So what's the deal with Athens, Ohio? Why is it so poor?

My cousin went to Ohio University. I visited him there once. Not a lot going on in that town, industry wise, but it was a pretty cool little college town. It's kind of out of the way though, and likely experiencing the same struggles a lot of small towns are. Add to it the opioid epidemic which I imagine has hit that area hard.

That was part of the coal country area of Appalachia. It's almost an extension of West Virginia.

The only area I've seen that rivals it in terms of poverty is the Mississippi Delta. It's mostly poor white people though.

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Ohio

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There's your answer.

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That was part of the coal country area of Appalachia. It's almost an extension of West Virginia.

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This answer seems to be the most likely. I looked at the google map of Athens, OH, and it is close to W.Va. and close to my guess WRT where the coal mining region.

Man that whole area is depressing. When I lived in the Dayton area, I had to go out that way to train employees. Gallipolis, Ironton and Portsmouth are way worse than Athens. Then cross over to WV and it's even worse.

Coal. Like others said, the delta got hit hard when the fishing industry moved to China. And everyone was buying cheap shite from over there.

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The Torch

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Where did you pull that data?

Their best talent come to Baton Rouge

No mo coal.

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I read yesterday that the three largest employers in Athens County are Ohio University, the hospital and Walmart.

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That's the story for a lot of areas. Teaching Related, Law enforcement related, Healthcare related, Walmart.