West Virgina -economical situation (Charleston, Parkersburg: jobs, health, college)

[LadyLinda]

Originally Posted by LadyLinda

The free breakfast and 1/2 price lunch has been in the system a long time. Some kids don't eat breakfast at home so their energy levels go down. That may be why they are well educated and make good grades. Mom tells me stories of the walking to school and having a biscuit from Mom's kitchen in their lunch bag. Things have improved.
I think MD has the breakfast now too.

I remember when I was in school, that from one small town or community, you move to a slightly larger are, they call you a hick. Funny. I went to grade school in Springfield, WV, ( a no-stoplight-town?) and had to go to Romney High School, (a a stop-light-town then now it has 2!) ANd we were called hicks because it was out of town. LOL Today that seems funny. They are both in the same county, 5 miles apart!

But our potatoes were mashed right in the small kitchen. Everything was cooked there. One of my classmates' Mom worked in the kitchen, and by the time I was in the 7th grade, they allowed us to go help in there if we wanted! (we went 8 yrs in grade school then in the 50's)
my Mom didn't always fix a large breakfast for jut me and she didn't eat breakfast. I usually had cereal. We had milk and 2 cookies though, midway through the morning. Usually homemade. Some of us brought the cookies.
Today, I am not sure the sugar was a good idea! But you need something to eat before noon in order to concentrate. I remember by the time we got to high school, we were a little ahead of the 'city kids' !! Our teachers could hug us, and call or parents, make little side notes on our report card... I usually got, Linda could do better if she didn't talk so much. Which always got me in trouble, now and then.

Times have changed now, of course, but those classmates are still there in most cases, some never left, or they came back. Now they are parents and grandparents of the children in the same schools. Well, they have nicer, larger building, but it isn't that much different. Parents and teachers still talk to each other and live in the same neighborhoods. The crime in these small towns are usually from the new folks who moved there from a big city. A dui is the bad news in the paper this week, or an obit.

Sorry, I am a mouthy one, I admit. Our teachers knew us so well!!

[harborlady]

aww heck linda, I grew up latchkey, mom was trying to raise us single and put herself through college in the 70's. we knew where the captain crunch was, learned early how to fend for ourselves. Handy skill to have IMO, no need for therapy.
small town charm- when my grandmother was living upstate ny in a town called chatham, she gave me directions referencing THE traffic light and THE rotary. It's nice to know some things don't change. THE diner is still the place to be after sunday service, and every december the town streets get dressed up as "It's a wonderful life". Sure, times change, people change, but the good stuff didn't get bulldozed to make room for the new.

[PeggyB]

I was born in WVA, left at age 9 because my father who was a coalminer died. Despite hard times nad poverty both my brother and I have graduate degrees. I still have family in WVA and never know such hard working people or people determined to better their lives. My husband and I return ea. summer to visit and vacation. If you want to really see 3rd world poverty try downtown Los Angeles. Poverty knows no state lines.
Peggy

[x1x]

If Wv is so bad? Then why do people want to move to Wv, Why do those who left want to move back? And why do those who live in Wv stay in Wv? Obviously the answer is West Virginia has what people wish for and they can't find it elsewhere!!!!!!.

[Plains10]

Originally Posted by tallylady46

I was looking through census reports and while there are some places in WV with 30-40% poverty rates, the overall rate is not anywhere near that (17%). The national average is 12%.

But if you want to judge a state based on its bad parts, what if I judged Indiana based on what I saw in Gary? Or Terre Haute? To be honest, after driving through Indiana, I did not get a great impression of that state, even after driving through the not so bad parts.

The county with the highest poverty rate in WV is McDowell County. Non-farm employment declined about 20% since the year 2000. I have driven through that area and it is very economically depressed.

