When someone says West Virginia, a majority of people in the US will think of media induced stereotypes...toothless hillbillies, uneducated rednecks, family members fucking each other. Enough of this shit. This is 2011, a time when we should be intelligent enough to stop spreading these tales & images of a backward state.
True, West Virginia has its problems. There are rampant prescription drug issues, higher poverty rates and health issues. I don't think it's the people that are lazy or bad, it's the lack of resources that most of us take for granted. Lack of quality jobs, highways, medical care drive the issues. If the government would stop treating West Virginia like it is worthless and improve the infrastructure, jobs & progress will follow.
In Southern West Virginia there are the Hatfield-McCoy trails for ATV's. Hundreds of miles of trails have been made in Logan, McDowell, Mingo, Wyoming, and soon Mercer counties. These trails have produced entrepreneurs in the hospitality industry. Citizens have remodeled old homes for B&B's, opened restaurants and repair shops all catering to the visitors to the trails. If these people were lazy, would they do this? I don't think so.
There are a number of communities in West Virginia that are rebuilding its economy through tourism. Fayetteville, Tucker County, Greenbrier County to name a few. The people of these areas realize that the predominant industries of the past (logging, chemicals, coal) are largely gone and it is time to step up and make a change.
We as a people need to make a change. Stop treating West Virginia as a punch line in a joke and realize the amazing opportunities that the Mountain State has to offer.
Later people.
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