heck, even Huntington and Charleston are stabilizing their populations and are primed for growth.
The southern counties? The population decline we witnessed in the last decade will be even worse this current decade. The urban areas in the state and northern/eastern counties will grow, probably more than they have the last 10 years, while the coalfields will lose more and more people. The balance of power in Charleston has already shifted a good bit, and it will only continue to in the future. The days of the state government and economy being hamstrung by the coal industry are numbered, and it's about time.
Note - this isn't an attack on all things coal. It provides cheap (albeit dirty) electricity, good-paying jobs (albeit dangerous), and is still the backbone of our economy. We can't simply quit coal cold turkey, nor should we ever quit coal totally - that is, unless renewables reach coal electricity prices. This is all about diversification of the economy, not replacing one industry with another.
I agree with most of what you're saying here. One thing though is that it seems to be characteristic of the I64 corridor to expect the rest of the state to do it for them. They already have infrastructure in place there designed for far larger populations than currently found there, but they want their old industrial buildings rennovated at taxpayer expense in largely futile attempts to create demand rather than respond to it. In the meantime, areas where there is demonstrated demand struggle with inadequate infrastructure in areas that are explicitly the state's responsibility to provide.
The southern politicos (as havoc has pointed out) are trying to hamper development in the north even though their own area holds much less promise. They are doing this even though the overall effect on the state as a whole is a negative one in order to try to keep political control and keep the pork flowing into their declining areas. Look at Fayette County, for example, where a previous administration spent $160 million (when that was worth a lot more than it is today) to build an unnecessary prison complex on the Governor's relative's farm. In spite of that wasteful pork, the local economy there continues a downward trend. You simply can not truly stimulate an economy long term with trickle down government.
No political corruption in Wheeling? Just because they don't have coal (and dead voters voting) doesn't mean they don't have corruption, especially people with ties to the legacy families in the area (or so I've been told). But, yeah, it can't be as bad as the South, that's for sure.
Going back to the original article, it is clear that due to the short-sightedness of most of the local governments in the coalfields, they won't be able to diversify their economies fast enough to soften the coming blow at the end of the decade. Morgantown will continue its torrid pace of growth with the increased focus on research and technology as well as the booming healthcare industry. As road projects continue in the EP, the Washington sprawl will continue to flood into those counties. And as natural gas secondary industries (see: fractionators, crackers, other chemical plants) expand, coupled with local universities and community colleges increasing their natural gas trade education, more WV workers will be skilled enough to work in state, providing for permanent jobs and residents in the NP down to Parkersburg. Heck, even Huntington and Charleston are stabilizing their populations and are primed for growth.
The southern counties? The population decline we witnessed in the last decade will be even worse this current decade. The urban areas in the state and northern/eastern counties will grow, probably more than they have the last 10 years, while the coalfields will lose more and more people. The balance of power in Charleston has already shifted a good bit, and it will only continue to in the future. The days of the state government and economy being hamstrung by the coal industry are numbered, and it's about time.
Note - this isn't an attack on all things coal. It provides cheap (albeit dirty) electricity, good-paying jobs (albeit dangerous), and is still the backbone of our economy. We can't simply quit coal cold turkey, nor should we ever quit coal totally - that is, unless renewables reach coal electricity prices. This is all about diversification of the economy, not replacing one industry with another.
Actually, the Wheeling area has more minable coal than almost any place south of Sutton.
Actually, the Wheeling area has more minable coal than almost any place south of Sutton.
Yes, the south is spent and exhausted. The future is in the North. With the growth of the North the power will shift their, and finally WV will be lifted out of poverty. All those southerners who are against this now will learn how wrong they are when our leadership helps them too, and they will realize how brainwashed they are.
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