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I grew up in WV, living in Beckley, Charleston, and Martinsburg. I graduated high school in WV. I've lived in California, Texas, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, and Florida.
Let me tell you, when I go back to WV to visit family, it's very friendly but there are times I get this distinct feeling that I'm being gawked at. In some of the more rural areas, I've quite literally seen slack jawed yokels staring at me (mouth open and all). It's pretty rude of them and I can see why there are steriotypes or why people in WV feel like others are laughing at them. What are you supposed to do when some doofus is watching your every move? It makes people feel uncomfortable.
As far as the stereotypes and jokes that are so pervasive, I'd encourage people to take a trip out west. WV is a huge joke on the East coast, especially in Ohio and NY. Further West, especially once you cross the Mississippi River, those jokes disappear completely. People in Texas make jokes about Arkansas and Oklahoma (mostly Arkansas though). Forget the jokes, I can't even tell you the number of people I spoke to in CA that didn't even know that West Virginia was even a state!
You couldn't pay me to live in WV and I was probably 7th or 8th generation native. I can think back 5 without even consulting the family tree.
Strange how subjective things are....
I grew up in Cali.....and was just there last weekend for a funeral and will/trust reading. I paid 4.48 a gallon for regular. Paid 1.30 in sales tax for a 13 dollar hamburger and fries at Denny's that would have cost 8 and some change in WV. Stayed at my sister's 875k 3800sqft junk tract home--with nearly 10k in yearly property taxes--- that prolly cost about 90k in materials to build.
The enormous weather tax, the cloaked progressive culture, and Alice Waters themed foodie scene in the west just isn't worth the asking price in my humble opinion. Great to be back with the slack-jawed cobbs, and most importantly... the good old-fashioned value WV represents..
I grew up in Cali.....and was just there last weekend for a funeral and will/trust reading. I paid 4.48 a gallon for regular. Paid 1.30 in sales tax for a 13 dollar hamburger and fries at Denny's that would have cost 8 and some change in WV. Stayed at my sister's 875k 3800sqft junk tract home--with nearly 10k in yearly property taxes--- that prolly cost about 90k in materials to build.
The enormous weather tax, the cloaked progressive culture, and Alice Waters themed foodie scene in the west just isn't worth the asking price in my humble opinion. Great to be back with the slack-jawed cobbs, and most importantly... the good old-fashioned value WV represents..
I agree 100%. At the same time, there is no more beautiful place on earth than the area between Monterey and San Luis Obispo ... Carmel, 17 Mile Drive, CA Hwy 1, and the spectacular coastal vistas.
I love WV and retired to it's gem... Morgantown, and I believe the Gulf Coast is spectacular. Most of my family is east of the Mississippi, but I really couldn't blame anybody for paying extra to live on the Central California coast.
As far as the stereotypes and jokes that are so pervasive, I'd encourage people to take a trip out west. WV is a huge joke on the East coast, especially in Ohio and NY. Further West, especially once you cross the Mississippi River, those jokes disappear completely. People in Texas make jokes about Arkansas and Oklahoma (mostly Arkansas though). Forget the jokes, I can't even tell you the number of people I spoke to in CA that didn't even know that West Virginia was even a state!
That is funny. I lived in Scott Depot and St. Albans, WV in the 1970s and then moved to Cincinnati in 1980. I do not see how anyone in Ohio could make fun of WV when the southern half of Ohio is really no different that the part of WV I used to live in. Half of my neighbors from my WV days were from mostly east coast states, mainly NY and NJ.
I grew up in Cali.....and was just there last weekend for a funeral and will/trust reading. I paid 4.48 a gallon for regular. Paid 1.30 in sales tax for a 13 dollar hamburger and fries at Denny's that would have cost 8 and some change in WV. Stayed at my sister's 875k 3800sqft junk tract home--with nearly 10k in yearly property taxes--- that prolly cost about 90k in materials to build.
Try living in the bay area of Ca. My bother-in-law's dumpy 1400 square foot house in Half Moon Bay is valued at about $875,000.
CTMountaineer here in the Charleston area it seems that its just someone's values and views that matter, not where they're from and everything in between and including Charleston and Huntington and up to Ripley has many interconnections. I live in a rural part of Kanawha County and many people refer to Nick Casey as the "rich liberal lawyer" and would be more comfortable with a down to Earth, Christian guy from somewhere else.
You're the one who brought Jay up, so I guess you should have posted it on that forum then since it wasn't germane to the conversation to begin with. Winthrup and Nelson didn't work for the "family business" either. They were politically involved to advance the interests of the family business, just as (in my opinion as you pointed out) was nephew Jay. Amma was his way to work his way into the system, but if you want to believe (your opinion) that he simply picked West Virginia out of a hat and came here to be nice, and that it is just a coincidence that this is an energy rich state and his family is energy intensive in investments, that is your business. I don't believe political party had a thing to do with this. He would have been (in my opinion) a socialist or a Tea Party person if it would have bought him a governorship or a 2% stake in control of national politics in a state where his family had huge energy interests.