[harborlady]

Originally Posted by PeggyB

I was born in WVA, left at age 9 because my father who was a coalminer died. Despite hard times nad poverty both my brother and I have graduate degrees. I still have family in WVA and never know such hard working people or people determined to better their lives. My husband and I return ea. summer to visit and vacation. If you want to really see 3rd world poverty try downtown Los Angeles. Poverty knows no state lines.
Peggy

amen peggy. lets not forget spiritually impoverished, morally bankrupt, emotionally deficient etc- many kinds of poverty out there, which benchmark counts more than money?
Truly third world is when a stray dog can't pick a trash can to find a meal. I've seen that in haiti and santa domingo. I've only seen pictures of ethiopia. Most americans have no idea how grateful they should be.

[David Kennedy]

A few years ago we helped an Ethiopian college student here...as a kid I was always fascinated with Halie Selassie, the Lion of Ethiopia..We were moving a Catholic Priest to the new digs we had built for him on campus.. He had a garage full of items gathered from dumpster dives...a hobby of his...
I had spent the idle time refinishing many pieces of furniture and such as we waited for the permits for the construction and he would not let me leave the area to do any other job as his was a high priority.

We had helped a few Afghans and Pakastanis and the word got out in the foreign underground that we had good stuff to give away.
Well a student in the same flop house 'Billie-Jo' lived in came over one morning and looked at the goods...He said,
"Billie-jo' has one pot"...I said, "What do you mean...Billie-Jo has one pot?" He said, "Come..See"...

Well Billie-Jo did have one pot...a 2 quart sauce pan...and she had a suitcase with her clothes...that was it...school had been in session for about 2 months...She slept on the carpet and boiled her rice in the pan...
This, other than her classes, was her existence.

Billie-jo was eurudite and spoke the kings english, she was 6' tall and carried herself like a queen. She was the Africa of nobility and I almost cried when I saw her situation.
I said, "We have some things for you.."
Complete bedroom set, living room set, towels and tableware and many pots and pans...we furnished her entire apartment. She would stop and say hello after that and when we began construction, she would walk out of her way to wave and walk by...
She has been the only Ethiopian that I can remember meeting...but I have a watchful eye...
If I have the opportunity to meet one of its citizens, I will not hesitate.
The Ethiopians are very special and their suffering is a religious suffering...they are protected..

[gdude]

Originally Posted by x1x

If Wv is so bad? Then why do people want to move to Wv, Why do those who left want to move back? And why do those who live in Wv stay in Wv? Obviously the answer is West Virginia has what people wish for and they can't find it elsewhere!!!!!!.

who would want to move to WV? with the way it is you are probably lying!
and WV doesnt have what people wish for

[x1x]

Originally Posted by gdude

who would want to move to WV? with the way it is you are probably lying!
and WV doesnt have what people wish for

My facts were taken from the Wv forum, and my personal experience living in WV for about 1 year. And FYI since I left I have bought land in WV and will be spending my last days there and I'm sure that I will enjoy them!!!! with people who are amenable and communicative...............

[Two-Rivers]

Excerpts from two articles in today's local newspaper:
W.Va. remains 49th in country in per capita income | Parkersburg News and Sentinel

PARKERSBURG — Although West Virginia remains at the bottom of the list in per capita income nationwide, there are still a number of benefits with the state’s low cost of living.

While West Virginia’s per capita income grew by more than $1,300 from 2006 to 2007, it still remained 49th in the country.

A U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis report released Wednesday showed West Virginia’s per capita income was $29,537 last year. That was trailed only by Mississippi’s figure of $28,845.

Both states also ranked 49th and 50th in 2006. ......


State schools rank high for tech | Parkersburg News and Sentinel

PARKERSBURG — West Virginia’s public schools received high marks for technology in a recent national report, but state and local officials say more remains to be done.

West Virginia’s school technology policies and implementation strategies were listed as among the best in the nation according to Technology Counts 2008: STEM, The Push to Improve Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. The state received an overall score of 95.3 on the report, which ranks West Virginia at the top of the class for its use of technology. ....