Anyone here from this region?
- Thread starter wok
- Start date
Pine Apple Slim
Armchair Expert
Always wanted to paddle the New River Gorge but never made it up there.
Denverdave
Resident Ragamuffin
I have driven through that part of WV. Prages lives in WV. It is a very beautiful, wild state. I would honestly consider moving there, though in one of the larger towns.
shoeless
Riffin'
Written, ironically, in Maryland about 5 miles from where I work.
DdBob
Dogue in teh desert
And he lived in Tucson from Age 6-14
Prages
User Error
I've lived in WV my whole life. My grandfather (and most of my great uncles) were coal miners. My v dad and most of my parents generation were coal miners until the 80s. In the 80s, a ton of the deep mines shut down in favor of strip mining, or laid off b union workers and hired non union workers that they didn't have to pay as well or offer benefits to.
Until the early 80s, coal mining, while dangerous work, was quite a lucrative career. A single income earner could easily raise a fault of 4.
Then when the mines closed and the opioid epidemic got a couple of years later many of those small coal towns were completely decimated.
There's still some opportunity in the larger cities in WV, and tourism has started to boom over the past few years, but make no mistake, there's plenty of third world areas sprinkled throughout Appalachia... and most of them have Trump signs in their yards.
Until the early 80s, coal mining, while dangerous work, was quite a lucrative career. A single income earner could easily raise a fault of 4.
Then when the mines closed and the opioid epidemic got a couple of years later many of those small coal towns were completely decimated.
There's still some opportunity in the larger cities in WV, and tourism has started to boom over the past few years, but make no mistake, there's plenty of third world areas sprinkled throughout Appalachia... and most of them have Trump signs in their yards.
Chicken Man
Kick Henry Jackassowski
I love visiting WV on my way to visiting kin in DC or NC, but there is some staggering poverty and depravity there.
DinoMikeSr
I have the box
I knew about it.
I spent a few days in that area on a motorcycle trip back before the 2016 election. It was extremely sad - everyone I talked to was SO excited that the "war on coal" was coming to an end and the $50/hour jobs and related local prosperity were just around the corner.
Knox in Box
Rustbelt refugee.
Yep, Cambria county in between the sprawling cultural metropolises of Johnstown, Winder and Ebensburg.
mongooz
Sic Semper Tyrannis
and all the dead steel towns in NE Pa.
several well known songs have written about that area.
Knox in Box
Rustbelt refugee.
Oh yeah, Springsteen and so. And this:
Just switch out Cumberland with Conemaugh and you have Johnstown.
Cumberland Gap lyrics Jason Isbell
There's an answer here, if I look hard enough
There's a reason why I always reach for the harder stuff
It wasn't my daddy's way
He was down in the mines all day
I know he wanted more than mouths to feed and bills to pay
Maybe the Cumberland Gap just swallows you whole
Maybe the Cumberland Gap just swallows you whole
I ain't cut out for war, unless I know what I'm fighting for
And there's nothing here but churches, bars, and grocery stores
Ain't much money in the old-time mandolin
So I cash my check and I drink 'til I'm on my ass again
Maybe the Cumberland Gap just swallows you whole
Maybe the Cumberland Gap just swallows you whole
Maybe the Cumberland Gap just swallows you whole
Remember when we could see the mountain's peak?
The sparkle off the amphibole?
Like a giant golden eagle's beak
Now they say no one wants the coal
I thought about moving away
But what would my mama say?
I'm all that she has left and I'm with her every day
As soon as the sun goes down
I find my way to the Mustang Lounge
And if you don't sit facing the window
You could be in any town
mongooz
Sic Semper Tyrannis
nothin' but the dead and dying in my little town - paul simon
allentown - billy joel