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 agree once WV stops all of this coal nonsense the state might start to get somewhere. Coal is done, especially in WV. It's over. They are mining out west in states like Wyoming where it's more cost effective.
Trump can do very little for the coal industry that will help WV and honestly if you're in one of those counties that completely relies on coal, you just need to move.
WV also has a drug abuse problem that I don't see the corporate shill cronyism governor worrying about of course.
All successful states rely on their urban areas and tourist areas for their economy unless they have a vast acreage of farmland and livestock.
WV is wasting time, energy, and money on this ridiculous coal tradition. If those counties have nothing to bring to the table other than coal then they are holding the state back. Just drop a bomb on them and start all over, plant some trees, put in a zip line, plant some herb, release some wildlife so they procreate, etc.
A lot of people aren't very knowledgeable about the states in general some people don't even know West Virginia is a state they think it's still all one state Virginia. I talked to someone in western PA one time that didn't even know where Ohio was...this person was an American, not an immigrant. I was dumbfounded.
People believe in stereotypes because they aren't very smart or well traveled. There is people in other countries that know more about the US states than many Americans do.
I remember the story of how Pat White's mom had no clue WV was a state and thought he was going to college in Virginia somewhere.
The point of my comment is better expressed in the second post I made. Southern WV shouldn't be the whipping boy of Appalachia and have to bear the responsibility for the stereotypes that people have about WV and Appalachia as a whole. Go to just about any part of the region and you can find significant numbers of people who fit the stereotype. It isn't a "coalfield" thing and I have a hard time believing anyone doesn't understand that deep down.
I'll add that stereotypes frequently are true, which is why they have tenacity and sticking power. They just aren't true for all individuals, and the negative connotation of the stereotype (that people who fit the mold most just awful human beings) is the real issue that should be addressed. There is no shame in being poor, and people who the world judge as "ignorant" because of a lack of formal education/experience outside their home county, are frequently treasure troves of information about what they DO know, their own home place, their family, themselves.
^^^ I agree once WV stops all of this coal nonsense the state might start to get somewhere. Coal is done, especially in WV. It's over. They are mining out west in states like Wyoming where it's more cost effective.
Trump can do very little for the coal industry that will help WV and honestly if you're in one of those counties that completely relies on coal, you just need to move.
WV also has a drug abuse problem that I don't see the corporate shill cronyism governor worrying about of course.
All successful states rely on their urban areas and tourist areas for their economy unless they have a vast acreage of farmland and livestock.
As long as there is coal in the ground, and there are people with money who own it, at some point that coal will come out of the ground. It might be ten years before that happens, but it will happen. Wall Street investors only appear to be betting on one energy source against the other, because of supply and demand issues and their ability to often manipulate those variables, but they are going to make money on all those resources when the situation presents itself. While it is true that western coal is more cost effective to mine at this time, and most of the coal in our southern coalfield counties has been depleted in any event, there is still plenty of economically minable underground coal in West Virginia, and the Rockefellers, Soros, Justice, Raeses, and many other wealthy folks who invest heavily in the energy sectors will at some point bring it out of the ground and sell it.
They're sitting on it or now to bring about more pressure on the UMWA in order to reduce their cost factors, and waiting for demand factors to adjust themselves in the energy marketplace. That said, it is always a poor policy to hedge all of an area's bets on any one industry. Diversification is always the backbone of a lasting healthy economy, because there will always be ebbs and floes in operations in any one economic driver.
West Virginia lost 12,780 residents, 0.7% of the total population, from the 2016 to 2017 Census population estimates.
On a related note, Idaho saw a population increase of 2.2%, 36,917 new residents in the same time period. IF these trends continue, at the 2020 Census, Idaho will pass West Virginia in total population and WV will most likely lose a seat in the US House of Representatives.
As a visitor in Oct. driving to Philadelphia, we spent the night in Huntington and then had a fabulous breakfast at First Watch in downtown Charleston ( WOW, love that food!!) . People were so friendly and we really saw the beauty of WV. It was also interesting to pass through Morgantown as WVU plays many of our Texas teams in the Big 12. It was a treat to see your beautiful state and so much of what you see on the news doesn't accurately portray your great state. I would like to go back and explore more of it. I have been to Vermont and I would rather spend my money in VW rather than Vermont. :-)
Thanks for the kind words. If you get the chance to come back, head over to the Canaan Valley/Seneca Rocks/Spruce Knob region of the state. You won't be disappointed.
Yep, but just like many states like WV or Maine or other older age pop states, WV just goes to show that the millennials (whatever they are to us geezers born prior 1970) think they can make huge bucks elsewhere, & abandon perhaps even towns or their state where they were born & grewup. I think the schools should aid in helping recruit & the Universities/Colleges, along w/ businesses, should try to collaborate to bring job seekers back & boost WV's economy.
Just how to do it remains a hard mess but I'm sure think-tank folks in Morgantown, Wheeling, Charleston & even the eastern panhandle -- should meet w/ school reps to discuss this, as the ONLY solution to future pop issues & loss of good employees. This is all to keep the WV economy anywhere near solvent or afloat & to try to meet state budget deficits in the future.
As a visitor in Oct. driving to Philadelphia, we spent the night in Huntington and then had a fabulous breakfast at First Watch in downtown Charleston ( WOW, love that food!!) . People were so friendly and we really saw the beauty of WV. It was also interesting to pass through Morgantown as WVU plays many of our Texas teams in the Big 12. It was a treat to see your beautiful state and so much of what you see on the news doesn't accurately portray your great state. I would like to go back and explore more of it. I have been to Vermont and I would rather spend my money in VW rather than Vermont. :-)
Glad you enjoyed it! You are welcome back anytime.
The population has dropped about 1 percent since 2010. The state needs to focus on a few key areas and develop them as much as possible.
Trying to save coal country is a lost cause it's never coming back... these are the facts of the matter.
People living in those counties just need to move, before they have kids.
Coal will be back because the wealthy either own or control it. That is only part of the problem though. Much of our state is populated with older, often unhealthy folks. They die off at a faster rate than the birthrate, which is a primary reason the population is declining in many parts of the state. You can't turn back the hands of time, and there is no way to make the elderly younger. Efforts can be made to improve health outcomes, which would help stem the loss of population.
Much of the problem with state government involves a failure to invest in the most promising ventures and areas, thus they fail to maximize potential. When they p*ss money down the drain building expressways to abandoned strip pits, and pouring millions into economic black holes, they are inhibiting growth and actually adding to the burden in the future. What they actually need to do is focus on shifting paradigms in places like the coalfields, getting people to buy into the notion that retraining for other endeavors is worthwhile. The mindset in those areas places little value in education... perhaps for good reason. In the experience of many there, they associate higher education with the sociology graduates they see who work for state government and with school teachers. Since a coal miner makes a lot more money than those folks, they see little reason to aspire to take those paths. They need to be exposed to some additional alternatives.
In the meantime, government funding should be appropriated to projects for which there is demonstrated demand and need.
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.
