re: Life in West Virginia

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I went snow skiing about 25 years ago in WV. During the trip to the ski resort, through the mountains, I saw some extreme poverty. I didn’t realize anything like it existed in the US. It was a real eye opener. To this day I still remember this little girl we saw driving up the mountain. She had no shoes, barely any clothes and looked half starved, outside of what I’d describe as a lean to type of shack. I actually got choked up. I’ve lived a fairly good life. I’ve known poor people. But I wasn’t prepared for that.

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I last visited in 1995 for my great grandmothers funeral in Williamson. The country was absolutely beautiful but in a lot of ways it felt like time traveling back to an era I'd only seen in history books. Barefoot families in homespun overalls. Homes that wouldn't be considered decent sheds most other places. These people weren't the majority by any means but it was common.

To be fair, this was Mingo County, in the heart of coal country, and the economy had pretty much collapsed by that point. The people were friendly, and like I said, the area was beautiful, but the extreme poverty was no myth at that time.

I haven't been back since that visit but hopefully the situation has improved in Mingo County and the surrounding region. It's very easy to see why people are so in love with the land there.

Lets keep race out of this.

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I miss that reality show MTV did on the kids from West Virginia.

RIP Shane

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Come get you some Gandee Candy!

at least west virginia has the beautiful countryside. i love it.

but there is no place in america so desolate, so hopeless, so endless and ghostly because if its deep poverty, as the state of Mississippi's Delta region.

I suppose it's a lot like west virginia; only with endless plains of row crops instead of mountains. both are beautiful and ugly in their own way. the dichotomy is what sets these type areas apart from others.

The Greenbrier is nice. Thats all I got on WV

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You need to go down to Bayou Pigeon or Bayou Sorrel. They have sites like that along the bayous

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Or the Delta, except the folks would be a few shades darker.

My wife was born in Bluefield, WV. We go back there from time to time. At a family gathering her cousin who is in law enforcement or something in one of the areas near there, mentioned that during one of the incidents in one of the mines a while back, some miners were trapped.

Lo and behold, the Westboro Baptist idiots showed up to protest who knows what. They did this in the sight of the families whose loved ones were trapped in the mine.

The local Sheriff decided to pull the a fire truck in front of the Westboro Baptist idiots. Well Fred Phelps gets all indignant and tells the Sheriff that "he can't do that" and "we have a right to protest". The Sheriff tells Fred, "You are mistaken, I didn't pull this truck in front of you to protect them from you, this truck is to protect you from them". He said "you see these hills around here? I imagine that anyone of these would be a good place to take aim from. That fire truck will provide you a little protection but make no mistake, these people will send you to Jesus. As a matter of fact, I fully expect one of you to meet him before this day is over".

Her cousin said that at that point the Westboro Baptist morons lost all taste for protesting, packed up and left. I can tell you I've been all over and the folks in that part of the country are a rare breed and aren't like folks I've met anywhere else.

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Life is good here; the kind of life that's dead or dying elsewhere. The difference in the news from here and Birmingham is jarring

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My wife is from the Charleston area. There are two very different sides to WV. We spend a lot of time at their lake house in the summers and it’s awesome. But the towns (Huntington, Charleston, Beckley, etc.) are rough.

The drug addiction situation is real and very depressing to see. Her younger sister has had over 20 people from her graduating class OD and probably as many in jail. I’ve seen grandparents raising kids because the parents are nowhere to be found. Sad shite.

WV has the second shortest life expectancy next to Mississippi.

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There now for work. At a great gym called Amped. Where can I find a college coed to bang? Asking for a coworker.

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It’s been a while for me but I’m pretty sure the move is probably Moes to start, innisfree or side bar, and then nana funks til 6am.

WV is the epitome of the boondocks but very lush and beautiful. Just way too quiet