In any event, back to the topic at hand. Jay, Miley, and now Mooney are examples of people coming here from outside of our state who were able to attain prominence in spite of their place of origin and they provide evidence that it really isn't a significant issue here. The reference group society issue is restricted to a particular small community level, and has little effect once one moves outside those circles. Our state is divided into 5 very different regions in any event, and someone from one of them considers somebody from another to be just as much an outsider as someone from New York or Mississippi. If you live in Bluefield, and you are going to be voting for somebody who is out of that region anyway, it isn't going to matter to you whether they are from Chester, Martinsburg, or from Maryland.
So I guess there IS some truth in that the "reference group" mentality in some southern counties contributed to Earl Ray Tomblin's victory and that many people voted for him simply because he is from there. I wonder if this is the same mentality that got Obama 95% of the black vote or when a legal Hispanic supports illegal immigration because of some kind of personal identification because they are voting for "one of their own".
Mooney was able to win the primary, but the fact remains that Reed and Lane ran ads criticizing his out of state background and tried to make it an issue. So if there wasn't any basis in that they wouldn't have tried this. I'm also very sure Nick Casey will do the same as the general election approaches.
CTMountaineer here in the Charleston area it seems that its just someone's values and views that matter, not where they're from and everything in between and including Charleston and Huntington and up to Ripley has many interconnections. I live in a rural part of Kanawha County and many people refer to Nick Casey as the "rich liberal lawyer" and would be more comfortable with a down to Earth, Christian guy from somewhere else.
As I said, I don't think where someone comes from is all that much of an issue. I have a hunch since you're from rural Kanawha, the first preference would be that down to earth guy be from rural Kanawha, but since such a candidate isn't available from rural Kanawha you folks would be fine with such a person if he were from New Jersey. Originating from Maryland is not the issue.
That is funny. I lived in Scott Depot and St. Albans, WV in the 1970s and then moved to Cincinnati in 1980. I do not see how anyone in Ohio could make fun of WV when the southern half of Ohio is really no different that the part of WV I used to live in. Half of my neighbors from my WV days were from mostly east coast states, mainly NY and NJ.
I worked in Columbus for a good part of last year. While I enjoyed my time there, I found out that they did not care for Kentucky. West Virginia received jokes too, but they had a weird hate for Kentucky. I imagine it's worse closer to Cincinnati.
From a personal perspective, some of the my relatives from Shinnston and Mannington, WV and nearby Greene County, PA moved to Akron to work at Goodyear and some of the other factories and the teasing was intense. It was worse for the WV relatives. But this was the 1940's-1950's.
It is true that over 1/3 of Ohio is Appalachian, but for some reason, they liked to pick on KY and WV. Even Pennsylvania gets some of the hillbilly jokes too. Residents of Appalachian Ohio even joke on KY and WV. You know it's bad when someone from STEUBENVILLE makes fun the Mountain State.
For the most part, atleast in north-central West Virginia, they don't care you're from. Morgantown is already diverse with students and residents from all over the eastern states. Clarksburg/Bridgeport area has former residents from the DC area and I don't remember anyone having any problems with the new residents.
I just spent the last week working out of our Rochester, NY office. While many of the people were aware that WV is a small rural state with an image problem, nobody personally held it against me in any way. In fact, I was very impressed with the hospitality I received in the Finger Lakes area, and hope I can return the favor if/when some of them come to visit Huntington/Charleston.
I just spent the last week working out of our Rochester, NY office. While many of the people were aware that WV is a small rural state with an image problem, nobody personally held it against me in any way. In fact, I was very impressed with the hospitality I received in the Finger Lakes area, and hope I can return the favor if/when some of them come to visit Huntington/Charleston.
New York is really like two distinct states. Upstate NY (my wife is from there... Schenectady), is actually Midwestern in character. That is the area from Albany to the north and west. Downstate (NYC and environs) is much less hospitable even though it is far more "diverse". Upstate is conservative, with parts of it being the most conservative part of our country (more so than Alabama). Downstate is wacko city. The two areas are in perpetual conflict politically, and Upstate residents resent having to support the entitlement mindset Downstate. You will find visits to Upstate being like visiting Columbus. When you go to The City... make sure to keep your hand on your wallet.
When those Rochester folks visit you in Huntington or Charleston, they will be gracious guests just as I'm certain you were when you visited them. Upstaters are terrific folks. I know I plan to keep my wife.
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